Celebrity chef Bobby Flay at his Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony. (Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock)
After reading about these 10 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants started by celebrity chefs, you’ll want to make a dinner reservation pronto.
Like many Hollywood A-listers, celebrity chefs make their home (and livings!) in Texas, too. From Food Network stars like Guy Fieri to Michelin star winners like Dominique Crenn, these celebrity chefs love serving up delicious eats in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. And we are eating well because of it!
We watch them on our screens, search their recipes online, and buy their cookware in our stores, and now we can eat food created by our favorite celebrity chefs right here in town. Make a reservation at one of these fabulous local restaurants started by celebrity chefs.
1. Guy Fieri
Dallas
One of the most famous celebrity chefs around, Guy Fieri, has a new restaurant open in Dallas: Chicken Guy! The “mayor of Flavor Town” and star of “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” opened his chicken restaurant in the Preston Hollow Village shopping center earlier this year.
The chicken served here is first pounded, then brined in lemon juice, pickle brine, and buttermilk, infused with fresh herbs, and then grilled or fried. You can order it on its own, inside hand-crafted sandwiches, and with Fieri’s signature sauces—the Chipotle Ranch is out of this world!
Milkshakes, fried pickle chips, and fried chicken dumplings (and, yes, even a couple of salads) round out the menu.
2. Wolfgang Puck
Dallas
Although famed chef Wolfgang Puck doesn’t have a standalone restaurant in the area anymore, you can find his influence and his cooking at several spots throughout the metroplex.
Nasher Café by Wolfgang Puck, for example, is located inside the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. Treat yourself to decadent lunch options, like chilled avocado soup, nectarine and prosciutto salad, and a sandwich made with BBQ chicken thighs, cabbage slaw, guacamole, and onions on panini bread.
Going out of town? Build extra time in your flight itinerary to stop at The Italian Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, located near Gate D34 in Terminal D at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. From hand-stretched pizzas to classic Italian entrees, plus an extensive wine and cocktail menu, this is the authentic Italian experience that will get you in a vacation-ready mood, guaranteed.
You can even book Puck’s catering services for your next event.
3. Tyson Cole
Dallas
Sushi made by James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole? Oh, you know it’s going to be good! Cole runs Uchi in Dallas, a name that means “house” in Japanese. The spot certainly makes you feel at home with its non-traditional Japanese cuisine, including fabulous sushi.
Uchi, which is only open for dinner, serves delectable dishes that will leave you both satisfied and craving more. The extensive menu features several different kinds of fish, oysters, and crab, as well as signature hot dishes like the Wagyu Tataki, a coulotte steak with a fried egg miso foam, or the Walu Walu, which is oak-grilled escolar served with candied citrus, ponzu, and myoga.
Can’t decide? Opt for the chef’s tasting menu for 10 courses that you know will be good.
4. Tim Love
Fort Worth
Urban Western cooking is the best way to describe the restaurants run by Tim Love, who owns and oversees multiple restaurants in Fort Worth. His extensive resume includes being the official chef for Austin City Limits and co-founder of Austin Food & Wine.
The “Restaurant Startup” star takes fine dining to a new level at the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in the Stockyards. This is the first restaurant that Chef Love opened, and it remains beloved for its flavorful meats, spit-roasted over an open fire, and authentic Texan offerings. (Think: elk sliders with blueberry jam, rabbit-rattlesnake sausage, and wild boar ribs.)
For a more casual—but no less delicious—option, try Love Shack, serving award-winning burgers, nachos, and root beer on tap. Plus, live acts from talented local musicians! In the words of Chef Love, let’s all “eat, drink and live well!”
5. John Tesar
Plano
John Tesar knows good steak. In fact, his steakhouse, Knife, is one of the best in the area, renowned for its Texas-raised meats prepared using a unique dry-aging process that is well worth the wait. Take the 240-day dry-aged ribeye, for example, which leaves the steak denser and more flavorful than you’ve ever had before.
The Michelin Star-awarded “Top Chef” originally opened Knife at The Highland Dallas Hotel in 2014, which ran for over a decade before closing this summer. He told D Magazine in March that he plans to open a new Uptown location with a multilevel space that includes Knife, a “beef omakase” tasting called Pocket Knife, and a late-night lounge called Switchblade.
