Visiting Dallas
 

I'm not really sure why anyone would want to take a vacation to Dallas. But there are probably some of you out there who have family/friends in Dallas or have to visit Dallas for business. Dallas is a great city. One of the nicest in the U.S. It's changed greatly over the past five years.

Here are some general thoughts:
1. The food in Dallas is great and blows away most cities.
* Parigi -- Definitely the best restaurant in Dallas. Very trendy. But most locals don't know about it. The key is to get the peach cobbler for dessert. THe only good cobbler that I've ever had.
* Bob's Steaks -- I've never been. But quite a few people say that it's the best steak out there. Perhaps they're right.
* Burger House -- Decent burger. But the Dr. Pepper milk shake is great. The burger and fries are very good b.c of the seasoning. Everyone should buy a bottle of their seasoning and put it on everything.
* Mi Cocina -- It's a trendy Mexican food restaurant. But it's great.
* Taco Diner -- Owned by the Mi Cocina people. It's "healthier" Mexican food. It's great. Get the Tacos Americanos.
* Dickey's -- It's the best BBQ. There are a lot of BBQ places in Dallas. But this seems to be the only good one that I have found. The other BBQ places are the same as everywhere else.
* Matt's -- It's a small Mexican food restaurant in a local neighborhood. It's well worth it.
* Campisi's -- A lot of people seem to like this pizza. There's nothing special about the food. But everyone likes it. So it must be worthwhile to visit.
* S&D Oyster -- More "New Orleans" style seafood. But it's great. Especially the pie for dessert.

It's probably not fair for me to only include these places. Because there are a lot more great restaurants in Dallas. But beware about each restaurant that is recommended to you. A lot of the restaurants are expensive, trendy, and look good. But at the end of the day, they're just generic "expense account" restaurants that serve the same chicken as everyone else.

2. Things to do. Not a whole lot.
* Go to a sporting event. At least there are good pro sports teams in Dallas. Mavericks' games are fun right now.
* Visit a small town. Jefferson, TX is a great small town a few hours east. It's a true southern town. Not many old towns like that in TX that look like real old towns.
* Granbury, TX is okay. Good furniture store there. But the Rough Creek Lodge near Granbury is great. Stay there.
* Fort Worth. For obvious reasons. Eat at Joe T. Garcia's b.c that's the thing to do. Then go quickly back to Dallas.

3. Dallas neighborhoods
* Oak Cliff. The trendy area of Oak Cliff has some great restaurants and interesting shops. Worth eating there and hanging out.
* Lakewood. Old part of Dallas with the restaurant Matt's.
* Greenville Avenue. Good burger at Snuffer's. Good Mexican food (maybe more like El Salvador food) at Gloria's. The old theater there (whatever it's called) is a great place to watch concerts.
* Highland Park/University Park (Park Cities). Two great shopping centers that actually have a lot of character. Snider Plaza and Highland Park Village. You can eat in both places.
* Uptown. McKinney Avenue area. Lots of restaurants there. The trendy hotel down there (ZaZa) is a great place to stay and hang out.
* West Village. Just above Uptown. Taco Diner is in there. Also has good movie theater. Lots of shops.
* Northpark. Good shopping mall. In fact, great shopping mall. Doesn't get better than this one. Great movie by David Byrne of the Talking Heads filmed there in the 1980s.

So it looks like there's a lot of great shopping and eating in Dallas. It's a city with lots of neighborhoods that have great character. It's one of the few cities in the U.S. where I'd want to live. Not so sure about a vacation though.

I'm going to disagree with you on several points here:

Dickey's BBQ is OK but Sonny Bryan's is SO much better!

There are LOTS of things to do in the Dallas area!
The JFK Museum (The Sixth Floor) is very good. Visitors always seem to enjoy it! Dallas Museum of Art is also very good. Fort Worth also has several excellent museums in its Cultural District, and its zoo is one of the nations' best. The Fort Worth Stockyards is a great pace to visit and get a feel for the area's old west origins.
There are several excellent small wineries in the area, most notably in Grapevine.

I'm sure XBT will post a reply soon...

I visit Dallas alot because my wife grew up there, and wanted to mention Bubba's fried chicken (near SMU), Snuffers burgers, and I love the La Madeliene chain for great pastries and breakfasts. And although the great Highland Park Cafeteria is long gone, the Casa Linda Cafeteria near White Rock Lake is still there, and I think its a tasty and unique experience, especially for those who didn't grow up in the South. Mi Cocina is my favorite mexican food in Dallas, and I love BOTH Sonny Bryans and Dickies.

