The Best in DFW

BEST NEW RESTAURANTS OF 2008

While reading over The Dallas Morning News' Best New Restaurants lists from the past several Januarys, I noticed one consistent pattern: There was no pattern. Every year reaped wildly divergent choices. And that speaks volumes about the rich unpredictability that makes North Texas' restaurant community such a joy to explore.

And so the diversity continues for 2008. Who would have guessed that the finest effort to emerge would be a restaurant that specializes in fresh soba, an obscure expertise in this or any other part of the country? Let's hope Tei An is a harbinger of ever-higher levels of excellence in our dining scene, even as economic uncertainty looms.

Beyond Tei An, the restaurants appear alphabetically, without ranking. All have been reviewed in 2008, though a couple of spots opened late in 2007. During the year, I also wrote first-time reviews of four restaurants I particularly admired that have been in business too long to include among a list of the latest places. Check out their mentions, as well as the five best restaurants that received update reviews in 2008, on the following pages after the year's top 10 new selections.

About the Best in DFW series

The Best in DFW series presents critics' picks and asks readers to chime in with their favorites on the blog.

This biweekly feature focuses first on the area's best restaurants in various dining categories.

When you see this symbol on GuideLive.com, you'll know that location is a critics' pick.

Selections are based on recent reviews and dining experiences by Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Bill Addison and other regular reviewers, including Kim Harwell, Michael Hiller, Kim Pierce and Lawson Taitte.

This series will be expanded later to other high-interest areas.

How we choose

Selections are based on recent reviews and dining experiences by Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Bill Addison and other regular reviewers, including Kim Harwell, Michael Hiller, Kim Pierce and Lawson Taitte.

When you see this symbol in on GuideLive.com, you'll know that location is a critics' pick. Critics' picks are presented alphabetically, without ranking. For more details on our price key and star ratings, check GuideLive.com's Restaurant Frequently Asked Questions. To join in and view other dining features, check the Restaurants page at GuideLive.com.