There are chefs who toil away in the kitchen and never come out to see their guests. There are chefs who are never in the kitchen because they are always cooking on TV or for magazines. Then there is Abraham Salum. Even with two restaurants (albeit neighbors) — Komali and his seven year old eponymous eatery — Salum strikes a marvelous balance of crafting dishes his way and allowing his staff the freedom to embellish. And he’s social enough that it’s a rare meal when he doesn’t emerge to check on how his diners are enjoying his dishes. Attention to detail and personal warmth conspired to handily earn him the title ultimate chef, and for his Salum restaurant to tie (with Stephan Pyles, no less) for ultimate dining experience. Bon appetit!
— Arnold Wayne Jones
ULTIMATE CHEF
Abraham Salum
Salum
4152 Cole Ave., Suite 103
Open for lunch Monday–Friday 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.;
open for dinner Monday–Saturday 6–10:30 p.m.
214-252-9604
SalumRestaurant.com
Komali
4152 Cole Ave., Suite 106
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-252-0200
KomaliRestaurant.com
ULTIMATE DINING EXPERIENCE
(TIE)
Salum
4152 Cole Ave., Suite 103
Open for lunch Monday–Friday 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.;
open for dinner Monday–Saturday 6–10:30 p.m.
214-252-9604
SalumRestaurant.com
Stephan Pyles
1807 Ross Ave., Suite 200
Open for lunch Monday–Friday;
open for dinner Monday–Saturday
214-580-7000
StephanPyles.com
BEST FAST AND CHEAP MEAL
BEST PLACE FOR A CHEAP DATE
Hunky’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers
3930 Cedar Springs Road
214-522-1212
321 Bishop St.
214-941-3322
Open for lunch and dinner daily
Hunkys.com
BEST AUTHENTIC DINER
Original Market Diner
4434 Harry Hines Blvd.
Open for breakfast and lunch daily; open for dinner
Thursday—Saturday
214-521-0992
OriginalMarketDiner.com
BEST BURGER JOINT
Hunky’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers
3930 Cedar Springs Road
214-522-1212
321 Bishop St.
214-941-3322
Open for lunch and dinner daily
Hunkys.com
BEST STEAKHOUSE
Texas Land & Cattle Co.
3130 Lemmon Ave.
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-526-4664
TxLC.com
BEST BARBECUE
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
2525 Wycliff Ave. (and additional locations)
Open for lunch and dinner Monday–Saturday
214-780-0999
Dickeys.com
BEST BREAKFAST
Original Market Diner
4434 Harry Hines Blvd.
Open for breakfast and lunch daily; open for dinner
Thursday—Saturday
214-521-0992
OriginalMarketDiner.com
BEST SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
3520 Oak Lawn Ave. (and additional locations)
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-521-4700
Pappadeaux.com
BEST ITALIAN/PIZZA
Sal’s Pizza & Restaurant
2525 Wycliff Ave. (and additional locations)
214-522-1828
SalsPizzaDallas.com
BEST TAKEOUT
Eatzi’s
3403 Oak Lawn Ave. (and additional locations)
Open daily at 7 a.m.
214-526-1515
Eatzis.com
Let’s face it: In the gay world, brunch is a social function as much as a way to fuel your body. So when you have a place like Jonathon’s in Oak Cliff — with its buzzy Sunday mornings clogged with a diverse crowd of sophisticates — you’re gonna attract a particular clientele. Add a self-service bloody Mary bar like the one here … well, now you’re approaching Nirvana. Sandwiched between Spiral Diner and Campo, Jonathon’s has some culinary competition from its neighbors, but it matches them with fanciful a menu that offers clever twists on country kitchen classics, especially the chicken and waffles. Fried chicken, syrup, vodka and tomato juice? No wonder it won.
— Arnold Wayne Jones
FAB BRUNCH
Jonathon’s
1111 N. Beckley Ave.
Closed Mondays.
