Dining | rva.2010

NAUGHTY AND NICE | Chef Blythe Beck makes buttercream seem sexy. Maybe because it is. (Photo by Arnold Wayne Jones)

TOP CHEF
Chef Blythe Beck, Central 214
5680 N. Central Expressway (in the Hotel Palomar)
Opens daily for lunch at 11:30 a.m., dinner at 5 p.m.; Sunday brunch at 8 a.m.
214-443-9339
Central214.com

Chef Blythe Beck has spent much of the last half decade cultivating her philosophy of naughty cooking: Food that’s unapologetically indulgent, an Atkins-be-damned attitude that embraces cream and butter and cayenne pepper. Why play it safe when safe is so boring? It’s that approach to food — and her bigger-than-life personality — that landed her her own reality series last year on Oxygen, just as she took over the kitchen at the Hotel Palomar’s acclaimed Central 214 restaurant. It also has made her a favorite of the gay community, both as a celebrichef and as an icon of brassy individuality. And she feeds us good eats, too. Gotta love that.

LIVIN’ LA VEGAN LOCA Server Ashley Arostegui isn’t calling you a jerk, she’s sharing one of the vegan options available at Spiral Diner. (Photo by Eddie Garza)

BEST VEGETARIAN
Spiral Diner and Bakery
1101 N Beckley Ave.
Opens Tuesday–Sunday at 11 a.m.
214-948-4747
SpiralDiner.com

For down-home Southern eats with a cruelty-free twist, local veg-heads find comfort at Spiral Diner in Oak Cliff (an older location is in Fort Worth). Virtually everything on the diner’s menu is suitable for vegetarians, flexitarians, vegans and even the veg-curious. We heart Spiral’s jerk tempeh sandwich, Texas-Philly cheezsteak and Mitch tofu club. Down-home sides include a dill-rich potato salad and creamy pasta salad. And who says vegans can’t have their cake and eat it, too? Spiral Diner whips up a variety of lip smackin’ egg- and dairy-free cakes, cookies and pies, and all-you-can-eat pancakes are served all day Sunday. (Hint: You’ll wanna put on your eatin’ dress.)

EDITOR’S CHOICE

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD | The bacon cheeseburger at Maple & Motor, top, is a greasy fantasy compared to the elegant pappadam cups at Samar, below. (Photos by Arnold Wayne Jones)

BEST NEW RESTAURANT • CHEAP
Maple & Motor Burgers & Beer
4810 Maple Ave.
Opens daily at 10:45 a.m.
214-522-4400
MapleandMotor.com

There are greasy spoons, there are hamburger joints and there are dives; somehow, Maple & Motor Burgers & Beer is all of those and none of them. How they do it is hard to pinpoint. The diner itself is both cool and stylish but not kitschy. Clearly, the star of the place is the burger. They are just big enough to be filling with beautifully glazed buns, a blanket of melted cheese and a patty that makes every bite heaven. Add a slice of uber-crispy bacon that cantilevers off the bun as if to pry its glorious sloppiness into your pie hole, and it becomes a meal that’s hard to forget. Owner Jack Perkins has created something really special in this unsuspecting — and gay-friendly — spot.
— Rich Lopez

BEST NEW RESTAURANT • NOT-SO-CHEAP
Samar by Stephan Pyles
2100 Ross Ave.
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
214-922-9922.

First things first: Stephan Pyles’ newest concept, Samar, is his most accessible (and affordable) cuisine since he was line cook at The Bronx back in the early ’80s. So don’t think of it as expensive — think of it as delicious. Serving lunch and dinner (and open late for an after-theater nosh), it’s a mini-tour through the flavorful cuisines of India, Spain and the Mediterranean that’s elegant without being high-falutin. It’s no wonder the restaurant has put Pyles on the shortlist for another James Beard Award — making the gay chef’s eateries a resource no queer local foodie should overlook.

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