15 November 13 - 19, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Hey, Big Spender Spend a little time with 15 of Dallas’ Most High-Rolling Dishes. BY LAUREN DURIE A s one of the world’s wealthi- est cities, Dallas knows how to show up and show out. From the city’s ongoing “Dubai-fication” and cham- pagne-taste culture, there’s no shortage of ways to flex your appetite or your wallet. Sure, it’s not hard to find a pricey piece of meat or shellfish soaring above a Benjamin, but if you’re looking to drop serious dough, the dining scene doesn’t make it hard. From prime cuts to a menu with a Ducati, these are the crème de la crème, the most extravagant dishes in the D, the kind you or- der when you’re trying to seal a deal, seduce a future ex-wife or flex simply because you can. So, while you’re toasting to the high life with The Mexican’s $250 Pancho Villa mar- garita (citrus gold salt included), save room for Nick & Sam’s legendary 7-layer cake — a casual $35 a slice or up to $165 for the whole tower of temptation. Here’s where to find high steaks and even higher tabs. 40-Ounce Porterhouse at Nuri Steakhouse: $350 Featured in The Wall Street Journal’s “Steak- houses Actually Worth the Splurge,” Nuri is anything but the stuffy white-tablecloth spot traditionally found on these lists. What they describe as an “Art Deco–steampunk fever dream covered in hand-painted wall- paper,” the Korean steakhouse unapologeti- cally leans into its $16 million-plus buildout with price tags to match. The crown jewel is the 40-ounce Texas Wagyu porterhouse, sourced from Heartbrand Reserve’s “Em- peror’s Breed,” that’s served with an entou- rage of banchan, ssamjang (Korean soybean paste), kimchi butter, miso peppercorn sauce, and a wagyu candle for flavor and flair. If that feels a touch too indulgent, there’s always the 36-ounce tomahawk for $299 – the same drama, slightly less meat. Signature Steakhouse Smorgasbord, Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille: $275 If your love language is red meat and re- gret, Perry’s signature platter is basically a carnivore’s delight. Designed to feed four, it piles on all the greatest hits: a 40-ounce porterhouse, pork chops, lamb lollipops, BBQ bacon-wrapped shrimp, mini crab cakes and seafood-stuffed mushrooms with a delicate touch of truffle Merlot demiglace and beurre fondue. Really, it’s quite reasonable at $69 per person in boy- math world. Golden Osetra Caviar Service, Evelyn: $270 A self-proclaimed love letter to Old Holly- wood opulence, Evelyn imports its signature steak straight from Australia, because Texas cows aren’t couture enough. The 38-ounce F-1 (it moves?) Wagyu Tomahawk ribeye is $225. Still not impressed? Top it with roasted bone marrow or lump crab Oscar for an extra $24. Or, for more drama, the 5-ounce Miyazaki A5 Wagyu is cooked ta- bleside on a hot lava rock for $190. Pair ei- ther with a Price of Fame martini ($150 for one or $275 for two), complete with black truffle bitters and caviar-stuffed olives. The Golden Osetra caviar service for $260 takes the cake, though. It’s served with 1 ounce of potato chips, warm blinis, creme fraiche, chives and cured egg yolk. We’ll cheers to that. Iced Seafood Tower, Crown Block: $230 That iconic view from the top of Reunion Tower comes with a price tag, but so does the seafood tower. A feast for six, it stacks Maine lobster, snow crab claws, jumbo prawns, salmon ceviche, and East and Gulf Coast oysters. There’s also a smaller version for $110 if you’re feeling modest. More rav- enous? The menu also features a $240 48-ounce tomahawk and a $185 dry-aged porterhouse. Or if you prefer a morning splurge, the $80 all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch includes indulgences like Fried Chicken and Waffles with caviar, Wagyu Croquetta Benedict, and a lavish candy and dessert bar so over-the-top you’ll need a nap before noon. 32-Ounce 240-Day Rib- eye, Knife Italian: $215 Chef John Tesar, lauded for his dry-aged steak methods, took his wares to the Ritz in Irving after years in Dallas. At his Italian- focused restaurant, you can still get the 44 Farms steaks he made Dallas-famous years ago. Some may find a steak aged more than half a year a bit much; there’s a 45-day for $125. If we had an expense account or a sugar daddio, this is where we’d go. Yes, we’re accepting applications for both. 24-Ounce Westholme Wagyu Porthouse, Catch: $205 The cattle ranch Westholme in Australia al- lows herds to roam “millions of pristine acres covered in native grasses” in North- ern Australia. Get a tasty steak at Catch for just $205, which is a real steal considering that one ounce of the A5 Kobe beef costs $68. Olive beef (yes, the cattle are fed ol- ives) is $55 per ounce and snow beef (no, the cows don’t eat snow — the steaks are snow-aged) is $49 per ounce. But you’re not really going to Catch unless you’re go- ing for Sunday brunch, which is $95 per person and a glass of Krug Grand Cuvee ($96). 