Hi folks. Subject says it all - I need some restaurant recommendations in Dallas please. These will be mid to high-level business meetings in early May. The audience is fairly sophisticated so a simple BBQ place won't do but a nice steakhouse would be acceptable. Any non-"American" recommendations such as an Asian restaurant?

Meetings will be mostly in the area of the infamous grassy knoll / Texas Book Repository. I think the major hotel there is the Hyatt and I know there's a W up towards the AA Arena. Any good restaurants in the area?

Will have access to taxis but probably not rental car which I know greatly limits choices.

Thanks gang!

For a steak house, Bob's Steak and Chop House is very well regarded, and there's a location in the new Omni hotel at the convention center. That's about a half mile from the knoll.

http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel...ChopHouse.aspx

I'd also throw Truluck's and Nick & Sam's in Uptown into the mix. Steven Pyles also has a couple of good restaurants downtown, which are great for lunch meetings - Steven Pyles and Samar.

Thanks guys! Appreciate the assist.

Certainly Truluck's, although that one is seafood focused. Chamberlain's is also an extremely good steakhouse with a smoking room in the back with a good cigar menu if you and your clients are so interested.

Not that it's fine dining at all, but if you ever had the inclination for Mexican Food, Uncle Julio’s is a chain of a few restaurants around DFW which has really nice food and cocktails. It’s not Taco Bell if that’s what your thoughts are Mexican food (I’m originally from Boston, so that’s what I thought Mexican food was).

Wolfgang Puck has a restaurant called Five-Sixty which is located in the rotating ball synonymous with the Dallas skyline. Good food with price points to match, and you do get a view of the city. Slightly touristy for that reason, but still a pretty good restaurant.

Not sure if you've been to one but Fogo De Chao is a really good brazilian steakhouse. Locations in most big cities, I've frequented the ones in Addison and Austin. You also have Nobu in the Crescent Hotel (Uptown area) which is decent as well and Japanese. For a variation of Mexican food you could choose Javiers (Highland Park area).

I know you spoke about BBQ places, not sure how familiar you are with Dallas proper but other than chains (Dickey's, Rudy's, etc.) it's not like there's mom and pop BBQ joints we go to every night. We have some of the finest dining available in the country located in Dallas. IMO the BBQ is left to the Austin/Hill Country/SA areas.

By the way SMFlagg have you tried El Fenix? IMO cheaper and of the same quality.

Good info. Thanks folks! ^

I have, actually--wife is a Mexican food connoisseur. I do love the pralines at El Fenix, and I agree to the food is quite good, but I prefer Uncle Julio's food a little more (I think their salsa is the best I�ve ever had) and certainly their drinks.

A big negative, as you mentioned, is the price. It�s some of the most expensive Mexican food I�ve ever had. And when you think about what you�re eating and the overhead food costs, you know it�s a significant source of revenue.

Lots of good spots around DFW, although the selection of high end steak houses vastly outnumbers everything else high end. I had forgotten about Fogo De Chao and it�s located just up the street from my office. That�s another great spot.

They seem to change the menu (edit prices ) at least once a year. I remember when the taco plate was like $8, times change. I have heard some rumors that they're shutting down the location on Keller Springs and moving to the Northpark area. Not sure of the timeline but something might be happening in the near future.

The three things Dallas does really well are burgers, steaks and Tex-Mex. There are other good food choices, but they usually belong to a chain that has come into the area. (Pappa's, Maggiano's, Grimaldi’s, Nobu, Vapiano’s, Torchy’s, The Palms, etc.) Then you have wild cards like Il Cane Rosso that are great in their own right.

For steak, I think the other posters pretty much nailed it. It’s a tough call between Nick & Sams and Bob’s for me. If you want really good upscale pizza, Fireside Pies is a can’t miss. Tex-Mex is really subjective. My favorite in Dallas is Ojeda’s, but the neighborhood surrounding it isn’t ideal for your purposes. El Fenix is good, but I wouldn’t consider it “nice” with regards to the atmosphere though it’s certainly close to the Grassy Knoll. Avoid Dallas BBQ like the plague. Then again, if you aren’t from Texas, you may not know any better

If I had to narrow it down to the upscale, yet not too pricey, yet worth the money and near the immediate area, I would recommend Fearings at the Ritz. He used to be the head chef for the Mansion at Turtle Creek before he went off on his own. Excellent food and great neighborhood. If you want to kick it up a notch, Old Warsaw is a winner for the high end business folks. If you want to lower it a bit, Twisted Root is outstanding, albeit a little noisy.

P.S. It is “Book Repository”? 34 years in Dallas and I always thought it was the “Book Depository”. Driven past it thousands of times, but I’ve never gone to the Sixth Floor museum. I know that it isn't "Suppository"...

Ten years ago, I would have agreed with this. Now, I think you're very wrong.

No doubt, there's plenty of very mediocre BBQ around town, but there are some gems as well. Pecan Lodge rates up near some of Central Texas' best places. Lockhart Smokehouse is very good. Places like Hard Eight in Coppell, Meshack's in Garland, Coopers in the Stockyard's, North Main in Euless - they may be a notch below the best, but are also quite good, and certainly not plague-worthy.

But that's a topic for another thread; whatever you think of the food, none have the ambiance that the OP would want for a high-level business meeting.

You are correct. Originally the building was the Texas School Book Depository. Now it's some administrative building officially, but the 6th Floor Museum is really what it's known for.

It's actually a real good museum. I visited once while traveling through Dallas many years ago. Now that I live here, I'd certainly go again.

No Rudy's in Dallas - closest is Arlington and Oklahoma (aka, Allen, Denton, and Frisco).

Touch�.

Thanks for the comments gang! This is all very helpful. ^