This trail starts on Greenville Avenue at the grave of Blue Goose cantina, where the margaritas and melted cheese have been replaced with martinis and chilled oysters.
Goodwins is a refined American fare spot born out of the partnership of Austin Rodgers (Alamo Club), Jeff Bekavac (Neighborhood Services) and David Cash (Smoky Rose). The textured tile floor, the original cement archways at the bar and the worn copper countertop gives Goodwins a warm, welcoming ambient glow, even from the sidewalk. It's the antithesis of the Lowest Greenville gimmicky restaurants. Executive chef Jeff Bekavac admits that while the Goodwins menu is not revolutionary, there is a story written throughout it.
Bekavac has spent more than 20 years working coast to coast, even down in the humid Gulf, acquiring inspiration to bring home to Dallas: The Spicy Tuna Cones ‘01 from his time in Napa, the half chicken inspired by the measuring stick of Bathazar in New York and an entire portion of the menu dedicated just to potatoes.
Chef Bekavac Dishes on ...
When asked where to go to eat well, Bekavac rattles off locations but promises that one can’t really talk about Dallas food without mentioning Andrew Savoie at Resident Taqueria, which has become ingrained in the community of East Dallas.Tucked away in the far corner of a Lake Highlands strip mall, Resident Taqueria has been pressing fresh, homemade tortillas, braising meat and experimenting with flavors to create the perfect two-and-a-half bites for almost 10 years. Chef Andrew Savoie's expo line currently reads, “Act as if what you do makes a difference … it does.” The chef gets nostalgic recalling how many high schoolers have gotten their first jobs at Resident Taqueria, and the many cooks learned foundation techniques on his line.
But the last 10 years have not been without growing pains; a box of avocados that once ran Savoie $23 is currently priced just shy of a $100. As food vendor invoices continued to creep up, Savoie held off for as long as possible, but did what was ultimately inevitable: raised the prices.
Chef Savoie Dishes on ...
When asked where to go next, Savoie promises the best pizza is being sliced up … in Garland …?In the beige fog of the city, Fortunate Son has been spreading the good word of New Haven pizza since opening in March of this year. What makes this type of pizza different? Culinary director, David Peña talks bread: the humidity, fermenting, the low and slow baking and burnt casualties in the process of perfecting the toasted, freckled crust. Peña uses wholesome ingredients: fresh cheese, smashed Marzano tomatoes and, by the looks of the pizza that just passed, those perfectly crispy and greasy cup-and-charr pepperonis.
Chef Peña eventually says what preoccupies his mind the most isn’t the craft, or the foot traffic, or overhead costs, but the slow, steady climb of inflation. Yes, food is expensive but the chef is paying more in labor than ever before. Fortunate Son is a mutualistic ecosystem between the business and staff, and this empathetic frame of thinking is probably why the spot has kept the majority of its original staff since opening.
Chef Peña Dishes on ...
This tour ends at an unlikely place: a gas station on the blurry city line between Garland and Mesquite. Inside, Freckles Chicken promises their Southern fry is better than your mama’s. The chicken is fried, fresh with the perfect dusting of seasoning, and a sweet red punch will send you into a diabetic coma. But the treasure here is the fried corn cob. Owner, chef, social media manager, review responder, order taker and father, Brandon Chester leads by example.Chester says he made mistakes early on and earned life lessons before most, which has helped forge a successful business in the first few years after COVID. The chef faces the conscious everyday choices to grow, change, break generational trauma and face the uncomfortable pain of evolving.
