The Best Things We Ate in Dallas This Year

Looking for something good to eat? Welcome home, honey. Here are the best bites the food writers at the Dallas Observer enjoyed this year. This is the sequin pants of our year of roving and eating. And like sequin pants, anything goes: from high-end Italian restaurants to food carts. Maybe get sequin pants with an elastic waist.

The Whole Beast

The Heritage Table
7110 Main St., Frisco

Now that cold weather is here, it’s peak ramen season. When a chill sets in your bones, nothing seems to warm your up better than a rich bowl of meats, noodles and savory broth. It’s off the regular ramen-map, but I think about the Whole Beast from The Heritage Table in Frisco quite a bit. Southerners didn’t invent ramen, but if they did, I imagine it would taste a whole lot like the bowl of goodness from this Frisco gem. The fact that The Heritage Table makes an effort to use everything that comes through the kitchen as part of their focus on sustainability means you can enjoy a bowl nearly guilt-free. — Chris Wolfgang

Rue Street Gumbo

Jack & Harry’s
6833 Snider Plaza

There’s a shortage of legit Cajun restaurants in Dallas, and when Jack & Harry’s opened in Snider Plaza earlier this year, it was an obvious attempt to fill that gap. By and large, they’re succeeding, although being smack in the middle of the Park Cities, meals can get pricey. That’s why you should sit at the bar, order a Vieux Carre, and get a bowl of gumbo. Jack & Harry’s gumbo tastes authentic, with thick chunks of okra, shredded chicken and andouille swimming in a dark and savory roux that will likely have you scraping every last drop from the bowl with your spoon. And at less than ten bucks, it’s one of the most affordable dishes on the menu. — CW

Coniglio alla Gricia

Radici
12990 Bee St., Farmers Branch

Tiffany Derry’s new venture into Italian cuisine showcases her diverse culinary talents. There’s not really a weak link in Radici’s pasta selections (the pomodoro tastes like it came from an Italian grandmother’s kitchen), but I always tell people to order the decadent coniglio alla gricia. Braised shredded rabbit is the star, blended into a pecorino and guanciale sauce, then tossed together with twisted pasta and a few bitter greens to contrast the richness. If you’ve been afraid of ordering rabbit before, this dish will turn you into a believer. — CW

Whole Grilled Sea Bass

Uchiko
7801 Windrose Ave., Plano

This was the dish I told everyone who would listen about for months The menu at Uchiko is deep and wide, filled with little sushi and sashimi wonders for which its parent company, Hai Hospitality (Uchi, Uchiaba), is well known. But when at this spot in Plano, go for the fire-kissed whole sea bass. It's dried overnight and then sprayed with sake, rendering it extra crispy. It's served with a pile of fresh herbs and swimming in a rich brown butter dashi. If you're bold — and I believe you are — eat it with your bare hands. There's a limited number each day, so make your reservations early. — Lauren Drewes Daniels

The Cake of Dallas (Swiss Madrisa)

Henk's European Deli
5811 Blackwell St.

A reader suggested that Henk's Swiss Madrissa cake — a light Chantilly cream cake bedazzled with fruit and slivered almonds— was the cake of Dallas. We had to find out. And it turns out, that reader was right (thanks, Soraya Santos!). For thoroughness and journalism, we ate a lot of cake, and we never felt remiss or guilty for a single mouthful. This cake, which comes in many sizes, is fluffy with fresh fruit adding natural sweetness. Visually, it's elegant and festive, perfect for important moments, or a random Tuesday when you just need to see for yourself why this is the cake of Dallas. — LDD

Mobile Hot Dogs Carts

Outside Events Everywhere

If you've walked out of a game or concert anywhere in Dallas, you've likely encountered the mobile carts, about which The Dallas Morning News did a great piece earlier this year. I call them sober-up hot dogs because, well, maybe we need a bite before heading home. On more than one occasion, they've been an absolute savior, and they could have cost $1,000 and it wouldn't have mattered. And don't worry about how long the bacon has been sitting out or maybe the raw meat is touching cooked meat, sometimes we choose to live on the edge. Get your sequin pants out and just live a little. — LDD

Garlic Noodles

Cosmo's
1212 Skillman St.

Cosmo's is one of the best funky little bars in Dallas, and it happens to be backed by a locally celebrated under-the-radar chef, Jackson Tran. From the house-made Vietnamese coffee for the espresso martini to the pho, this East Dallas haunt is a wonderful choice for dinner. The garlic noodles with slivers of green onions are simple and one of the best things you'll eat in Dallas. The dish is apparently on the rotating menu — and has unfortunately rotated off. But maybe if we all riot they'll bring it back. — LDD

Crispy Duck Noodle Soup

Khao Horm Thai
2525 Inwood Road, Suite 123

The best flavors we had this year were all in one huge bowl at Khao Horm Thai: egg noodles, a generous portion of sliced crispy succulent duck, cilantro and bean sprouts all hanging out in a wonderfully rich, flavorful broth full of nuance and character. The perfect dish for a cold winter’s evening, but we’d pour gallons of this down our gullet during the height of summer as well. — Hank Vaughn

Fried Grouper Sandwich

Green Point
3219 Knox St.

