AN S80 DSNDING INTO DFW; TX; DELAYS DSCNT AND HAS TO BE GIVEN A VECTOR BY ZFW TO CROSS WAYPOINT AT SPECIFIED ALT.

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I WAS FO; PF; ON THIS LEG. FROM FL240 WE WERE INITIALLY CLRED TO CROSS 10 MI E OF BYP AT OR BELOW FL180; DSND TO CROSS COVIE AT 10000 FT. I READ BACK THAT CLRNC AND ARMED 10000 FT. THIS SEEMED AN ODD ALT FOR COVIE; SO I QUERIED THE CTLR AGAIN. HE THEN SAID TO CROSS COVIE AT 11000 FT; SO I SET AND ARMED THAT ALT. IN THE PROCESS OF CLARIFYING THE ALT CLRNC; I GOT BEHIND ON THE DSCNT. AT 14 DME E OF BYP; THE CTLR INSTRUCTED US TO TURN 30 DEGS L AND CONTINUE DSCNT TO 11000 FT. I COMPLIED IMMEDIATELY WITH HIS INSTRUCTIONS. AFTER 1 MIN; WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO BYP AND RESUMED THE ARR. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: 1 PLT FLYING AND WORKING RADIOS; TIME LOST IN VERIFYING THE CLRNC; AND NOT ASKING FOR RELIEF FROM THE XING RESTR EARLY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 379608: FO FLYING COPIED CLRNC TO BE BELOW FL180. BY 10 DME OUT FROM BYP VOR AND DSCND TO 10000 FT. CTR GAVE OR FO COPIED CLRNC WITH AN ALT THAT DID NOT AGREE WITH PUBLISHED ARR. FO READ BACK 10000 FT AND CTR MADE NO REPLY. AFTER FINISHING PA; CAPT QUERIED FO ABOUT ALT. FO CALLED CTR. IN THE PROCESS OF VERIFYING CORRECT ALT (11000 FT) DSCNT WAS DELAYED; AND CTR GAVE US A TURN AWAY FROM COURSE PRIOR TO THE 10 DME FIX. WE WERE LATER INSTRUCTED TO REINTERCEPT THE ARR. THE PROB IS THAT MANY CTLRS KEEP ACFT HIGH UNTIL THE LAST MIN; REQUEST HIGHER THAN NORMAL SPDS; THEN EXPECT AN IDLE AND SPD BRAKE DSCNT (VERY UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THE PAX). THE ADDITION OF AN ADDITIONAL XING RESTR FURTHER COMPLICATES MATTERS. IN RETROSPECT; CAPT SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR RELIEF FROM THE RESTR AND/OR A TURN OFF COURSE EARLIER.