It's that time once again: The Eater 38 has returned with a quarterly update. For the uninitiated, this is a map intended to help answer that age-old question, "Can you recommend a restaurant...?"
The latest incarnation of the 38 brings the additions of a legendary chili destination and a couple Park Cities staples. As always, we've covered the spectrum: From barbecue and burgers to Japanese and Tex-Mex, from casual lunch spots to date night destinations.
Ready to throw down the gauntlet because we omitted your favorite place? We're always up for lively discussion, so hit us up via the tipline or let us know in the comments. Perhaps we'll take your advice and include it on the next Eater 38 update. Remember: Restaurants must have been open for six months to qualify.
2013 Map History
January: Added: Hattie's, Meddlesome Moth, Royal China, Woodshed Smokehouse Removed: First Chinese BBQ, Oddfellows, Maxim's, Rise No. 1
April: Added: Jimmy's Food Store, Lanny's Alta Cocina, Tacos La Banqueta Removed: All Good Cafe, Saint Emilion, Taqueria El Si Hay
Tiny, family-owned Avila's is the best place to take any out-of-towner who wonders what all the fuss is about when it comes to Tex-Mex. (We recommend the chile relleno. And the brisket tacos. And, well, everything else.)
Babe's has several locations, but this is the one that started it all. Some of the city's finest fried chicken is served up family-style (meaning, you can eat as much as your stomach will hold) alongside down-home sides like mashed potatoes, corn and salad.
[Photo: Emily C./Yelp]
This small, unassuming East Dallas staple serves up some of the finest Thai in town, from tom kha gai and pad Thai to many curry varieties and perfect sticky rice. Consider yourself lucky if you live within their delivery radius.
Farm-to-table pioneer Bolsa burst onto the scene in 2008, and the Oak Cliff dining scene hasn't been the same since. A relaxed dining room, a constantly evolving menu by chef Jeff Harris, and a great covered patio keep folks from the neighborhood (and beyond) coming back night after night.
As if the art of the Modern and the architecture of Tadao Ando didn't satisfy enough, Cafe Modern offers an equally exquisite seasonal menu that chef Dena Peterson builds from local ingredients. Don't visit the Modern without eating there too.
The finest of Dallas' Verace Pizza Napoletana joints, Deep Ellum's Cane Rosso also boasts one of the city's best dog-friendly patios. Besides amazing pizzas like the Delia with housemade bacon marmalade, there's also excellent sandwiches and pasta dishes.
The massive yard with picnic tables, a stage and hopscotch makes this a neighborhood destination for young folks and families alike. The food is homey but high-quality with inventive twists like spiced oregano honey to drizzle over crisp fried chicken and homemade popsicles.
Dean Fearing's eponymous bastion of fancified Southern cuisine is (very politely, very gently) slap-yo-mama good. Dishes like filet mignon with chicken-fried lobster tail and Dr. Pepper-braised short ribs are the epitome of Texan food.
The Woottons don't call their place the Garden Cafe for nothing: They've been growing the ingredients for their home-style cooking right out in the backyard for years and years, making Garden Cafe a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.
From humble beginnings as a gas station taco stand, Jeana Johnson and Colleen O'Hare grew Good2Go into a freestanding store that serves inventive, high-quality tacos filled with everything from vegetable curry to meatloaf.
This list of burgers demands to be conquered, line by line. The beer pairings are perfection and the hipster- and neighbor-laden patio is a welcoming place come happy hour or dinnertime.
Brian Luscher doesn't let the fact that he makes one of Texas' finest burgers allow him to phone it in with the rest of his classy and classic menu, featuring housemade charcuterie and a constantly changing chalkboard menu. It doesn't hurt that chef de cuisine Danyele McPherson just appeared on Top Chef, either.
A Bishop Arts mainstay long before the neighborhood was the hippest dining destination in town, Hattie's has been serving Southern classics like fried chicken and shrimp 'n grits in an upscale white-tablecloth setting for 20 years.
Besides being an amazing Italian market and deli, Jimmy's is home to some of the best damn sandwiches this city has to offer. Order up an Italian Stallion or a Cuban and an espresso shot (or a glass of red wine) and kick back at one of the tiny tables.
Haute cuisine it is not, but for a little taste of nostalgia, grab a stool at this old-school pharmacy's soda fountain counter and order up a chocolate malt and grilled cheese sandwich (or an orange sherbet freeze and tuna salad on white). There's a reason it's been going strong for 100 years.
Located inside a Hare Krishna palace, Kalachandji's is from-the-soul vegetarian Indian food cooked fresh daily, buffet-style. Eat in a sanctuary-like dining room or their lush outdoor garden.
