Things to Do in Dallas for a Day

[Timemaster Tim]

I might wind up with a day to toodle around Dallas. I really know nothing about Dallas so I'm looking for QT3: Lonely Planet edition to provide some suggestions. Consider me as having a typical geek interest profile (minus any interests in comics). The Frontiers of Flight museum sounds interesting. Is it a worthwhile visit?

[Rward]

Debbie?

[nutsak]

Debbie?

Yeh, Debbie (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=42568)

[Alan Dunkin]

IT's okay (that's the museum at Love Field if I remember correctly). Lots of good planes up at Cavanaugh Flight Museum (in Addison, central/north mid-cities). Depending on when you're there, State Fair time is right around the corner, east of downtown, where you'll be able to enjoy all sorts of good experimental fried food (I believe the banana split is a new one and coke is last year's favorite), not to mention corny dogs. Kimball Art Museum, etc. Go the 6th Street Museum for JFK goodies and look around the area. Generally speaking, Ft. Worth has better museums and real stockyards.

--- Alan

[Bill Dungsroman]

You better get you some BBQ while you're there. God damn the food's good in Dallas.

[Tman]

Buy some cowboy boots. They have boot stores that are an acre in size and they serve free beer.

[Enduro_Man]

Drive to Garland and have lunch at Babe's Chicken Dinner House. Seriously, the best fried chicken I've ever had, anywhere.

[Timemaster Tim]

So for sure I'll need to try Texas barbecue. Any recommendations? I'm not expecting to have a rental vehicle, so ho wis public transit in Dallas? I will actually be staying in Plano which apparently has a cockroach musem. And as I understand it, Plano is essentially a commuting suburb of Dallas (no offense intended if that upsets Plano residents).

[MonkeyPunky]

Drive to Garland and have lunch at Babe's Chicken Dinner House. Seriously, the best fried chicken I've ever had, anywhere.

I was about to suggest that, but get the chicken fired steak too.

[MonkeyPunky]

So for sure I'll need to try Texas barbecue. Any recommendations? I'm not expecting to have a rental vehicle, so ho wis public transit in Dallas? I will actually be staying in Plano which apparently has a cockroach musem. And as I understand it, Plano is essentially a commuting suburb of Dallas (no offense intended if that upsets Plano residents).

Public transportation is pretty terrible. There are a couple DART stations in Plano but they are around Central Expressway/75, so not helpful unless you are in that area.

[Major Malphunktion]

Go see the former offices of Ion Storm!

[AlanC]

BBQ joints in Dallas: Sonny Bryans, Colters, Bone Daddys, plus a few that I'm missing. They're all good, but none of them are great nor really famous for being "Texas BBQ". For that you need to go to Ft Worth or central Texas (Luling, Lockhart).

My favorite place to eat in Dallas is Fogo de Chao on Beltline in Addison. It's heaven for carnivores.

[Rward]

and they serve free beer.

WHAT!!!

are you shitting me?
I'd buy a pair of boots for free beer.

[bloo]

Welcome to the Suburban Soul Drought of Plano!

If you're not going to the fair, stay the hell away from there unless you just love traffic.

If you like books, the Halfprice Books flagship store at Northwest Highway and Greenville (just east of I-75) is worth a visit (unless you're flying because you'll leave with 20 pounds of books)

Beltline is Addison is restaurant and bar row. Sometimes very nice viewing at places like Duke's with its big porch, but also crowded, etc. Londoner is usually good pub-ish type atmosphere (one light south of Beltline on Midway).

Get you some good tex mex. My favorite is Ojeda's in central dallas, there's one in Plano but I haven't been there yet.

Also, Campisi's pizza.

[bloo]

Hehe. I forget which boot store has the beer (cowboy boots don't fit over my popeye calves). Heck, there's a western furniture store that will give you free Shiner Bocks.

Also, if you're on I-75 at any time and see the Hotels.com building, wave goodbye to Ensemble Studios.

[Timemaster Tim]

I've decided not to get drunk whilst shopping for cowboy boots. My wife is in Plano for a conference and dragging me along. But the first day we have free, and she has decided on the Heard Natural Science Museum as an interesting place to visit. Their web site makes it sound interesting. Any comments from the locals?

The suggestion from here for the Cavanaugh Flight Museum sounds very good. I'll be heading there when she's busy at the conference.

I'd like some Plano area restaurant suggestions. As I am in Texas, I feel obligated to eat a slab of beef. What would be a good steak house? My wife has heard the area has a high Chinese population, and also wants to try a Texas Chinese restaurant. Any good (reasonably decent) ones? We're Chinese, and every trip seems to entail having to try out one or more Chinese restaurants. Generally this has worked out well with the exception of Grand Falls, New Brunswick.

[Funkula]

Drive to Garland and have lunch at Babe's Chicken Dinner House. Seriously, the best fried chicken I've ever had, anywhere.

