TOP DINING
EXPERIENCE
Five Sixty
by Wolfgang Puck
300 Reunion Blvd. at the top of Reunion Tower
Open daily for dinner plus Sunday brunch
214-741-5560
WolfgangPuck.com
For years, the revolving restaurant atop Reunion Tower was everyone’s favorite place to eat — except people who liked food. Out-of-towners were wowed by the view; foodies were appalled by the cuisine. Then Wolfgang Puck took over the space with his Five Sixty (named for how many feet above ground it is), and suddenly, we’re all in agreement: Great location, even better food. It’s not like Puck is a newcomer to this. His on-site exec chef, Patton Robertson, prepares Puck’s signature Asian-inspired dishes with deftness, from the snakehead to the weekend dim sum selections. Add to that sushi chef Hiroyuki Fujino’s masterful cutting skills (his omakase dinner is to die for) and a great cocktail program, and you have a romantic and impressive dining destination, so when your mom asks you to take her there, you don’t have to weasel out of it. You’ll probably even want to suggest it.
TOP LOCAL CHEF
Stephan Pyles
Stephan Pyles
1807 Ross Ave., Suite 200
Open for lunch Monday–Friday,
open for dinner Monday–Saturday
214-580-7000
StephanPyles.com
Stampede 66 by Stephan Pyles
1717 McKinney Ave.
Open for lunch Monday–Friday,
open for dinner Monday–Saturday
214-550-6966
Stampede66.com
Samar by Stephan Pyles
2100 Ross Ave.
Open for lunch and dinner, Monday–Saturday
214-922-9922
SamarRestaurant.com
When you have three top restaurants in one town — including the newest, Stampede 66, which I declared 2012’s best new restaurant — you’re bound to be noticed by foodies. When that same person is Stephan Pyles (he of Routh Street Café, Baby Routh, AquaKnox and Star Canyon), himself a pillar of the gay community … well, it’s not just about being good; it’s about being legendary. Pyles has fascinated Dallasites for 30 years with his clever takes on complex flavors, from the Southwestern influence in chile pie now at Stampede 66 to the Southeast Asian tapas dishes at Samar. More than just cooking, though, Pyles has inspired and mentored some of the best young chefs in Dallas right now: Tim Byres, Matt McCallister and Katherine Clapner all called him “boss” once. For the rest of us, he’s simply the maestro.
TOP ITALIAN / PIZZA
Italia Express
4000 Cedar Springs Road
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-521-3300
Remember Macho Nacho? Yeah, we’ve tried to forget it, too. And that’s been easy with Italia Express taking over the spot, which for years was the original Hunky’s corner on Cedar Springs and Throckmorton. Italia Express kicked off the right way, redesigning the place to have its own stamp (and giving us back good people-watching windows). But fancy digs can only do so much; fortunately, the food carries the rest. Tasty pizza with diverse toppings are available by the slice (each the size of your face), and a side salad could pull double duty as a full-on lunch, all with a friendly staff. Perhaps its added appeal is the late night hours it keeps for those who get the munchies. Face it, sometimes a pepperoni and cheese is all you need after a night of dancing.
— Rich Lopez
TOP ASIAN / SUSHI
Thai-Riffic
4000 Cedar Springs Road, Suite E
Open for lunch and dinner daily and late night weekends
972-241-2412
ThaiDallas.com
Any restaurant that rates its spiciness scale from 1 to 20 — and recommends you not go higher than 5, as they do at Thai-Riffic — has got our attention. Of course, Thai cuisine is known for its heat, but just try to eat a yellow tofu curry at “11” without breaking into a sweat. This, however, is one of the things we love about this no-nonsense resto of The Strip: Simple decor, friendly service, convenient hours (it’s open late on weekends for an after-dance nosh), great food and a great price (the $10 daily lunch specials are a bargain!). And go ahead — order a “20.” We dare ya.
TOP BREAKFAST/BRUNCH
Original Market Diner
4434 Harry Hines Blvd.
Open for breakfast and lunch daily;
dinner Monday—Saturday
214-521-0992
OriginalMarketDiner.com
TOP BARBECUE
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
2525 Wycliff Ave. (and additional locations)
Open for lunch and dinner Monday–Saturday
214-780-0999
Dickeys.com
TOP TAQUERIA
Fuel City
801 S. Riverfront Blvd.
214-426-0011
TOP VEGETARIAN SPOT
Spiral Diner
1101 N. Beckley Ave.
Open Tuesday–Sunday for lunch and dinner
324-948-4747
SpiralDiner.com
TOP MEDITERRANEAN
Stratos Global Greek Taverna
2907 W. Northwest Highway
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-352-3321
ClubStratos.com
TOP STEAKHOUSE
Texas Land & Cattle Co.
3130 Lemmon Ave. (and other locations)
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-526-4664
TxLC.com
TOP DESSERT SPOT
Chocolate Secrets
2936 Oak Lawn Ave.
Open daily at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. Sunday)
214-252-9801
ChocolateSecrets.net
LATE NIGHT BITES
Cafe Brazil
3847 Cedar Springs Road
Open 24 hours
214-461-8762
CafeBrazil.com
TOP PATIO
Gloria’s Latin Cuisine
600 N. Bishop Ave. (and other locations)
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-942-1831
GloriasRestaurants.com
TOP FOOD TRUCK
Nammi Cruisin’ Vietnamese Fusion
Visit site for truck schedule
NammiTruck.com
FAST AND CHEAP
(TIE)
Italia Express
4000 Cedar Springs Road
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-521-3300
Hunky’s
3940 Cedar Springs Road
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-522-1212
321 Bishop St.
Open for lunch and dinner daily
214-941-3322
Hunkys.com
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 22, 2013.