(credit: Pho Colonial/phocolonial.com)

Pho Colonial
4727 Frankford Road, Ste. 409
Dallas, Texas 75287
(972) 267-7466
Hours: Mon – Sun, 10am-11pm

and

1623 Main Street, Ste. 102
Dallas, Texas 75201
(214) 748-0746
Hours: Mon – Sun, Lunch 11:00am – 3:00pm; Fri – Sat, Late Night Walk up Window open until 1:00am

Website

If pho had the equivalent of a French Laundry, this two-store chain would be it. The slightly upscale joint offers customers a unique experience, gluten-free noodles, included. Owner Khanh Dao has led an elegant revolution for the humble dish. The recently opened downtown location (the first spot opened on Frankford Road in May) threw a red-carpet fete that was the toast of the town. Pho Colonial, like many niche restaurants, offers delectable diversions, aside from the hyper-customizable signature dish. There are spring rolls, buns, happy hour and delivery.

(credit: Pho is for Lovers/phoisforlovers.com)

Pho is for Lovers
5521 Greenville Ave., Ste. 105
Dallas, TX 75206
Hours: Mon-Thu, Sun 11am-9 pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-10pm
Website

As unassuming a storefront as is possible cater-corner to Central Market and squeezed into a rather nondescript strip, this wee business is a favorite of area workers. As a matter of fact, arrive during a weekday lunch hour and the wait could be considerable. But, one slurp of the spicy noodle bowl and the second thought after the exclamatory statement about the soup will be, yes, I have found my next paramour. If you insist on order a banh mi instead, make sure it has spicy mayo.

(credit: Pho Apple/phoapple.com)

Pho Apple
5930 W Park Blvd, Ste. 400
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 250-6500
Website

You’ve surely been told that the taqueria tucked away in that dilapilated shopping center is as authentic as they come because English is a rare delicacy. Well, this Plano pho house is the Vietnamese equivalent. Owners An and Yen Guong have a command of the English language has rough as their pho is excellent. Thankfully, extended family member Rodney Siegler, interpreter and pho busker extraordaire: chicken, beef, shrimp you’re call. Either way, a cauldron of noodle, beef broth with bean sprouts, basil, lime, onion, cilantro and hot peppers is presented almost as religious offering, along with their sushi and banh mi. And food of any kind should be so sacred.

(credit: Thinkstock)

Pho95
2525 E Arkansas Ln., Ste. 223
Arlington, TX 76010
(817) 543-2295
Directory Listing

In New York City, Vietnamese restaurants can come off as a free-for-all. Customers are crammed in, the dining rooms is noisy and service, while amicable, can be on the brief side. But if the food is great, it’s worth it. Pho 95 in an architecturally diverse strip mall (more than one individual has called it analogous to the Vegas strip).

(credit: Pho Pasteur/phopasteur.com)

Pho Pasteur
100 W Pioneer Pkwy
Ste 158
Arlington, TX 76010
(817) 274-6232
Website

In the heart of Arlington’s Vietnamese district, Pho Pasteur is easy to miss. It’s even easier to walk in the backdoor through the kitchen. Once seated in the bare-bones dining room, services is quick and pleasant and the menu is long and descriptive. There is pho here and pho there. Whether it be with rare steak that cooks in the broth, the tripe that adds heft to the soup or tendon—yes, tendon—there is little here that falls short of hot and delicious. It’s that simple in Arlington.

(credit: Piola)

Piola is an Italian cuisine cottage located semi-secretly in a neighborhood in the cultural district of Fort Worth. Run by Chef Bobby Albanese, Piola serves a wide range of favorites like their warm goat cheese salad, eggplant parmigiano, cappuccino crusted pork tenderloin and stuffed chicken marsala. Diners can also from over 70 different wines, which they can sip indoors along exposed brick walls and molded ceiling fixtures, outdoors in Piola’s garden seating or cozied up next to their freestanding fireplace.  Piola is open Monday-Friday 11am-2pm for lunch and Monday-Saturday 5pm-10pm for dinner. Prices range from their $5.95 bruschetta to their $21.95 grilled salmon.

