Chili's — 4500 Belt Line

On the south side next to Floyd's 99 Barbershop

In memory of Norman Brinker, 1931-2009, who passed away Tuesday. His obituary as it appeared in The Dallas Morning News.

You're familiar with Chili's. Not much can be added. Menu. Smoking and non-smoking sections available. Full bar. Happy hour is all day Sun-Thur and until 6:00 Fri-Sat. At least once in your life try Chili's chili. Served Texas style - no beans. Righteous.

Hours:
10:45am - 11:00pm Sun-Thur
10:45am - midnight Fri-Sat

MapQuest map is here.

Kaboom Town — July 3rd

This is touted as one of the top ten fireworks displays in the nation and is extremely popular. The Town of Addison brain trust decided to hole the event on the evening before Independence Day. In fact, it was once called The Fourth on the Third.

There are a few thing you should know about it:

•Fireworks are set off at the south end of Addison Airport. If you choose to view the show from one of the restaurants on Belt Line, pick one with patio seating on the south side. Duke's and BlackFinn have the best patios for this event. Reservations are not accepted and if you arrive at 6:30 for the 9:35 fuse lighting you might, just might, get a table.

•Traffic immediately afterwards is best described as horrendous. Wait it out. Stay where you are until 11:30. The good news is the Addison Airport Tunnel is toll-free until the traffic clears out.

•The town offers a (somewhat) free party at Addison Circle Park. Admission and entertainment is free but you must pay for food and beverages. Picnic baskets, however, are allowed. Take cash. Credit cards will not be accepted.

•To go truely cheap try a parking lot. Sam's is sometimes fickle but will probably allow you to park there. BYOB but remember, restaurants have restrooms and parking lots do not.

•The Cavanaugh Flight Museum flyover should not be missed.

Subway — 5100 Belt Line, Neighborhood 7

Village on the Parkway next to The Flying Fish


Did you know that there's a Subway sandwich shop in Addison? Now you do. Did you know that they now offer breakfast? Now you do. They're very proud to now serve the pretentiously named Seattle's Best coffee.

Menu (their breakfast menu is currently not available online.)

Google map is here.

There is also a Subway at 3751 Belt Line near Marsh.

Hours:
7:00am - 10:00pm daily

The Outer Marker Sports Cafe — 16101 Addison Road

NW corner of Keller Springs, near the Addison Airport Tunnel entrance



Back when legendary Addison bartender Tiger Gaynier worked here it was called Long Shots Sports Grille. Tiger went on to greener pastures. This place went to seed. As of this writing the web site had not been updated. Neither had the bar. Recommendation: don't go out of your way to go there.



Hours:
5:00pm - midnight Tue
5:00pm - 2:00am Wed, Thur, Fri
6:00pm - 2:00am Sat
closed Sun, Mon

Benedict's Restaurant — 4800 Belt Line

SE corner of Inwood Road


This place has been around for decades. It offers a semi-fine dining experience with similar prices. The dress code, however, is very casual. When it is offered, try the half sandwich plus soup ($6.50). Their breakfast specialty seems to be omelettes ($9.25-$10.75) which come with country fried potatoes and your choice of English muffin or toast. One of these days I'll try the aspergrass (their spelling, not mine) omelette (their spelling, not mine). Also available are hot cakes (pancakes) and waffles. Both are $6.95 and up.

Lunch begins with French onion soup ($4.25) or an assortment of salads ($8.95 and up). Sandwich selections include an 8 ounce burger ($7.95), French dip ($9.95), club ($9.25) and chicken chipotle ($8.25). The crab melt ($10.95) begins with a slice of grilled sourbread topped with lump crabmeat salad, tomato, sliced avacado and Swiss cheese, broiled and served open face. All sandwiches come with country fried potatoes or chips.

Benedict's decor is New England reminiscent with wainscoting and Cape Cod chairs. Music by James Taylor and Smokey Robinson. Kids menu available.

Hours:
6:00am - 2:00pm Mon-Fri
6:30am - 3:00pm Sat-Sun

Google map is here.

Dunkin' Donuts — 4900 Belt Line

At the SE corner of Landmark.


Other than donuts, the menu is limited. There are a few breakfast (and lunch) sandwiches with the filling between a sliced English muffin, croissant, bagel or two pieces of flatbread. People go here for the coffee and there is the typical argument over whether it's the best or highly overrated. I prefer Dunn Bros. If you lost the bet and now have to provide donuts for the entire office call 972-239-1700 for pricing. Seating for 18. No smoking. Menu link. Dunkin' Deli items may not be available at this location.

Hours:
5:00am - 8:00pm daily

Google map is here.