Lanny P. Lancarte has been serving up his unique Mexican with a Mediterranean flair at this high-end Fort Worth spot since 2005. The grandson of Joe T. Garcia, the food here couldn't be more different from the typical Tex-Mex at that other Fort Worth institution.
Lockhart Smokehouse does nothing halfway with their finely tuned, Texas-style smoked meats which require no help from such niceties as forks, making it one of the best spots in town to grab a cold beer and watch a Rangers game.
A table at Lucia is one of the toughest reservations in Dallas, not because they're saving space for snobby VIPs, but because David Uygur's homespun Italian restaurant only serves sixteen tables each night.
Jack Perkins' burger joint serves a diverse and hungry crowd in their Medical District digs, where workers of all-colored collars come for juicy burgers, well-seasoned fries, and cold beer.
Nick Badovinus' O.G. NHS on Lovers Lane is without a doubt a neighborhood staple: Just try and get a table on a Thursday night during prime dinner time without a reservation, we dare you. No matter -- it's worth the wait for creative, always well-executed fare like green chile crab dip, what might be the best wedge salad in town, or a killer flat iron with impeccable French fries, all in a cozy, dimly lit setting where the service is always top-notch.
[Photo: Donald P./Foursquare]
The Northern Italian food that comes out of this kitchen tastes like its cooked by someone's grandmother, because it is. The tiny space doesn't take reservations, but it is BYOB.
People in the know go to Off-Site Kitchen for dirt-cheap, delicious lunches. The burgers have been the subject of much praise since it opened, and the 48-hour cracked pepper brisket sandwich is the stuff dreams are made of. (Plus, they have Kool-Aid and candy bars in the fridge.)
Inside the Dallas Farmers Market is arguably Dallas' finest barbecue joint. Don't miss the juicy pulled pork, crusty, smoky brisket and that fabulous mac and cheese.
This long-standing Deep Ellum Tex-Mex institution continues to pack in crowds nightly for home-style dishes like albondigas, combo plates and enchiladas.
Open since 1976, this quaint Uptown seafood joint is a bastion of professional service and great oysters, not to mention the New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp, hush puppies, and po'boys.
The historic Belmont Hotel's Smoke restaurant is the barbecue baby of Tim Byres, who traveled the U.S. learning from meat masters, bringing his knowledge back to Dallas at one of the city's best-received and best-executed restaurants.
Fresh salads, hangover-curing migas and pancakes, juicy burgers, and fantastic milkshakes and baked goods; oh, and did we mention it's 100 percent vegan?
If you've got family visiting from out of state or just want an undeniably Texan dining experience, head to Stephan Pyles' newest restaurant for honey fried chicken, a bone-in cowboy ribeye, or tacos with housemade tortillas.
A Lower Greenville mainstay, Teppo offers incredibly fresh sushi and rotating offerings of tasty bivalves like razor clams and oysters in a sleek but cozy atmosphere. Don't miss the yakitori, grilled skewers of chicken or more exotic choices like beef hearts (or the fancy Japanese toilet).
If you consider yourself a chili enthusiast, you damn well better have eaten at Tolbert's -- no excuses. Dallas journalist Frank X. Tolbert was what you might call chili-obsessed, even writing a book called A Bowl of Red before opening Tolbert's in 1976. The restaurant has since moved to downtown Grapevine, but the legendary chili lives on.
The epitome of a neighborhood restaurant, Urbano offers inspired and fresh nightly chalkboard specials with locally sourced ingredients in a tiny, cozy setting. The BYOB policy makes it an affordable weeknight choice.
Don't try to go back to work after a Wingfield's burger. Just don't--they're absolutely massive and greasy in the best possible way. Word to the wise: call in your order first, because there's not much standing room available.
Tim Love's shrine to smoked foods on the banks of the Trinity River is a must-visit for out-of-towners; don't miss the camp bread with "pit master fat" or the brisket-stuffed piquillo peppers.
Tiny, family-owned Avila's is the best place to take any out-of-towner who wonders what all the fuss is about when it comes to Tex-Mex. (We recommend the chile relleno. And the brisket tacos. And, well, everything else.)
Babe's has several locations, but this is the one that started it all. Some of the city's finest fried chicken is served up family-style (meaning, you can eat as much as your stomach will hold) alongside down-home sides like mashed potatoes, corn and salad.
[Photo: Emily C./Yelp]
This small, unassuming East Dallas staple serves up some of the finest Thai in town, from tom kha gai and pad Thai to many curry varieties and perfect sticky rice. Consider yourself lucky if you live within their delivery radius.
Farm-to-table pioneer Bolsa burst onto the scene in 2008, and the Oak Cliff dining scene hasn't been the same since. A relaxed dining room, a constantly evolving menu by chef Jeff Harris, and a great covered patio keep folks from the neighborhood (and beyond) coming back night after night.
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