(credit: Saint-Emilion)

Right down the street on West 7th sits Saint-Emilion, an enticing French cottage run by Chef Bernard Tronche. With barely 12 tables, guests of Saint-Emilion enjoy an intimate atmosphere as well as the classic French cuisine that comprise the three course “prix fixe” Menu Classique or a la carte options. The Menu Classique ($45) begins with hors d’oeuvres including: French onion soup with melted Gruyère, duck pâté with pistachios, and filet mignon tartare. The Plats de Resistance includes: roasted duck brushed with honey on top of fresh spinach tossed with orange sections of Xéres vinaigrette, boneless lamb loin with a concassé of tomato min, shallot, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Couples can end their meal with a number of dessert options, such as raspberry tarte, crème brulee and brandy ice. Saint-Emilion is open Tuesday-Thursday from 5:30-9pm, Friday-Saturday reservations are available each half hour from 6-9pm (except at 7:30), and closed Sunday and Monday. Prices range from their $5.00 salade d’endives to their $39 sole de douvres amandine.

(credit: Rise N*1)

Located in Inwood Village, Rise N*1 is the signature salon de soufflé. This French bistro’s entrée soufflés include Jambon and Gruyere, smoked salmon, truffle infused mushroom, herb and spice sausage, and sun-dried tomato and pesto Chevre. But leave room for their dessert soufflés such as chocolate, Grand Marnier, bread budding, hazelnut, strawberry and more. If it turns out that your date doesn’t enjoy the surprise of a soufflé, don’t worry. Rise also serves a range of other French favorites including: Chariot de Fromages (international cheese cart), salad nicoise, seared ahi tuna steak, and Parisian Jambon sandwich. After dinner grab a glass of champagne and snuggle up with your date next to the patio fireplace or get cozy in their in-house library. Prices range from their $8 soupe a l’oignon gratinee to their $29 steak and pomme de terre. Rise is open Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm and Sunday 11am-9pm.

If you’ve ever passed by the Crescent Hotel in downtown Dallas and noticed an unmistakable (delicious) aroma, it’s probably from Arcodoro & Pomodoro. Chef Efisio Farris’ award winning “Ultimate Ravioli” is only one of the options among his carpaccios, risottos, baked whole fish and suckling pig. You can spend your whole evening moving through Arcodoro & Pomodoro’s six different extravagant rooms. Begin in the Doro Bar, sipping one of Farris’ signature family wines while relaxing in an almost living room like open atmosphere. Next you have the choice of the main dining room or opting for one of Arcodoro & Pomodoro’s three private dining rooms. The main dining room is adorned with top of the line linens, china, flatware and crystal and easily accommodates 90 people. The “H” room and Table 300 are prepared to handle larger parties, but if you want to spoil your date with extra space look into reserving The Chefs Table. This round table seats up to six and is located right outside the wine room. The name doesn’t lie; those who reserve The Chefs Table get to experience having Arcodoro & Pomodoro’s executive chef prepare a personalized ten-course meal. Arcodoro & Pomodoro’s is open Monday-Wednesday 5pm-10pm, Thursday-Saturday 5pm-11pm and is closed on Sunday.

Our last recommendation has a bit of history behind it. Local, run by Chef Tracy Miller, boasts of an upscale modern American menu; however, the building is old school American. Local is housed in The Boyd Hotel, which is landmarked as one of the oldest standing hotels in Dallas with visitors from legends like Bonnie and Clyde, and jazz musician Huddie “Ledbelly” Ledbetter. Miller got her hands on the building in 1998 and with the help of interior designer Alice Cottrell, created a contemporary restaurant without losing the hotel’s old world charm. Patrons have the choice between a seven-course chef’s tasting menu, which reflects a sample of what Local offers: the evening’s soup, fried yellow tomato salad, pan-seared lobster cake, seared Hudson Valley foie gras, tangelo glazed king salmon, grilled farm-raised filet mignon and banana pudding. The seven petite courses will cost you $70, $100 if you choose the complementing wine pairings. If you don’t think you can make it through seven courses Local also has an ever-changing menu of “short orders” like their balsamic roasted candy striped beets or three-cheese scratch ravioli and “tall orders” like their burgundy pasture beef burger basket and hazelnut-mustard crusted halibut. Local is open Tuesday-Saturday 5:30pm-10pm.

