Courtney E. Smith is the editor of Eater Dallas. She’s a journalist who was born and raised in Texas, although she spent time living in NYC and LA as well. It wasn’t a splashy year for openings, aside from Nuri Steakhouse, but it was a solid year. DFW got a lot of new restaurants that experienced big successes by positioning themselves as actual neighborhood spots – places that are relaxed and affordable enough for a visit every week, if not every day. Here are the spots some of Dallas’s biggest food lovers fell in love with this year.