Mufso Dining Guide To Some Of The Best Restaurants In Dallas

Nation's Restaurant News, Sept 17, 2001

Reservations recommended

Attendees at the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference in Dallas have a wide number of dining options, from indigenous, casual TexMex to sophisticated fine dining. For business gatherings or quick escapes from the seminars, here's a list, while no means inclusive, of notable spots that visitors might consider.

Of special note are the fast-developing restaurant offerings near the year-old Stonebriar Mall in Frisco located at the end of the Dallas North Tollway. The Tollway corridor through Piano boasts several newcomers to the Shops at Willow Bend mall area. And you'll find a burgeoning number of chain restaurants colonizing the intersection of Interstate 35 and Northwest Highway, about six miles north of the host, Wyndham Anatole Hotel.

Here are several Nation's Restaurant News Fine-Dining Hall of Fame winners:

Cafe Pacific

24 Highland Park Village, Preston Road and Mockingbird Lane, (214) 526-1170. This 2001 inductee into the Hall of Fame, known for its supreme talent with seafood and posh bistro airs, has provided sophisticated dining for a long time to the tony Park Cities crowd and others. Crab cakes are a specialty. The marble, wood and glass environment is welcoming. Owner Jack Knox also offers the highly popular Patrizio casual Italian restaurant, which faces Cafe Pacific. Lunch and dinner.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse

5251 Spring Valley Road, (972) 490-9000. Even after Lone Star Steakhouses of Wichita, Kan., bought this monument to meat, the service, selection and surroundings remain a hot place for beef. An extensive wine list and toothsome side dishes make it one of the quintessential steak experiences in the city and a prime spot for business dinners. Dinner daily.

The French Room

1321 Commerce St., (214) 742-8200. With a go-for-baroque ambience, the Adolphus Hotel's French Room provides Old World elegance with a modern menu. The cherub-covered ceiling and drapes, worthy of Tara, give the room a special place in fine-dining circles. The structure originally was built for beer titan Adolphus Busch, and the character of the room is grand on the grandest scale. Dinner only.

The Mansion on Turtle Creek

2821 Turtle Creek Blvd., (214) 559-2100. Chef Dean Fearing continues to oversee a New American menu with such signature dishes as tortilla soup and lobster taco. The surroundings are posh and sophisticated, reminiscent of the restaurant's past as a cotton magnate's mansion on the banks of Turtle Creek. The atmosphere is clubby; the appointments, lavish. Dinner daily.

The Pyramid

1717 N. Akard St., (214) 720-5249. With a subdued atmosphere worthy of Cleopatra, the Fairmont Hotel's dining room provides innovative French/Continental cuisine that's a hop-skip-and-watercolor away from Dallas' Arts District. The Dallas Museum of Art is just a block away. Recent renovations of the hotel's lobby and rooms provide The Pyramid with even more panache. Lunch and dinner.

The Riviera

7709 Inwood Road, (214) 351-0094. The Mediterranean menu is now under the direction of executive chef Tom Fleming. The excellent service and sophisticated atmosphere have been pleasing guests since 1984, when Franco Bertolasi founded the fine-dining restaurant. D magazine calls it "a near-flawless dining experience." Dinner daily.

And here are several other interesting spots:

Biernat's

4217 Oak Lawn Ave., (214) 219-2201. The steakhouse features not only a celebrity-studded clientele but also such seafood delicacies as Nova Scotia lobster, Australian cold-water lobster tail and six types of fresh fish daily plus Beluga caviar. The wine list features more than 650 selections. Lunch and dinner.

Bistral

2900 McKinney Ave., (214) 220-1202. This Uptown neighborhood bistro and bakery features oven-baked salmon on Gorgonzola polenta and pan-roasted half chicken with focaccia bread stuffing. The atmosphere is casual and comfortable. Lunch and dinner.

Bistro A

6815 Snider Plaza, (214) 373-9911. Middle Eastern touches populate the menu at this neighborhood spot in a small Park Cities shopping center. Avner Samuel, who was one of the first chefs at the Mansion on Turtle Creek and has led a number of Dallas fine-dining spots, offers a simple menu with inspired flair. Lunch and dinner.

Blue Mesa Grill

7700 W. Northwest Hwy., (214) 378-8686. The bold flavors of the Southwest continue to star at the newest of three Blue Mesa Grills in this area. The sleek decor provides a stellar backdrop for the vibrant menu, which ranges from churras-caritas skewers to Santa Fe soup and on to chocolate-pumpkin cheesecake. A new version opened in September at 8200 Dallas Parkway in Plano on the southeastern corner of Dallas North Tollway and Texas 121, (214) 387-4407. Lunch and dinner.

Bob's Chop House

4300 Lemmon Ave., (214) 528-9446. This independent turf and turf -- and a bit of surf -- emporium features a stereotypical, clubby steakhouse atmosphere and a superb selection of beef. And the service can be as zesty as a superb salad dressing. The Oak Lawn location is where Del Friscos got its start years ago. Dinner only.