(credit: luciadallas.com)

For most of 2011, this has been the hardest table to book in Dallas. Since opening last winter, the 36-seat dining room has stayed wildly busy, thanks in no small part to the exquisite dishes put forth by David Uygur, former chef at Lola in Dallas, and the front-of-house hospitality extended by his wife, Jennifer, who managed the wine department at Central Market before the couple pursued their dream of owning their own place.

This isn’t the place for heavy red-sauced plates. Instead, you’ll find a deft talent for compositions of bold flavors and delicate touches. From the Antipasti section of the menu, I love the crostini with chicken liver and Black Mission figs; and the eggplant soup. Among Primi picks, the elegant tagliatelle with chanterelles, thyme and breadcrumbs tickles me pink; and the braised rabbit with polenta is my Secondi choice. For Dolci, Davi had me at toasted brioche with chocolate mousse, sweet ricotta and orange confit.

Ceviche Tostada at Gloria's (credit: June Naylor)

Years before anyone thought of this stretch of Oak Cliff as a regular gathering place, Gloria’s revolutionized our way of eating food from south of the border. Putting together a menu that blends Mexican and Salvadoran dining, the original location that blossomed into a local mini-chain finally outgrew its original digs. Recently moving down Davis to a much larger new home within a beautifully restored historic firehouse, Gloria’s still pleases with its ceviche tostada with lime-marinated orange roughy, as well as the chicken soup, starring large, torn pieces of chicken breast bathed in its deep stock, floating along with chunks of potato, carrot, onion and celery. There’s also grilled whitefish with black beans, rice and sautéed fresh veggies, but it’s hard to top Gloria’s sampler plate, laden with the tamal wrapped in a banana leaf, cheese-filled pupusa, fried yuca and plantains, the latter best for dipping creamy black beans and sour cream.

Flatbread with wild arugula, goat cheese and oven-roasted grapes at Bolsa (credit: June Naylor)

Even when temperatures soared and seared this past summer, the picnic tables at this little watering hole stayed full. Now that the afternoons and evening are delightful again, those tables are nabbed quickly by a faithful following eager for handcrafted drinks and plates bearing goodies sourced from local farmers. At brunch, we always tackle the bruschetta tasting, which includes toasted breads topped with Marfa-grown tomatoes, Caprino Royale chevre and basil; prosciutto and Medjool; smoked salmon with crème fraiche and capers; and Fuji apple and almonds. Among flatbreads, we cannot resist the fresh mozzarella with pepperoni and herbs, nor the wild arugula, goat cheese and oven-roasted grapes. From the dinner menu, the butternut squash soup soothes my soul, and the petite file with asparagus, goat cheese mashers and mushroom jus is more than satisfying.

Eggs Benedict at Oddfellows (credit: June Naylor)

This place gives you the feeling of being hugged by a favorite grandmother, the homey food is just so good. My brunch go-to picks are the Oddfellows Benedict, a pairing of Texas honey ham, spinach, hollandaise and Texas farm tomato slices atop an English muffin; and the huevos rancheros, with a nubby red ranchero sauce that rivals some at the best Mexican restaurants. The pickled-okra-stopped bloody mary is a jewel, too. The food coma you’ll experience can be ratified somewhat by the magnificent coffee, strong and stout. At lunch, the mac and cheese with buffalo chicken provides plenty of taste thrills, and at supper, the fried chicken with buttermilk waffles and peach syrup warms the heart – and inspires another half hour on the treadmill.

Fries with dipping sauces at Tillman's (credit: June Naylor)

This “roadhouse” pretty much launched today’s Bishop Arts excitement. Opening originally as Tillman’s Corner and offering good food and drink at reasonable prices, a fashionable redo turned the hangout into an even more stylish place for quaffing and noshing. This is where you go for stick-to-your-ribs food that’s made with panache. Everyone’s favorite snack is the trio of fries, served in a wooden box. You get parmesan-black-pepper-dusted Kennebec potatoes; chile-flecked purple potatoes; and sweet potato fries coated in sea salt. Alongside, there are dipping sauces including a housemade ketchup and a horseradish pickle mayo. The crispy, cornmeal-jacketed fried pickles come with a spicy ranch dressing, so you may as well go all the way. From the menu of plates, I’m partial to the smoked Cornish game hen with Dr Pepper BBQ sauce and the coffee-crusted prime rib.

