Greetings: Any suggestions on a GREAT steak restaurant in Dallas??? I want something local, none of the national chains. Prime beef is a must. Also, any local casual restaurants that are legendary. I really want get the flavor of this city! Thanks in advance.
I don't know of any good places in Dallas (as I'm never over there...more of a FW guy), but this thread would be a good place to start. http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=176800 Some of the posts are a bit old, but the newer posts start near the end of page 3.
No doubt - Al Biernat's. Fantastic steaks and an excellent selection of other tasty foods along with an extensive wine list. Nick & Sam's is solid and I'd say better for "viewing" as the staff is quite "talented". They know how to hire them over there.
Pappas Bros. is phenomenal. Huge selection and delicious steaks! Just went to the one here in Houston two weeks ago.
Nick and Sams or the original Bobs Steak and Chop House on Lemmon. Pappas is a chain, but is very good. Bobs now has multiple locations, but the first is still the best.
Have you been to bobs recently? I've never been but drive by a lot and its always packed. It sort of looks like a dump from the outside though so i've been hesitant to try it.
Just curious, why would you consider Pappas Bros. Steakhouse a chain? The answer may be obvious, but I don't get it. There are 3 Bob's in the metroplex, so why would that be different? Btw, all of the above mentioned are excellent.
It's part of the Pappas family of restaurants that I believe started in Houston. Think: Pappadeaux, Pappasito's, Pappas Seafood, Pappas BBQ, Pappas Burger and of course Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. They have something like 100 restaurants in seven states. I'm still surprised by all the endorsements for Bob's. It's a good enough steakhouse but frankly I think it is way overrated. If you guys have not tried Al Biernat's, you should. I don't think you'd go back to Bob's. But hey, the best steaks are at Chez Wade and they have a very exclusive clientele and very limited seating ;-)
What he said. I'll still eat there though. And it's actually 4 Bob's. Dallas, Plano, Grapevine, Ft Worth. I'll take that challenge. Chez Jim against Chez Wade!
According to Bob's website, they actually have five locations in Texas (two in Dallas, one in Fort Worth, one in Plano and one in Grapevine) along with locations in California, Arizona and Australia of all places. Don't get me wrong about Pappas - the food there is great! Solid steakhouse and very consistent. Just too many good ones to choose from and that's a little outa the way for me. Deal! I like thick ribeyes and of course the king of all cuts, the porterhouse. Don't let my size fool you either - I can take down like two pounds of meat easy. Geez, did I just say that? Just to be clear I'm talking about prime steaks of bovine descent ;-)
I will never eat at Papas Bros. I bought some wine that they stored for me. Next time I went in they said, "sorry we sold that but we will give you the money for it". Really??? Yeah its a chain and not a very good one.
If you don't mind a 30-45 minute drive East, a good choice would be Four Winds Steak House in Wills Point, TX. www.fourwindssteakhouse.com Owner is a good friend, head chef was with Del Frisco's for some time and the menu is outstanding. Steak House was converted from the original ranch house. It is on an 1100 acre piece of property formerly owned by Cowboy's player Leroy Jordan.
I'd love to get a Ferrari group together to drive out there for dinner some night. Have heard nothing but good things about it. Doesn't the owner have a red 458?
If you can make it west to Fort Worth, Tim Love just opened a excellent place just off the Trinity River. www.woodshedsmokehouse.com
http://www.randyssteakhouse.com/ (small operation, Frisco) http://www.silverfoxcafe.com/ (has a great prime) Silver Fox style is amazing I've always loved Sulivans off of Trinity Mills. (I know it's a chain, but this location seems to be above par) The others have the popular great ones covered.
Do you know the steakhouse wars story? The guy that started Silver Fox was one of the original partners in Del Frisco's. The other partner was Bob. The very first Del Frisco's was in the location on Lemmon that now houses the original Bob's. Dale (Silver Fox) wanted to move Del Friscos to North Dallas, but Bob didn't want to go. So, Dale sold out to Bob and constructed the Del Frisco's on Spring Valley. Bob renamed the Lemmon restaurant......Bob's. When you sit at the bar at Bob's, you'll notice the Del Frisco's rose on the mirror. Dale partnered with Dee Lincoln at the new Del Frisco's, and was open for a while on Beltline in Addison while the new building was being constructed. That location on Beltline is now Chamberlains. Dee and Dale moved into their new location and sold out a while later to some national player. They took Del Frisco's national, and Dale bailed out with a 2 year non-compete. 2 years later, he opened 3 Forks. He sold 3 Forks, got another non-compete, then started Silver Fox when it expired. Dale used to carry around silver coins, about the size of the old silver dollar, that are engraved with his restaurant info and his name. It was his business card. If you met him and had any interaction, you got one. I have one somewhere that I got when he gave me a tour of the Spring Valley Del Frisco's back in the day. The guy has made a fortune in the steak house business, and he and Bob are the only ones that have stuck with it.
Very interesting story...and all of them are "chains" I had no idea of the history behind all of them. Thanks for sharing this!
