JC98

Hi,

Could you recommend some must-eats in Dallas--foods/drinks that are unique to Dallas? And where to eat them? I always like to try verry local food when I visit a place.

I'll be staying in Grapevine, TX in the Gaylord Hotel. Not sure if it's close to the happening areas, and I won't have a car either. While we're on the subject, please recommend what are the unique sights to see. Heard about top quality art museums in the Dallas area. Are they close to Grapevine?

Thanks!

yk

Without a car, you're pretty much stuck at Gaylord and in Grapevine. There's a shuttle that goes around Grapevine which you can take: https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/Ma...0/Default.aspx

I'm not familiar with restaurants in Grapevine so I can't make any suggestions.

To visit the art museums in Dallas, you really need a car. Is it feasible for you to rent a car for the day?

JC98

Thanks, yk, for your reply. I'm there for business meetings, so I'll probably just have the evenings off. How about cabs? Are they very expensive?

JC98

In any case, if you could suggest best or must-eat places, that would be great. My colleagues may have a car.

So, Dallas is known for their BBQ? Which types and where? What else?

Thanks!

yk

Hi JC, taking a cab from Grapevine to Dallas will cost both arms and both legs.

It's been a few years since I lived in Dallas; check out this other thread for restaurant suggestions:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...n-december.cfm

ChristieP

Honestly, it will be much cheaper to rent a car for your entire stay than to take a cab from the Gaylord to either Dallas or Fort Worth ONE WAY! Definitely make friends with those colleagues who have a car...

Gaylord itself is very nice. Their sports bar is great, and so is the Old Hickory Steakhouse and Ama Lur southwestern restaurant.

In downtown Fort Worth, I highly recommend Reata. It is well-known for its "cowboy cuisine" and spectacular rooftop bar. The food is mostly steaks and Mexican, but there are other southwestern favorites, too. The Clear Fork Cherry Limeade is amazing!

In Grapevine itself, Bob's Steak and Chop House is very good. It is a high-end steakhouse and I have never had a bad meal here. My personal favorite is the filet, and the rack of lamb is also wonderful!

Hope you have a great visit!

ChicagoDallasGirl

I second Reata. Fantastic! As for bbq, I'd highly suggest you visit Sonny Bryan's:

http://www.sonnybryans.com/restauran...al-inwood.html

Rachael Ray ate here during one of her $40 a day segments, and I personally ate many a lunch at the 'school desks' while working in the area. Very tasty! Real bbq joint experience, too.


With only evenings, not sure which museums you'd be able to visit. The Kimbell in FW is quite nice and open until 8 on Friday nights. The DMA (Dallas Museum of Art) has jazz on Thursday nights until about 8:30 p.m. Otherwise you'll have to plan a return visit as most close at 5 p.m. Some have special after-hours events, so do check their websites.

https://www.kimbellart.org/Index.aspx

http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/

http://dallasmuseumofart.org/index.htm

JC98

Thanks, all, for your great suggestions! Looking forward to checking out some of your recommendations.

happytourist

Grapevine is by DFW airport, which is about half way between Dallas and Fort Worth. It's roughly 25 miles from Grapevine to downtown Dallas. It's about 17 miles to the Dallas Galleria on I-635. There are some restaurants in and around the Galleria and it's open in the evening so it would be something to do. Still, you cannot take a cab although you might be able to get a shuttle to the Galleria. Ask the concierge about transportation. Grapevine is out in the country so I'm sure they have some way to solve the transportation problem.

JC98

Hi all,

Just came back from Grapevine. I was pretty trapped in the Gaylord resort the entire week, as it would cost an arm a leg to go by cabe to Dallas -- $70 one way?? Even hotel parking was $25, for every move out and in, you have to pay that much.

Anyhow, I was able to escape to the outside a few nights--to the Grapevine historical downtown, which was surprisingly cute. Had several good restaurants and a nice place to hang out in general. The places I ate in Grapevine historical district:

1) Tolbert w/ live music-- had a very good ribye steak, their signature chili, margarita with organic tequilla, and even complimentary key lime pie.

2) Big fish -- southern seafood. Cajun red fish, crawfish, fried pickles, fried oysters, etc. Surpisingly good Texas Hill Country cabernet.

3) Dino's Steaks and Claws--more upscale and expensive than first 2. Steaks and European foods. Escargots, seared scallops, crab claws stew, Caesar salad with firm slivers of anchovy (not smelly at all), semi-fredo for dessert (first time I tried this and it wa squite tasty).

Well, hope this helps in case you happen to get stuck in the Gaylord hotel for a week.

JC98

Just want to mention that I did have barely 3 hours of free time before my flight, and I went to the Art District of Dallas. (A colleague living in Dallas dropped me off there.) I went to the Nasher Sculpture Center--pretty awesome with lovely garden. The building was designed by Renzo Piano. The free audio tour guide was good too.

I then dashed across the street to take a quick glimpse in the Asian Art Museum (free). Only barely had time to see their new exhibit on contemporary Tibetan art (quite unique and interesting). Wish I had more time to spend in this area to check out the museums.

When I came back to the Nasher where I'd left my luggage, the front desk people said they had already called a cab for me to go to the airport. Wow, super nice people! They did it on their own, as I didn't even ask about it. They were more concerned than me about me missing my flight home! In general, found the people in Texas to be quite friendly and more easy going.