(credit: The Meddlesome Moth)

At Meddlesome Moth in Dallas’ Design District, the food menu raises the bar (so to speak) for all places specializing in beer offerings. Next to each of the food temptation descriptions, you find a suggestion for the style of beer best suited to that food choice. The Moroccan-spiced lamb pot pie, for example, goes well with a dark trappist ale, while the Diablo mussels wants a pilsner to balance its spice kick, and the blue crab salad warrants an India pale ale matching.

(credit: Mozzarella Co.)

At the Mozzarella Company in Dallas’ Deep Ellum, the queen of cheeses, Paula Lambert, offers a monthly class in beer and cheese pairings. It differs month to month, but you’ll always come away with a stronger sense of what cheese goes with which brew – and you can put together your own party at home that will enable you to impress your friends with smart pairing techniques. Did you know that Paula’s Deep Ellum Blue is a great foil for a strong, roasted-hop Belgian dark ale? Or that one of her herbed goat cheeses gets along perfectly with wheat beers so popular in German, French or Belgian brewing? Take one of these classes and you’ll get those smarts.

(credit: Il Cane Rosso)

More and more, we’re seeing beer-pairing dinners on the calendar, too. At one such evening at Il Cane Rosso in Dallas’ Deep Ellum district, the kitchen paired several courses with handcrafted beers from Victory Brewing. The salad course found bananas, grapes and pecans with greens in a mascarpone dressing paired with paired with fruity sweetness of Golden Monkey Triple Ale. The linguine with butter-poached crawfish, proscuitto, walnuts and fresh peas in a white wine sauce complemented the owanuts. Fresh peas in a white wine sauce, paired with herby, smooth Prima Pils. And the heavier course of porchetta with roasted apples, cheesy polenta and Calabrian chile-parmesan fonduta with crisp, German-style malty Headwaters Pale Ale.

(credit: June Naylor)

In Fort Worth, Brownstone hosted a Rahr Brew evening, saluting the local brewer, with flavorful success. With the starter of salmon croquettes over lamb’s lettuce, potatoes, heirloom tomatoes and caramelized red onion, we enjoyed Rahr’s Blonde Lager, a round, medium-bodied beer. The venison pastrami with jalapeno aioli and cilantro matched the Texas Red Lager’s smooth caramel notes. The bold chicken sausage cavatelli with pepperjack noodles, roasted pearl onions and arugula was perfect with Gravel Road, an amber with strong malt and hops. Finally, the ending of housemade, cinnamon-sugar dougnuts with espresso pudding and whipped cream was ideal against Rahr’s Ugly Pug, a black lager that hints of chocolate and is surprisingly unheavy.

Kent Rathbun, Abacus

(credit: KentRathbun.com)

In Dallas, Kent Rathbun created a special champagne-themed menu at Abacus, his premier restaurant, to pair with bubbly from Nicolas Feuillatte. With his passed appetizer selection of Cape Cod bay scallops with lemongrass-ginger broth; and butternut squash-chive fritter with vanilla-peach jam, guests enjoyed Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Extrem’. The dinner continued with four courses, including gems like pistachio crusted Corvina sea bass with beluga lentils, curry-coconut butter and lime-cilantro Greek yogurt, paired with Nicolas Feuillatte Brut; and pan-roasted lobster with sweet corn “pot pie,” melted leeks and fennel, accompanied by Nicolas Feuillatte Rose.

Another evening, Rathbun had a light-hearted wine dinner for pairing with wines from Melville and Brewer-Clifton wines of California’s Central Coast. Passed apps shrimp corn dogs with lemon-hatch green chile marmalade and BBQ fried oysters with pickled pearl onions, Maytag cream and applewood smoked bacon, paired with Melville’s Estate Chardonnay Verna’s 2009; while a later course found Rathbun’s grilled rack of lamb with Yukon gold caramelized cipolline “risotto,” asparagus slaw and mustard seed demi, which was accompanied not by a “big” wine that you might find alongside lamb but a dreamy Brewer-Clifton’s Mount Carmel Pinot Noir 2009.

Lanny Lancarte, Lanny’s Alta Cocina

(credit: Lanny's Alta Cocina Mexicana)

Keeping pace with Rathbun’s pairing smarts, Lanny Lancarte shows nuanced acumen at Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana in Fort Worth.  With a Veracruz-inspired soup called chilpachole, filled with mussels and ruby-red shrimp, he paired a Spanish white, a fascinating blend of Grenache blanc, sauvignon blanc and macabeo called Portal White from Celler Pinol from the Terra Alta region.

