DFW/Waco/Van for long July 4th Weekend - recs needed

Hey Howdy,
This weekend, my husband and I are flying into DFW, heading to Waco to visit family Saturday, then to my uncle's July 4th shindig on his ranch near Van, with a day in Dallas afterwards. We're coming from San Francisco & my Texas roots are in Austin so I'm not at all familiar with the DFW area.

We'll be with family most of the time, but we'll have a couple of meals to ourselves.

We get in to DFW at Midnight on Friday, any recommendations for a late night meal?

Any recommendations for breakfast/brunch/lunch on the route (or a short detour) between DFW & Waco?

What are the DFW Must Eats? I'd love recommendations for great steak, Chicken Fried Steak, Mexican, and other regional cuisine that's not readily available in SF. I'm more interested in good food than atmosphere so I'm happy with dive & casual dining recommendations.

I've been reading the Dallas & Fort Worth posts - sounds like Reata and Lonesome Dove are top contenders if we get the chance for a high end dinner.

Last year, I bought a number of Texas/Southwest/Mexican/Tex-Mex cookbooks so I could learn to make the foods I miss most. The Cowboy in the Kitchen cookbook quickly became my favorite. So making a pilgrimage to Reata is something I'm going to try to make room for -- I've been cooking his recipes (and adjusting them for my tastes) for about a year now, so I'd like to taste the "originals".

from a DFW perspective, based on your requirements, you absolutely must go to the Mansion on Turtle Creek as previously recommended.

if you're going to go chain for your steakhouse, I've enjoyed Sullivans, or a bit more on the hipster scene, Houstons. I don't believe they're on the menu, but their ribs are outstanding as well (which is kinda surprising when you first glance at the menu). From a purely local perspective, and what I think is the best pure steak in town, Al Biernat's kobe angus filet is extraordinary. Chamberlains once served a great steak but their service really has gone downhill. Neither of those are even close to the same price range as Saltgrass.

as a former San Franciscan myself, used to Fifth Floor, Gary Dankos, Fleur de Lys, and on and on and on there's really nothing quite at that level in Dallas, imo. at the same time, Dallas has a "big city" dining flair, so the little mom and pop's aren't as prolific as you might expect.

this will be an odd one, but the little, VERY out of the way town of Wylie (NE of Dallas) has an EXTRAORDINARY chicken fried steak. don't remember the name, but its pretty much the only restaurant on the single, short two blocks of "downtown".

if you like a dive and a burger, Angry Dog in Deep Ellum is pretty good. Nice range of beer selections and plenty of good-hearted sleaze.

great late night dining in Dallas is hard to find, especially that late at night. Cuba Libre is a good recommendation, but if your flight arrives at midnight, I don't know that you'd get there in time. Don't let anyone tell you Avanti is open late on Fridays. Everyone seems to think so. Its open really late on Saturdays.

"if you like a dive and a burger, Angry Dog in Deep Ellum is pretty good. Nice range of beer selections and plenty of good-hearted sleaze."

I'm trying to make sense of the "good-hearted sleaze" comment. Referring to waitstaff? other patrons? people you have to walk past in Deep Ellum that don't look just like you?

[hws56]

If you're willing to venture a little west to North Richland Hills (mid-cities area), there's a restaurant in a Conoco station that is usually really good. Featured on Food Networks's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Have heard there are off nights, but when we were there, the Chicken Florentine and Duck l'Orange were fantastic. No atmosphere (it IS in a gas station, after all) but generally tasty food. Chef Piont Cafe.

I'm mighty partial to George's in Waco for CFS or Cheesburger basket with a couple of Big O's. Now, that's Texas IMO.

Big O's! Yeehaw! Yeah, I've eaten there a number of times. But my brother said it changed hands (last year?) and has gone downhill. We'll have to check it out to see if its true.

The other place near Waco we like is Heitmeullers (sp?).

That's the Heitmiller Family Steakhouse in Elm Mott. From my few visits there, I found the steaks to be better than some low-end chains, but worse than most mid-range chains (e.g., Outback, Salt Grass, et al.) and *far* worse than the pricier chains (e.g., Morton's, Ruth's Chris, Del Frisco's, S&W, etc.). The sides were always pretty poor. It's the kind of place that I really *want* to like, but the food won't let me. There are a lot of people that swear by it, though.

Scott

I think that's a fair assessment although the last couple of times I've been there the sides were fine. I found it a good value for mid-range steak but not certainly not top-tier. I liked family-run small town atmosphere. My Californian husband loved it.

But you have to understand that I live in San Francisco where there is really no such thing as a decent low-end or mid-tier steakhouse - they're all freakin' expensive. And restaurants that aren't steakhouses but that serve steaks...well...let's just say the quality isn't there. So I'm probably overly appreciative of a good but inexpensive steak.

We don't have Saltgrass out here, but there may be a Outback (in the East or South Bay), I'll look into it.