“It’s a golden opportunity to do something new and reinvent myself,” he told the outlet. We’re just glad he’s doing it right here in the metroplex!
6. Kent Rathbun
Dallas
Since 1990, Chef Kent Rathbun has had many restaurants in Dallas. One of his most recent iterations is Rathbun’s Curbside BBQ, which operates out of a smoker trailer in Dallas.
The four-time Beard Award-nominated chef created this barbecue concept during the COVID-19 pandemic and is still popular for its chef-made BBQ, including sandwiches topped with fire-charred brisket, short rib, and chuck burgers, fajita grilled chicken thigh sandwiches, and trailer tacos.
Right now, Rathbun’s trailer is on hiatus—it was unfortunately stolen and Rathbun is offering a $13,000 cash reward for help finding it—but you can still order family-size meals or catering orders for pickup in Dallas.
7. Graham Elliot
Fort Worth
“MasterChef” star Graham Elliot has opened many restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including the upscale barbecue restaurant F1 Smokehouse. This isn’t like any BBQ you’ve had before, with its meats packed with flavor and a distinct Texas flair.
Start with appetizers that are clearly southern-inspired, like Wagyu chili, smoky guacamole, or brisket queso. For the main course, order delicious sandwiches, such as the chopped brisket melt with caramelized onions, or a signature plate of truffle honey fried chicken, blackened salmon, or baby back pork ribs. The restaurant also has an extensive bar menu so you can find the perfect drink to pair with your dinner.
He also has the French restaurant, Le Margot, in Fort Worth. This restaurant has a wine list of reds and whites from renowned French vineyards, plus elevated entrees, such as the lavender grilled chicken with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, and the pasta and caviar with handmade fettuccini and champagne cream.
8. Dominique Crenn
Dallas
When it comes to creating a fabulous meal, Dominque Crenn is a pro. In fact, she has a staggering three Michelin Stars under her chef’s apron—an honor that sets her apart, as she’s the first female chef in North America to have done this.
Crenn, who was previously named as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME, opened Café Dior by Dominique Crenn inside the new Dior boutique at Highland Park Village.
This restaurant is a lunch and tea spot, where you can enjoy exquisite pieces of art—er, food—such as Drapé tart made with beets, feta cheese, and leche de tigre, or salmon barbizon, which is Ora king salmon with Beurre Blanc and parsley. You can also get dessert and the whole afternoon tea experience.
9. Dean Fearing
Dallas
Nicknamed the “godfather of Southwestern cuisine,” Dean Fearing has worked in Dallas for decades. He incorporates local Texas-sourced foods in the menu at Fearing’s, a high-end restaurant inside the Ritz-Carlton that is Texan to its core.
From its Texas Caesar salad (grilled radicchio, baby romaine, pomegranate seeds, grana Padano cheese) to its maple and black peppercorn-soaked buffalo tenderloin, served with Brazos Valley Jalapeno grits and a butternut squash taquito with smoky chili sauce, every bite is pure Lone Star bliss. At Fearing’s, the mesquite fire-grilled ranch steaks are second to none.
And locals love it, as evidenced by the restaurant’s average of 4 stars out of a total of 720 reviews on Yelp. Just take it from one happy customer, who said, “Fearing’s brings a unique flair to fine dining with a Southern twang, creative menu options, and a lively atmosphere.”
10. Bobby Flay
Coming Soon
Iron Chef winner Bobby Flay can whip up pretty much any type of meal, from Italian cuisine to Mediterranean. But that doesn’t stop him from craving a delicious, juicy burger!
The Emmy Award-winning Food Network chef has a restaurant dedicated solely to really good burgers called simply: Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay. The restaurant, which has plans to expand to Dallas and other areas soon, serves burgers that are “extremely relatable,” with “an element of surprise infused in every bite,” according to Flay.
Each burger is made with Certified Angus Beef on a brioche bun, but that’s where the similarities end. You might bite into a crunchy burger filled with potato chips, a brunch burger with fried egg and bacon, or a nacho burger with queso, pickled jalapenos, blue corn tortilla chips, and tomato chipotle salsa.
Sandwiches, milkshakes, and fries with Bobby’s sauce round out the menu. It’ll quickly become your next favorite burger joint.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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