Chef Tiffany Derry’s triumphant new Farmers Branch restaurant oozes joy. The customers are happy, the staff is enthusiastic, the mood is like a family reunion and the food tastes like a celebration. Derry’s kitchen serves up Southern fare inspired by her Louisiana roots, and traditional and modern takes are brilliantly blended together by Derry and her team.

Top pick: Derry may be the area’s biggest consumer of duck fat, using it for French fries, dirty rice, but most important, fried chicken. The poultry is brined to keep the meat tender and juicy, marinated to give it a gently spicy heat, fried until a deep, dark brown and served family-style on a heaping plate. ($$$)