When working on a heat-focused theme, Lanny showed an especially clever side. There was house-smoked Columbia River steelhead trout with Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand; agave-nectar-glazed duck with guajillo chile treatment, paired with Velvet Devil Merlot from Washington’s Columbia Valley winery, Charles Smith; and a fire-roasted poblano rajas and Serrano-wrapped asparagus, served with Mephistopheles Zinfandel from Norman Vineyards in Paso Robles, California.

(credit: Jeremy Enlow)

My favorite of Lanny’s recent works was the menu he created when he hosted friends from Santa Julia vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina. More than just a series of plates paired with wines, this event brought in not just winemaker Julia Zuccardi, a third-generation family winemaker, but also Mendoza chef Ana Rodriguez Armisen, who collaborated with Lanny on the menu. Among jewels, there was the starter of lobster-mango ceviche with butternut crisps, paired with Santa Julia Torrontes 2010; and grilled lamb with smashed potatoes, malbec juice and warm salsa criolla, serve with the Santa Julia Reserva Malbec 2009.

The point of all this tortuous description? To get you to pay attention. When these guys put on special wine-focused dinner, you need to run, not walk, to make a reservation.

(credit: laduni.com)

From their McKinney Avenue location, husband and wife Duni and Taco Borga have built a SMALL network of high-end eateries serving Latin American-inspired entrees and desserts, not to mention sweet cocktails. The NorthPark location is a full-service restaurant with an Argentine café feel. Notable selections include the classic empanadas, the meat parade that is the Argentine parrillada (mixed grill) and the tequila-lime-guava baby-back pork ribs. For the kids, there are several wonderfully kids-menu items presented in non-kids menu ways. We’re talking kid’s calamari and chupacabra quesadillas filled with steak, chicken and ham—mythical creature not included—washed down with gourmet lemonades. Get a seat in the Center Park courtyard, accessible via the restaurant, to decompress safely separated from the shopping jam. Order the pampas fries. Trust us.

(credit: maggianos.com)

Carbo-loading at this family-style Italian-American palace—this restaurant is huge—could be beneficial before running the gauntlet that is The Trains at NorthPark. If you decided that cozying up to a big bowl of Chef KB’s Lobster Carbonara, a signature pasta dish, or a cracker-crisp order of pepperoni and arugula flatbread is more appropriate for a wind down. Then, look no further. Also in the mall, Maggiano’s Little Italy offers all the comforts of necessary for gently cooling from the hot holiday rush. Think of Executive Chef David Duron as nonna (Italian for grandma), quick to “whip up” whatever will fill your belly—it makes you happy, it makes him happy. Duron is at adept at spinached-stuffed mushrooms and grilled asparagus as he is with veal Marsala and tremendous steakhouse cuts. Cap it with New York-style cheesecake or tiramisu. Buon appetito!

credit: bluemesagrill.com

Liz and Jim Baron have cornered the market on small-chain Southwestern restaurants with Blue Mesa. The pair have done so through locally sourcing their larder (chicken from Gonzalez, Texas, cheese from Dallas Mozzarella Company, seasonal veggies from Texas’ breadbaskets). The committent to supporting area producers has gone a long way in producing a great Sunday brunch buffet, one of the best in Big D. Two superb enchiladas on the menu are chicken and mushroom with chipotle-cream sauce and the blue corn cheese three-chile red sauce are featured on the menu, along with an anchoring omelet bar. But then there’s the brisket, the fresh guacamole, huevos rancheros and cinnamon churros. It’s worth crossing Northwest Highway for.

Whereas Blue Mesa offers fantastic border food, this Lilliputian restaurant against the DART Red line on Greenville serves hearty Mexican food. There is no need for story here. The tacos (try the pastor) are brilliant, and the enchiladas de mole go from the ground to the clouds with one saucy bite. Spend some time reading the writing on the walls littered with quotes attributed to Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. Two favorites are “Man cannot live on bread alone. He also needs tacos”” and “I’ve been enamored with the same woman for 30 years. If my wife finds out, I’m a dead man.”

