DFW RESTAURANT WEEK IS SO SOON you guys.

Reservations are already coming in for the DFW Restaurant Week 2017. So you know what that means. Time to make some of your own.

First things first…

Here’s a lil recap of the DFW Restaurant Week Food & Wine Night in One Arts Plaza. Last year the Restaurant Week festivities kicked off with a weekend food fest, but this year they trimmed it down to one night of tastings, spirits, beer and wine samplings and commemorative glassware. 

Speaking of… back to what matters. Food. Let’s talk about THE LISTS and what’s worth your time and money this year, shall we? Get out your Open Table app and/or cell phones and let’s make some effing reservations.

Read also:

The Foodbitch Guide to DFW Restaurant Week 2016

Restaurant Week is Here! What Else is New?

KRLD Restaurant Week According to Me: 2014 Edition

Restaurant Week Download: Lunch at Charlie Palmer

The original RW shitlist: My post about Al Biernat’s

NOTE: This year there’s a new major sponsor!

Calloway’s Nursery is the new big sponsor of DFW Restaurant Week, replacing Central Market after who knows how many years! That sounds like a shakeup to me! Personally, I’d love to visit Calloway’s for some advice on how to not kill everything I plant ever, so I’ll probably be hopping over there to pick up some tips sometime soon.  But the point is, shopping at Calloway’s is now the only way to earn those precious DFW Restaurant Week Fourth Course Certificates – Spend $25 at any local Calloway’s Nursery and request a certificate for a FREE additional dinner course at participating restaurants! One certificate required for each diner.

Dates to know:

• Preview Weekend – August 4-6 – Advance “Preview” dining at select restaurants
• DFW Restaurant Week  – August 7-26 – 20 Days of Restaurant Week
  • Main Week August 7-13, with most restaurants extending through Aug. 20 or Aug. 26

Finally,

Let’s not forget that Restaurant Week is FOR CHARITY. Yes, you get a meal and yes, you pay for it, but money from every single meal is donated to either the North Texas Food Bank or Lena Pope, and the participating restaurants do not have to participate. It’s hard work for the restaurants and their staff, and at the same time there are lots of diners who are spending their hard-earned money and rare nights out during these weeks. Let’s not lose perspective.

But yeah, I’m still going to rank their asses.

UPDATED FOR 2017: RESTAURANT WEEK RESTAURANTS DIVIDED INTO OH YEAH!, SOLID MAYBE, LET’S LUNCH! MEH and NOPE!

The following are in somewhat alphabetical order, scored completely unapologetically.

OH YEAH! 

Meaning, if there are reservations left, open up that Open Table app and SNAG, BABY, SNAG! 

Abacus
Adelmo’s Ristorante
Bonnell’s
Barley & Board
Five Sixty
Front Room Tavern (Always something new and interesting there)
Junction Craft + Kitchen
Local
Lonesome Dove (If you’re into that whole Fort Worth thing)
The Mansion on Turtle Creek
Niwa Japanese BBQ (Great opportunity to try one of my newest favorites)
Nonna (One of the city’s best)
Pappas Bros. (One of the top steaks in Dallas can be had here.)
Proof + Pantry
Queenie’s
Reata
SER
Shinsei
Stampede 66
Tei-An

LET’S LUNCH!

I recommend these restaurants for the $20 Cadillac lunch option rather than dinner, due to value mostly.

Capital Grille(s)
Cook Hall
Del Frisco’s Grille(s) (Because fancy lunch is totes fun)
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Dallas & Plano
DISH Preston Hollow (Seriously, this would be a good time to grab that lunch reservation)
Fleming’s
Front Room Tavern (Yup, another likely solid lunch option)
Lavendou (Never been! Gasp!)
The Mansion on Turtle Creek (Yes, lunch too!)
Morton’s The Steakhouse
Pyramid Restaurant
Sissy’s Southern Kitchen
Steel
Table 13

SOLID MAYBE!

These restaurants will do for any old date night. Perhaps if you haven’t been in, Restaurant Week may be a good opportunity to try them out.

III Forks (so old school. You’ve got to go at least once!)
Asador
Bolsa
Cafe Pacific
Cedar Grove
Chamberlain’s
Clay Pidgeon
Dallas Chop House
Dallas Fish Market
Dolce Riviera (gorgeous place with great people-watching opps, but the food and service need to step it up)
Eddie V’s
Grain
iL Calabrese (house-made pasta in Southlake? If you’re in the area… check it out and tell me what you think!)
Jasper’s Richardson
Javier’s
Kenichi
Kirby’s
Nick & Sam’s Steakhouse (Been before for RW… it was just okay…)
Nicola’s
Oceanaire
Ocean Prime
Origin (Maybe, but probably not)
Paul Martin’s American Grill
Perry’s Steakhouse & Grill (because Pork chops)
Pink Magnolia (I love PM but I don’t love it $45 worth)
Pyramid (menu looks solid)
Salum (saYUM)
Savor Gastropub
Silver Fox (I know nothing of these foxes but they sound like they have money and want to buy me drinks…)
SMOKE
Trinity at the Tower Club
Waters FW
Zatar Lebanese Tapas & Bar (Love Zatar but it’s their first RW so beware)

MEH…

These places just aren’t blowing my bitchy little skirt up.

