The Best Dishes Eater Dallas Ate in Janaury

A Monday night stop into this hot spot (it was packed out) led to ordering a lot of great, cozy bites, including the deviled eggs, an incredible beet and citrus salad, and the half roast chicken, which earns the place of honor on best bites this month. The au jus was so savory and yummy that it made me want to lick the plate. It’s hard to see the crispy Yukon potatoes in this photo because they’re nestled under the roast chicken, but they’re such a wonderful textural element. Many places will do a pave or mash, but crispy gives the tender chicken and silky au jus a nice contrast.

4931 W. Lovers Lane

While some of y’all were dieting, I spent New Year’s Day having brunch at Jose and starting with the incredible queso fundido with poblano peppers. I added some chorizo, which was a great call. The dish comes with tortillas made in-house with blue mesa, so each bite was like a delightful little quesadilla of joy. No regrets.

4270 Oak Lawn Avenue

We ordered so much food during this dinner at Sachet that it is genuinely difficult to pick one standout dish to recommend, but if I have to the campanelle with Turkish lamb ragu is the one. The sauce was spicy, and the dollops of fresh labne and mint on top delightfully offset that note. The harmony of the dish is lovely, with chunks of eggplant that mimic the softness of the pasta, while the chewy lamb and creamy labne play off each other.

3699 McKinney Avenue, #306

I was invited out to Bar Colette to try its new food menu — it has transitioned completely to serve sushi plates created by chef Kazuhito “Kaz” Mabuchi, who is next door at Namo. The thinking behind the shift is that Namo is so small and has such limited reservations that this is another way for folks to get a taste of it. Additionally, the owners feel it works well with the cocktail program, which I agree with. This was another scenario where all of the dishes served were so good that it’s hard to pick just one, so you’ll have to live with one of the best photos I got (it’s dim in there). Whatever you order, you can’t go wrong.

320 W. Eighth Street

Holy crap, this escargot! Little Blue is worth a visit for its cuteness and to support a fine, recently opened small business, but if you want to order some food, this is The Move. It doesn’t even matter if you like escargot, this particular dish will convert you. It’s covered in melted cheese and served with scrumptious bread so you can sop up every drop. Order with the glass of wine that speaks loudest to you from the wonderful selection of natural wines that make up the list here.