Gee... Not that I think Dallas is a top vacation spot, but there's more to Dallas than just eating and shopping.

JFK Museum (as mentioned above) is great place to visit.
The Arts District - Nasher Sculpture Center and Dallas Museum of Art are both great. I just spent my past weekend re-visiting both. Nasher has an exhibit on Renzo Piano, and the DMA has an exhibit on Louis Comfort Tiffany.

The Cultured Cup is a terrific place to buy Mariage Frères tea. They have started selling one ounce bags so it is easy to try lots of new blends without breaking the bank.

And if you are ever in town in October -- the State Fair is awesome.

Lived in Dallas for 25 years until Apr '05 - same house (until Dec '04) - Northwood Hills - great trees - large lots - pretty low appraisal based on my (23) partners (mine $332,500; theirs' $680,000 - $3,700,000.).
You'll pay about 2.6% annual appraisal in property taxes.
Mine here are a fraction at $425.US.
M (SMdA, Gto., MX)

Oh yes! The State Fair is great! Hubby and I have to go and share a big BBQ turkey leg every year. :-)

Medieval Times is great entertainment! They carry you way back in time with jousting, dressage etc., AND you get dinner with it. There are no eating utensils available so consuming the soup course can be a challenge but manageable.

I am going to Dallas next week. Stuck with the conference hotel in Grapevine Gaylord Texan. Will have a rental car so I can eat off premise as having stayed in other Gaylords you are held captive to their food offers. Very expensive.
I know there is an Outlet mall..any suggestions for nearby Chinese Buffet and casual steakhouses and grocery store for breakfast items?

You can eat at Mi Cocina on MacArthur Blvd which is close to your hotel. But go to Joe T Garcia's in Fort Worth.

1Jar -

Go into old downtown Grapevine...Main St Bakery is great for breakfast and lunch. It's a quick drive.

I can't think of any good food in Grapevine Mills. But there are other chains located near.

We just stayed at the Gaylord because we got a really great rate...but the food prices killed us!!! We'll NEVER do that again.

Dallas is OKay but mainly it is the outer limits to the most AUTHENIC CITY THAT IS THE "TRUE TEXAS" THAT IS FORT WORTH, WHERE NOT ONLY DOES THE WEST BEGIN BUT THERE IS MORE MUSEUMS OF THE TOP QUALITY IN FORT WORTH THAN ANY OTHER CITY OF ITS SIZE.
GREATEST THING IS IT SEEMS MORE LIKE A smaller city BUT WITH ITS 8 GREAT MUSEUMS, BOTONICAL GARDENS, LONGHORN CATTLE DRIVE REENACTMENT TWICE DAILY IN THE HISTORIC STOCKYARDS, GREATEST EATING PLACES WITH THE BEST STEAKS IN THE COUNTRY AT CATTLEMENS, RISKY'S, STAR CAFE,LONESOME DOVE BRISTO, H3C, WEEKLY RODEOS AND PAWNEE WILD WEST SHOW IN THE STOCKYARDS COLISEUM, White Elephant Saloon where "Walker Ranger" TV series was filmed,TEXAS COWBOY HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM WITH THE AWESOME STIRGUEL WAGON COLLECTION, CROSSEYED MOOSE ANTIQUES, WEEKLY FREE COWBOY MUSIC CONCERTS BY COWTOWN OPRY IN FRONT OF EXCHANGE BUILDING EACH SUN. 2 PM., STOCKYARD MUSEUM WITH WIDEST RANGE OF COWBOY AND WESTERN BOOKS AND POLICIAL MEMBERBILIA OF ANYWHERE,"Puffy" 1896 steam engine from "Petty Coat Junction" TV series pulling passenger cars into SOCKYARD STATION WITH 35 DIFFERENT SHOPS WITH GREAT VARIETY OF REMEMBERANCES OF VISING the "Wallstreet of the West" which was Fort Worth's STOCKYARDS'slogan in the early 1900s- the only Stockyards of the Century Ago Giants WITH ANY PENS STILL STANDING MAKING IT A NATIONAL SHRINE WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE 1,000s of Cowboys coming up the CHISHOLM TRAIL MAKE THEIR MARK ON NOT JUST TEXAS BUT WORLD HISTORY. Catch the Stockyard Maze as seen on "Great American Race" TV show and ride the Mechanical Bull to have a HIGH time before you leave Texas.
Not the least but BILLY BOB's World Famous HONKY TONK stand above the rest being rated as the BEST WESTERN MUSIC HALL IN THE COUNTRY again for many times with the "ONLY LIVE INDOOR BULL RIDING ARENA INSIDE THE BUILDING IN THE WORLD" MAKES THIS MORE THAN JUST A MUSIC HALL BUT WHERE ALL THE GREATS OF WESTERN MUSIC HAVE PLAYED AND ENJOYED THE WONDERFUL CROWD THAT LOVE WESTERN MUSIC. Don't miss the World Famous Leddy's Western Shop that made several saddles for Pres. George W. Bush for presentations to Foreign Royalty. The Mavrick also has every kind of western need you might have.
Stop at the Stockyard Hotel where most of the great Western entertainers have slept who appeared at Billy Bob's. Check out their Bugger's Red Bar with the saddles as bar stools and cross the street to the Bull Ring with its ONLY ART EXHIBIT OPEN MON.(besides the Stockyard Museum)with Starbucks coffees, Bud on tap with other beers as well and soft drinks and KILLER ICE CREAM for floats and sundae treats from an award winning creamery.
This is only the TIP of the COWTOWN iceburg as Sundance Square is a totally refreshing scence with bright twinkle lites year round lighting the tree lined streets with many shops, eateries of all types, 2 movie theaters with 20 screens total, and a great Barns and Noble Bookstore-all South of the picturesque Tarrant County Courthouse.
This is THE MOST VIBRANT CITY IN THE NATION WITH FOREIGN VISITS COMING TO DISCOVER WHY FORT WORTH IS A PERFECT PLACE TO COME AND DISCOVER THE "REAL TEXAS" as you will also with great Bed and Breakfast as the Azalea Plantation B&B "Best Kept Secret in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex" as the Dallas Morning News described it with the 2 acres of wooded grounds but close to all the attractions in town. "Come as a guest but depart as a FRIEND" a slogan of success in 13 years of serving the Dallas and Fort Worth area.

