At least that’s what Dallas restaurant goers said in the 2008 Texas guide released today by Zagat, the company that surveys diners and publishes their rankings.
Mi Cocina is the second most popular restaurant, up from No. 3 in 2006. The French Room is top-rated for food for the second consecutive time.
Among the other findings:
• We eat four restaurant meals a week, tied for second in the country with San Antonio. Houston was first with 4.2, the national average was 3.3, and Bostonians ate out the least — just 2.2 meals a week.
• Our average meal cost is $34.61, the most in Texas. When we splurge at one of the 20 most expensive restaurants in the survey, the cost is $69.05 — also the most in the state. By comparison, the same numbers for New York City (the second most expensive average cost and the most expensive splurging cost) are $39.46 and $143.06.
• Our average tip is 18.7 percent, tied for fourth worst with San Diego. Los Angeles, at 18.4 percent, is the worst. The national average is 19 percent, and New Orleans is best with 19.3 percent. Ironically, we have the best-rated service in the country, almost 1 1/2 points better than the U.S. average. The worst service is New York, which tips 19 percent.
Not surprisingly, we’re a high-end, chain restaurant kind of town. Eight of the 10 most popular restaurants in the book are steak houses, fine dining restaurants, chains, or a combination. And I’m completely baffled by P.F. Chang’s as the ninth most popular restaurant.
