Dirk Nowitzki has a confession to make: He's a foodie. Big time.
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And that's one of the main reasons the Mavericks star now considers Dallas his hometown. The Big German has come to realize just how good we have it here when it comes to tasty delights. It was a lot harder to find good sushi growing up in Würzburg.
Or any sushi, for that matter.
"I really love it here," says Nowitzki, who has lived in Dallas for 16 years. "It's my new home. The people have been great to me. And I'm really enjoying the restaurants. There are so many great restaurants you can go to for whatever you want to eat, all sorts of nationalities. I love food."
So since Nowitzki has been to pretty much every high-tone and high-food-quality restaurant in Dallas, here are his recommendations for a great restaurant experience.
"Can I make commercials for restaurants like that?" he asks.
Assured that he can, he starts visitors off with something truly Texan: Nick and Sam's Steakhouse.
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"Bangin'," he says, using his favorite word to indicate something is off-the-charts excellent. "It always tastes so good. The head chef, Samir [Dhurandhar], man, he's awesome."
For sushi: "It's Steel on Oak Lawn. Great place."
Then, Nowitzki believes it's time for a little traditional Italian.
"There are a couple of Italian spots," he says. "One of my favorites is Bugatti over on Northwest Highway. Really good.
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"And then, if I want something just low-key at night or want to pick something up, a little Howard Wang's. It's bangin'. It's Chinese and it's great. Really like getting that to take to the crib."
So there you have it. If you're in town for four nights, hit Dirk's fave foursome and you're guaranteed to be well-fed - and considerably poorer.
Just be forewarned, there's a good chance you won't get the same attention from the workers (and the clientele) that Dirk gets when he goes out.
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Nick and Sam's Steakhouse: 3008 Maple Ave., Dallas. 214-871-7444. nick-sams.com.
Steel: 3102 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas. 214-219-9908. steelrestaurant.com.
Bugatti Ristorante: 3802 W. Northwest Highway, Dallas. 214-350-2470. bugattis.net.
Howard Wang's: There are Howard Wang's China Grill locations at 4343 W. Northwest Highway in Dallas (214-366-1606) and at 1471 E. Southlake Blvd. in Southlake (817-488-6667). Howard Wang's Uptown is at 3223 Lemmon Ave., Dallas (214-954-9558). hwrestaurants.com.
By EDDIE SEFKO, Staff Writer
