Barcelona Wine Bar, Hugo’s Seafood Bar, Bushi Bushi, Goldie’s, Culpepper Cattle Co.

Olive oil pancakes with cinnamon butter at Barcelona Wine Bar.

The amount of excellent food available in Dallas is dizzying, leaving no time for mediocre meals. Your Eater Dallas editor dines out frequently and comes across many standout dishes and drinks that need to be shared. Here are the best dishes I ate in Dallas this month.

Barcelona Wine Bar

5016 Miller Avenue in Dallas

Three words: olive oil pancakes. Make a reservation for brunch at this wine bar to enjoy them immediately. The kitchen skips butter and instead uses olive oil to make the pancakes, creating a surprisingly savory breakfast flapjack. To add a little sweetness back in, the pancakes are served with cinnamon butter and, of course, maple syrup. They are elegance, grace, and the ideal breakfast food. Pair it with one of the meat-forward tapas plates, like jamon serrano or chorizo picante.

Double tuna tostada magic at Hugo’s Seafood Bar.

Hugo’s Seafood Bar

334 West Davis Street in Dallas

The menu here offers a wide variety of wonderful seafood plates to try, but on a recent visit, I found myself captivated by the simple ahi tuna tostada. Served on a double corn tortilla, the tostada features a first layer of smooth, whipped avocado, followed by. square-cut chunks of raw tuna tossed in a house garlic soy sauce that tastes like a fancier version of chamoy, sesame seeds, and thinly sliced green onions. I paired it with a cocktail called Blame It On The Juice, which I’d like to drink for the rest of the summer, made with Tanqueray, blanc vermouth, infused honeydew, suze, and a milk wash.

The blue plate special at Bushi Bushi.

Bushi Bushi

4930 Belt Line Road in Dallas

A trip to this dim sum stop near Addison yielded a night full of memorable dishes. My dining companion and I were impressed with the steamed soup dumplings, crispy shrimp balls, crab rangoon, and garlic bok choy. The star of the meal, however, was a plate of dan dan noodles with chicken, carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, and black pepper coated with a soy-based house sauce, served as a special that evening. The decor was charming as well, and the staff didn’t mind that we hung out for hours to chat — and keep drinking wine.

Beet hummus, fresh veggies, and naan at Goldie’s.

Goldie’s

9850 Walnut Hill Lane, #305 in Dallas

Beet season is in full effect in Texas, and Goldie’s has a beet hummus that can’t be… beat. The dark pinky-purple dip comes with golden, crispy naan, still glistening with oils from the pan, and vegetables. We were served slices of cucumber cut on the bias and endive leaves atop a bed of Kiefer yogurt and feta cheese, accompanied by a healthy drizzle of olive oil.

Table nachos at Culpepper Cattle Co.

Culpepper Cattle Co.

3309 Elm Street, Suite 100 in Dallas

There has not been enough appreciation for great nachos in Dallas, and considering how much I love the dish, now is time for that change. Culpepper Cattle Co. in Deep Ellum makes them perfectly. It’s a simple, classic recipe of refried beans, picadillo beef, and a shredded Monterey Jack and yellow cheddar spread evenly over the circular chips and baked until the ingredients melt together into a cheesy, crispy bite. My only complaint is that the plate is missing a scoop of guacamole. The jalapeños are freshly sliced and not pickled, which is a nice upgrade.