Good chow near the Dallas Hyatt Regency?

[Bobierto]

I'll be staying in Dallas at the Hyatt in two weeks, for a week. I get soooo tired of convention-type fare for lunch, and the places they want to drag us for dinner are commercial, bland, safe ... Any places anyone can recommend that are some combination of edgy, interesting, ethnic, local? I'm open to almost anything as long as I'm likely to be the only out-of-towner in the place! Walkable, light rail, or short cab ride from the Hyatt would be big plusses too! Thanks!

[pkollock]

I concur with soulslinger, except for the Angry Dog. I think he "hit the nail on the head". The Vietnamese restauraunt he refers to is called Mai's. It is BYOB. Miz Cazuela's and Alligator Cafe are great. I have been going to Miz Cazuela's for about 7 years, now.

[guttural]

No, the Vietnamese restaurant soulslinger refers to is called Viet Nam Restaurant, not Mai's. Mai's serves a godawful examples (it had been a better kitchen years and years ago) of what is one of the most complex cuisines in the world.

[soulslinger]

Bobierto,

Needless to say the Dallas Downtown scene is bleak but on the rise. It will be another 2-3 years before its gets some life. I would suggest Uptown eateries but I will leave that up to somone else b/c most seem to be overpriced and not that authentic IMHO. That being said there is one gem in the CBD - Fuse

Edgy - Fuse in Downtown http://www.fusedallas.com/ This is one of my favorite in Dallas (somewhat expensive

)

Carribean - Texas Carribean Foods (not been there but is it close) http://www.texascaribbeanfood.com/ I prefer Elaine's Kitchen 1912 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd close to Fair Park (in a bad neighborhood but great food and people

)

If in the mood for awesome Soul Food - S. Dallas Cafe on Grand Ave just a block or so away from the Fair Park gates awesome everything. The BBQ Ribs are addictive.

http://www.southdallascafe.com/ 214-428-8856 (I have been told it might be closed because of street construction in front of the building. I would call to confirm!

)

Cajun - Alligator Cafe on Live Oak http://www.eatgator.com/ Couldn't tell you about the other dishes but the crawfish ettoufee (sp) is off the charts

Jimmy's Food Market/Store on Byran @ Fitzhugh great sandwiches and Italian Imports...try the salumi....personal fave is the finocciona (sp) Cuban sandwich is awesome

Mis Cazuelas on 4202 Main (at the end of Deep Ellum) or 4933 Columbia Ave are both awesome and they have the best corn tortillas made fresh! If you go to the Columbia location you are just about 2-3 blocks from Jimmy's and about 1 block from La Popular Tamale House (the best tamales I have had) http://lapopulartamales.com/

Vietnam Restaurant on Bryan @ Peak awesome buffet for lunch (cheap) and great overall Vietnamese

Angry Dog, Twisted Root, and Adairs all on Commerce in Deep Ellum (on the other side of Downtown where you are at) all great for burgers. Angry Dog gets the nod for just abotu their whole menu burgers, chicken strips, etc...all great and resonably priced.
http://www.angrydog.com/

http://www.twistedrootburgerco.com/

http://www.adairssaloon.com/

Some people like Monica's Aca y Alla on Main in Deep Ellum....I personally don't care for it http://www.monicas.com/

If you have the chance to go before you leave I would suggest getting some cheese at either of these
Mozzarella Company http://www.mozzco.com/
Chateau de Fromage http://www.chateaudefromage.com/

These are all fairly close to downtown and you can call DART to get when and what bus you need to get on 214-979-1111 http://www.dart.org/

More than likely I have left some out Mama's Daughter's Cafe on 2014 Irving Blvd or Antoines Foods on 4234 Harry Hines Blvd (great for a po-boy with chow chow
)http://www.mamasdaughtersdiner.com/

Hopefully this should suffice for a week!!!

[Bobierto]

Suffice indeed! Thanks SO much for taking the time to post such a thorough reply! I hope I can return the favor if you ever come to San Diego!!!

[Bobierto]

Hi folks just wanted to let you know that the only place I got to was Fuse. Downtown is kind of a wasteland! Anyway Fuse was OK, kind of up and down, some dishes were GREAT, others just so-so. Good choice for near the hotel, though. (By the way that hotel is TERRIBLE.)