11 December 7 - 13, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Let’s Eat! Each year we update our list of the Top 100 Restaurants in Dallas. Here are 11 we’ve added this year. By Chris Wolfgang W hen the calendar flipped to 2023, we had high hopes that Dallas’ dining scene had fi- nally turned a corner from all the pandemic-related strug- gles of the previous three years. Yes, everything related to owning and operating a restaurant was more expensive, but the Dallas dining public seemed determined to head to restau- rants for a good time and a great meal. Regardless, this year has taught us that the business of running a restaurant will never be easy. At times, it felt like every long-awaited opening of a new upscale venue (see Crown Block or Mister Charles) would be countered with the closing of lauded favorites (see Homewood or Cry Wolf). The excitement of a rising chef opening a new restaurant, like Leigh Hutchinson at Via Triozzi, is tempered when a chef like James Beard nominee Ju- nior Borges parts ways with his Brazilian-in- spired restaurant Meridian as ownership moves in a different direction. To pile on to the volatility, one of the most epically brutal summers on record delivered more body blows to Dallas restaurants. OpenTable reported that Texas’ seated diner traffic was down between 3% and 5% this summer compared with summer 2022 as the heat kept diners at home. At the same time, food costs are up 24% and labor costs are 13%–23% higher than pre-pandemic lev- els, according to the Texas Restaurant Asso- ciation. Restaurant margins already run lean; effects like these can be devastating. So where does this leave us for 2024? It de- pends on whom you ask (and possibly the day). Despite menus with 1-percenter prices, many Dallas diners don’t seem to mind. For some, dining out is as much about the experi- ence — and escapism — as it is about the food. On the opposite end, we’ve come to appreciate restaurants that find ways to flip the script and deliver great food for great value. What we would love to see more of are establishments that land in the middle of these two extremes. That middle ground is difficult to navigate. Dallas remains smitten with trends, but also loyal to long-time favorites. The gap in the middle is ripe to be filled by corporate ven- tures that have the resources to sustain new concepts, but at the cost of stifling creativity. What can we do? For the Observer, it means we’ll continue to cover all comers to Dallas’ eclectic dining scene. There’s some- thing here for everyone, whether it’s creative techniques applied to the most seasonal of fare, new takes on classic standbys or local spots that serve up solid food with a side of affordability. All of these angles are well rep- resented in our Top 100 Restaurants, includ- ing the newcomers listed below. Below are new entries to our list. Read about all 100 on- line at www.dallasobserver.com. Ayahuasca Cafe 334 Jefferson Blvd. Ayahuasca is possibly the most difficult-to- find restaurant in Dallas. To get there, enter the Xaman Cafe in Oak Cliff, then head down a back hallway to a wooden door. In- side, owner Mauricio Gallegos and chef Monica Lopez serve pre-Hispanic dishes and techniques influenced by Oaxaca. The dishes are steeped in authenticity, from the pulpo y tinta (octopus and ink), caldo de pie- dra or chicharron en salsa verde. Fear not if you’re unfamiliar with the fare; servers are happy to walk guests through the menu, ask- ing them what looks interesting or what kind of dish they’re looking for. Top Pick: Without a doubt, order the tu- etano. Two large roasted beef bones filled with marrow are topped with a lively chimichurri and served with a bowl of diced rib-eye along- side. Scoop up a spoonful of baked marrow from the bone and spread it into a criollo torti- lla, then add the tender rib-eye. Yes, the dish is $49, but it’s worth every penny. Barsotti’s Fine Foods & Liqueurs 4208 Oak Lawn Ave. The former (and in our minds, original) Carbone’s Fine Foods has been reincar- nated as Barsotti’s. The trappings of the new space feel a little more upscale since the remodel, but the restaurant still exe- cutes classic and unpretentious Italian fare. Longtime fans of the red-sauce Italian spot have returned in droves. Classic dishes like vodka rigatoni or lasagna Bolognese stream through the dining room regularly. Be sure to wrap up your meal with one of Barsotti’s textbook cannolis. Alison McLean From top left, clockwise: The grilled al pastor pork is perfection at El Carlos Elegante; CheapSteaks’ hanger steak is an underappreciated cut; Via Triozzi’s lasagna Bolognese is stellar; the always varied, but always good Butcher’s Cut of the Day with beef tallow candle at Beckley 1115. | CITY OF ATE | t Dish >> p12