Really? That's about two miles from me, but I haven't been. Once I recover from this sinus bullshit and can make a reasonable accounting of myself I will go there.


BBQ joints in Dallas: Sonny Bryans, Colters, Bone Daddys, plus a few that I'm missing. They're all good, but none of them are great nor really famous for being "Texas BBQ".

I would disagree as far as Sonny Bryan's. It is easily my favorite BBQ joint in town, and tied (three ways) for my favorite of all time. I recommend it highly.


My wife has heard the area has a high Chinese population, and also wants to try a Texas Chinese restaurant. Any good (reasonably decent) ones?

Jade Garden, (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=jade+garden+dallas&jsv=130d&sll=32.924099,-96.679931&sspn=0.00879,0.013819&ie=UTF8&latlng=32803190,-96774236,9737112316642442233&ei=XY_pSMTSKImIiAO5qtzvBg&sig2=CcOvmUr5Z7eT3oycgBLfWg&cd=1) although it's all the way downtown, is totally worth the drive. If that's too far, First Chinese BBQ (several locations) would be my second pick.

[bloo]

Jade Garden, although it's all the way downtown, is totally worth the drive.

I'm going to try that. Since I first came here in '83, I have yet to actually have great Chinese food. What I would give for some good dim sum that was convenient (I've heard about a place in Richardson but haven't been able to go yet).

[Funkula]

I'm just crazy about their orange beef and hot and sour soup. They're also the only place I know of anywhere that actually does Peking duck anymore, although you do have to order ahead a day for that.

I just hope you're not looking for a fancy place. It's a very down-home family place, inside a former Dairy Queen.

[Enduro_Man]

Really? That's about two miles from me, but I haven't been. Once I recover from this sinus bullshit and can make a reasonable accounting of myself I will go there.
Do it, Funkapella! Honestly, that was my main reason for visiting that part of Texas. I'd done a bit of research on who fried the best chicken in the States, and Babe's showed up on more lists than others. (There was one place in Lexington, KY, that was mentioned, but I couldn't find it during my brief time there.) I'd love to come back and try the chicken fried steak.

Generally this has worked out well with the exception of Grand Falls, New Brunswick
More details, please. Were there cheeseburgers on the menu?

[Timemaster Tim]

More details, please. Were there cheeseburgers on the menu?

One must first understand that Grand Falls, New Brunswick is a small town with a population of about 6,000. That doesn't preclude a decent Chinese restaurant. But in this case, it seems we were not lucky. I don't recall the name of the place, but it was fairly large with a dining room, and waitresses dressed in the Chinese dress with mandarin collars. There wasn't a Chinese customer in sight, nor were any of the staff Chinese. I don't recall seeing Canadian food on the menu, so probably no cheesburgers. But essentially, they couldn't even churn our edible fried rice. It had some crunchy rice grains. Fried rice is not easy to ruin but hey did it.

[BennyProfane]

I must have missed this thread before: I'd have suggested finding time to kick the crap out of Jerry Jones.

[Enduro_Man]

I don't recall seeing Canadian food on the menu, so probably no cheesburgers. But essentially, they couldn't even churn our edible fried rice. It had some crunchy rice grains. Fried rice is not easy to ruin but hey did it.
I mentioned cheeseburgers because I remember visiting Squamish, BC, in the early 1990s and stopping to eat at a Vietnamese restaurant, of all places. (Next door was a Radio Shack that was more like a trading post than an electronics store.) The waitress was an expressionless blonde dressed in a greasy spoon-ish uniform and, yes, the menu included burgers and hot dogs for non-rice eaters.

Of course, that was a long time ago. Now Squamish is a budding metropolis of ~16000, and it even has a Starbucks!

[BaconTastesGood]

Babe's is pretty damn good, and they serve it "family style" on a platter. Their ribs are nothing special though -- too smokey. I eat there every other week or so.

Bone Daddy's is famous for being a sluttier hooters. Food is okay, a bunch of above average, under age looking waitresses. Long line at lunch, with nothing but men.

I kind of like the Dallas World Aquarium (the one downtown, not the the Fairpark one, which is a joke), it's a nice hour long distraction.

[Timemaster Tim]

Bone Daddy's is famous for being a sluttier hooters. Food is okay, a bunch of above average, under age looking waitresses. Long line at lunch, with nothing but men.

Bone Daddy's sent a team to a Ribfest that we attended here in the Great White North. Neither my wife nor I were particularly impressed by the ribs they served up. And I'm pretty sure she'll be a bit put off by a restaurant that's a sluttier version of Hooters, although I am intrigued.

[Lunch of Kong]

I disagree. At Bone Daddy's, I never felt as if I had to pick a pubic hair off of my fries.

Not so at Hooters. Put some clothes on, lady.