The Commissary's So-So; Fearing's Adds A Star

What'd the critics in town eat this week? Here's what, that's what.

D MAGAZINE -- Last month, D put The Commissary's executive chef John Tesar on their cover, naming him "the most hated chef in Dallas." This month, Teresa Gubbins gives him a thoroughly meh review in the mag, calling his salads "supuerb," and his burger selection "chef driven, refined," except for the veggie burger, which is a "big middle finger to vegetarians." Gubbins closes by noting that some of the best things about the Commissary were inherited, not created, by Tesar: the location, the patio, the wine program.

OBSERVER -- Scott "Hipster Dreamboat" Reitz doesn't like the "tiresome truffle oil" flavor on the Tillman's Roadhouse tater tots and popcorn, but he loved the scallops and called their ribeye "as good as any inside the loop." For dessert, he praises the cookie tower and s'mores, but ultimately calls the huge meals "a little confusing."

DALLAS MORNING NEWS -- Less than a year and a half after her initial review, Leslie Brenner revisits Fearing's, wondering, "What if a critic decided that a re-review was fair game any time?" Lucky for Dean Fearing, Brenner upped her old three-star review to four stars after loving a pork chop and a "thrilling little miso ice cream float shooter," though the wine service was "subpar." Still, she conclude, Fearing's is "shaping up to be one of Dallas’ very best restaurants."

DALLAS MORNING NEWS -- Three stars go to Fort Worth's "sleekly spare, urban chic and intimate" Shinjuku Station from Barbara Rodriguez. She calls their uni "a thing of beauty" and praises the "spot-on service." She likes the whole-fried Japanese snapper and the seared-at-table "melt-away American Wagyu beef." And their cheesecake? It could "redefine Thanksgiving."

· All John Tesar Coverage on Eater Dallas [-EDFW-]
· All Weeks In Review on Eater Dallas [-EDFW-]