Chicago to Dallas

I am moving from Chicago to Dallas this summer. I will be leaving the Chicago dining scene with weeping and gnashing of teeth, and it would be great to find some consolation on the way down south.

Might take I-55 to 1-44 to I-35, but I'm open to suggestions.

I would LOVE to avoid eating at Arbys and Burger King the whole way down.

If your trip takes you through or near Oklahoma City, I highly recommend Boulevard Steakhouse in Edmond, OK--a town just north of the OK City. I ordered the 18 oz. bone-in strip, and to this day, I'll swear it's the best steak I've ever eaten. Ever. And I've eaten a few steaks. Cooked to perfection. I liked the Boulevard salad, too, but when you've got 18 oz. of cow flesh to eat, lettuce just gets in the way.

In fact, I've been meaning to post about this place, but I don't have any cool pictures or fascinating info. to offer other than the fact that it was the best damn steak I've ever had. I think the bakery next door (Cafe 501 and Bakery) is owned by the same people, and they supply the bread for the restaurant. It was tasty, too.

Boulevard Steakhouse
505 S Boulevard St
Edmond, OK 73034
(405) 715-2333

Cafe 501 and Bakery
501 S Boulevard St
Edmond, OK 73034
(405) 359-1501

We've decided to stop and see relatives on the way down, so this means that we will end up going through Nashville, Memphis, and Texarkana. I have never been in the south... any recommendations of good pit stops for food or fun?

This thread was mighty helpful during my book tour road trip. I particularly liked Miller's Grocery (scroll down the thread for links) in Christiana, TN--about a 1/2 hour outside of Nashville.

Miller's Grocery
7011 Main Street
Christiana, TN

I grew up in Dallas. I left at age 18 and have never gone back except for visits.

Having said that, Dallas is not the same place I left in 1985, so I think you will find some good places to eat there. When I visit my mom, we tend not to frequent hip new places, so I can't give you too many current recommendations. However, we've done the road trip a few times. (BTW, we've found the Memphis/Little Rock/Texarkana route preferable to the St. Louis/Joplin/Oklahoma route). Here's our highlights:

Lambert's Cafe I
Sikeston, MO
2305 E. Malone
Sikeston, MO 63801
573-471-4261
http://www.throwedrolls.com/

Lambert's is the home of throwed rolls. That's right -- they throw rolls at you. But in a nice way. This is good, down-home southern cooking. Sikeston is one exit (I think) north of where I57 ends at I55 in southern Missouri. So, instead of exiting from I57 to I55 south, take I55 north. It's a fun, kitschy, decent place to eat. Far and away better than chains.

Bryce's Cafeteria
2021 Mall Dr.
Exit 222 off I-30
Texarkana, TX 75503
http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=290

Moving to Texas, you must learn the pleasures (and perils) of the cafeteria. Bryce's is probably the best in the world of the Texas cafeteria genre, especially now that the late great Highland Park Cafeteria is gone. Huge selection of great southern/Texan food at great prices. Be sure to time your trip for a visit. It's worth it.


The Mecca Restaurant
10422 Harry Hines Blvd
Dallas, TX
75220-4414
Phone: (214) 352-0051
Cross Street:
Walnut Hill Lane

Of all the old-school Dallas restaurants, this one is my favorite. Again, its Texas/southern home cooking -- chicken-fried steak, biscuits, gravy. It feels unchanged from when I was a little kid. When you are REALLY hungry for a huge-ass breakfast, head on over there. After you sit down in a booth, you would swear LBJ or Sam Rayburn could walk through the door, pressing the flesh and bellowing about how so-and-so is a real SOB.


The culinary warning about Dallas is that it is the home of many a terrible chain restauarant idea (it's the Brinker company home). There was a time when Chili's was a bar and grill on Greenville Ave. and a place to get a decent burger. Long ago.

Anyway, good luck to you, and please post some good Dallas finds here in the "Beyond Chicagoland" section. I can no doubt make use of them on my next visit.

LATE BREAKING UPDATE: Some word that the late, great Highland Park Cafeteria is taking over the Casa Linda Cafeteria (Buckner Blvd and Garland Rd in East Dallas). If that's true, try it out for me and let me know how it is!

the Greenville Avenue Country Club? It was just a bar (with a pool in the back for some strange reason) that served food, and on Sundays, Dixie Land Jazz by a band whose average age was about 85?

rdb66 wrote:(BTW, we've found the Memphis/Little Rock/Texarkana route preferable to the St. Louis/Joplin/Oklahoma route). Here's our highlights:

Lambert's Cafe I

If you do take the St. Louis/Joplin/Oklahoma route, you can still eat at Lambert's Cafe. It's on I-65 off of I-44 just south of Springfield, MO. I love how servers will come by with pots of fried okra, black eyed peas, and fried potatoes and give you a scoop or two whenever you want them.

Lambert's Cafe II
1800 W. State Hwy J
Ozark, MO 65721

Well, on our way down south we managed to hit Bryce's cafeteria in Texarkana, as mentioned above. My first mistake was thinking it was sort of a Home-town Buffet system, so I started grabbing whatever looked good. When we got to the cashier we realized that you pay for each item individually... they actually have a sign saying that if you've made it to the cashier, you can no longer decide not to take an item.

So, we begrudgingly paid fo our meal and sat down. It was definitely an experience and a bit of culture shock. It was my husband's first time in Texas, and we looked around wondering what our life in this state would be like. There was a lot of big hair and a lot of big people and some very thick accents. Quite an experience.

On the other hand, most of the food really was great, considering it was from a buffet. The apple pie was the standout for me, it was so well spiced.
K

It's been nearly a year since I left Chicago, and I desperately miss the food-heaven I found through the LTHForum. Before I got to Dallas I did LTH research on Dallas and found a prevailing attitude of despair. For the most part, you all are right, Dallas is the mecca of chain-restaurants. However, there is a huge population (and growing) of immigrants and refugees, which of course has provided some pretty interesting variety. The problem is that Dallasites aren't as daring and adventurous as Chicagoans, so those spots are hard to find.

So, for those of you who head to Dalls for business trips, I suggest using CK's recommendations (http://chaskemp.googlepages.com/east_dallas_restaurants)
for east Dallas and the surrounding areas. He has some great observations that I'm using to guide my culinary adventures around the city. I'd love to see some LTH reviews on some of these spots.

There is hope for Dallas, I promise!