The results are in. Of the roughly 400 people who entered our Michelin stars prediction pool this fall, three correctly guessed that Dallas restaurants would net a grand total of one star, and that it would be awarded to Tatsu Dallas. Those three winners then went head-to-head over the tiebreaker question, which asked which Texas city would have the most Michelin-starred restaurants. One entrant was disqualified for naming multiple cities. The other two contenders both guessed Houston, which was wrong; Austin came out ahead thanks to its barbecue haul.
But one of those two champs gave us fake contact info. That leaves one champion who stands alone: Deborah Astie. Congrats, Deborah!
When we contacted Astie to tell her she’d won our slightly sarcastic prize—a $50 gift card to Burger House—she admitted she’s never been to Tatsu Dallas. But she has dined in Dallas for 50 years, and has both insight into Dallas food history and a pretty great list of favorite restaurants. Here’s a quick Q&A with our Michelin star champ.
Congratulations on winning our pool and a Burger House gift card! How did you make your prediction about what the Michelin Guide would do for its first year in Dallas?
Oh cool! I rarely win anything. And I’ve never been to Burger House even though I’ve lived in the Dallas area for 51 years.
I’ve also never actually been to Tatsu, but I read your review. It’s been on our list, but I haven’t had good luck when trying to grab a table through the Tock app. Last year my family traveled to Japan and Tatsu sounded the most like what we experienced at a highly regarded sushi restaurant. We also ate at our very first Michelin rated restaurant in Osaka. We didn’t like the food, but the service was on a whole other level. Based on your review and others I have heard about, only Tatsu sounded like it could achieve that attention to detail.
So you’ve been to only one Michelin-starred restaurant, but you didn’t enjoy it?
In Osaka we went to Restaurant Difference. It is marketed as a French restaurant, but I’d say it was more experimental Japanese with a slight French influence. It was the most bizarre dinner I ever had, but that’s a long story.
What is your own personal background with food and dining?
I’m not in the business, but my husband’s father was a chef in France. I was spoiled by his amazing food until he passed in 2015. I grew up in a Jewish household, so we ate a lot of Mediterranean and eastern European dishes. My father loves all food and will eat anything, so I guess I inherited some of that. At some point in my teens, I discovered restaurant reviews and started asking to go to places that were recommended for my birthday. Star Canyon was one of the ones I remember and it was amazing. I was a vegetarian at that time and it was probably one of the best vegetarian meals I’ve ever had. Maybe 1994?
Luckily I married someone who also loves trying new cuisines as much as I do. Our 14-year-old daughter can be picky, but she’ll try most anything. She impressed a sushi chef in Japan, so that made me proud. Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese foods are her favorites.
What are your own favorite Dallas-area restaurants? Could be high-end or not.
Asian food is our favorite, so I regularly check out the Asian Grub in DFDUB Facebook group for recs. We will try out any highly recommended places—maybe one or two a month.
Our usuals: Too Thai (Sukothai soup addiction), La Me, Bep Que, Goc Hue, Dong Que, Korea House (always the Traditional Korean Dinner—it’s such a good deal), Bambu Thai, Chefika, India Palace, Sanabels (we’re suckers for Mediterranean & Indian buffets), Sushi Robata (most variety of fresh from Japan sushi we’ve found, sake not overpriced), Oishii (been going for 20 years), Loro, Hook Line & Sinker (amazing frog legs), Moriya Shokudo, UnaVida, TomYumKung Thai, Tokyo Shokudo, Royal Sichuan, Curry Bliss, JG’s Burgers.
Date nights and special occasions: Uchi, Nuri Steakhouse (only been one time but very impressed), Georgie, Yujo Dallas, Mercury (so underrated, but always packed—so I guess everyone does know), Oceanaire, Even Coast, El Carlos Elegante, Onesan, Toulouse.
Since you have been dining here for decades—do you think any past Dallas restaurants might have deserved a Michelin star if they offered that same experience today?
Maybe three that I can think of:
The Mansion on Turtle Creek: Back around 2008, we ate there for our anniversary when John Tesar was the chef. We did the tasting menu and were completely blown away. We still talk about the king crab legs we were served. The service was so different than we expected. We thought it would be snooty, but it wasn’t. We didn’t have a lot to spend on wine, but the sommelier really spent time finding something we could afford but also pair well with the meal. We liked Spoon which Tesar opened after that, but not quite on the same level.
Paris Vendome: Around 2001, this was our favorite special occasion restaurant. The best pan-seared caramelized foie gras I’ve ever had. They also had the most amazing rustic apple galette with the BEST caramel sauce. We’re still trying to find a replacement somewhere, but no luck so far. Eatzi’s had something sort of close for a while, but I think they stopped making it.
Bullion: I really, really loved this place. We only went twice, but wow. I’m still sad about this one closing. (We tried Le PasSage last weekend hoping for a bit of magic, but it was so mediocre for the price. I’m not sure they’ll make it without changing up the menu.)
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