Dallas and its twin city Fort Worth are not generally known for restaurant cuisine but a few gems have attained a level of acclaim. Restaurant critics from the Dallas Morning News, as of summer 2010, rate only four restaurants with five stars, the paper's top rating. These four restaurants are listed below.
The Forbes Travel Guide, a respected arbitrator of American restaurants, does not bestow five stars on any restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth and only four establishments earn four stars. Three of those have received five stars from the Dallas Morning News.
Abacus is probably Dallas's most famous restaurant, run by the city's most famous chef, Kent Rathbun, whom you may have seen on television. The fusion cuisine strongly leans to standard American but takes inspiration from Mediterranean, Cajun/Creole, Southwestern, and Pacific Rim influences.
Expect to pay well over $50 per person, although Abacus does offer a reasonably priced if short tasting menu for $45, as of July, 2010.
Abacus
4511 McKinney Ave., Dallas, TX 75205
214-559-3111
kentrathbun.com
Chef Avner Samuel strives to create his exquisite meals with local, organic ingredients but the Texas food happily submits to his strong French style. Although you can expect to pay the going rate for ultra-fine dining at dinnertime, Aurora offers a tasty prix-fixe lunch for a mere $19, as of July, 2010. It's a hot ticket, for good reason.
The Dallas Morning News has stated "the food is like a painting, but you get to eat it."
Aurora
4216 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, TX 75219
214-528-9400
auroradallas.com
The French Room is consistently ranked among the best restaurants in Dallas and often in the country. Part of a hotel called the Adolphus, the restaurant serves classic French dishes to an upscale clientele. Men, don't forget your jackets.
Service is impeccable. The Dallas Morning News advises anyone wishing to be a waiter to study a meal here. The food is pricey, but by all reports is eminently worth the cost.
1321 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75202
214-742-8200
hoteladolphus.com
Part of the reason for the restaurant's long name is that it operates in a hotel called Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. Feel free to call it simply the Mansion Restaurant.
The Mansion is another highly praised Dallas kitchen that relies on French techniques, although ingredients like chorizo, coconut and daikon radish reveal international flair.
The Mansion has been serving clients for 30 years and seems to be as good as ever.
2821 Turtle Creek Blvd., Dallas, TX 75219
214-443-4747
mansiononturtlecreek.com
