How would you describe a classic Dallas dinner house?  In other words, what does your average Dallas foodie expect when they leave the casa in search of a great meal?  I’m sure if you asked ten people that question you’d get ten different responses.  Us?  Well, we put some thought into it and came up with the following seven components that capture our definition.  1) The place would have an elegant but relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere.  2) The menu would include classics, modern twists, and comfort food.  3)  The chef would execute meat and seafood equally well and wouldn’t balk at any special requests from the dining room.  4) Service would be professional and efficient.  5) Wine list would be comprehensive but not as thick as War and Peace.  6) You could have a conversation at your table without yelling.  7) And they would have a TV at the bar to watch the game (okay, she didn't care about this one). 

In November 2001, Perry’s strolled into town professing to be just that – A Classic Dallas Dinner House.  Considering the room for interpretation, no one could argue that claim but many naysayers viewed them as nothing more than yet another high priced steakhouse making a futile attempt to slug it out with heavyweight neighbors Al’s, Bob’s, and Nick & Sam’s.  Surely a place couldn’t make it in this unrefined filet fanatical town putting equal focus on both land and sea, could they?  Mission: Accomplished. 

Located at the point of Routh Street and Cedar Springs, Perry’s has managed to distinguish itself as a more comfortable, intimate and low-key dining experience with a focus that is equal parts land and sea with hints of Acadian and Creole influences.  Classic elegance done in warm nuetrals is the flovor of the dining rooms here.  It’s one of those rare places that attracts a night out with the girls, boys, power business lunch or dinner, nice dinner before a show/game, cozy meal with the spouse, meet and greet some friends for cocktails, etc (in fact, check out our Attitude search and you’ll see how many Perry’s pops up on).  It is indeed a rarity to find a spot that can deliver that type of diversity and still deliver a superior dining experience.

Cruising through the regular menu you might get suckered into thinking this is indeed a steakhouse with a secondary focus on seafood.  The seafood menu is typically an insert highlighting the day’s specials.  That being said, they usually offer 10 or so seafood dishes so that’s hardly the courtesy one or two you see elsewhere.  But let’s start at the top and work our way down, shall we?

Having Ahi Tuna Tartare on the menu has become a bit of a cliché in that every single decent restaurant everywhere seems to have it.  But of all the contenders out there we give Perry’s the nod as the best in the city (see our Dishes to Die For section).  They blend their dark rosy tuna with avocado, tomatoes, frissee, and wasabi cream, blend it then mold it into a short stack.  The accompanying crudités serve their purpose but this fish is honestly good enough just to eat solo.  Calamari is also a contender for most overdone app but the offering here is a little different and much better than most.  The squid is cut and fried into crispy strips but instead of the boring marinara dipping sauce, they blend theirs with a nicely pungent thai pepper glaze.  The final hit on the starter menu is the BBQ Shrimp.  For those that have yet to embrace their creole side, in the Texas sense of the description there’s nothing BBQ about BBQ shrimp.  Traditionally, whole shrimp (head on) are sautéed in a sauce comprised of butter, garlic, and hot sauce and served shell on over rice.  Sans head and and served with a cool crunchy sesame garlic slaw, Perry’s rendition is dead on with monster gulf shrimp seared and sauteed in the pungent sauce.  This is a great way to get your fruit de mar fix if you’ve got steak on your mind for dinner.

Salads are all solid at Perry’s.  One “special” – placed in quotes because it’s been a special the last 5 or 6 times we’ve been – is the heirloom tomato salad.  I’m still leery of heirlooms served out of the traditional late summer season but during those few months, this salad is heavenly.  They mix up the preparation but served simply in slices with some buffalo mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic reduction is pretty tough to beat.

I’ve never been let down by any of the prime beef selections at Perry’s.  All of the steaks we’ve had there have been delicious so if that’s what you’re in the mood for, order any of the cuts with 100% confidence.  These guys know how to cook a cow.  Once special worth noting under the Entrée section is the Steak Au Poivre.  This 14 oz prime Ribeye is pressed with crushed peppercorns, topped with gobs of maytag blue cheese, cooked to your liking and then served with 2 delectable crab stuffed mushroom caps.

However, our two favorite non-seafood items at Perry’s are unquestionably the bone-in pork loin and the double cut lamb chops (see our Dishes to Die For section).  About 4 inches thick, the pork loin comes perfectly cooked with a nice, crunchy crust but cooked to a perfectly tender medium.  That, in and of itself, is enough to make my mouth water but throw in the apple bacon glaze and you’ve really hit the lotto.  I’ve heard some famous, overhyped celebrity chef say something along the lines of “pork fat rules”.  Well, we’re in agreement here! 

Now, onto the lamb chops.  I say this with extreme prejudice after careful consideration but Perry’s has the best lamb chops I’ve tasted anywhere in the country.  Thick, meaty, a perfect medium rare, a delicate rosemary demi glace, these are just extraordinary.  I mean, in public I do my best to refrain from shoving chops in my mouth to try and get every ounce of meat off of them, but in this case I really have no choice.

The seafood offerings deserve your attention at Perry's.  On any given visit, this list could include mahi mahi, halibut, salmon, sole, and so forth.  Our most recent home run was a panko crusted red snapper topped with a creamy tobasco spiked bernaise sauce and spicy crawfish. 

Of the sides, the starches are all of the upper echelon steakhouse type quality but they take the staid old baked potato and ramp it up with an impressive table side service.  Admittedly I’m a sucker for any type of tableside preparation but to take perhaps the most middle America side item ever and jazz it up to the point where it’s a featured side item in a highly critical review is really saying something.  An impressive list of specialty sauces can be added to any of the sides (read: experimentation is not just for your college years – live a little!).

On the dessert list the Carrot Cake is worthy of hefty praise.  They claim they scanned the globe in search of the best carrot cake out there and did their best to replicate it.  I can’t speak to the carrot cakes in Dusseldorf, Johannesburg, Sidney, San Paulo, Moscow, Kuala Lumpur or the carrot cake mecca of Mesquite but I will say, Perry’s has some of the best I’ve ever eaten.

Perry’s has received the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator for 3 straight years.  Predictably, they have a strong selection of California reds to balance their beef menu but they have enough diversity in the whites to satisfy even the biggest wine snob.