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Best Dining Bets
The French Room (Dallas; tel. 214/742-8200): This formal but thankfully not intimidating restaurant in the historic Adolphus Hotel is dreamy, like dining at Versailles. Indulge in superb classic French cuisine and museum-quality wines surrounded by a rococo-painted ceiling, flowing drapes, and crystal chandeliers.
Stephan Pyles (Dallas; tel. 214/580-7000): The legendary West Texas chef, back after a long hiatus, has upped the ante in dramatic fashion in his new, chic but still very Texan, eponymous restaurant in the Arts District. Pyles, Esquire magazine's Chef of the Year in 2006, says what emanates from his massive kitchen is "new millennium Southwestern cuisine." The man behind Star Canyon has taken Big D by storm once again.
Javier's Gourmet Mexicano (Dallas; tel. 214/521-4211): The owners and devotees of this gourmet Mexico City restaurant will gently inform you that, no, this isn't Tex-Mex. Javier's serves deliciously prepared grilled fish and meat dishes and mesquite-smoked chicken in a Spanish colonial setting. Come for a top-shelf margarita at the clubby bar, but I guarantee you'll stay for dinner.
Café Ashton (Fort Worth; tel. 817/332-0100): The creative New American bistro fare at this swank restaurant, in a boutique hotel of the same description, quickly shot to the top of everyone's best-of lists in Fort Worth. Hotel dining is rarely this good or this intimate. See what all the fuss is about.
Lanny's Alta Cocina Mexicana (Fort Worth; tel. 817/850-9996): The young great-grandson of the man behind Fort Worth's longtime standard for Tex-Mex, Joe T. Garcia's, has struck out on his own with this sensational fine-dining take on Mediterranean cooking with Mexican sensibilities. Sophisticated but unfussy, it's the place to dine in downtown Fort Worth.
Mark's (Houston; tel. 713/523-3800): No fussy French nouvelle here, and no boring steak and potatoes either. Mark's manages to serve up dishes that can satisfy at some deep subconscious level while they fulfill our eternal quest for something new. This is New American cooking as it should be performed.
Cafe Annie (Houston; tel. 713/840-1111): No other restaurant in Houston garners quite the attention that this place does from both food critics and the public alike. With its innovative Southwestern cooking, the best wine list in the city, and a master sommelier (the only "master" in Texas), the restaurant has its credentials. Chef/owner Robert Del Grande offers up wonderful dishes that show just how fertile the crossbreeding of Mexican and American cooking can be.
Le Rêve (San Antonio; tel. 210/212-2221): Regularly designated the best restaurant in Texas, Le Rêve never disappoints. Owner/chef Andrew Weissman is exacting in the practice of his craft and produces a dining experience that is close to being other-worldly.
Uchi (Austin; tel. 512/916-4808): Don't think of this restaurant as just a good place for sushi and Japanese cuisine. It's a great restaurant, period, with creative cooking that transcends its humble roots. The setting, in a beautifully revamped 1930s house, is transcendent, too.
Café Central (El Paso; tel. 915/545-2233): Well worth the splurge, Café Central is a sleek urban bistro serving sophisticated international cuisine. The menu changes daily, but always offers a wide range of standout fare -- most notably creative Southwestern interpretations of traditional Continental dishes. The wine list is one of the city's best, with nearly 300 bottles, and desserts include the best leches (Mexican milk cakes) in all of Texas.
Ocotillo (Lajitas; tel. 432/424-5000): For our money, this is the best restaurant on the entire Texas-Mexico border. Ocotillo specializes in wild game with Mexican-inspired sauces; the interplay between the two is a revelation. Executive Chef Blas Gonzales brought 20 years of experience from Austin. Everything is fresh: Seafood is flown in daily from both coasts, and many ingredients are grown in a terrace garden on-site.
The Best Texan Dining
Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse (Dallas; tel. 214/357-7120): Sonny Bryan's has been turning out sweet barbecue since 1910, and the little smoke shack out on Inwood has acquired legendary status. Salesmen perch on their car hoods with their sleeves rolled up and wolf down hickory-smoked brisket, sliced-beef sandwiches, and succulent onion rings. Thinner sorts squeeze into tiny one-armed school desks and get ready to douse their brisket with superb, tangy sauce. A classic.
