That means with 2019 just behind us, it is time for my annual reflection on the standout restaurant meals I enjoyed in the past 12 months.

Dallas steakhouse Knife made Esquire's list of the 40 most important restaurants from 2010 to 2019. That's a big win nationally for chef John Tesar, as it's just one of two Texas restaurants on writer Jeff Gordinier's list.

When people look back on this arbitrary demarcation of years, these will be the restaurants that bring time-specific memories flooding back.

While plenty of these nostalgic establishments still exist and thrive around the country, the American steakhouse landscape is changing. Some of the classic, polished establishments have lost their sheen. And new steakhouses are stepping up to take their place, serving more exquisite cuts and rare breeds and widely utilizing dry-aging, a process that concentrates all of those meaty flavors.

From grand Las Vegas carnivore temples helmed by world-famous chefs to clubby Chicago dining rooms loaded with mahogany and brass to New York institutions with now-household names, the steakhouse is an American icon. These are the 50 best.

Top Chef star John Tesar is kicking things up a notch at the Chefs for Farmers Festival. He joins Good Day to share his skillet fried chicken recipe.

For Part 2, Burger Scholar George Motz and Alvin Cailan continue their search for the best burgers in Texas. They first head to Knife Dallas to try one of the most famous steakhouse burgers in America, and cap off their road trip at Keller's, a classic drive-in burger joint.