James Beard Award

Since Dallas last took home a Beard in 1994, 98 candidates have been advanced without success. How historic is that tally? We crunched the numbers.

Eliminating the requirement that only one restaurant or chef win each category would solve both logistical and philosophical nightmares for the Awards.

Bet you didn’t know we had two of the five best bakeries in America.

And on the full list, 49 Texas bars, chefs, restaurants, and restaurateurs made the cut.

Plus: suggestions for how the Beard Awards judging process can be made more trustworthy, and a hot tip on next year's favorite.