Chuck's — 2661 Midway

At the SW corner of Trinity Mills

This review is for my friends at the Addison Service Center (hi Nicole, Michelle, Stacy and Chris) and others at the north end of Addison Airport.

Chuck's is a Richie Cunningham hangout. It's a sock hop diner in red, white and black, with "Peppermint Twist" and the Big Bopper coming from the speakers. Wafting through the air is the smell of charcoal grilled burgers. As Al Gore had yet to invent the Internet during the era of poodle skirts, Chuck's has no web site. Below is a partial menu. All burgers are huge and come with fries. To save calories and 50¢ order without.

•Old fashioned (mayo + mustard) $5.69
•With cheese +30¢
•Hickory cheddar $6.49
Chicken salads (4 varieties) $6.89
•Hot wings (8) $5.99
•Baked potato $4.49 and up
•Ice cream float $2.39

Chuck's is very family friendly. No smoking.

Hours:
11:00am - 8:30pm Mon-Wed
11:00am - 9:00pm Thur-Sat
closed Sundays

Google map is here.

Twin Peaks — 5260 Belt Line

On the south side between Dallas Parkway and Montfort.

Cleavage anticipation. I've been waiting for this place to open. This is where the boys go when they tire of Hooters. This is where the girls go when...well, not too many go there. Like all Twin Peaks, this one looks like a hunting lodge. The stools look like they're made from rough-hewn wood. It's fake. The rocks around the fireplace look like they came from a river bed. They're fake. The boobage on many of the waitresses look like...let's not go there.

First, the menu. I asked our waitress if the Rocky Mountain Oysters were what I thought they were. "Yes they are," she smiled and said. Then I asked if there were many requests for them. She again smiled and said, "No, not really." I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. It was good. My friend just munched on some fries. We had a couple of man sized beers which Twin Peaks claims is served at 29°. I beg to differ. They tasted like they were only 33°. $2.95.

This being Addison, smoking is allowed in the large bar area. The hostess will be happy to sit you in the non-smoking corner. A patio provides fresh air when the garage doors are open. There are 7 flat screen TVs showing sports but unless a major game is on you're usually treated to music by Harvey Danger or similar. One oddity is that the bar tables are permanently ensconced into the floor.

Happy hour (2:00-7:00pm and 10:00-11:00pm) offers 99¢ girl size select draft beer. On Saturdays and Sundays kids 12 and under eat free until 4:00pm with an adult meal purchase.

Hours:
11:00am - midnight daily

Google map is here.

I wonder why it's called Twin Peaks?

Nazar Turkish Restaurant - 15107 Addison Rd

I've never been to a Turkish restaurant before, but I've had Mediterranean. I saw this place had $7 lunch special so checked it out. The place was empty at lunch, but after eating decided there was no reason for this. $7 gets you fresh bread, a soup or salad, a lunch, a drink and a dessert. It's not the best food I've ever had, but it was well worth what I paid for it. I had the Döner Kebap ( Gyro ) with lentil soup. The soup was good. The meal came with plenty of meat and tasted a lot like brisket, so I'm not sure if I had any lamb at all. The dessert was a Turkish flan and it was one of the best flan type desserts I've had.

Overall, the food was pretty healthy. If you're looking for a good amount of decent food for $7, I highly recommend this place. Some of the lunches are served with fries, but you can avoid those by choosing other lunches.

They have hookahs and do belly dancing on Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM.

Menu

Flying Fish — 5100 Belt Line, Neighborhood 7

Village On The Parkway, toward the back, near Montfort

Catfish in Addison!

The sign above and in front of you as you enter reads:
"How it works: order from the guy (or gal) at the register then pay him, take the vibrating flashy thing and find a place to sit down. When it goes off go back to the counter and get your food. Go sit back down and eat it. Then come back and bring a friend."

MENU!

Good food. All you can eat ("till we run out") catfish Wednesdays for $9.99. Great hushpuppies (add hot sauce). No tips. Tea and lemonaide. Beer. Smoking allowed only on the patio. Cajun music. This is a popular place.

Hours:
11:00 am - 10:00 pm daily

So-so map is here.

Big Dave's Burger Emporium - 5403 Arapaho Ste 115, Dallas

The best burger in the Addison area is across the tollway at Montfort and Arapaho, NE corner. Purdy's held this crown for a while, then they were bought by someone that started adding Korean food to the menu. Shortly thereafter, they were gone.