Apollonia’s Italian Kitchen (Haven’t been yet so I’ll need to try it out before recommending it for RW)
Arthur’s Prime Steaks & Sea Food (Sea Food? Two words? Is Arthur making jokes?)
Bistro 31
Cadot (I thought it closed…)
Canary by Gorji (This guy is the most persistent chef in town.)
Dakota’s
Dragonfly (Over it.)
Eclair Bistro (looks interesting…)
Grace (I saw them firsthand size down RW desserts over regular diners’. BOO and HISS.)
Kenny’s (Not for $45, dudes.)
Lawry’s
Next Bistro (Colleyville might as well be the moon, sorry)
Nobu Dallas (Do you like prom? You will feel like you’re about to go to prom, while you’re at Nobu. Not in a good way.)
Prime Farm to Table (Flower Mound folk, report back. The menu looks promising.)
Saint Ann ($45? Noooooo thanks.)
Sugarbacon in McKinney (not RW worthy)
St. Martin’s Wine Bistro (I’m not impressed by this place’s oldness.)
Tavolo Italia (Friscooooooh no)
Texas de Brazil (Saves a bit of change, but I’d go for the new Fogo first.)
Tillman’s Roadhouse (maybe with the newest changes to the kitchen?)
Urban South (Say whaaa? Sounds like a clothing store in the Galleria.)
Wildflower Patio & Grill (Nachos on the menu means no to RW)
YO Ranch Steakhouse (not for $49)

NOPE!

These spots are not special enough, too far away (sorry, Roanoake), not a good value at $35, maybe even laughable at $45, or just not up to snuff, period.

Al Biernat’s (Let’s just say we have a history)
Bistecca (Highland Village you are Oklahoma)
Bonnie Ruth’s
Cacharel
Carso Mediterranean Steak & Seafood
Carvao Prime Brazillian Steakhouse (a Flower Mound-bound Fogo)
The Classic at Roanoake (Because Roanoake and also I think their logo is cilantro)
Ferrari’s (I think that’s Italian for “nope!”)
Houlihan’s (absolutely NOT an appropriate restaurant for RW)
House of Blues Restaurant & Bar (Weird location for RW but good for them for wanting to participate and donate!)
Ivy Kitchen (winner for most boring RW menu ever, btw)
Kirby’s (What’s that Southlake? I can’t hear you all the way over here in Dallas.)
Mac’s on Main (See above, replace Southlake with Grapevine.)
Matchbox (Mostly for value’s sake, but also because it’s not a RW restaurant at all. Too big, too loud, too I-eat-there-on-the-regular-with-my-kids.)
Max’s Wine Dive(s) (Sorry, it’s purely a value prop issue)
The Melting Pot (What year is it???!)
Mercat Bistro (Again, nothing against Mercat, but it’s just not going to make sense, especially for $49 PremiumWHAAA?)
Mercury Chop House (Too far for somewhere I’ve never heard of.)
Meso Maya (Love you bunches but not a value.)
Michael’s Cuisine
Nola Grill
One2One (Way too far and the name sounds like a boy band. Not appetizing.)
Piccolo Mondo
Piola
Public School 214 (It’s a value thang, babydoll.)
Rafain (Refrain)
Randy’s (Who? Like, your uncle?)
Restaurant 506
Roy’s (Like, my dad?)
Ruth’s Chris (Restaurant Week ain’t prom, y’all. Leave your boutonniere at home.)
Sambuca (…is for cougars. That’s all.)
Seasons 52 (Value issues, also Restaurant Week does not happen in a mall. Sorry, Theodore.)
State & Allen (What the F is a bar doing on this list?)
Steve Fields
Stratos (Sorry but that’s got to be a joke, yes? I love me some Stratos but Restaurant Week-worthy it is not.)
Twelve Stones (It might cost me $45 for the gas just to get to Flower Mound and back…)
Winewood Grill (same answer)
Woodlands (not high-end enough…)
Yellow Rose Steak and Chophouse

Final words.

So these are my real opinions, independent of any PR schmoozing, who I know and don’t know, where I’ve had a comped meal or where I’ve paid my own way. It’s pretty black-and-white, but if you have questions I’m always available to discuss.

You came here for my opinion, yes? For a little guidance? Well, there you have it. I’m happy to have you leave yours in the comments. I promise to read each and every one.