Looking for Sushi, Tapas,& Brunch in Dallas

[jme1beachbum]

Going to stay the weekend in Dallas. Hoping to score some sushi/japenese food one night and Spanish tapas the other. Haven't gotten a hotel yet, not even sure what area of town to stay in (Dallas is big!), but we have GPS and car so will travel for good food. Going to Rangers game Sat night, so either early dinner in Dallas or something that matches the bill in the stadium area. Would also love a nice leisurely brunch on Sunday am. Budget is flexible, we have no prob spending $ if the food is worth it, but also have no prob eating cheap if the food is great. Anyone been to Casey from top chefs resto? Is it any good?

[auto]

While Cafe Madrid is consistent and relatively good, I think the tapas are uninspired and parking a nightmare. I would hold tapas up to the standard of Cafe Ba Ba Reeba in Chicago.

When trying Sushi, try Simon's in Plano, nice break from the typical, excellent quality, BYOB, and great perosnality in Simon

[Clancy12]

I feel that Cafe Madrid is over-rated for what you get for the price of food. I feel you get a lot more for your money at Hola, and yes they are are still open and going strong. Another place that is great for a date night is Sangria Tapas: http://www.sangriatapasybar.com/ They have really good lamb carpaccio.
I also agree that Teppo is where it is at for the best sushi in Dallas, they are pricey though. If you want good sushi and not break the bank Oishii on Wycliff is good. I have even seen Chef Casey in there from time to time.

[dg1873]

Hola was closed a few months ago, is listed as closed on guidelive.com, and their phone number is disconnected. Clancy--have you been there recently?

[Clancy12]

Wow I must have been there right before they closed. Cause I was there about 3 months ago. Don't remember the exact date but it was warm outside and it was at night so maybe April or March. Too bad, they were always busy when I went. But Dallas restaurants change so fast it will make your head spin. Thanks for the heads up, my husband will be really disappointed their crème brulee was his favorite.

[dg1873]

I know they were closed on March 14 --only b/c I had a dinner scheduled there and arrived to a chained door! Not sure exactly when they closed though. Its very sad... it was one of our favorite places to eat. It was a rent issue, so I was hoping they might reopen (I think the same thing happened a few years ago --they closed for a month or two and then reopened) ---there or elsewhere. I suppose we can still keep our fingers crossed.

You might try Cafe Madrid again too ... it went downhill for a bit there, but I think its resurfacing now.

[azhotdish]

I just did a write-up on Shinsei after my visit Friday night:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/532115

The girls did Sunday brunch at Toulouse and enjoyed it very much.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/532115

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Toulouse
3314 Knox St, Dallas, TX 75205

[HuongStar]

Teppo for sushi.
Hola! (if it's still open) for tapas.
Cafe San Miguel, Garden Cafe, or Old Monk for brunch.

[sike101]

Mattitio's does a mexican brunch buffet with some traditional items and is close to downtown. Blue Mesa does a similar brunch, maybe better. If money isn't a factor, Fearings has brunch too, obviously not buffet style.
I'd second Piranha's in Arlington before the game.

[MarcusB]

The best sushi near the ballpark is Piranha on Green Oaks at Collins. You could easily sit down for dinner at 5 and make a 7 game.

[dg1873]

Oishi is my favorite sushi place in Dallas, by far.. IMO they have the freshest fish regularly. However, it isn't much on ambience. Its in a strip mall in a less than great area. Also very affordable. I have not been to Teppo or Yutaka yet, but have heard very good things.

Cafe Madrid is a GREAT choice for tapas. Its my favorite :)

I don't have a recommendation for a spread-style brunch, but Breadwinners is a yummy breakfast option. The service is a little slow, so it probably qualifies as leisurely.

[dalaimama]

Casey Thompson works at Shinsei. It's good and has an excellent sushi chef, but it is pricey - even for sushi.

My top pick for sushi is Teppo on Lower Greenville.

I like Cafe Madrid for tapas.

Both of these places are in Dallas proper and not anywhere near the baseball stadium. Most of the places near the stadium are chains, so I would not just drive out there looking for something without a specific recommendation.

[jme1beachbum]

Thanks! Looks like we'll be downtown on Main Street. I had a feeling there wouldn't be much of note near the stadium. Will prob do an early dinner downtown.
I've also read a lot about The Grape. There is a Tapas chain in FL by the same name, actually not 1/2 bad. Any relation?

[irodguy]

The Grape is not a Tapas place here. Personally the most consistant is probably Cafe Madrid. Note it's not as good as the Tapas place on St. Armands in Sarasota.

You might try http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page?...
Taisho in Arlington if you run out of time for Sushi. I have not eaten there but several of the people in the local Sushi group seem to like it.

If you have time there are several top notch Sushi bars in Dallas including

Shinsei
Teppo
Sushi Sake
Masami
Yutaka which is probably the best of all.

The Sushi in DFW will be more like west coast not east. Meaning you can get closer to "real" sushi. There will be no "brown rice" and such like South Florida is famous for.