Mr. Sushi in Addison is my go-to, but someone on here will flame me for it, so allow me to explain:

They have excellent fish, seasonal variety, ankimo (in season), great uni, etc. BUT they treat regulars and newbies very differently. If you've been going there for less than 5 years, you probably get the shaft. YMMV, but I'm on year 15th and I have rarely had better.

Since you love Japanese, you MUST go to Tei-An in One Arts Plaza in downtown Dallas. It's a soba house, but they do have excellent pressed sushi and omakase. The food is out of this world. This place has no business being in Dallas at all, but we are very lucky to have them. They make their own soba as well. Try the fried snapper head with shishito peppers. It's last meal good. AND they occassionally have things like grilled chicken hearts, so you might be in luck with the gizzards!

Third rec for Nova. But please keep it down!

I'll check that out! Sounds awesome.

I have the good fortune of working a few blocks from Jimmy's...I don't think I've ever seen the hot stuff there...but Central Market has the best cold cuts IMO.

FUGGEDABOUTIT!!!!

Off to buy some gabbagool now...that list made me hungry.

My house!

Seriously, though...if you are from the Northeast, then there is NO good, moderately priced Italian in Dallas. If you are from Chicago, same answer. If you are from Tennessee, any place containing the word "Joe's" should suffice.

What, specifically, do you want to know about the rice?

I'll tout Mr. Sushi in Addison again...the ONLY chicken fried rice that I have ever swooned over. Seriously, just go there and get a bowl. If you don't love it, send me the receipt and I'll give you a refund.

Argentina Bakery at the corner of Beltline and 183 in Irving. Excellent south American coffees and pastries...and delicious little empenadas.

Mai's on fitzugh. Clay pot mmmmmm.

I, too, love Craft and feel like it gets shit on for some reason.

I, personally, can't break myself away from Mr. Sushi in Addison. Been going there for 17 years and, having tried many many top tier sushi joints, I can safely say that Mr. Sushi beats them all with one exception: Sasabune in Honolulu. You can keep Kenichi, Nobu, Tei Tei, and the rest. And Tei-An is a SOBA HOUSE, not a sushi restaurant. Yes they have very good sushi, but it's not fair to judge the place on that portion of the menu.

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Tei Tei Restaurant
2906 N Henderson Ave, Dallas, TX 75206

Nobu Restaurant
Hotel Crescent Court, 400 Crescent Court, Dallas, TX 75201

Tei-An
1722 Routh St, Dallas, TX 75201

Fearing's FTW...er FTL. Totally overrated in every department.

and anything that hack Stephen Pyles has ever done.

and how might one purchase a seat on this "burger tour" you speak of, DallasDude?

I just arrived home (Dallas) from a trip to NOLA this weekend. Personally I can vouch for several of the aforementioned restaurants. We dined at Bayona and Gautreau's and have previously been to Stella! as well.
Since you are arriving on a Friday, I would HIGHLY recommend the $25 three-course "light" lunch at Bayona, which is only available on Saturdays. The selections this past weekend included a plate-licking-good braised rabbit and a deliciously earthy porcini and polenta dish. They will also do extra courses a la carte if, like me, you must sample more of the menu. Gautreau's was also excellent for a nice dinner. It's in a little house, so it feels very cozy and intimate. Everything we ate there was perfectly executed and the service was crisp and friendly.
As an aside, I would also recommend a couple of additional lunch/brunch spots: Stanley, Stella's "brother" restaurant (the eggs Benedict po' boy will help your hangover and the Stella Uptown sundae is to die for), and Coop's Place. Coop's is a real dump, across the street from Margaritaville in the FQ. They have the BEST rabbit and sausage jambalaya I have ever eaten. It's so good I order an extra couple of bowls before I go home and pack them in a cooler. Seriously, go there.
And we would have also gone to Stella this past weekend, but I was late on the reservations and we couldn't get in. It is one of my top faves.

Happy dining!

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Coop's Place
1109 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116

Bayona
430 Dauphine St, New Orleans, LA 70112

Gautreau's Restaurant
1728 Soniat St, New Orleans, LA 70115