I believe you and welcome to FT. I will try Kirbys next time in Dallas. To me, Chuys is only ok. Of course I am in SAT which has very good tex-mex and mex, and before I lived on the border, which is the best and cheap. Have not been too impressed with Tex Mex in Dallas. Went to El Feniz and it was gross. They used either powedered cheese or a cheap knock off of velveta for their cheese enchildas. The Beer was very cold though, I can give them credit for that.

There is an amazing Austin Indian restaurant that has a location in Addision. Beautiful people in black turtlenecks...and qulity Indian food. Can't be beat!

I agree that you really can't find very good Tex-Mex in Dallas. Having grown up in West Texas and Corpus Christi and travelled extensively throughout the state, I would have to say that San Antonio is my first choice for Tex-Mex followed closely by Austin. Dallas does have a lot of excellent steak options but they're mediocore in the other food catagories. Houston...ehh it's a nice place to go for seafood but otherwise you won't find "a place to write home to mom about" that you can't find elsewhere. And yes...El Fenix is an absolute joke. Joe T's in Ft Worth is turning into the same thing. They're both tourist traps and their concern with packing in as many people as possible and rushing out the food within 5 minutes of you ordering has really killed 1) the quality of their product and 2) the atmosphere and experience one has when dining there. For Tex-Mex...I'll stick to my now sporadic trips Austin and San Antonio for quality food. In the mean time, I can go to Mi Cocina and/or Luna de Noche for a good meal that's not over the top. Oh...and even though they don't have a location in the city, I still love going to Abuelo's for a chimichanga when I have the opportunity! :)

I am not sure Houston's biggest lure is seafood. There is a ton of good Mexican (not just Tex-Mex) food and amazing Chinese food (Mingh's off of Montrose and Westheimer).

When I was in the Dallas area the place for good Mexican was Mercado Juarez (there are a few spread throughout town). They have some of the best carnitas I have ever tasted.

Mama's Daughters was also a favorite for great home cooking. Cornbread, country fried steak, and all the fixin's. mmmm :D

Mama??
 

Mama diner? In Dallas?? That is funny! Sounds more "Texan" than Dallas.:p

Yeah, it is called Mama's Daughters and the location I went to wasn't in the greatest part of town (just south of 635 and just east of 35) but the food was amazing and it is absolutely packed come lunch time.

Dallas real estate values go up and down depending upon who built what mall when. I think Galleria is only a few blocks from there, and that is a seriously expensive piece of real estate. two blocks down from Galleria is a great Thai restaurent, in and across from a pawn shop, a check cashing place, etc. all in bright yellow signs.

I found this site to be pretty good for reviews: (at least for the things I am interested in).

http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page..._schema=PORTAL

It was a garbage site 6 months ago, but they must have hired the chief progammer from US, UA, or starwood(joke,joke,& even bigger joke) to clean up the site.

The place I am talking about is here: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...wloc=addr&om=1

Which is not a good part of town. They actually have a website (not the greatest quality): http://www.mamasdaughtersdiner.com/

Folks with long layovers at DAL or coming in for a short trip should definitely check it out.

Glad you discovered Kirby's, as well as Bob's -- truly 2 of the best steak places here. Next time, try Al Biernet's -- equally impressive. And Al is the best guy around... owner, host and gentleman to all who enter!

Thanks for the tips! I am going to Dallas for the second time in two weeks and I will try some of the places recommended here. I love Texas and agree they have some great TexMex. I am heading to Mexico after so I will compare the two styles of Mexican!

Oh and I am going to Billy Bob's for a few drinks which should be good fun!

One of the TexMex locations I mentioned (Mercado) is located a few blocks from Billy Bob's. Head South on 287 (Main St.) to E. Northside Dr. and take a left. Follow that over the railroad tracks to Mercado Dr. and the restaurant is right there. If you reach I-35W, you've gone to far, turnaround and it's on your right. :)

Billy Bob's is great! Gotta do some dancing while you're there.

