It’s difficult to look back over a year of meals and pick one bite that outdid the rest. It’s an especially difficult exercise if you eat and cook for a living.
We asked a handful of North Texas chefs and restaurateurs to do exactly that, though, and tell us what they ate this year that surpassed everything else.
Their answers are a de facto list of what and where to eat in the coming year.
Here are nine North Texas chefs and restaurateurs on their favorite bites in 2025:
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Anastacia Quinones-Pittman, owner and director of culinary of Oh Hi Hospitality
“All the sides at a little place called Soulfood Street Bites (Addison). Their pork fried ribs are insanely delicious. I’m almost afraid to let people know about this place because they’re already so busy!”
Bonus bites: Hams Orchard peaches in Terrell. Grilled leeks at Pillar in Dallas.
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Jay Jerrier, owner of Cane Rosso, Zoli’s Pizza and Thunderbird Pies
Texapolitan Pizza’s cheese pie
Jay Jerrier
“I have my Hall of Fame places that I eat ALL THE TIME like Muchacho and Asian Mint, but the dish that haunts me is the plain cheese pie from Texapolitan Pizza. It’s the only place I’ll eat pizza from in D-FW that’s not my own. As good as anything in New York.”
Bonus bites: 30 Clove Rigatoni and the ricotta toast from Misti Pasta in Brooklyn. Heirloom tomato and cucumber panzanella from Met Him at a Bar in Los Angeles. Creme brulee doughnut from Bread Ahead in London.
Jennie Kelly and Brandon Moore, chefs and owners of Fond
“Focaccia and butter at Osteria il Muro in Denton. Our fave restaurant in the Metroplex. We always get their specials and the ragu, but as a fellow restaurant that makes their own focaccia, we really love theirs. It’s warm and fluffy and perfectly seasoned. Maybe it’s because we’re not working/cooking, but we always cherish it when we go!”
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Bonus bites: Cast iron cheddar cornbread and leek butter from Odd Duck in Austin. Jamon buerre from Rudemouth in New York City. Tiramisu at I Cavellini in New York City.
Belal Kattan, chef and owner of pop-up concept Bazaar
“The gorgonzola ravioli at Via Triozzi was one of the best pastas I’ve ever had. I really enjoyed it and think about it often.”
Gorgonzola, pear and walnut ravioli at Via Triozzi in Dallas
Daniel Gerona
Jessie Washington, chef and owner of Brunchaholics
“The Lobster jar from Enoteca Italia. It’s amazing. That bread is on another level.”
Uno Immanivong, chef and owner of Red Stix Asian Street Food
“The most memorable bite of food I had was a lobster brown-butter soup dumpling my friend and I made using leftover Thanksgiving lobster. We finished it with caviar. The idea came to life almost by accident. Our brown butter kept solidifying every 30 minutes, so we’d set the bowl by the fireplace to warm it back up.”
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Tanner Agar, owner of Rye, Apothecary and Flamant
“Pokemon menu at Midnight Rambler. Sea urchin with trout roe at Shoyo. Mushrooms at Mirador. And if I’m allowed, the risotto tart with blue cheese ice cream at Rye.”
Olivia Genthe, chef and owner of Fount Board & Table and Little Blue Bistro
“I think about the pickles from Fond maybe three times a week. Crybaby sourdough is a new fave also. I ate an entire loaf after my Christmas party with just butter and vibes.”
The pickles at Fond in Dallas, which are made with garlic, crushed red chilies, mustard seeds, dried dill, peppercorn and bay leaf.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Toby Archibald, chef and owner of Quarter Acre
“The lobster au poivre at Le Cou Cou in NYC. The oft-imitated dish is a signature of theirs and it was perfect! It appeals to all my French-trained sensibilities and then some.”
Bonus bite: Green curry ice cream made by chef Byron Gomez for the Drifter Dinner Series at Quarter Acre.
The Dallas Stars have one win in their last seven games and are looking to right the ship in the second game of a West Coast road trip.
