The Best in DFW

Cafe Pacific 

The 28-year-old Highland Park Village favorite is perpetually crowded with well-dressed couples and multigenerational families who may think nothing of dropping three figures for dinner for two. A recent review found the restaurant in solid form. Highlights included the simple, clean-tasting fruits de mer platter; a lively ceviche of shrimp, scallops and lobster meat; onion-crusted sea bass; and precisely executed Atlantic sea scallops over a lush lemon-butter sauce.

24 Highland Park Village (at Mockingbird and Preston). 214-526-1170. $$$-$$$$. Full bar.

Dallas Fish Market 

Executive chef Randy Morgan brings whimsy and global- mindedness to this downtown restaurant with a minimalist, watery interior. Pairing fish with unexpected ingredients is his strong suit: Brown butter's sweetness teases the smoky notes from grilled swordfish, and the crunch of shaved fennel and almonds offsets the fish's dense texture. At lunch, try the BLT jazzed up with delicate skate wing and avocado.

1501 Main St. (at Akard). 214-744-3474. www.dallasfishmarket.com. $$-$$$. Full bar.

J&J Oyster Bar 

Inexpensive spots that feature raw, fried and grilled seafood are fairly abundant in our area, but none hits the mark as well as J&J: The cornmeal batter on the fried oysters and catfish was the sheerest and crispest among those we recently tried, and the raw oyster option added an alluring new dimension to seafood cocktail. Two must-haves on the combination plate: the restaurant's signature crawfish sausage (which also includes pork) and the righteous house-made, skin-on fries.

612 N. University Drive, Fort Worth. 817-335-2756. www.jjbluesbar.com/oysterbar.htm. $$. Beer and wine.

Oceanaire Seafood Room 

Oceanaire, a small national upscale chain, sets the area standard for fresh, luxury seafood. It is as expensive as a steakhouse, and as with its carnivorous counterparts, it dazzles with simple preparations that let the ingredients speak for themselves. The crab cake, full of plump morsels, can barely hold itself together. Our server on a recent visit declared rich and gently flaky Alaskan black cod the "new Chilean sea bass" due to its high oil content. We'll jump on board that trendsetting observation.

13340 Dallas Parkway (in the Westin Galleria Dallas). 972-759-2277. www.theoceanaire.com. $$$-$$$$. Full bar.

Pescabar 

Alberto Lombardi's new seafood extravaganza in West Village is so new it hasn't yet been formally reviewed, but it nimbly makes the list. This is the kind of stylish yet comfortable seafood restaurant that Dallas has been lacking. Early favorites include the already-famous crab gazpacho and daily changing grilled fish specials (Dover sole particularly impressed). And hallelujah: A local restaurant finally got the concept of crudo (sashimi with restrained Italian flavorings) down pat.

3699 McKinney Ave. (in West Village). 214-522-3888. $$-$$$. Full bar.

S&D Oyster Co. 

Opened in 1976, this Dallas stalwart says classic in more ways than one: Inspired by New Orleans' seafood houses, its timelessness is helped along by the building itself, which dates to the late 1800s. Shrimp and oysters dominate the small menu, which is as tightly focused as the staff. We love the oysters on the half shell (dabbed in the cocktail sauce made tableside), fried oyster po' boy and signature celery-laced shrimp salad. Come early or late for lunch: There can be lines.

2701 McKinney Ave at Boll (parking lots at Boll and Howland). 214-880-0111. www.sdoyster.com. $$. Beer and wine; BYOB.

Sea Breeze Fish Market and Grill 

Two words: lobster roll. The luxurious claw meat spills over the top of what looks like a piece of Texas toast lopped off at the knees (but which is actually a New England-style hot dog roll shipped in from the Northeast). Three more words: fish and chips. The fish's beer-battered crust is so fragile it shatters at a touch, cracking open to reveal the steaming, succulent flesh within. The cooking here reveals fine-dining-level expertise, but the place and prices are patio-casual. $$. Beer and wine.

4017 Preston Road (near West Spring Creek Parkway), Plano. 972-473-2722. www.seabreezefish.com.

Truluck's 

If you stick with the crab at Truluck's, you're bound to leave happy. A recent Monday night gorge on all-you-can-eat Jonah crab claws from Maine rendered us happily over-sated, since the $39.95 deal also includes as much soup, salad and sides as you can consume. Another worthy splurge: butter-poached Norwegian king crab, featuring mouth-filling hunks. The crab cake fashioned from blue crab is, of course, a model specimen. What? Don't eat crab? Go for the Prince William Sound sockeye salmon while it's still in season.

2401 McKinney Ave. 214-220-2401. Other locations in Addison and Southlake. www.trulucks.com. $$$-$$$$. Full bar.

How we choose

Selections are based on recent reviews and dining experiences by Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Bill Addison and other regular reviewers, including Kim Harwell, Michael Hiller, Kim Pierce and Lawson Taitte.

When you see this symbol in on GuideLive.com, you'll know that location is a critics' pick. Critics' picks are presented alphabetically, without ranking. For more details on our price key and star ratings, check GuideLive.com's Restaurant Frequently Asked Questions. To join in and view other dining features, check the Restaurants page at GuideLive.com.