The Atlantic Publishes a Truly Depressing Guide to Dallas’ Suburban Dining Scene

On Tuesday, a writer for The Atlantic published what may be the most depressing guide to dining in the suburbs of Dallas ever written.

The list, penned by contributor Olga Khazan, is intended to serve as a guide for visitors to the city, while throwing a little shade at the “impersonal, master-planned suburban home[s]” in cities like Plano and McKinney, the latter of which is Khazan’s self-described hometown. “Before you ask, hipster, I’m not from Austin, or even Houston,” she writes. “I’m from the gosh-dang suburbs of Dallas, where lentils and salads are less plentiful, and beef and cheese are ... more so.” Ouch.

After insulting DFW’s blandness, Khazan goes on to list six options that diners should choose if they’re in “North-Central” Texas, and it’s a mess. The only local option on the list is McKinney’s Square Burger. “My hometown of McKinney has not many outstanding non-chain restaurants, but this is one of them,” she writes. That is, of course, untrue, considering that McKinney is home to killer homegrown spots like Hutchins BBQ, Patina Green Home & Market, and an outpost of Emporium Pies.

Outside of Square Burger, Khazan recommends national chains like In-n-Out, Chick-Fil-A, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, and — shudder — the always-disappointing beef brisket at much-maligned Dallas-based chain Dickey’s Barbecue. Perhaps not surprisingly, Dallasites weren’t exactly thrilled with such a reductive take on the city’s restaurants. Scope out a few hot takes from Twitter and Facebook below:

To be sure, Dallas hasn’t gotten the culinary shine bestowed upon cities like New York and San Francisco, but the Big D’s vibrant dining scene definitely deserves better than this round-up of mediocre chain eateries, especially one that doesn’t even mention the real MVP: Whataburger.

• What to Eat in the Texas Suburbs [The Atlantic]
• 14 Essential McKinney Restaurants [EDFW]