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The Best Dishes Eater Dallas Ate in August

Going from vegan green gumbo at Restaurant Beatrice to a bowl of queso at E-Bar Tex Mex

by Courtney E. Smith
On table cover with a white tablecloth, set with silverware, a bow of gumbo sits to the left. In the middle is a tray dish of fried green tomatoes. And on the right is a light orange cocktail with a dried orange floating in it.
Vegan green gumbo and fried green tomatoes at Restaurant Beatrice in Oak Cliff.
Courtney E. Smith
Courtney E. Smith is the editor of Eater Dallas. She's a journalist of 20 years who was born and raised in Texas, with bylines in Pitchfork, Wired, Esquire, Yahoo!, Salon, Refinery29, and more. When she's not writing about food, she co-hosts the podcast Songs My Ex Ruined.

The amount of excellent food available in Dallas is dizzying, yet mediocre meals somehow keep worming their way into our lives. With your Eater Dallas editor dining out frequently, that means coming across lots of standout dishes and drinks that need to be shared.

A bowl of queso sits on an outdoor patio table, surrounded by drinks, with a maroon and black wall in the background.
E-Bar queso with ground beef, guacamole, and sour cream.
Courtney E. Smith

The E-Bar Queso at E-Bar Tex-Mex

However long it’s been since you were last at E-Bar Tex-Mex, it’s been too long. While all the food and drinks were great, the loaded queso was Tex-Mex perfection. The chips stood up to the hefty loa brilliantly, and we downed it fast.

As an additional recommendation, don’t miss their cocktails made with Mezcal. Our waitress told me those drinks frequently get returned because diners don’t realize it’s not a tequila-based margarita.

On a brown paper lined tray, a giant pretzel covered in sea salt sits with two containers of dipping sauces below it.
A Bavarian-style pretzel with dipping sauces at Lakewood Brewing Company.
Courtney E. Smith
In a muffin tin, a collection of tasting sized glasses are filled with various beers. The glasses are emblazoned with “Lakewood Brewing” in white letters.
A tasting flight at Lakewood Brewing Company.
Courtney E. Smith

The Bavarian pretzel and Hazelnut Temptress at Lakewood Brewing Company

If you haven’t heard already, Lakewood Brewing Company celebrated its 10th anniversary this summer and expanded its taproom with a redesign and the addition of a kitchen.

The Bavarian pretzel with Temptress-infused mustard was such a flavorful delight. The menu also has a brisket sandwich and flatbread with meats from nearby Intrinsic Smokehouse that I want to get in my mouth.

From the beer flight, my favorite was the Hazelnut Stout. It was an easy drink with a remarkable profile. We let the bartender put a flight together, which is recommended unless you’ve got your eye on a specific tap to try.

A plate of short rib rests on a plate of polenta, baby carrots, and peas, topped with bordelaise sauce.
Knife Plano 72 Hour Sous Vide Short Rib from Cowboy Wagyu.
Courtney E. Smith
Ravioli rests on a blue plate and is splashed with truffle parmesan sauce and aged balsamic vinegar.
Knife Plano Oxtail Ravioli.
Courtney E. Smith

A Cowboy Wagyu pairing dinner at Knife Plano

This wagyu and wine pairing with meat from Cowboy Wagyu featured five stellar courses, but two blew me away. First was the oxtail ravioli, stuffed with wagyu with a parmesan truffle sauce and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar. It was followed by a 72 Hour Sous Vide Short Rib that was melt in your mouth soft and served on a plate of polenta, baby carrots, and peas and topped with a bordelaise sauce. Get on Knife Plano’s mailing list for events like these.

On table cover with a white tablecloth, set with silverware, a bow of gumbo sits to the left. In the middle is a tray dish of fried green tomatoes. And on the right is a light orange cocktail with a dried orange floating in it.
Quite the spread at Restaurant Beatrice.
Courtney E. Smith

Vegan green gumbo and fried green tomatoes at Restaurant Beatrice

My first visit back since Restaurant Beatrice opened in Oak Cliff in the spring didn’t disappoint. The vegan green gumbo was on my must-try list when I made the reservation. Chef Terance Jenkins told me about testing this recipe to try and get the perfect vegan dish that still felt like it had the heft of gumbo. He nailed it. And the fried green tomatoes are a light treat, perfectly breaded and fried.

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