Champagne anyone?

If you plan ahead, BYOB restaurants can be a lot of fun. Not only can they save you a lot of green, but they also put an endless variety of booze at your disposal and the potential pairings are limitless. Come with growlers full of beer, bottles full of wine -- it's your dinner. You're only limited by your imagination.

Here are some of the best BYOB restaurants in Dallas. Hit your favorite beer, wine or liquor store and get to it.

20 Feet (pictured above)
Not only is 20 Feet a great BYOB seafood restaurant, but they also serve up some of the cheapest northern oysters to be had in Dallas. Bring a bottle of high quality bubbles and order up all the oysters you can handle. Tear into some fish and chips with a few cans of pub ale. Or call ahead find out that evening's specials and then hit your favorite wine shop for the perfect paring.

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foodbitch

Lemley's Tomatoes salad at Boulevardier

Like I said back in January, I like to experiment with healthy eating every once in a while. And when I do, I love to stumble upon a salad that makes me go mmmm. In honor of Salad Month (or is it BBQ Month?), here is a list of salads to try next time you get a hankerin' for health.

SEE ALSO: 13 Dallas Spots for Healthy Foods That Don't Suck

1. Lemley's Tomatoes salad at Boulevardier (above)
This stunner combines Lemley's tomatoes, burrata, arugula, pistou, balsamic, olive oil, sel gris and grilled baguette. I think the magic is in the pistou, but I'll let you decide.

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Lori Bandi

I love small, family owned restaurants. You do too. The quaint dining rooms and original menus make for lasting memories while affordable prices make it possible to return again and again. Here are some of the best mom and pop restaurants in Dallas.

See Also:
- The Nine Best Tex-Mex Restaurants In Dallas
- Los Torres Taqueria Has Got Your Goat

Los Torres Taquería (pictured above)
This small family owned taqueria serves up some amazing goat in Oak Cliff. The corn tortillas are hand-made to order and a salsa bar gives you plenty of ways to adorn your meal with acid, heat and pungency. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, a member of the Torres family is always there to greet you. It's like eating in your your favorite aunt's living room. Provided your aunt is from Sinaloa, Mexico.

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Both the front and back patio at Lake House Bar and Grill are perfect for baseball watching.

I love baseball but building a stadium miles outside of a city center is just stupid. Except for a special occasion, I can't be bothered to drive all that way to buy an expensive ticket, eat a bad hot dog, drink overpriced beer, and then figure out how to get back without dancing with the Arlington po-po. This year I plan on getting my baseball fix right here in Dallas. Here are some great patios what will let you catch some sun while watching the great American pastime on a big-screen TV.

Lake House Bar and Grill Patio (pictured above)
Bicycle Cafe is long gone and the replacement concept seems like a good fit for East Dallas. A few weekends ago the place was filled with amateur softball players who had been pushed off the field by rainy weather. Large windows and louvers open up the space to let the outside in, and TVs are everywhere.

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As I sit at my desk a sudden craving for pizza has overcome me. This instantly reminded me that it's been sometime since we've updated our list for Best Pizza in Dallas, here on City of Ate. Things have changed a touch since we last updated that list. Even though it's still a little short, there's a newcomer or two, and there's plenty of great pie to be found. Starting with the undisputed King of Neapolitan.

Cane Rosso (pictured above)
Cane Rosso is still on our list of course. We named them the city's Best Pizza in our last Best of Dallas issue for the second year in a row. I'm starting to wonder how long it will be before a young entrepreneurial pizzaiolo dethrones the great Jay Jerrier. For now, he's quite safe. But there are a number of other pizzerias that deserve some attention too ...

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The Mediterranean diet was bolstered by a study recently released by the New England Journal of Medicine. The report concludes not only that a diet based on olive oil, nuts and fish can prevent cardiovascular disease but that it's more effective than the previously recommended low-fat diet.

See also:
-Restore Your Meat-Pummeled Heart with Tabbouleh

Researchers tracked more than 7,000 test subjects as they followed guidelines recommending more than a quarter cup of olive oil a day in addition to vegetables, legumes and fatty fish, compared with a control group which was restricted to a low-fat diet. Those who ate Mediterranean style had a 30 percent lower risk of major cardiovascular problems.

