If you're looking for great Tex-Mex dining at reasonable prices, try Tex-Mex Grill & Cafe at the northwest corner of Walnut Hill and Plano Road.

TMG&C is not the place for food snobs or to be a part of the "Dallas dining scene," nor, toward the more ethnic end, is it a Tex-Mex "joint." The food is just really good, and the atmosphere is unassuming. In such connection, it is family-friendly without being loud, and the wait staff and kitchen are willing to prepare whatever Tex-Mex dish you may want, even if your particular plate may not be listed on the menu. To such end, they are happy to substitute sides, like a salad in lieu of beans and rice, at no extra charge and without complaint.

Most important, everything is quickly and freshly prepared from fresh ingredients.

From about a dozen visits since the beginning of 2010, two particular recommendations seem worth making: order queso with your chips and salsa, and get an entree with ranchero sauce. Both the queso and the ranchero sauce are better than any offered at other restaurants in Dallas, at least in my broad experience. (The huevos rancheros, served all day, are my go-to dish, and this evening my wife and a friend ordered (off the menu) cheese enchiladas topped with ranchero sauce.)

Adult beverages are limited to margaritas and wine, which are okay, not good or great. The food is ample reason for at least one visit so that you may decide for yourself whether to return.

I have been scouting fried chicken places for about a year, and in the absence of Brother's (its replacement at the same location is not nearly as good), Babe's in Garland (Garland Road (Hwy. 78) at Beltline Road) wins the prize.

The quality varies among the Babe's locations - for example, chicken at the Granbury location was over-brined and thus way too salty, while ironically not as tender and moist or crispy as the Garland location. Henderson Fried Chicken placed highest among the numerous non-sitdown "chicken shacks" that were visited.

To be clear, nothing is likely to surpass my childhood (and early adult) memories of Leslie's Chicken Shack in Waco, which closed in the mid 90s, although Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken (also in Waco (3401 Bellmead Drive (Hwy. 84)) comes close, as does its sibling in Hillsboro at 200 Corsicana Highway (Hwy. 22).

If you're craving really fine fried yard bird and homemade rolls, Jim's is worth a road trip from Dallas, sort of like going to Mary's Cafe in Strawn when only the "real deal" - pan-fried CFS like grandma used to make, with eye-rolling cream gravy - will do!

"Cafe on the Green" at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Shared two fried pies (spinach and mushroom, with apricot for dessert) from the Baker's on I-20 near Canton yesterday morning. Freshly fried and out of this world - made me miss the Indian Bread and eggrolls that you used to be able to buy from the stands around campus in Austin - before they were busted for being part of a petty-crime fencing operation!!

Here's your best tool for researching BBQ joints around Dallas and throughout Texas: http://fcg-bbq.blogspot.com/search/la.... Unfortunately, Dallas doesn't have a significant number of quality joints, but Meshack's (in Garland) and Smokey John's (on Mockingbird) are among the better local places. To get the best in 'cue Texas, you need to go to Taylor (Mueller's), Lockhart (Smitty's), Luling (City Market), and especially Lexington (Snow's, which is only open Saturday mornings). I have yet to try the new Cooper's in Fort Worth, but the original in Llano is always a family pleaser.

Check with Vicky Zamora, the owner of La Victoria on Haskell near Ross - see http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-victoria-d... for contact information. Vicky is a Tex-Mexpert and knows a woman in East Dallas who makes "the abolsute best pupusas" fresh to your order out of her home.

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La Victoria
1605 N Haskell Ave, Dallas, TX 75204

Vegetarian Inquiry - Does anyone know of a restaurant in the Dallas area that regularly serves tempeh, aside from Spiral Diner? In particular (but not as a limitation to any restaurant that offers other tempeh dishes), I am looking for something along the lines of what Dream Cafe used to offer, before they eliminated tempeh from their menu, and along the lines of what Mother's Cafe in Austin still does: an Asian stir-fry that combines tofu and tempeh along with a blend of high-quality vegetables.

Carnivore Suggestion - "Burger Bueno" opened last year on the northwest corner of Coit Road and LBJ Freeway (same strip as Quizno's, fronting Coit), and we just had an opportunity to try it last week. If you are of the thick-patty school of how hamburgers should be made, and especially if you like sweet potato fries, BB should not be missed!

The hamburger, a monster of a hand-made patty weighing in at a miimum of 8 oz., was flame-cooked to order, perfectly seasoned, and placed on a large fresh Mrs. Baird's bun along with all of the accoutrements needed to properly dress a burger. We had ours with sauteed mushrooms and swiss cheese added. It was simply the best burger that I've had in Dallas - and believe me, I've had burgers at pretty much every place in town, having tracked "best burger" lists for years, such as the ones in D Magazine and Texas Monthly, as well as the one under a separate CH thread.

