Restaurants in University Park

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Though Casie Caldwell loved posh restaurant salads, she couldn’t afford to eat them on a regular basis. And casual salad bars, though inexpensive, were too often stocked with limp iceberg lettuce and tasteless tomatoes. Frustrated by this state of affairs, Casie quit her corporate job and opened Greenz, where she filled reasonably priced salads with gourmet ingredients such as brie, portobello mushrooms, and daikon. Her hard work quickly paid off; Greenz’s tasty, healthy food drew a wealth of media attention from the likes of WFAA’s Good Morning Texas, the Dallas Observer, the Dallas Business Journal, and Examiner.com. Soon, Casie was launching additional Greenz locations across the state.

Although their menus vary slightly, each of these spots draws diners in with fresh ingredients in creative combinations. Goat cheese and crumbled bacon rest on foundations of mesclun greens, baby spinach, and chopped romaine. Hawaiian influences come out in a salad topped with pineapple and seared ahi tuna, and Asian flavors yield a medley of panko-breaded shrimp, daikon, and wasabi peas. Diners can also design their own salads or transform them into wraps that, like babies born during a blanket shortage, are snugly swaddled in tortillas. The menu also extends to meatier options, such as a barbecued-pork sandwich or the turkey-chili soup featured on CBS DFW’s list of the Best Bread Bowls in DFW.

Banana Leaf's headmaster, Steve "the Cajun Asian," treats each customer like a houseguest, so be sure to ask for him before perusing the menu or borrowing his toothbrush. Bring taste buds to blossom with an appetizer such as the shrimp blanket ($4.99), comprising jumbo shrimp wrapped in a rice sheet, then deep fried and served with homemade sweet & sour sauce. To satisfy a poultry addiction, nosh the larb chicken ($12.99), a delicious disarray of pummeled poultry, red and green onion, cilantro, mint, rice, and lettuce tossed in a homemade lime dressing and Thai fish sauce. You’ll also find dependable noodle dishes ($11.99–$12.49) and other entrees ($10.99–$12.99) prepared in a health-conscious way.

With fondue, as with many things, there is an etiquette to be followed. Let the long, slender fork linger over the pot so that drops of blended gourmet cheese fall gently back in the fondue, rather than dotting the top of an intimate, two-person booth. Dip each piece of fresh, local produce only once, covering it fully in gruyére, beer-tinged cheddar, or dark chocolate laced with cabernet. Place the sumptuous cuts of meat and seafood on a plate after dipping using a traditional fork to then cover them with accompanying sauces, made fresh daily in the kitchen. While generosity never begs enforcement, it is traditional for the person who first loses a morsel in the pot to buy the next round, and basic courtesy dictates that you not finger-paint on the pressed-tin paneling with your cheese.

The masterminds behind Simply Fondue don't make the rules, they just provide them to customers, along with five blends of cheese and 15 chocolate creations, with gourmet ingredients that are imported weekly. They engage minds with tradition and taste buds with sweet and savory pots, but they don't neglect the eye, lining the walls with sculptures from artist Barrett DeBusk and vibrantly colored abstract paintings that brighten the room.

The average human has 10,000 taste buds, but eating the same meal every day only acknowledges one. Reach a multitude of taste receptors with today’s Groupon: $15 gets you $35 worth of authentic Chinese dinner fare at Kirin Court Peter Abellard, Vow of Silence: Was banished from his order when he shouted, “Don’t go in there!” during a screening of classic horror film Halloween. Ilya Petrov, Vow of Chastity: Says Petrov, “I broke my vow of chastity but I kept my vow of being the frickin’ man! Woo! Give it up for P-Dog!”Anastasios Pappas, Vow of Poverty: The other monks suspected Pappas might have entered and won the lottery when he began taking a helicopter from the kitchen to the library.

Succulent smoked meats dominate the menu at former Dallas Cowboy and Pro Football Hall of Fame–inductee Randy White’s restaurant. The cooks rely exclusively on wood-burning pits to sear all of their sliced beef, pulled pork, and baby back ribs, avoiding any gas burners or lightning bolts entirely. Seven pieces of fried catfish don cornmeal crusts for the Big Catch platter, and two patties of 100% Angus beef add heft to the Tough Man burger. Stained wood of different shades pervades the dining room's décor, from the light-brown vertical boards that form the walls to the dark-gray planks that compose the booths and act as a backup in case the fire pits run low on logs.