Big Dave's says all of their burgers are 1/2 pound, but they also have a 1/3 pound burger on the menu. Why you'd want anything less than a 1/2 pound is beyond me. The burgers are consistently good. The fries leave a little to be desired, but you're going here for a burger. The chicken strips aren't bad either, and a basket with drink will only run you $5.40 with tax. Concrete floors, a couple of flat panel TVs and some networking boxes on the floor indicating they may offer wireless internet.

Right now, they're giving their customers a Frequent Diner's Card entitling you to 20% off for the rest of the year. Even without the card, I'm not sure where you can get a real 1/2 pound burger, fries and drink for $7 anymore.

Menu

Dickey's Barbecue Pit — 3711 Belt Line

About as far into the sunset as you can ride and still be in Addison.

Of the two barbecue restaurants in Addison, Dickey's is better than that other one. But it's still a chain restaurant in the high rent district and the food suffers because of it. Start with their web site and menu. Most diners get sandwiches with one or two vegetables. The pulled pork is not pulled at all; it's chopped. But it's good. The brisket can be a crapshoot. Like most serving-line BBQ places the vegetables are best forgotten. Currently the manager's special is a sandwich, fries and a 16 ounce drink for $5.99. But the fries are the waffle style. What idiot thought up that design? And the only ketchup around comes in tiny packets hidden above the condiment bar where the raw onions are chopped instead of offered in traditional rings.

For my taste Dickey's sauce is too sweet. It comes in both mild and hot versions. Get the hot. Free soft-serve ice cream is available at the end of your meal. Included in the drink price is a cute yellow souvenir take-home cup.

Allow this fifth-generation native Texan to get on his soap box and pontificate about sweet tea. Some claim that tea must be served sweet to be acceptable in Texas. That's just not true. I may have been born in these parts but I have roots in West Texas. Sweet tea is an East Texas tradition. Sugar wasn't imported into West Texas until a little over two years ago. Dickey's offers both sweet tea and real iced tea.

Seating for 72. No smoking. Average. Delivery available.

Hours:
11:00 am - 9:00 pm Mon-Sat
11:00 am - 8:00 pm Sun

Google map is here.

On The Border — 4855 Belt Line

On the Tex side of the Tex-Mex border, east of Addison Road.

Once upon a long, long time ago this On The Border was on the other side of Belt Line and closer to Midway and if my brain wasn't fried from too much hot sauce I'd guess it was in the building now occupied by Black Finn but I wouldn't bet a chimichanga on it. But I do remember two, large, really cool chandeliers made of empty beer bottles that hung in the bar at the old place. Those two chandeliers immigrated and now reside in the bar of the new location.

On The Border offers typical Tex-Mex fare in a fiesta-colored environment. The food is somewhat unimspired yet good enough to make you go back. La lista de comida es aquí. Pay particular attention to the Create Your Own Combo. Our party of five took advantage of the choices on our last visit. I had the chicken tortilla soup which came with a very small slice of avacado. Good! Everyone else had a house salad. One of the dressings available was jalapeño vinegarette which sounds delicious but no one would give it a try. Neither compliments nor complaints were heard about any of the food. However, a queso dip was ordered to share and share it was with abandon. It should be a must-have on your next visit.

OTB is completely smoke-free inside. Smoking is allowed on the patio which features a unique fountain. A separate to-go counter is located on the opposite corner and has reserved parking spaces. Full bar.

Hours:
11:00 am - 11:00 pm Sun-Thur
11:00 am - midnight Fri-Sat

Google map is here.

Stadium Cafe — 4872 Belt Line

SW corner of Landmark, near Inwood

This is a sports bar with real food. You'll find an extensive menu here. There's something for everyone. The chalk board by the front door lists the soup of the day ($3.75). Add that or any of their other regular soups to a half deli sandwich for just $6.75. If your meal comes with a choice of potato salad, give it a try. It's skin-on and very good. They also have free food weekdays 5:00-7:00 when happy hour ends. The free food is their choice and self-served from a buffet table.

Stadium Cafe is the Official Home of the "Bills Backers." When the Buffalo Bills have a scheduled game you'll find a crowd of 70-140. Saturday afternoon in the fall most of the 17 TVs will be tuned to Big 12 games. When major sporting events are not broadcast live, Foo Fighters-genre music is played.

The big draw back here is the very small non-smoking section, but it shouldn't be a problem during the weekday lunch hours and after happy hour.

Map is here.

Sport Packages Available:
NFL Sunday Ticket
ESPN Game Plan
MLB Extra Innings
NHL Center Ice
NBA League Pass
ESPN Full Court
Mega March Madness

Denny's — 4301 Belt Line

Stumbling distance to Motel 6, if necessary.


Home of the Grand Slam breakfast and other classics. What more needs to be added? Very busy weekend mornings.