Please don't eat steak in Waco. (Better to eat that in Dallas.) But, if you must eat steak in Waco, I would choose virtually any place over Heitmiller. My rank order:
1) Diamondbacks (I recommend the "green peppercorn filet")
2) Elite Cafe (I recommend the Ribeye)
[Chains:]
3) Outback
4) Texas Roadhouse

Pssst,

(1) Late night dinner options in Dallas. I'd consider either Cuquita's (fairly inexpensive Tex-Mex, with a little more emphasis on the Mex, which is open till 4 AM) or Cuba Libre (mid-priced pseudo-Cuban which is open till 2 AM). Others may be of more assistance to you on this, as I rarely dine out that late.

(2) Options on the road between Dallas and Waco. If you'll be traveling with kids, you might consider Starship Pegasus in Italy, TX. The food isn't anything to write home about. But it's an alien/space themed restaurant/arcade/mini-golf course in a monolithic dome. (The HQ for the Monolithic Dome Institute is just a stone's throw away.) Other than that, the only thing I'd recommend is stopping for kolaches at Kaskas in West, TX. They're not as visible as some of the other bakeries in this Czech community (e.g., Czech Stop, Village Bakery, et al.); but, in side by side comparisons, I've found them to be better.

3) Must eats in Dallas. Check out the visitors' information guide at the DallasFood.org site for a starting point. That'll give you some ideas in most categories.

4) Reata and Lonesome Dove. First of all, be aware that Grady Spears hasn't been connected with Reata in years. Second, Reata was hit and miss when Spears was there and hasn't improved in its new location and with its new ownership. I haven't had a truly good (let alone great) meal at any Grady Spears restaurant at which I've dined (i.e., Reata, Chisholm Club, and Nutt House). Lonesome Dove is better, but still not top tier dining for DFW. If your reading of Chowhound is leading you to think these are the best spots for a high end dinner in the metropolitan area, you must only be reading posts responding to requests for restaurants in Fort Worth. (Neither place could be called "high end," in any event.) If you're wanting Southwestern cuisine, there's no challenger to Dean Fearing's throne at the Mansion on Turtle Creek (at least until Stephan Pyle's new restaurant opens later this year).

Scott

Link: http://www.dallasfood.org/

Thanks for the info, I'm a good cook so I think its safe to assume that I do Grady Spears better than Reata. I'll nix it.

I had figured I could fall back on Taco Cabana for late night if all else fails, since it was my "2am soak up the booze" place back in college, so it would at least have some nostalgia value. But I suspect now that its a huge chain, the quality has probably gone downhill (and my tastes have gotten a little more discriminating).

Starship Pegasus sounds like a hoot! We'll stop if only to gawk.

Which one is Kaskas? I think the place we usually go to may be Village Bakery, all I remember is that is a couple of blocks towards town from the freeway. There's also some sausage shop near the train tracks that's good, but I don't remember the name.

I had just started my research on Dallas and was hoping to have a few places in each category since I'm not really sure when we'll have free time. But brunch at the Mansion at Turtle Creek might be doable. I'm not too interested in Stephan Pyle (is that heresy?), because his was another one of the cookbooks I got last year and I've found them a bit annoying (too many ingrediants, too many steps, recipes for recipes) but maybe that would make it a great dining experience since its food I wouldn't cook at home.

I'll check out dallasfood.org, thanks for the pointer.

The last time we had a spare evening in Dallas, we just wandered Deep Ellum and picked a place at random. It was Monica's. I don't know how it fares on this board but the Diablo Rissotto I had was quite good, the margaritas were lovely and we enjoyed the live music.

Link: http://www.monicas.com/

Psst,

Kaskas is right on northbound I-35, a little ways south of the more visible Czech Stop. (See the picture below.) The location you're describing for the one you went to does indeed sound like the Village Bakery. It's certainly a lot quainter looking than the Shell station that holds Kaskas. But looks can be deceiving. (I can't say whether Kaskas has the best kolaches in West, as I'm pretty sure I haven't been to every place in the town. But of the half dozen or so places to which I have been, I've found them better.)

The sausage place in West that you mention may be Nemecek Brothers (if it's around the corner from Village Bakery); and they are quite good. There's are a couple of others (including the Old Czech Smokehouse) that I know less about.

Scott

Image: http://www.dallasfood.org/photos/elgi...

Scott, I agree with your assessment. Reata was good when it started in the tower, but it has been downhill since the tornado. Dean Fearing produces the best Intercontinental food I have had in N. TX in an elegant atmosphere. Worth the high prices. While the food at Lonesome Dove is not as good, the TX atmosphere may be enjoyable to some outsiders. At the same time,let us remember that for visitors from states with sound air quality protection laws, the ribs at Railhead or Angelo's would be worth a detour.

[fubber1]

Heythe place in Italy that looked like a Spaceship had some of the best pizza's around. Their Blt wrap wasn't half bad either.