Everywhere you turn in Dallas these days, you crash into something delicious.
Here (in no particular order) are 9 plates that have bowled me over since the beginning of the year.
1. Duck and Dumplings at Rapscallion
New on the menu since I reviewed Rapscallion in September, this is a saucy dish of house-made cavatelli, duck confit, rapini, baby turnips, wild mushrooms and parmesan -- like old-fashioned chicken and dumplings gone all ducky-dreamy and sophisticated.
2. Dry-cured ham and egg salad toast at the Theodore
Toasts have come and gone from Tim Byres' and executive chef Scott Romano's menu at the Theodore, their restaurant in NorthPark Center, but happily this one -- staring egg salad and excellent ham -- remains. It comes conveniently sliced in four for easy sharing.
3. Shaved Brussels sprouts and dried cranberry salad at Remedy
Wait - don't even think about adding chicken or grilled salmon to chef Danyele McPherson's salad at Remedy, the glammy soda fountain-style place on lower Greenville. It's perfect as is! (Honestly, I don't know why restaurants feel the need to suggest such foolish additions -- it can only muck up their fine creations.) Besides the B-sprouts and cranberries, McPherson also tosses in kale, roasted spaghetti squash, blue cheese, crispy barley and toasted almonds and dresses it citrus-sherry vinaigrette. See what I mean? Perfect.
4. Binchotan-grilled A5 Miyazaki Wagyu beef at Teppo
Crazy as it sounds, this 5-ounce portion of steak serves three people: That's how incredibly rich it is. A5 Miyazaki Wagyu is some of the most spectacular beef in the world, and seared on the super-hot binchotan (Japanese charcoal) yakitori grill at Teppo, it's as amazing as any I've had. Hard to fathom that beef so tender, really like butter, can be so unbelievably flavorful. It's also crazy expensive: $130 for the serving.
5. Texas fried okra at 18th and Vine BBQ
There's fried okra, and then there's fried okra. And the okra at 18th and Vine BBQ, fried up whole and crisp and served with an amped-up Thousand Island dressing, is some of the best around. Crunchy, juicy and addictive.
6. Beef tartare with cauliflower, Thai chile, peanuts and cilantro at FT33
FT33, one of my favorite restaurants, has a new chef: Nilton "Junior" Borges, who created this superb tartare that riffs on Thai flavors. Where might you know Borges from? Uchi, which he recently helped earn five stars in a review and the title of The Best in DFW Best New Restaurant of 2015. Matt McCallister hasn't left the restaurant; he remains, in an evolving chef-owner role.
7. Couture Croque at Grange Hall
Have you been to lunch at Grange Hall, the restaurant-in-a-boutique in Knox-Henderson? It's a lovely place for refined and beautiful fare. I loved this smart take on a croque monsieur, which uses freshly baked pate a choux (cream puff pastry) in place of the traditional pain de mie white bread. So elegant!
8. Alaskan king crab fried rice at Montlake Cut
It is physically almost impossible to resist fried rice, and the version with Alaskan king crab at Montlake Cut, Nick Badovinus' new seafood restaurant in Preston Center, is wonderful. The restaurant recently earned three stars in an enthusiastic review.
9. Twenty-one-day dry-aged double-cut Heritage pork chop for two at Filament
Executive chef Cody Sharp's sumptuous chop at Filament, easily giant enough for two (but with plenty for three, along with a few smaller share-plates), is one of the best dishes I've tasted in some time. Sharp tops it with warm bacon-onion marmelade and sends it to the table (where it makes quite a statement!) with braised greens and charred Tokyo turnips. The restaurant recently earned four stars. If you're up for a feast, it doesn't get much better than this.
