Some places we covered this week are punching above their weight, for better or for worse, and others are aiming purposefully low. The best of City of Ate this week covers a handful of spots toying with a new social place.

The Week in Review(s):

• Your own Dallas Observer: Dave tries slumming it at Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen, where the down-home cooking runs up against Highland Park affectation.
  
• Dallas Morning News: Si Tapas and Spanish Cuisine gets Leslie Brenner's attention this week, while Kim Pierce gets into Huck's Catfish.
  

Highlights from City of Ate:

• Top 10 Chefs Who Deserve More Attention
  One of these days, these chefs will get the fawning media attention they deserve. Wednesday was one of these days.
  
• Mia's vs Taco Diner: The Battle of the Briskets
  In this corner, the "dirty old favorite" from Oak Lawn. In this corner, the pretty-boy West Village spot with the scenester patio. Who's got what it takes to best the brisket taco competition?
  
• First Look: The Cupcakery
  You can fancy up the exterior all you want, but there's no making up for an overflowing trash can and a so-so cupcake.
  
• Short Orders: Uptown Pub
  Somewhere between Uptown's strip mall roots at the Loon and its fancified West Village makeover, there's the Uptown Pub.