Weekend brunch from 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
214-946-2221
JonathonsOakCliff.com
Transgender “travesty shows” abound the Dallas-Fort Worth. But many are held in restaurants in industrial or less developed areas, or tucked away in ethnic enclaves. Not so, Los Altos de Jalisco. The Mexican restaurant sits adjacent to a McDonald’s and around the corner from soccer-mom shopping and dining central, where Target, Kohl’s and Applebee’s dominate the landscape. Sunday nights, Los Altos welcomes Gaby Duarte and friends for late-night Spanish-language drag performances, punctuated by bawdy humor. The audience at these shows is made up of mustachioed, working-class men in cowboy hats and boots who stuff dollar bills into the cleavage of the ladies between Paulina Rubio hits and swigs of Mexican beer. Everyone noshes on platters of tacos with beef barbacoa, pastor and fajita, garnished with fresh cilantro and onions. Try getting that image out of your head … or finding it anywhere on the Strip.
— Jose Ralat-Maldonado
BEST PLACE FOR FAKE BOOBS AND REAL TACOS
Taqueria Los Altos de Jalisco
6012 Abrams Road, Suite 102
214-361-6769
BEST LATE NIGHT
(TIE)
Thairiffic
4000 Cedar Springs Road, Suite E
Open for lunch and dinner daily
972-241-2412
ThaiDallas.com
Cafe Brazil
3847 Cedar Springs Road
Open 24 hours
214-461-8762
CafeBrazil.com
BEST MEDITERRANEAN
(TIE)
Fadi’s
3001 Knox St., Suite 110 (and additional locations)
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-528-1807
FadisCuisine.com
Ali Baba Mediterranean Grill
1901 Abrams Road
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-823-8235
AliBabaMedGrill.com
New Yorkers may have stumbled across the banh mi taco only last month, but Dallas has been enjoying them for coming up on a year, thanks to the Nammi food truck. Officially called Nammi Cruisin’ Vietnamese Fusion, mobile grub peddler, owners Teena Nguyen and Gary Torres serve an alternative to the Korean taco craze that swept the nation a couple years back and is only now subsiding. The classic bahn mi, 12 hulking inches of delight, is itself a product of fusion, available with a choice of meat or tofu — go for the lemongrass beef or the grilled pork — paté, fresh cilantro, pickled cucumber, carrots and daikon as well as slices of cucumber and jalapeño between a baguette slathered with a mayonnaise. But it’s the Vietnamese taco that distinguishes Nammi from the rest of the pack. The corn tortillas, packed with sautéed red cabbage and the traditional banh mi elements, add a sweetness that stands up against the fire of the chilies and salsa, not to mention allowing for a greater manageability on the go.
— Jose Ralat-Maldonado
BEST FOOD TRUCK
Nammi Cruisin’ Vietnamese Fusion
Visit site for truck schedule.
NammiTruck.com
BEST MEXICAN /
LATIN RESTAURANT
Gloria’s
4140 Lemmon Ave.
(and additional locations)
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-521-7576
GloriasRestaurants.com
BEST ASIAN /
SUSHI RESTAURANT
Thairiffic
4000 Cedar Springs Road, Suite E
Open for lunch and dinner daily
972-241-2412
ThaiDallas.com
BEST VEGETARIAN/
VEGAN RESTAURANT
Cosmic Cafe
2912 Oak Lawn Ave.
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-521-6157
CosmicCafeDallas.com
BEST DESSERT SPOT
La Duni
4264 Oak Lawn Ave.
(and additional locations)
Open daily
214-520-6888
LaDuni.com
BEST FROZEN YOGURT SHOP
Yumilicious
3800 McKinney Ave., Suite 160
(and additional locations)
Open Monday–Saturday at 11 a.m.,
Sundays at noon
214-521-7888
Yumi-licious.com
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 16, 2012.
When will we stop patronizing – and awarding – republican Maurine Dickey’s BBQ joint? Especially when there are so many other options in this town!