THE BEST DISHES EATER DALLAS ATE IN MARCH

The amount of excellent food available in Dallas is dizzying, yet mediocre meals somehow keep worming their way into our lives. With your Eater Dallas editor dining out frequently, that means coming across lots of standout dishes and drinks that need to be shared.

Mirador

1608 Elm St.

Finding the words to discuss Mirador’s weekend tea service is a struggle. It’s so wonderful that wonderful loses all its impact as a descriptor. The three-course tea comes with three bites to each course and three different teas — plus a complimentary glass of Prosecco or other bubbly of the restaurant’s choice to start. The whole menu will change again in April, but I expect it to be as magnificent as the current offerings. Choosing a favorite course was difficult, so what you see in the photo above is simply the second course. In the center is the signature sandwich, a slice of wagyu beef in milk bread with spicy mayo served on a shiso leaf (Japanese mint). It looks inconspicuous, but looks are deceiving — it was magnificent.

Resident Taqueria

9661 Audelia Rd. #112

The spring menu is out at this taqueria in East Dallas, and it is sublime. I tried the fried calabacitas (squash blossoms) and Chinese duck tacos, both of which are excellent. There are diver scallops, calamari Veracruz, and chorizo verde options I’ll be running back to try next.

Namo

3699 McKinney Ave. #305

At the end of a fantastic night of bites at Namo, chef Kazuhito Mabuchi presented our party with this as dessert: a perfectly seared piece of wagyu. Every bite that night was excellent, but this unexpected treat capped things off beautifully.

El Carlos Elegante

1400 North Riverfront Blvd.

If you read my story on El Carlos Elegante last fall, you already know that the kitchen builds on its mole recipe and has been using the same base since six months before it opened. The spring mole is truly something remarkable. This was a dish midway through the six-course chef’s menu, featuring the house masa topped with heirloom tomatoes and pork al pastor inside. It packs a spicy punch, and you will want to lick the mole off the plate.

Mexican Sugar

2355 Olive St. #155

Is it weird to go into a Mexican restaurant and order a hamburger? When I saw this hamburguesa on the menu, something told me to try it. I was so happy that I did. The bacon and cheese are visible, as is the seared poblano on top of it. It was also covered in pico de gallo and three kinds of salsa verde. Halfway through, I had to set it down and eat the rest with a fork and knife because I was making such a mess. No regrets; I strongly recommend ordering. I paired it with the house tortilla chips and guacamole, a solid choice.

The Finch

5307 E. Mockingbird Ln. #150

Of all the dishes sampled during lunch at the Finch on this day, I did not expect the salmon crudo to slap so hard. It was fresh and vibrant, a well-balanced dish. The acid of the cilantro lime vinaigrette plays nicely with the salsa macha and chile aioli atop the fish. It is not necessarily a restaurant that specializes in seafood, but the kitchen hits it out of the park with this one.

North Italia

13270 Dallas Pkwy. Suite #1155

When something is marked on the menu as the house’s specialty, that’s what you order, right? It was how I ended up with this bowl of bolognese with tagliatelle that was satisfying and robust. If you’ve poo-poohed this place for being a chain (it’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me), give it a shot.

2024-03-29T13:15:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd