James A. Reid
Stampede 66
Stephan Pyles has long been a fixture on the Dallas diningbrscene, having opened 18 restaurants since his first, Routh Street Café, inbr1983. His most recent, Stampede 66, represents his fond childhood memories of workingbrin the Phillips 66 truck stop owned by his parents near the West Texas town ofbrBig Spring.
Stampede 66 represents what Pylesbrbills as modern Texas cuisine in an environment that offers the diner abrdazzling experience that represents Texas dining with flair.
We arrived outside a gleamingbroffice tower near the southern end of McKinney Ave., but once we walked throughbrthe door, we were transported into small-town Texas life. Framed “windows” (actually flat panelbrtelevisions) showed ranch hands rounding up cattle as if you were gazing out ofbrthe bunkhouse. As our gaze swept across the room, we saw a wall branded withbrthe names of small Texas towns and then noticed the 20 or so longhorns hangingbrin formation above the expansive margarita and taco bar.
Finally, we were seated below abrsteel and wood tree beneath a Texas sky that changes from daytime to nighttimebrover the course of an evening. Within view were flat panels throughout thebrrestaurant exhibiting humorous quotes from notable Texans.
The menu was developed using ingredientsbrsourced from the Lone Star State, and the dishes reflect the best of Texasbrcuisine with a gourmet twist. For this visit (our fourth in as many months), webrchose to start with the pickled and deviled eggs ($8) with the surprise kick ofbrhouse-made jalapeño pop rocks. Yes, just like the pop rocks you might have hadbras a kid, and yes, they really do make the dish “pop.”
Next, we sampled the crunchybrcornmeal-encased, juicy, fried green tomatoes ($14) that perfectly intermingledbrwith the subtle flavor of smoked Mozzarella cheese, making this a huge hit withbrall four diners.
Main course selections were verybrdiverse and reflected some of the better-known items on the menu. There was thebrenormous chicken-fried buffalo steak ($21) lying on top of chorizo gravy and mashedbrpotatoes — we wished for more of the gravy to cover each bite of tender, moistbrbuffalo meat. The perfectly battered and cooked honey-fried chicken ($18) isbramong the best in Dallas with a sweet and savory outer coating that flavorsbreach bite of tender chicken. The wood-grilled ribeye ($42) was a huge chunk ofbraged Texas beef, seasoned and grilled to perfection, rivaling those from purebrsteakhouses. The fourth main course item was pulled from the tacos menu — twobrflour tortillas filled with Waygu beef and Oaxacan cheese ($12) that, unlikebrthe other choices, seemed ordinary rather than unique.
Full but fighting through the pain,brwe chose an item from the sweets menu. We landed on pumpkin pecan pie toppedbrwith maple marshmallow ice cream ($8), combining two favored holiday pies inbrone. Don't miss out on this, as it is sure to bring back memories of holidaysbrpast.
Stampede 66 is the perfect place tobrbring someone who's not from Texas or even Dallas to experience the best ofbrgourmet Lone Star cuisine or to celebrate a special occasion.
Stampede 66
1717 McKinney Ave., Ste. 100, Dallas
214-550-6966
Stampede66.com
Silver Spoon Cafébr& Bakery
A Southlake staple since it opened in the summer of 2012,brSilver Spoon got our attention as a couple of ladies who lunch, eager to samplebrsomething delicious we'd yet to try. A plush pink oasis replete withbrchandeliers made of silver spoons, the café's interior evokes memories of abrtime when a leisurely midday meal was commonplace and involved a healthy yetbrhearty spread of soups, salads and sandwiches plus fresh iced tea and a sweetbrtreat. It's easy to see why the Silver Spoon's made-from-scratch menu continuesbrto attract customers — we recommend the tomato and mozzarella sandwich onbrfocaccia or the quiche of the day. For dessert, you can't go wrong with abrsnickerdoodle cookie or succulent lemon square, although you'll probably havebrto visit the bakery a dozen times in order to sample each offering in thebrrestaurant's collection of goodies.
Owners Bill and Barbara Harris, whobrformerly ran Dallas-based Celebrity Café, have four decades of restaurantbrexperience, proving they know their stuff. Using only USDA-choice meats likebrturkey breast roasted fresh daily and all-natural, hormone-free chicken, theybrprepare every item, from the famous grilled Monte Cristo to the Texas Caesarbrsalad, with only the best ingredients. Offering the finest in classic comfort foodsbrwhose recipes originated in Barbara's kitchen, Silver Spoon is trulybrone-of-a-kind.
Silver Spoon Café & Bakery
621 E. Southlake Blvd., Ste. 100
817-442-9112
SilverSpoonCafeBakery.com
Note: At the end of December, Silver Spoon shut its doors and closed down its establishment.