[QUOTE=mctrees02;7699697]I Joe T's in Ft Worth is turning into the same thing. They're both tourist traps and their concern with packing in as many people as possible and rushing out the food within 5 minutes of you ordering has really killed 1) the quality of their product and 2) the atmosphere and experience one has when dining there.QUOTE]

I have been told by a local friend of mine that Joe T's is a great place and a must eat for Tex Mex. :confused:

It really depends on what you want. I grew up in Fort Worth - I can't stand Mercardo Juarez. I will pass on even darkening their doorstep as I haven't ever had a meal there that didn't make me sick.

I'm not a big fan of Joe T. Garcia's either. Locals either LOVE or HATE the place and there is no inbetween. Many of us ONLY go when we have out of town guests who want to visit the place so that might tell you something. The margaritas are good and its a pretty spot on a clear summer night. But the food itself is mass-produced (no menu at dinner, cash only, served almost "banquet style" brought out on large trays and served to several tables at a time). To me, that is NOT the way to get good Mexican.

If *I* am getting Mexican in the Stockyards, I much prefer the "other" restaurant owned by the Joe T. Garcia's family - its around the corner (Esperanza's) and they serve a FULL menu and the food is amazing (possibly because they have the time to prep because their dining room doesn't seat 1,000 (Joe T's seating capacity).

I would go to Joe T's for the margaritas and to drink with friends in the garden. For good Mexican its either Esperanzas or La Playa Maya down the street (the best Mexican seafood on that side of the Metroplex and also killer margaritas).

As far as the "rest" of the Stockyards, I've always preferred the White Elephant Saloon over Billy Bobs (go *see* Billy Bobs for the sheer size and mass of it all - but unless a good act is on that Friday or Saturday, skip over to the White Elephant for more of a true honky-tonk feel). If you want to pick up a pair of boots or a hat while you are there, go to Luskey's - I've bought almost every pair of cowboy/riding boots there that I've had over the years.

If you are in the mood for some unique "regional" cuisine, have margaritas at Joe T's (to see what the fuss is about) and then head to Tim Love's Lonesome Dove. His original there in Fort Worth is so successful he just opened a second outpost in New York City. Or if you have a car and can venture further afield, hit Lanny's Alta Cocina. Lanny is Joe T's great-grandson and has opened an amazing place focusing on high-end Mexican with supreme ingredients that has been getting rave reviews since the doors opened.

A neat place to check out in Dallas is Celebration Restaurant. It's homecooking and it's on Lovers Lane near Inwood east of Love Field. Go there hungry because you can get seconds free.:)http://www.celebrationrestaurant.com/ ......Also for some Tex-Mex check out ....http://www.thetexmexchef.com/cuisine.html......and a great affordable italian bistro is ....http://pennepomodoro.com/brunch.asp ...in snyder plaza

A big thank you to SD1K for merging all the various Dallas dining threads.

I realized in rereading five years of dining posts that I have somehow NEVER mentioned my regular Dallas hangout for the last couple of years - Hector's on Henderson. I guess I've been selfishly keeping it to myself, but its not really a secret - Rachael Ray has featured it, Gourmet magazine has written it up, and its known as being firmly "anti-Dallas" as far as the fickle snobbish Dallas restaurant scene goes.

Hector Garcia (the owner and your host on most evenings) works the dining room stopping to chat with diners or jump on the small stage to sing with the jazz quartet on the weekends. Assistant manager/barkeep Chris Chapman is quick with an usual wine pairing (and Hector's wine list is ALL about the unusual - both the selections and the lower than average mark-up on the bottles) or a mixed drink suggestion. And redheaded hot-mama Blythe Beck whips up some wickedly fun (or "naughty" as she calls it) home cooking. Mashed potatoes get truffle oil for bang. The corn fritters are the best I've ever had. The "Buck Nekkid Bacon" (really a braised pork belly with apple chutney) is my favorite dish at the moment - and I'm anxiously awaiting the return of her fried green tomatoes w/ shrimp remoulade (a summer staple) when the summer menu comes out the first week in June.

Oh yeah, and if you see the girl with the auburn hair and jeans perched on the barstool drinking wine and talking to all the staff, say hi to me. (I'm there two to three nights a week.)