Texas Tourism: Best Dining Bets

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Best Dining Bets

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The French Room (Dallas; tel. 214/742-8200): This formal but thankfully not intimidating restaurant in the historic Adolphus Hotel is dreamy, like dining at Versailles. Indulge in superb classic French cuisine and museum-quality wines surrounded by a rococo-painted ceiling, flowing drapes, and crystal chandeliers.

Citizen (Dallas; tel. 214/522-7253): This ultrasleek and super-chic Eurasian restaurant, adopted by Big D's scenesters, dares to pull out all the stops. Only a few years back Dallas could never have supported such an audacious restaurant. From the dramatic decor to dishes like black cod with blonde miso and tuna tartare with caviar and crème fraîche, it's Dallas's way of saying New York and LA ain't got nothing on it.

Javier's Gourmet Mexicano (Dallas; tel. 214/521-4211): The owners and devotees of this gourmet Mexico City restaurant will gently inform you that, no, this isn't Tex-Mex. Javier's serves deliciously prepared grilled fish and meat dishes and mesquite-smoked chicken in a Spanish colonial setting. Come for a top-shelf margarita at the clubby bar, but I guarantee you'll stay for dinner.

Café Ashton (Fort Worth; tel. 817/332-0100): The creative New American bistro fare at this swank new restaurant, in a boutique hotel of the same description, has quickly shot to the top of everyone's best-of lists in Fort Worth. Hotel dining is rarely this good or this intimate. See what all the fuss is about.

Mark's (Houston; tel. 713/523-3800): No fussy French nouvelle here, and no boring steak and potatoes either. Mark's manages to serve up dishes that can satisfy at some deep subconscious level while they fulfill our eternal quest for something new. This is the New American cooking as it should be performed.

Cafe Annie (Houston; tel. 713/840-1111): No other restaurant in Houston garners quite the attention that this place does from both food critics and the public alike. With its innovative Southwestern cooking, the best wine list in the city, and a master sommelier (the only "master" in Texas), the restaurant has its credentials. Chef/owner Robert Del Grande offers up wonderful dishes that show just how fertile the crossbreeding of Mexican and American cooking can be.

Le Rêve (San Antonio; tel. 210/212-2221): After several years on the fine-dining scene, this restaurant has proved that it's got staying power and that San Antonio is ready for a place where men have to wear jackets and there is seating for dinner. The reward is stellar French food.

Uchi (Austin; tel. 512/916-4808): Don't think of this restaurant as just a good place for sushi and Japanese cuisine. It's a great restaurant, period, with creative cooking that transcends its humble roots. The setting, in a beautifully revamped 1930s house, is transcendent, too.

Café Central (El Paso; tel. 915/545-2233): Well worth the splurge, Café Central is a sleek urban bistro serving sophisticated international cuisine. The menu changes daily, but always offers a wide range of standout fare -- most notably creative Southwestern interpretations of traditional Continental dishes -- such as guyamas shrimp with a zesty tequila-cilantro sauce. The wine list is one of the city's best, with nearly 300 bottles, and desserts include the best leches (Mexican milk cakes) in all of Texas.

Avanti Authentic Italian Restaurant (Del Rio; tel. 830/775-3363): Who would ever dream of going to a West Texas border town for great Italian food? No one, until they've been to Avanti, which offers some of the best homemade northern Italian dishes we've tasted anywhere. There's also an excellent selection of northern Italian wines.

The Best Texan Dining

Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse (Dallas; tel. 214/357-7120): Sonny Bryan's has been turning out sweet barbecue since 1910, and the little smoke shack out on Inwood has acquired legendary status. Salesmen perch on their car hoods with their sleeves rolled up and wolf down hickory-smoked brisket, sliced beef sandwiches, and succulent onion rings. Thinner sorts squeeze into tiny one-armed school desks and get ready to douse their brisket with superb, tangy sauce. A classic.

Bob's Steak & Chop House (Dallas; tel. 214/528-9446): Bob's will satisfy the steak connoisseur -- the real Texan -- in you. With a clubby but relaxed mahogany look and behemoth wet-aged prime beef and sirloin filets, this is a place for the J. R. crowd. Even the accompaniments -- "smashed" potatoes and honey-glazed whole carrots -- are terrific. And the meat-shy need not fear: The chophouse salad is a meal in itself. Cigar aficionados should keep their noses trained for Bob's cigar dinners: Every course is served with a different cigar.

Lonesome Dove Western Bistro (Fort Worth; tel. 817/740-8810): The work of a daring young couple, this friendly and eclectic restaurant challenges Cowtown to broaden its horizons. The daring Southwestern menu at this Stockyards eatery successfully stretches the popular theme in new ways, adding unique Texas touches that are both avant-garde and comforting. Pop in for the cheap Stockyards lunch special or dive into a blowout dinner.

Angelo's (Fort Worth; tel. 817/332-0357): Fort Worth's classic Texas barbecue joint is as unpretentious as they come: Its wood paneling, mounted deer and buffalo heads, metal ceiling fans, and Formica tables might have come from a Jaycees lodge. That's kitschy cool to some, meaningless to everyone else. What is important is the fantastic hickory-smoked barbecue.

Loma Linda (Houston; tel. 713/924-6074): Bursting the bubble of a perfectly puffed tortilla smothered in chile con queso is the moment where anticipation meets realization in the Tex-Mex experience. The aroma, the texture, the taste . . . Words fail me. You can scour the borderlands a long time before coming up with an old-fashioned Tex-Mex joint like this one. The restaurant even has its own special tortilla maker for producing these puffed-up beauties. Also, of note are the perfectly seasoned classic Tex-Mex enchiladas with chili gravy.

La Playa (Corpus Christi; tel. 361/980-3909): For a Tex-Mex restaurant to be considered truly great, it must, of course, do a good job with the traditional enchiladas in chili gravy, have excellent fajitas, and pay attention to the details in cooking the rice and beans. It helps if it has a signature dish or two. In this case, it's deep-fried avocadoes. No place but Texas, baby!

Shady Grove (Austin; tel. 512/474-9991): This is the most quintessentially Austin restaurant in town. It offers a laid-back Texan menu, a huge outdoor patio, and an "unplugged" music series.

L&J Café (El Paso; tel. 915/566-8418): An El Paso landmark since it opened its doors in 1927, the L&J is both inexpensive and offers some of the best Tex-Mex food you'll find anywhere. The chicken enchiladas, overflowing with fluffy meat and buried under chunky green chile and Jack cheese, approach perfection. It doesn't hurt that the salsa is spicy, the beer is cold, and the service is quick and friendly, even when the place is filled to capacity -- as it is most of the time.

Texas Café and Bar (Lubbock; tel. 806/792-8544): This rowdy, smoky roadhouse, affectionately called "The Spoon" by locals, is pure Texas, from the local color seated at the bar and weathered tables to the Lone Star neon signs, longhorn skulls, and politically incorrect wooden Indian. The menu, too, is 100% Texas: The barbecue is made with turkey, ribs, beef, or sausage.

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Texas Tourism: Best Dining Bets

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