Moreover, as someone who is always scouting for good sweet potato fries, these were perfect: freshly fried, extraordinarily crisp but not burnt, not greasy in the least, cut in a way that suggested they were not from the same frozen batches that most places around Dallas serve, and personally seasoned to your taste (or without any seasoning at all, which is what we did).

The only two possible draw backs to Burger Bueno were the atmosphere (somewhat uncomfortable with only tall table s and limited counter space) and that they don't serve ice cream based drinks, but I have found that a number of the better burger places are either remarkable for there atmosphere (or lack thereof) and/or not serving shakes and malts: see, e.g., Wingfield's, the former Rose's, Beckley BrewHouse, and the Grape.

A strong second from me, J.R., although most of my friends would disagree. ... I just don't get it either.

Not expecting much, I visited the Aldi at on NW Hwy near Saturn late this afternoon. It was my first Aldi experience, and I was impressed. Not anything like the new WFM adjacent to Park Lane (where I had a great lunch), much less a Trader Joe's, but the prices were exceptional and the quality was good. My wife, who does the bulk of our grocery shopping, may decide differently, but I would shop at Aldi before Tom Thumb or Albertsons, expecially once the Aldi opens at Abrams and NW Hwy next month. ... Anyway, interested Chow Hounders, you might check it out and see if you form a new, refreshed opinion. Either way, I'd be interested to learn your thoughts.

The ribs (beef) and sausage (I don't recall having brisket) are tender, well seasoned, and ample. They are not dried out, as more often is the case in the DFW area. Still, I should be clear LC's Q is not close when compared to Snow's in Lexington or Smitty's in Lockhart, but it is excellent for north central Texas. And the atmosphere at LC carries the day - reminiscent of open-air Hill Country dining and music spots around San Antonio, Gruene, Bulverde, Fredericksburg, etc. ... Finally, beyond the Q at LC, the burgers are phenomenal - delicious and huge. I'd expect them to be on "Man vs. Food" someday.

It's no where close to west Plano or along the Dallas North Tollway, but Casa Linda Bakery is the place that we consistently order our cakes, much better than Dallas Affaires, which is much closer to home. CLB does not necessarily offer the prettiest cakes, but they do offer excellent, fresh flavors at reasonable prices. Also, CLB's Clown Cookies are exceptional - lots of icing! ... CLB is worth the trip to Garland Road (between Easton and Jupiter) - see www.CasaLindaBakeryDallas.com.

A strong second on the Alligator Cafe on Live Oak (www.eatgator.com); would guess that Dodie's on Greenville (just up the street and aroud the corner from the AC, www.dodiestexas.com) is good too, although I have not moved past the outstanding gumbo during recent visits.

Apologies for tardiness, but ...

While I always enjoy Penne Pomodoro, as well as the other places mentioned by FB, for a group of 10-15, a conversational environment, great food, and a location in the same general area as the other restaurants, I would recommend a reservation in the upstairs room at Cuba Libre Cafe.

CLC is lively, but not overwhelming with crowd noise, and the menu is outstanding.

My favorite entree is the Voo Doo Blackened Salmon, but the plantain chips (with three flavorful dipping sauces), black bean dip, spinach salad, and cotija mashed potatoes (which come with the Pollo Fried Pollo) are also noteworthy.

Best wishes to your SO for a fun birthday!

Certainly. Would not need to add any primer (butter, olive oil, etc.) to scrambled eggs made with Z's pastrami! ... Great breakfast idea, by the way, especially as I still have nearly a pound on hand - thanks!

Yep, the EZ's was a converted Kip's. ... The closing of Kip's in the 80's and the more recent demolition of the building were cultural and architectural losses. Maybe someone will say the same of 7-11 someday, although I doubt it. .... As an aside, as much as I like EZ's, I'd take a good Kip's burger and shake over the EZ's Caesar salad or Beanburger (another great dish) any day! ... Perhaps I am just sentimental.

Well, although it was a bit of a drive from Lakewood, I made a special trip to Preston-Royal (Zinsky's) and Preston-Campbell (Deli-News) to pick up a pound of pastrami at each. A few bites of each pastrami made for a great late lunch! ... And I must agree that D-N's pastrami excels and exceeds Z's. D-N's was much, much leaner, and the seasoning was better. ... Thanks, again, for the suggestion. As mentioned above, I am not a deli aficianado, and leads to good deli items are always appreciated!

