Ebesu has been one of Dallas' hottest restaurants since its opening, an all-around excellent Japanese spot with no weaknesses and some unique strengths. Most excitingly for many diners, it brought the kind of excellence and attention to detail usually associated with Tei-An and Tei Tei Robata, in central Dallas, to the suburbs with its location in downtown Plano. Now suburbanites, too, can enjoy great grilled fish collars, exquisite specialty sushi rolls and boxes of rice topped with salmon roe. It’s no wonder that when this author last visited Ebesu in person (a month before the virus arrived), one of the other customers was Yutaka Yamato, whose namesake sushi bar in Uptown is also on this Top 100 list.

Top pick: The flamboyant house specialty sushi roll, “Super-Long Niku!”, absolutely earns its exclamation mark. Its rice is topped with thin slices of grilled beef, fried leeks and an arugula puree. Bring friends, because there are 16 pieces. (Alas, Super-Long Niku! is not available as takeout.)

Fun fact: This is the first American restaurant for an ownership group that operates multiple kitchens in and around Tokyo.