"Whichever way you slice it, barbecue is king in Texas, and Dallas has one of the finest BBQ restaurants in the entire state: Pecan Lodge. Here, the pit-smoked food is so good that the lines snake around the block pretty much every day at lunchtime (tip: if you order more than five pounds of meat, you can skip straight to the front). The handmade jalapeño sausages and beef brisket with southwestern seasoning are particularly superb, while the “hot mess” (sea salt-crusted sweet potato topped with barbacoa and chipotle cream) is deliriously good. If you’re really hungry, order “the trough,” a hot, sticky selection of everything from the menu. Just make sure you save room for dessert: Aunt Polly’s banana pudding is the stuff of a local legend." - Priya Krishna, Jonathan Thompson