No, I didn't know. I look forward to K&Z's and will try to get to Deli News this week, if not later today ... Will pick up some pastrami at Zinsky's on the way back down Preston and do a "head-to-head" comparison! ... Will keep you posted.

Thanks for the info.!

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Deli News
17062 Preston Rd Ste 100, Dallas, TX 75248

Mac's Barbecue at 3933 Main Street (just east of Deep Ellum) is where Chili's got there recipe for fries - back when Chili's was only local (at Meadow and Greenville) and had really good food. ... The fries at Mac's are crisp, fresh, and seasoned just right.

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Mac's Barbecue
3933 Main St, Dallas, TX 75226

Patrizio's in Highland Park Village.

The restaurant was EZ's, founded by Cappy Lawton out of San Antonio in the 90's. It was very good, and still is in San Antonio. In fact, Cappy has a number of good restaurants in San Antonio, particularly Cappy's on Broadway in Alamo Heights. My understanding is that once venture capitalists became involved with EZ's in the late 90's the company over expanded and made some poor location choices, ultimately scaling back - to the detriment of Dallas families. It was a great place to take kids - and their chicken Caesar salad was one of the best.

What about the Iron Cactus at 1520 Main Street - www.ironcactus.com? It's walking distance from the Hyatt, and good, although I don't eat downtown very often. It also has an accommodating atmosphere, slightly more upscale than the "Downtown El Fenix," where I ate weekly with my family as a child and which lost a bit of its atmosphere since the elderly woman stopped making the hand-tossed tortillas at the open grill in the main dining room a couple (few?) decades ago. Still, the food at the Downtown El Fenix was good on a recent visit.

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Iron Cactus
1520 Main St, Dallas, TX 75201

As the original poster of this link, I should share that Zinsky's has been disappointing overall on a number of subsequent visits, although the house-made pastrami, which we order by the pound to make our own sandwiches at home, is as good as I have had in Dallas.

Thanks for everyone's feedback.

Great links. Thanks, air!

Thursday through Sunday - go to Loco Coyote - AWESOME BBQ, burgers, shrimp, catfish, and atmosphere - come hungry, and order carefully - the portions are huge
Everyday - Hammond's for BBQ
Taylor's Turn and Burn also offers great burgers on jalapeno sourdough buns

Aside from Blue Mesa Grill, where I'm taking my family tomorrow evening, does anyone have a recommendation for a good, casual, moderately priced restaurant in the Dallas area that serves New Mexican cuisine - blue corn tortillas, stacked enchiladas, green chili, crispy chile rellenos, etc.?

Just got back back from a few days of great dining in northern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado and would like to learn where to go around here to satisfy a likely ongoing culinary craving at a reasonable price.

For non-GardenBurger/Morningstar Farms veggie burgers:

Houston's has been very good, but undependable on the last few visits - also, quite expensive.

Cafe Express (Mockingbird and Uptown locations) has been consistently good on multiple occasions.

Was recently impressed by the veggie burger at Twisted Root in Deep Ellum - but have only tried it once.

If I had to choose one, I'd probably would go with Cafe Express - they also offer good whole wheat buns, a variety of condiments, and sweet potato fries.

Driving from Lum's in Junction to Billy Bob's in Hondo (both among the "relentlessly celebrated" places you reference, I happened across, The Garven Store at the intersection of Hwys. 83 and 41. The selection of BBQ is limited - only brisket and sausage - but both were extraordinary. I have visited all of the generally accepted five-star BBQ joints, most of four-star locations, and several others over the past several months/years, and the brisket at Garven's is on a par with Snow's, my other favorite spot for brisket. Also, the sausages were local and beef-pork mix. Absolutely delicious.

Anyway, just wanted to suggest that you add it to your list of places to try. See http://www.garvenstore.com/aboutus.html for details.

Best - PAS

Go to "Vietnam" on Broadway in SA - good appetizer, especially when followed by the lemon-grass chicken.

Another suggestion for exceptional meat-filled rolls in Dallas is the "Vietnamese Restaurant" on N. Caroll at Live Oak - across from Burger King. The fried eggrolls are are a little skinnier than those at the SA place, but they are freshly prepared and similarly delicious, and, believe me, the atmosphere is authentic.

DallasDude, my original line was to indicate that, while Genroku generally seems to market itself as Japanese, Chinese is what we had on our visit last Friday - and it was outstanding. I understand from our Taiwanese friend who introduced us to the place that sushi (Genroku's principal Japanese menu item) is sub-par. - PAS

Excellent. I will follow your lead for ordeering at the local Chinese places. Too bad about SG. Good memories.