Farther afield but no less gratifying, Kuby’s is the place to link up—pardon the pun—with friends and family who passed on the elaborate scenerios threaded with locomotives. The house-made encased meat emporium has a tiny dining room that comes off as an afterthought. What isn’t thrown together is the history of the establishment and the family that has operated it for 50 years. The sausage saga began in 1728, when Friedrich Kuby opened a butcher shop in Germany. Karl Kuby set up shop in the Big D in 1961, and quickly earned a reputation for a delicious craft, which certainly has nothing to do with the fact that his business processes field-dressed game nor the outstanding jalapeno sausage. The menu also offers an assortment platter, the Wurst teller (sausage plate) with house-made sauerkraut, potato pancakes, schnitzel, an array of sandwiches and daily specials.

(credit: blissrawcafe.com)

You will be dumbfounded that the bruger on your plate is raw and meatless. The “burger” taste like a burger! There is cheese! But that’s how it is at Bliss, Chef Kelly Dennis’ veggie and vegan-friendly eatery off Northwest Highway. The head-scratching isn’t isolated to the food. The dining room ceiling is supported by metalwork with earthtones and natural materials below. The tables are covered in white cloth upon which is found pho. If you’re thinking, “But pho is served hot. Bliss is a raw joint,” that’s OK. Raw foods can be heated to a temperature of 115 degrees. The Greek pizza with tahini-hummus is popular. Wash down the so-not rabbit food with vitamin-stuffed elixirs, like the goji paradise (goji berry and aloe lemonade with tocotrenols, agave nectar and coconut oil). Ahh…

(credit: Fat Straws website/fatstraws.net)

If you like your tapioca pearls perfectly chewy, not sticky, and you want a variety of teas to choose from, Fat Straws is the place. The jasmine green tea, taro and Vietnamese frappe are favorites but try their Mandarin silk oolong and passion fruit jasmine. They also have smoothies and desserts, so those with a sweet tooth can indulge with their tea fiend friends. More than just a tea-and-dessert place, though, Fat Straws also feature live acoustic and jazz music, so keep an eye out for performances, and you might just discover your next favorite local musician.

(credit: Fruitealicious website)

For folks craving some good bubble tea on the go, Fruitealicious is the perfect place to order up your boba in whatever manner floats your boat: Thai Tea, Almond Milk Tea, or the cold purple goodness known as Taro Slush. If you would like some non-boba add-ons, you can also ask for fruit bits or jelly. But try the Raspberry Green Tea with Strawberry popping bubbles… yum.

(credit:Thinkstock)

With dozens of combinations of teas and coffees available, it’s hard to pick from the menu. Our favorites? The refreshing cantaloupe and the delicious Mocha Madness. The cold almond milk tea is also a must-try, and the tapioca boba pearls have just the right consistency—they’re soft but still chewy (plus the friendly service doesn’t skimp at all: our wide straw was practically clogged with boba!).

(credit: Boba Latte Facebook page)

Want a cool, refreshing drink? Try a Bobba Latte strawberry slushie boba, or Miss Julie’s Special–a mango slush with mini pearls and juicy grapefruit pulp. If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, try a durian smoothie. Durian is known for its not-particularly-pleasant smell, but in this smoothie? Delish. They say Boba Latte sells “sunshine in a cup” and we might just have to agree.

(credit: Bailey's Prime Plus)

Bailey’s Prime Plus
3 North Texas locations

From noon to 9 p.m., this extravagant steakhouse’s three locations will offer a $64 per person, four-course meal that could kick off with seared squab breast, Cinderella squash and cinnamon Chantilly, move on to acorn squash soup with crème fraîche and spicy pepitas, before being faced with a tremendous decision: roast turkey, grilled tenderloin, rack of lamb or grilled salmon. (Fish appears on most restaurants’ Thanksgiving menus.) It’s a decision we can all be thankful to face. After dessert, don’t forget your “The Day After Turkey Sandwich To Go,” which includes sliced turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. A special menu for children 12 and under is available for $12. Regular menu is available upon request. Reservations are recommended and a “Holiday Meal To-Go” serving eight to 10 diners is also available. When the selection is this good, a few dishes is a small price to pay.

(credit: bonnellstexas.com)

Bonnell’s Texas Fine Cuisine
4259 Bryant Irvin Road
Fort Worth, TX 76109
817-738-5489

Native son Jon Bonnell has been serving locally sourced gussied up Lone Star State food for a decade. You can relish that history by ordering a Thanksgiving to Go. A catered holiday can include wild boar chops with peach BBQ sauce, cornbread and oyster stuffing and a 10-pound deep-fried turkey. Finish off your the feast with caramel-pecan cheesecake. Orders must be placed to the Bonnell’s catering department by phone (817-231-8827; info@bonnellstexas.com) by Friday, Nov. 18, and picked up by 9 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 23.

(credit: thefattedcalfrestaurant.com)

The Fatted Calf
112 E. Rusk St.
Rockwall, TX
972-722-3343

Rustic family-friendly fine dining in Rockwall goes buffet for Turkey day (reservations recommended). From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., guests can munch on cranberry bread; lobster bisque; heritage roasted turkey with Riesling pan gravy; bourbon-cane syrup baked ham with apricot chutney; green-bean casserole with crispy onions, pancetta and Parmesan; cornbread and sausage dressing; and marbled pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust. In other words, families (adults: $24.95, children under 10: $10.95, kids under 4: free) can have a traditional Thanksgiving slightly tweaked to deliciousness.

(credit: highlandparkcafeteria.com)

Highland Park Cafeteria
1200 North Buckner Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75218
214-324-5000

The cafeteria of legend doesn’t run on reputation alone. Since 1925, this landmark has served phenomenal cuisine straight down the line—and for a reasonable price. Thanksgiving at Highland Park Cafeteria will set back each diner $10.99, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The celebratory menu includes roast turkey; ham; cornbread dressing; giblet gravy; cranberry sauce; baked squash; green beans; mashed potatoes; candied yams as well as fresh pecan and pumpkin pies. A catered meal for the house will cost $59.99 for two to four people or $89.99 for eight to 10 people. Please place order by Monday, November 21.

(credit: holygrailpub.com)

Holy Grail Pub
8240 Preston Road, Ste. 150
Plano, TX 75024
972-377-6633

The Continental-influenced pub in Plano goes Yankee 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 24 for a four-course meal ($30 per person and $12 for kids under 12). Aside from the traditional bird (here, presented as a fried breast with smoked porter gravy), the menu will offer chili-rubbed lamb chops with pumpkin seed sauce entrée. The appetizer selection includes brie en croute with red wine mushrooms and Granny smith apples. As a gesture of goodwill, the Dallas Cowboys game will be shown on the big screen, beginning at 3 p.m. As always, the bar will be stocked with the superlative craft beers, domestic and international.

Fairmont Hotel Pyramid Restaurant

Pyramid Restaurant and Bar at Fairmont Dallas Hotel
1717 North Akard St.
Dallas, TX 75201
214-720-5249

Executive chef André Natera and his staff, including sommelier Hunter Hammett and pastry chef Maggie Huff, at this noted hotel restaurant are already adept at plating the perfect blend of classical technique and familiar fare. Thanksgiving Day, they’ll be applying for not only brunch but also for a holiday dinner and turkeys to go. French-influenced flavors are the inspiration for the autumnal menu that takes creative liberties at first surprising. Take, for example, the sushi selection. Nigiri sushi with soy, pickled ginger and wasabi seem out of place on a Thanksgiving list. That is until you realize the first Thanksgiving—you know, the one with the pilgrims?—was predominantly a seafood banquet. However, traditional foodstuffs will abound, like candied yams with brown sugar glaze and turkey rubbed with herbs from the terrace garden with giblet gravy and cranberry sauce. Seating will be at 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Cost range from no charge for children under seven to $59.95 for adults.

(credit: restaurantava.com)

Restaurant Ava
108 S. Goliad St.
Rockwall, TX 75087
469-698-9920

Nathan Tate and Randall Copeland have quietly built a dining room of regulars, some who travel from clear across the Metroplex for their classic American cuisine pushed through a locavore sieve. For their annual Thanksgiving buffet, the chef duo will have available items traditional and unique. Spinach salad will sit next to deviled eggs. Turkey and Virginia ham will share real estate with grilled trout and stuffed quail, while sides teetering at the edge of the plates could be cornbread stuffing, mac and cheese or creamed kale. Before being rolled out the door, sweeten the deal with chocolate sticky toffee pudding.