Dallas fell in overtime to San Jose on Saturday and now look to bounce back against the Los Angeles Kings.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup.
Dallas Stars vs. Los Angeles Kings
Sports Roundup
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When: Monday, 9 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena in LA
TV/streaming: Victory+
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Radio: Sportsradio 96.7/1310 The Ticket
Bottom line
The Kings host the Stars after LA beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in a shootout.
Los Angeles has a 19-15-10 record overall and a 7-9-5 record on its home ice. The Kings have given up 120 goals while scoring 116 for a -4 scoring differential.
Dallas has a 26-10-9 record overall and a 14-4-6 record on the road. The Stars rank second in the league with 154 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).
The teams meet Monday for the third time this season. The Stars won the previous meeting 4-1.
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Top performers
Jason Robertson has 26 goals and 28 assists for the Stars. Wyatt Johnston has scored five goals with four assists over the past 10 games.
Alex Laferriere has scored 12 goals with 10 assists for the Kings. Andrei Kuzmenko has four goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
Last 10 games
Stars: 3-3-4, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.1 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game.
Kings: 4-5-1, averaging 2.9 goals, five assists, 4.1 penalties and 8.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.
Twitter: @dmn_stars
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Stars drop another in overtime after Sharks rally from two-goal deficit in third period
Dallas allowed goals on four of six Sharks power plays, including the game-winner in OT.
Stars-Sharks preview: Can Dallas build momentum against Macklin Celebrini, San Jose?
The Stars will look to string some wins together after snapping a long losing streak last time out.
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Every offseason it seems like I see a linebacker’s name pop up that the Cowboys need to get to help the defense. This year it may be Quincy Williams. Could he be the guy the middle of the defense is missing? I’ve seen some reactions, and when you dig into the type of player he is the coverage numbers may make you second guess. And honestly, I get it because it doesn’t look pretty. When you actually dig into how Quincy Williams plays, and how he is used, the conversation changes fast. So let’s talk it through like fans, not scouts trying to sound smart.
The First Thing You Need to Know: This Dude Lives in the Box
Quincy Williams is not a coverage linebacker, and he never has been. He will not be floating around in space trying to run with slot receivers or carry tight ends down the seams. When you look at the snap data, it’s not even debatable. He spent hundreds of snaps in the box, very few on the edge, only a handful in the slot, and almost none on the outside.
That tells you exactly how defenses should play him. He is there to attack downhill. If you judge this man based on coverage stats alone, you’re grading a fish on how well it climbs trees. How Quincy Williams Actually Plays
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What I like about Quincy Williams is simple: when he sees it, he goes. There’s no dancing, no waiting for someone else to make the play. He triggers fast and shows up with bad intentions. Is he perfect? Absolutely not, but were any of the Cowboys linebackers last season even above average.
He will miss a tackle here and there because of his aggressive play style, but I’ll take that every day over a linebacker who catches blocks and gets pancaked. What I found even more impressive was he lines up all over the box. He can play weak side, strong side, and take inside looks, but he rarely just sat in the middle calling things out. He’s a flow-and-hunt guy, so the Cowboys would need to let him scrape, chase, and hit. That is where his game makes sense.
Not Much of a Pass Rusher
This may be another area where people will get twisted. Yes, you will see him walked up near the line sometimes, but he’s not an edge rusher. He is not winning with moves or stacking sacks. Those snaps are about pressure and confusion to make the offense account for him, mess with protection calls, and let the defense work around it. He’s a blitzer, not a technician, and if used incorrectly, it looks ugly.
A man has died after a dog attacked him inside a home in North Texas on Thursday afternoon, officials say.
Dallas police officers responded to a call in the 4100 block of Esmalda Drive at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7. Investigators determined the man was attacked by a dog inside a residence in the 4100 block of Pringle Drive.
The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said.
According to a press release, the Dallas Police Department is treating the case as a homicide.
