I’ve seen a few posts recommending Al Biernat’s and Monarch, and I’ve gotta disagree.

Al Biernat’s felt classy in the early 2000s. My dad used to take us every time we visited Dallas (about once a year) so he could rub shoulders with his Highland Park business associates. These days? It feels like a cruise ship steakhouse. Mostly old guys in shorts and Hey Dudes demolishing comically large swordfish platters.

Monarch has a decent food program, but the food is pretty mid relative to the experience. It’s faux luxury while the view is the real product they’re selling. And to be fair, the view is incredible!! But it doesn’t feel like true fine dining. It feels more like a place you go before prom. And note, we are in the thick of Prom season in Dallas right now. So a lot of the upper middle and lower fine dining around Dallas gets taken over by folks who are out on one of their first fancy dates ever. And while the service industry should respect them because they will become the next clientele. I tend to avoid the flashier spots from March to May every year.

That said, I’ve got three recommendations of varying degree depending on what you’re looking for.

1. The Knox Henderson staples. Go with Mr. Charles, Georgie, or Le Bilboquet. You can dress up and feel like you’re actually in the right setting. Start the night with some shopping up and down the street or a stroll on the Katie Trail. Then move into cocktails at Knox Bistro (their cocktail program is Michelin recommended and phenomenal) then head to dinner for a genuinely luxurious night out.

2. My go-to Dallas recommendationDrinks at Balcony Club, then dinner at Mot Hai Ba. Balcony Club isn’t exactly “old Dallas,” but it feels like it should be. It’s a classy jazz club with a fun mix of regulars and visitors. The atmosphere is welcoming and there’s a pretty fun mix of formality while being a truly classy experience. Then move to dinner at Mot Hai Bai. Of all the Dallas Michelin experiences it is the most recognizable as something you expect of a traditional Michelin star fine dining experience. It’s classy and the food is truly magical.

3. The wildcard date-night pick, Delta Charlie’s. The first time my wife took me there, we were pretty broke. We actually used Groupon back then (which might still be an option). When we first walked in, I genuinely thought she had taken me to the tackiest most white trash place on earth. I was at a little Baptist Bible college back then and he she grew up on a calving operation in the boonies. And I was convinced I had been brought to this place to be murdered. And honestly? It became one of our most nostalgic date nights.

The dinner is mid at best, but after dinner, you take a little Cessna flight over Dallas at night. And that experience is legitimately magical. It’s not a “dress up” kind of night, but if you want something memorable and experiential, it’s hard to beat. I think I would pick it over some of the places that sell luxury as a commodity is because Delta Charlie’s doesn’t pretend to be fine dining. You know you’re getting a Cheesecake Factory level meal with an experience attached. And I would take that over the Prom-ier spots in Dallas.

Final Dallas tip. Dallas has a surprisingly strong tourism/service/hospitality scene. Take advantage of it!! There are some great corporate hotels and some genuinely magical boutique hotels. Sometimes just getting out of your normal environment for a night can turn an average date night into something unforgettable.