Bob's Steak & Chop House (Dallas; tel. 214/528-9446): Bob's will satisfy the steak connoisseur -- the real Texan -- in you. With a clubby but relaxed mahogany look and behemoth wet-aged prime beef and sirloin filets, this is a place for the J. R. crowd. Even the accompaniments -- "smashed" potatoes and honey-glazed whole carrots -- are terrific. And the meat-shy need not fear: The chophouse salad is a meal in itself. Cigar aficionados should keep their noses trained for Bob's cigar dinners: Every course is served with a different cigar.
Lonesome Dove Western Bistro (Fort Worth; tel. 817/740-8810): The work of a daring young couple, this friendly and eclectic restaurant challenges Cowtown to broaden its horizons. The Southwestern menu at this Stockyards eatery successfully stretches the popular theme in new ways, adding unique Texas touches that are both avant-garde and comforting. Pop in for the cheap Stockyards lunch special or dive into a blowout dinner.
Angelo's (Fort Worth; tel. 817/332-0357): Fort Worth's classic Texas barbecue joint is as unpretentious as they come: Its wood paneling, mounted deer and buffalo heads, metal ceiling fans, and Formica tables might have come from a Jaycees lodge. That's kitschy cool to some, meaningless to everyone else. What is important is the fantastic hickory-smoked barbecue.
Loma Linda (Houston; tel. 713/924-6074): Bursting the bubble of a perfectly puffed tortilla smothered in chile con queso is the moment where anticipation meets realization in the Tex-Mex experience. The aroma, the texture, the taste . . . words fail me. You can scour the borderlands a long time before coming up with an old-fashioned Tex-Mex joint like this one. The restaurant even has its own special tortilla maker for producing these puffed-up beauties. Also of note are the perfectly seasoned classic Tex-Mex enchiladas with chili gravy.
Gaidos (Galveston; tel. 409/762-9625): Offering traditional cooking as it is practiced on the Texas Gulf Coast, Gaidos is the keeper of the flame for lovers of seafood that steers clear of fads and trends. The family has been serving up stuffed snapper, gumbo, and fried oysters for four generations.
La Playa (Corpus Christi; tel. 361/980-3909): For a Tex-Mex restaurant to be considered truly great, it must, of course, do a good job with the traditional enchiladas in chili gravy, have excellent fajitas, and pay attention to the details in cooking the rice and beans. It helps if it has a signature dish or two. In this case, it's deep-fried avocadoes. No place but Texas, baby!
La Playa (Port Aransas; tel. 361/749-0022): This place is in no way connected to La Playa of Corpus Christi. But the cooking is just as local and does a great job with Tex-Mex style seafood dishes such as campechana cocktails and fish tacos. The margaritas transcend cultures, but La Playa's got that hominess and welcoming feel that is as much Texas as anything else.
Mi Tierra (San Antonio; tel. 210/225-1262): Some people dismiss this cafe as touristy. Not so. It is the practitioner of old San Antonio cooking traditions. Order any of the Tex-Mex specialties and sit back and enjoy the ambience -- both the food and the decor are expressions of local tastes when celebrating is called for. And travelers need no excuse to celebrate once they've hit upon this gem.
Shady Grove (Austin; tel. 512/474-9991): This is the most quintessentially Austin restaurant in town. It offers a laid-back Texan menu, a huge outdoor patio, and an "unplugged" music series.
L&J Café (El Paso; tel. 915/566-8418): An El Paso landmark since it opened its doors in 1927, the L&J is both inexpensive and offers some of the best Tex-Mex food you'll find anywhere. The chicken enchiladas, overflowing with fluffy meat and buried under chunky green chile and Jack cheese, approach perfection. It doesn't hurt that the salsa is spicy, the beer is cold, and the service is quick and friendly, even when the place is filled to capacity -- as it is most of the time.
Starlight Theatre (Terlingua; tel. 432/371-2326): A 1930s movie palace abandoned when the mines in Terlingua went bust in the following decade, the Starlight Theatre was reborn as an eatery and watering hole in 1991. The stage is still here, but the silver screen takes a backseat to the food (especially the trademark enchiladas, filet mignon, and sautéed chicken), drink (namely Texas beers and prickly pear margaritas), and desserts (the cobbler for two is legendary).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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