There's a Bass Pro Shop next to Grapevine Mills and next door is Fuddrucker's--great hamburger and chili cheese fries. YUM!

Wow...richclem! Your post with mostly all caps and a few lower cased letters interspersed is almost impossible to read. You might be saying something fabulous about Ft Worth but I'll never know 'cause my eyes couldn't handle it!

I have to report that I visited the Cowgirl Museum in Fort Worth recently and was so impressed. Check it out.

I'm still nostalgic about Dallas 20 years later as I met my wife there. At the time, I think Dallas had some of the best Tex-Mex spots that I've ever eaten in to this day. Here in the Northeast we're deprived of it. One day we'll get back to Dallas and eat our way through town.

OK, just a few things to add about the town I was raised in. Great town, btw. Great people.

Catch a TX Rangers game, great park.

BBQ is Sonny Bryans. The best sauce. Also love Dixie House or Black Eyed Peas for southern cooking and good vegies. LOVE S and D. Don't go into town without a meal of raw oysters, fried shrimp and hush puppies. For Mex, believe it or not, we love El Fenix for their cheese enchiladas. And how about Kubys German sausages and hot german potato salad, the best) or Peggys Beef Bar (onion rings) near SMU for some good food.

The Imax is fun. So is the Dallas Art Museum. There are art galleries near McKinney, I think. Lots of good theater complexes that are state of the art for catching a flick.

And do they still have the Mesquite Rodeo in Mesquite? And there is first Monday flea market, but I forgot the name, oh yea, Canton I think. The original flea market and they sell anything from apple pie to antiques. Great place to take the dogs. You can also go paddleboating on Bachman's Lake in N. Dallas.

Lots to do, just gotta get creative.

Yes, the Mesquite Rodeo is still running. 2007 will be their *50th* season! www.mesquiterodeo.com

El Fenix, IMHO, is gross. Unless you're from a place where they think ketchup is spicy, it's way too bland! If you are craving Mexican food, and you want a chain, Don Pablo's is much better. Even better than that are the many "mom and pop" Mexican restaurants all over the metroplex.

The Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame's website: www.cowgirl.net

buongiorno, the tex-mex places are still as fantastic as you remember. On each visit with my wife, we have to eat tex-mex at least twice. I live in Southern Cal now, which has plenty of great Mexican food, but the Dallas variety is unique.
And catching a Ranger game (or a cowboy or maverick game) is a great suggestion. Of course, it might be well over 100 when the game starts, but its a great stadium. I also believe both the JFK museum and the Dallas Museum of Art are must-dos.