We get it: You're too good to put sauce on your barbecue or ranch on your pizza. Us? We like our food better when it's wet, especially when these condiments are involved.
Have a condiment you like better? Dip your laptop in it or something. These are better.
The BBQ Sauce at Slow Bone (above) Cool, thanks a bunch Slow Bone! We can't buy barbecue sauce anymore. Your BBQ sauce is king-like. It's got richness, smoke and a roundhouse of acid, which combined with the melt-in-your-mouth brisket makes for some of the best, exciting sauce applications in Dallas. Few things are more fun than filling a spot on the cafeteria tray, which is normally reserved for sides, with ladles of your insanely good barbecue sauce. This will forever ruin anything you buy at the store. -- Nick Rallo
The Spiced Ketchup at ¡C. Señor! If you were under the impression that no further innovations to ketchup needed to happen due to the Dip & Squeeze tub, you were mistaken. The spicy ketchup at the Oak Cliff spot comes best with the yucca fries, in those little plastic cups reserved for Jell-O shots. The ketchup is tangy and loaded with spices, and with the crispy, chile-salted fries makes for mouth fireworks. You'll need an index finger to clean the rest of the ketchup from the cup. Get two handfuls of extras for later. -- Nick Rallo
The Ranch at Zoli's Jay Jerrier may have gotten internationally famous for refusing to serve ranch at his VPN-certified pizzerias, but that didn't stop him from creating one of the city's best ranch dips at New York-style sister restaurant Zoli's. The ranch here is made with just enough roasted jalapeños to make it spicy without losing the traditional ranch-y flavor, and is perfect for dipping those thin crusts after you've devoured a slice (or six) of cheese or hot sopressata. -- Amy McCarthy
The Jalapeño Ranch at Chuy's (above) When your server knows to ask if you want a side of it when the chips and salsa come out, you know it's probably a popular request. When your server knows to go ahead and bring a few bowlfuls with the menus as soon as you sit down, you know you probably have a problem. Chuy's has an atmosphere one can only call "festive," but for the most part it's pretty standard Tex-Mex. Until you get to that jalapeño ranch. Flecked with green bits of the pepper and a little cilantro, the creamy, housemade dressing goes with everything from Chuy's salads (bahahahahahahaha) to big-as-yo-face burritos. Or simply a straw. Whatever. -- foodbitch
The Butter at Gemma At Gemma, everything is made in-house, including the soft butter that they serve alongside housemade breads at the beginning of the meal. Most would agree that bread service is antiquated and usually boring at restaurants, but the fresh, creamy butter sets Gemma apart, especially with a light sprinkle of the coarse sea salt that is on every table. You'll quickly devour the small slices of bread that your server brings and then have to resist the temptation of licking the rest of the butter out of the ramekin. -- Amy McCarthy
The Salsa at La Banqueta There's a green salsa on the tables at nearly every taquería, but none of them are like what's contained in the squeeze bottles at La Banqueta. The recipe is a closely guarded secret but the results are always the same: a viscous, smooth, green condiment that has a creamy consistency that's all its own. It's hard to envision anything La Banqueta's green salsa wouldn't work on, but try it on a few hundred suadero tacos to start. Apply with caution; it's pretty hot. -- Scott Reitz