Pie lovers, avert your eyes: Commercial bakery goods, sweets and pastries were discouraged in both groups.

My line of work prevents me from indulging any sort of sensible diet, but I have on multiple occasions leaned heavily on tabbouleh when I feel like my eating habits spiraled out of control. Considering I'm actually eating a bowl of leftover beef stew while I type this, I think it's time I go visit some of my favorite Mediterranean diet friendly restaurants here in Dallas.

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Valentine's Day is here, which pretty much sucks for everyone. If you've got a special someone, you're guilted into going out and having your wallet gutted by a triple-digit, prix fixe, mediocre meal. Have fun with that. If you're not coupled up, you get to spend the evening alone while people look at you and say condescending things inside their heads about your sad, single state.

Fight back. Own being single and pony up to a bar to enjoy a decadent meal on your own. Here are some of the best restaurant bars for solo diners.

Eno's (pictured above)
Just look at this thing. Eno's Sundae Sack is built for misanthropic dining. And if you're hung up on being single you can comfort yourself with calories as you watch your tears of loneliness mix with melted ice cream and fudge.

See also: The 10 Bars Serving the Best Bar Food in Dallas

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The last bar list I put together was all about food. But if you've finished up your dinner or ate an entire hot mess for lunch, you don't always need a bar that serves up a great burger. Sometimes you just want a drink. Sometimes you just want several.

See also:
- The 10 Bars Serving the Best Bar Food in Dallas

If you're out on your own, looking to meet someone new or hanging out with a few fiends, all of these bars will all get you tilted in good fashion. Whether you're looking for a well-made cocktail or an ice cold beer and a quiet stool, there's something in this list for everyone.

Tried and True (pictured above)
Nick Badovinus is a bar food specialist, but you don't have to be starving to pay this Henderson Avenue spot a visit. The whiskey list at this place is phenomenal, and the bartenders know how to pour a drink. If you get the urge to snack and you don't want to tear into an entire burger, there are peanuts on the tables everywhere.

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Sneaking out of the office to enjoy an extended meal with a glass or two of good wine or beer is one of life's great pleasures. Especially when you're eating in a fine dining restaurant. I love a good lunch. And when I can get in and out of a polished place for 20 bucks, give or take, I feel like I'm getting a real deal. The service is better, the ingredients are top-notch, and you walk out of the restaurant with a grin on your face and heavy, smiling eyes, ready for a nap.

It rocks.

The best part is many of the menus at places you associate with $50 oyster plates and truffled risotto are actually quite casual when the sun is still up. This is where you find some of Dallas' best sandwiches or delve into a multi-course tasting menu that's less than half the cost of an evening meal. Here are some of my favorite places to break out that starched shirt for lunch.

Charlie Palmer (Pictured above)
Look at that sandwich! The menu claims that meat is 21-day-cured pastrami, lovingly prepared in house. The bread is sturdy and holds up to the hot beef, and there's plenty of whole grain mustard. I wish it didn't cost $15 or I'd eat one a week. It's a great sandwich.

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Hope you brought your Pepto

Gut bombs frighten me. I have enough of a food handicap because of my line of work, but professions aside, I'm not so good with self control when it comes to eating. I've been known on more than one occasion to follow the Louis C.K. school of consumption mechanics: I don't stop when I'm full, I stop when the plate's clean, or I'm experiencing overwhelming pain.

Still, there's some appeal to mammoth dishes -- I think. They compel our inner desire to explore and conquer. They cater to our need to win.

Here are some of the "best" gut bombs served in and around Dallas. And by best, we mean biggest. Many of them taste like shit.

The Boomstick (pictured above)
Internet browsers from all over the country clicked the heck out of news stories when Rangers Ballpark announced the Boomstick. The two-foot-long link may have gotten more attention than Yu Darvish. It certainly got more attention than the Japanese pitcher's namesake hot dog.

The boomstick won this year's Best, "Are You Going to Finish That?" But don't stop eating now.

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