I have travelled all over the World, and one of the best cities for eating I have ever been in is Dallas/Ft Worth, TX.

Now, are there niches that beat it... yes. Of course the Cajun/Creole is better in New Orleans, and yes, Miami is going to beat it on the seafood tip, BUT generally speaking, it has got everywhere else in the US beat hands down.

As a matter of fact, Texan's on average dine out more than any other state in the US, so you know the food is and has to be good. The competition here is brutal (as brutal or worse than NY).

I have spent a temendous amount of time in NY, Miami, LA, SF, etc... and I prefer Dallas/Ft. Worth if I were doing a pure food/wine trip (shopping and golf are amazing here too btw).

The Tex Mex/Southwestern cuisine is greatness. I could eat that every day. Between the chains, the 4 stars and the mom-pop restaurants, wow. The Mansion on Turtle Creek, Lonesome Dove, Tillman's and Fearings are at the forefront.

There are also a plethora of Southern Cookin places... Jasper's, Screen Door, Porch and Hattie's turn something simple like Shrimp and Grits into magic. Then there are the roadhouses like the Ranchman's Cafe in Ponder, TX which has been featured in just about every food publication and tv show across the country.

There are several very good French restaurants. Lavendou, Aurora, Bijoux and Toulouse are my favorites. The French Room was the #1 hotel restaurant in the US per Zagat 2006.

As someone who once lived in Japan, I can say that the sushi is good... not great, but good. The Nobu here is considered to be the best, but I think that is mostly hype. You can do better in this town, but I think you can do better than Nobu is just about any town.

Lots of places do Spanish Tapas, and do them well... De Tapas, Cafe Madrid, Sangria, Mercy, and several others are very good. A'lo puts an interesting twist on it by doing mexican and peruvian cuisine with tapas sensibility.

The Steakhouses are great. whether it is traditional or Brazilian you crave, DFW is the place. Between III Forks, Bob's Steak and Chop, Del Frisco's, Texas De Brazil or Fogo De Chao, steak is never an issue.

For Southern Soul Food... once place rings true... Norma's. Babe's Fried Chicken is another standard as well.

The "New American" cuisine is fantastic... Places like Local, Lola, Craft, Nana, Abacus, Libertine's, Victor Tango's, York Street, Hibiscus, Stephen Pyles, etc etc

And that is just for beginners...

The one thing that DFW really lacks is great BBQ... but that is just a 3 hour drive down to the Texas Hill Country, and easy day trip. A town called Lockhart just east of Austin has 3 of the best BBQ joints in the country, all within a few block radius. Smitty's (Aka Kreuze), Blacks, and Chisolm Trail... RIDICULOUS, and all of them are famous for different things... Ribs, Sausage and Brisket.

As I said, for sheer availability and overall quality, Texas has everywhere else I have been beat big time.