1998’s Best New Business Lunches By Jim White Eat, drink and be merry is the prevailing sentiment this time of year, and I tend to get a bit nostalgic. Here’s a look back at 1998’s best new restaurants for the business lunch. The Blue Fish combines freshness and innovation with a large selection of sake. Style, substance and quality; open seven days for lunch; 3519 Greenville Avenue, 214-824-FISH. Homecookin’, gourmet style at Traci’s in Uptown in a restored Victorian. Wonderful tarts, cobblers, fried chicken, macaroni & cheese and fresh vegetables. 2403 Thomas Avenue, 214-849-0007. The Capital Grille is a grand power restaurant serving top-notch steaks, chops, chicken and seafood with style and atmosphere. Located in The Crescent Court, 214-303-0500. Guthrie’s is a throwback to the American tradition of town-square restaurants. Chef William Guthrie serves baked chicken, sandwiches, hamburgers, fish and chips, and other simple, wholesome food. 400 S. Ervay, across from the main library, 214-760-7900. Cool River manages to make “huge” feel “cozy”-bar, billiards, cigar lounge, split dining room. You’ll find a niche in this hunting lodge style environment serving great salads, beef, sandwiches and chicken fried venison. 1045 Hidden Ridge, Las Colinas, 972-871-8881. Hofstetter’s Spargel Café blends time-honored German and Austrian recipes with modern, Euro-Continental cuisine for great results. The new University Park restaurant is striking. 4326 Lovers Lane, 214-368-3002. Bistro A in Snider Plaza is a sleek, Mediterranean restaurant featuring Chef Avner Samuell. The open kitchen turns out great appetizers-including Avner’s famous tortilla soup. Entrees from the wood-fired oven include pizzas, lamb, chicken and fish. 5815 Snider Plaza, 214-373-9911. Chef Chris Ward and The Mercury transformed a drab slab into a wonderful, upscale restaurant. Everything from wood-fired pizzas to risotto to the 20-clove garlic chicken is memorable and delicious. Northwest corner Preston/Forest, 972-960-7774. Al Biernat’s proves hard work and being nice to your customers pays off with this beautifully designed eponymous restaurant serving great salads-especially Chef James Neel’s award-winning Caesar. Rich and flavorful pastas; superb garlic chicken and seafood. Service is sensational; the wine list is first-rate. 4217 Oak Lawn, 214-219-2201. Send me an Email: jwdineline@aol.com