These little bites are hidden away in the appetizer section of Green Point's menu, but don’t pass them up; you can get your dozen oysters anywhere. Perfectly proportioned fried grouper sandwiches that come three to an order, these tall sliders come stacked with slaw, tartar sauce and horseradish pickles. A crisp exterior and flaky interior with absolutely no hint of grease. Yes, please, and thank you. — HV

Lamb Sliders

Café Nubia
3920 Rosemeade Parkway

The lamb sliders found at this African/Mediterranean spot, Nubia, in Far North Dallas are not to be missed, arriving on a slate serving stone with three perfectly grilled lamb patties dressed with feta, tomato, crispy dill pickles and grilled onions on potato rolls, all for under $20. Not baaaa’d. — HV

Allium Fried Chicken Thighs

Petra and the Beast
1901 Abrams Road

Misti Norris thankfully ported over her koji chicken from her limited-run restaurant Stepchild from a couple years ago when Petra started a brunch service, and there was much rejoicing. Words cannot describe how good this is: a perfectly cooked chicken thigh that’s juicy from the extended brine and packing a satisfying crunch courtesy of the flavorful skin that’s crisped to perfection, all enhanced and intensified by the fermented shio koji. But it doesn’t fly solo, being accompanied with a fried egg, smoked shallot gravy and garnish of a bunch of crispy shallots. Any time reading this list is time that could be better served eating this dish at Petra, so rectify that. — HV

Beistecca alla Fiorentina

Via Triozzi
1806 Greenville Ave.

At Via Triozzi, this large, top-graded Texas wagyu porterhouse from Rosewood Ranch is sold at market price based on weight and is enough for two. It's worth the indulgence for that special occasion. It arrives sliced, the strip and tenderloin sections separated by the T-bone that is used as a garnish, a meaty centerpiece, along with a still-smoldering sprig of rosemary that provides good woodsy notes. Meaty, well-marbled, juicy and tender, simply seasoned with salt. And that centerbone had some of the best meat still clinging to it, just waiting. You know what to do. — HV

The Chop Pot

The POT Baked Potato Bar
1639 South Blvd.

At South Dallas’ POT Baked Potato Bar, Sheena Marie Scott and her team take baked potatoes to the next level. Forget your run-of-the-mill baked potatoes with store-bought shredded cheese and bacon bits: how about a baked potato topped with succulent salmon and jumbo shrimp in a Cajun crawfish cream sauce? These are the kinds of wondrous baked potatoes you can expect to find at the POT Baked Potato Bar. Our personal favorite (which left our jaw on the floor) was The Chop Pot, made of beautifully marinated lamb chops over a bed of melted cheese and The POT’s signature cream sauce. We’ll never see baked potatoes the same again after experiencing The Chop Pot. — Nick Reynolds

Cinnamon Swirl Sunrise Sourdough

Waxahachie Bread Lady
1010 Technology Way, Waxahachie

Angela Gottuso, aka the Waxahachie Bread Lady, is low-key baking some of the best bread you’ll find anywhere in North Texas. She’s a bona fide star in our book. Gottuso also churns out premium cookies, cinnamon rolls (like a delectable caramel pecan cinnamon roll) and sinfully addictive dessert treats like her Soviet-inspired dulce de leche pizzelles. But we’re convinced the Waxahachie Bread Lady’s Cinnamon Swirl Sunrise sourdough is as immaculate a bread that exists. With plump raisins, notes of warm cinnamon throughout and a perfectly Instagrammable swirl on the crust, this is an elite breakfast (or dessert) bread. Spread Gottuso’s cinnamon butter on a slice and judge for yourself. Gottuso also strongly recommends it for French toast. — NR

Menudo

Tipico’s
3118 W. Northwest Highway

The menudo at Tipico’s will grow hair on your chest. Overflowing with beef tripe and packed with red chiles and white hominy, this traditional Mexican soup has long been considered one of the great hangover cures of all time. And Tipico’s does it as well (or better) than anyone in town. Make sure to add a handful of limes and onions that come with it and a dash or five of your tableside hot sauce. — NR

Fruits de Mer Pasta

Tango Room
1617 Hi Line Drive

Tango Room has an artistic and sultry dining room: we hear they pay more in art insurance than rent, likely on account of the diamond-dusted Warhol. But it's all low-key here — no jacket required. Butter, lemon and thinly sliced garlic are the base of the sauce tossed with al dente pasta, shrimp, crab, prawn and blanched tomatoes. One of the most exclusive culinary experiences in town? Perhaps. — Aaren Prody

Beef Bihari

Lyari Cafe
11641 Harry Hines Blvd.

You think you know your way around a spice cabinet, and then you’re introduced to beef bihari, a popular Pakistani street food that is tender, aromatic and smoky. Thin, pounded strips of beef are tenderized and marinated overnight, then grilled or finished with coal smoke. The dish is typically served with naan or chapati bread, but to take a page from our food critic: “I’d eat that off a rubber flip flop." Find it at Lyari Cafe. — AP