Hours:
They're open

The Great Outdoors — 5290 Belt Line

On the east side of Montfort and cleverly hidden behind Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Check the menu board overhead to know what you want before you get in line, then order by number. Your bread options are white or wheat. The guy with 9 ½ fingers operates the meat slicer. If you've never been there before try the Outdoorsman. Then move on down the serving line to choose the veggies you want added. Everything is prepared before your eyes and behind a glass sneeze guard. To either your aggravation or due to their efficiency you are asked to pay before your sandwich is ready. Perhaps that is so you'll notice the tip jar.

The bread is baked fresh daily and can be hit or miss. Everything else is generally spot-on. The Great Outdoors is also popular for take out.

Visit the web site.

Hours:
8:00 am - 9:30 pm Mon-Sat
9:30 am - 8:30 pm Sun

Google map is here.


For those near the north end of Addison Airport, there is another location at the NW corner of Midway and Trinity Mills.

Hours:
8:00 am - 8:30 pm Mon-Sat
9:00 am - 8:00 pm Sun

Google map is here

Prices start at $3.95 but most are in the $4.50-$5.50 range. Extra for double meat and salads. Breakfast items, ice cream and party subs are available.

Manny's Uptown Tex-Mex — 14905 Midway

1 ½ blocks south of Belt Line, next to J's Breakfast & Burgers.

The front door is on the side of the building.
This is casual sit down dining of some very good Tex_Mex fare. Judging from the crowds during weekday lunch hours many agree. The lunch specials, available Monday-Friday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, are $6.95. You won't be disappointed with what is brought to your table. The refried beans, which are good, do not quite equal those at the Blue Goose. The hot sauce certainly deserves the adjective. You won't be smothered by the black-clad wait staff though they are attentive.

Many times their web site doesn't work as well as their cooks but you can try it.

Happy hour brings the crowds back weekday afternoons 4:00-7:00. Nineteen different types of bottled beer are available, including my favorite, Bohemia. No beer is on tap. Margaritas on the rocks are popular. The bar itself seats 10 where ESPN is usually tuned in on the 3 TV screens. The volume, however, is normally muted so as to not interfer with the musica Mexicana heard throughout the restaurant.

I've saved the best for last: the patio. Fortunately it faces east, an important consideration in hot Texas summers. Only there may Joe Camel light up.
No guns allowed.

Hours:
11:00 am - 10:00 pm Daily

Google map is here.

Pete's Cafe — 3610 Belt Line

Just west of Marsh.



This place is so far out west in Far West Addison that it's actually in Farmers Branch. Barely. But it's an instution, very popular and should be included here. The booths (there are no tables) are clean and functional but the walls, floor and ceiling are low-rent lake cabin. The cash register is an old NCR model but they do take credit cards. KLUV is the radio station of choice. There are no TVs.

But behold! They do have a web site with menus and prices. Be sure to check out the "specials menu" which includes the Early Bird Special available during the week (Monday-Friday except holidays). Two eggs any style, bacon or sausage, hash browns or grits, and toast or bacon and gravy for just $4.25. Cheap. Smoking to the far right weekdays. No smoking on weekends, when you can expect a wait to be seated.

Closes daily at 2:00 pm.
Opens:
5:00 am Mon-Sat
6:00 am Sun

Google map is here.

Siegel's Sign — 15003 Inwood

The iconic sign, long a landmark at the Siegel's package store at Lemmon Avenue and Inwood Road, had nowhere to go when the store was razed. Now Addison has granted an exception to its strict sign ordinance and we should be seeing it at Siegel's Addison store sometime in June.


Google map is here.

300 Dallas — 3805 Belt Line

Third traffic light west of Midway, behind Los Lupes Mexican Restaurant.


A bowling alley in Addison? It's no joke. But this is no Drew Carey hangout. There are 36 lanes (6 semi-reserved for parties), an arcade and 6 full-size pool tables in the bar area which is, oddly enough, lit brighter than the bowling area. For more info on bowling visit the web site.

Let's talk about food. A nattily clad waiter will bring you a menu and take your drink order. Here's a sample of the offerings:
Crab cakes (2) $11
Nachos (ground beef) $10
Sliders (3) $7
•beef
•bbq pulled pork
•honey mustard chicken
Pizza $15
Steak burger $10
Beef empanadas $10
Wedge or caesar salad $8
Plus tax. Plus tip. No smoking. Full bar. ATM on site.

Hours:
3:00 pm - midnight Mon-Thur
11:00 am - 2:00 am Fri-Sat
11:00 am - 1:00 am Sun

Google map is here.