Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in Park Cities

My wife and I always go out for a Special Christmas Dinner every years and we always make it a new place to us and try to make it unique. This year I asked a good friend of mine Elizabeth Disch what place she would recommend and she immediately said Toulouse - it was her favorite restaurant in Dallas. That was enough said for me so I made reservations and my first impression was made at the bar while we were waiting for our table when the young bartender made for me the PERFECT Old Fashioned, not many bartenders today know how to make those !!! Then we were seated and Edwardo took perfect care of use from the mussel appetizers to my wife's trout, to my lobster. Trust me we will return many more times. Interesting, I was waiting outside for my wife when we left and an older gentleman walked up to me and we started talking, he said he was from that area originally - he said he had seen it change a lot through the years, he said Toulouse was originally an Ice Cream Shop that he use to go to , he would get an ice cream cone several times a week. He said the area had changed a lot, he said some good, some bad, but he was glad that Toulouse was there, he said he eats there often and is glad they are keep the original building as it was.

We eat here two to three times a year. Last night was probably the best food we’ve had in the last five years. The bottle of Moet was great. Opening the evening was a plate of four pastries (gougyure?) filled with salmon mousse and caviar. We followed with a Farmer’s Green Salad. My wife had catch of the day. Me? Fried quail. There was not a hiccup with any of these entrees - all were excellent. The desserts - chocolate mousse and an apple tart with ice cream The chef’s gift to the table was a pumpkin soup with coconut milk. I wished that they would make this a regular menu item. One slight flaw. The recipe for the famous Dean Fearing tortilla soup seems to have changed. All in all - an excellent evening. IF. If I could change one thing? Hire a carpenter. Put in a vestibule ahead of the outside entry door. it was cold outside last night, and the drafts that passed through the restaurant are quite cold. All in all - the $$ were well spent.

I absolutely love bistro 31 especially during the holidays. This is an annual lunch for me and my dear girlfriends...they always make it special. Food is always perfect. Service is spot on. Thanks for always taking care of us.

We enjoyed our first trip to Al Biernat’s The wine and drinks were delicious. The salads were huge. I wish we would have split or maybe we should have asked how big they were. My husband had the Caesar which was perfect. Anchovies were fresh and delicious. I had the roasted pear salad. It was delicious. The dressing was perfect The entrees a filet and halibut were cooked perfectly Coconut cream pie delicious creamy. The bread basket had a great variety Overall I would give a 10 Thank you

Amazing food, service and atmosphere. The amaro flight was amazing!