40-Ounce Wagyu Tomahawk Chop, The Saint: $195 Another maximalist Italian steakhouse, The Saint’s signature chop comes brushed with Calabrian chili compound butter and is big enough for two to four. But there is a way to get it for less. Their “Texas Tomahawk Tuesday” offers three courses for two at the same $195 price tag, with starters like Wa- gyu tartare or saffron risotto, sides such as wild mushrooms and Italian fries (tableside bone marrow is an $8 splurge), and seasonal desserts to seal the deal. Because who doesn’t love a bargain disguised as deca- dence? Bistecca alla Fiorentina, Monarch: $190 Ask a dozen people what the priciest res- taurant in Dallas is, and more than a few will say Monarch. Perched on the 49th floor of The National, this temple of opu- lence delivers on every decadent promise. The butcher’s reserve meats are the crème de la crème, and the Bistecca for two is un- deniably the star of the show. Seasoned simply with salt, a sprig of rosemary, and the bone proudly on full display, we can confirm it lives up to the hype. Other nota- ble splurges include a 45-day dry-aged Omaha ribeye for $110, a 5-ounce Japanese A5 Filet Kagoshima for $180, and house- made pastas like the Fire Roasted Lasagna Diane for $60 (full portion) or a Whole Maine Lobster Spaghetti for $72. 16-ounce Rosewood New York Strip or Rib-eye, Georgie: $180 Originally opened by Curtis Stone, Georgie has been described as both “swanky retro meets chic” and “a contemporary Southern blend of Texas roots with West Coast fi- nesse.” To some, that may sound like an iden- tity crisis, and to others, a celebrated rebirth. Since ditching the celebrity chef, Georgie has found its stride, earning a Michelin nod for creative takes on the classics (think creamy potato “churros” with smoked fish dip) along with some seriously luxe steaks. Their signa- ture cut, grilled and served with Padrón pep- pers, G1 sauce, and Dijon, proves they’ve still got plenty of star power. King Crab Legs, Dakota’s: $175 Dallas’s famed underground steakhouse wasn’t always serving surf and turf — it was once a church that couldn’t legally sell alco- hol on holy ground. Yet a loophole allowed liquor sales below street level, so they exca- vated and never looked back (perhaps to keep prices buried, too?). While the menu leans meaty with a decadent $152 36-ounce tomahawk and a $164 porterhouse, the true splurge is a simple pound of king crab with drawn butter and lemon for nearly $200 — making the half Maine lobster for $43 feel like a downright steal. It’s all about perspec- tive, right? It is worth noting there is quite a lengthy dress code, and kids under five are politely uninvited for dinner. 3.5 lb Maine Lobster à l’Orange, Town Hearth: $149 Steak and swagger define this Design Dis- trict hot spot, where dry-aged, white oak– seasoned, mesquite-charcoal-grilled prime cuts are legendary. Think: 42-ounce porter- house “Bistecca” for $176, 32-ounce ribeye “Rogge’s Battle Axe” for $149, and the Lenox, an open-fire-roasted prime rib carved to order for $106. But their seafood also deserves some of the spotlight. The priciest catch is a 3.5-pound Maine lobster fried with ponzu and blood orange, though for $10 less you can go the wood-roasted route with simply “lots of butter.” And if you’re really looking to drop some coin, they also playfully have a market price ’74 Ducati Sport on the sides menu. Yolo? Whole Roast Peking Duck, Tango Room: $140 The menu at Tango Room reads like a name- drop list of indulgence: caviar, lobster corn- dogs, foie gras, steak tartine, and honestly, you could close your eyes and land on a flex. Sure, there’s the $180 New York strip and the $150 ribeye, but if you’re tapped out on steak, the whole roast duck is another baller move. Served with garlic hoisin, bibb let- tuce, miso mustard, fried rice, and crispy confit, bird’s the word here. Dover Piccata, Carbone: $145 One bite of Carbone’s signature spicy riga- toni vodka and you’ll see the hype is real. But the priciest dishes aren’t the famous family- style pastas or even the market price char- coal-grilled steaks. It’s the seafood that might give you sticker shock. The top-dollar contender is the Dover Piccata, deboned and finished tableside in a brown butter lemon caper sauce, followed closely by the Chase Hall Caviar service at Evelyn. | CITY OF ATE | t Dish >> p16
