Well, I finally made it to Babe’s. What kind of food critic lives in Dallas for nearly two years and doesn’t check out the chicken fried steak blessed by Sam Sifton himself? I didn’t stop by the Roanoke location like the former New York Times food critic recommended, but I…
I was about halfway through a basket of fish and chips at 20 Feet, the new casual seafood joint in East Dallas, when I started looking for my fork. I haven’t eaten fish and chips with my fingers since I learned how to properly command utensils. Yet the second the…
Victoria’s Mexican Grill at 607 Willomet Ave. just off of Davis Street in Oak Cliff has finally opened. Last summer owner Jorge Flores started refurbishing this two-story house and has since transformed it into a quaint spot with two huge patios. I spoke with the manager today, Maria Perez, who…
The Social House (2708 Routh S.) has opened a second restaurant in the old Arcodoro-Pomodoro space in Uptown. The Social House got its start in the West Village about four years ago, then in 2011 moved north to Addison into much bigger digs and tweaked their concept and focused more…
When I say to you “pop-up restaurant,” you might envision such things as an experienced chef temporarily occupying an artful and attractive space in a prime location somewhere to try out a new concept or two. Perhaps you think of a fun new approach to dining testing out the commercial…
When I opened up this cookbook at Christmas, this was the recipe that had to be made. I waited for the right moment, then I tried it out. There are no photos of the results, because the results were eaten too quickly. I assure you, this bacon is amazing. It’s…
Have you met Joyce and Gigi? Depending on your vantage point, they’re either a South American mother and daughter chef duo, or a quaint yet seductive South American restaurant in East Dallas. Both descriptions are true, and certainly restaurants named after their principles are nothing new. But in the case…
Now, let’s say you want to combine the heavy, meat-based joys of barbecue with the relatively light, raw fish-based delights of sushi. You’re clearly having a boring day. Nothing’s gone right for you so far. You tried combining Vietnamese and Mexican food. That fell down at the pho burrito. Korean…
For the better part of the past five years, chef Rosanne DiLeo worked the kitchen at The Libertine Bar on Lower Greenville. As she heard regular customers beginning to ask for more vegan dishes, DiLeo says she decided to incorporate more options on the menu and in the kitchen. And,…
The Observer’s very own Alice Laussade, who for years put her cast-iron stomach on the line as The Cheap Bastard to bring you reviews of Dallas’ low-cost lunch spots, was named a finalist in the humor-writing category of the 2013 James Beard Foundation Awards, which is like the Oscars of…
Brian Williams and Brian Martensen, the team behind Cedars Social, have quietly opened a new high-end cocktail den called Smyth at 4513 Travis St., just south of Knox Street. Previously we told you about The Establishment, an oyster-inclined restaurant, which has yet to open. Smyth is the drink part of…
I tracked down the Bombay Street Food food truck yesterday. It’s as close as I’ll get to any type of interesting travel or cultural experiences this spring break. Not that Port Aransas in the early 1990’s was a hotbed of cultural experiences, but you know, we play the hand we’re…
Earlier this week Robb Walsh predicted a tsunami of ramen on his blog Texas Eats, but the deluge has already started here in Dallas. News that a dedicated ramen restaurant called Tanoshi Ramen would grace Deep Ellum with steaming bowls of noodles broke late last year. That restaurant is expect…
Remember when I brought some Sichuan peppercorns into the office to try out on the rest of the Observer staff? I’ve been looking for fiery Sichuan cooking on and off ever since. At the end of that blog post I mentioned Royal Sichuan, a small Chinese restaurant on Greenville Avenue…
“Should I turn on the sign?” Yemi Lemma asks. Months of preparation have led up to the opening of Desta, an Ethiopian spot far up Greenville Avenue, just inside Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway. Co-owner Lemma was well prepared for her first night of business, but still she was nervous. The…
Beer is a lovely word. We can all agree on that. Beer. There it is. If you had to add an adjective in front of such a glorious noun with the aim of improving it further, what would it be? Delicious? Cheap? Gold-plated? What about free?! FREE BEER. That is…
Happy Aloha Tuesday, Dallas. There’s a new Hawaiian barbecue place on Lemmon Avenue, and it looks pretty interesting. Aloha Hawaiian BBQ opened just last week with bamboo window treatments, a mural of the Hawaiian mountains painted on the wall, and Hawaiian radio playing over the sound system. I’d tell you…
When I wrote of Korean fusion in Dallas last year, I spent considerable time with Janice and Terry Song. The two couldn’t seem to get a break in terms of restaurant location as their first, on Inwood Road, was plagued panhandlers who would harass their customers as they waited in…
Drumroll starts low … crescendo … aaaaaaaand big cymbal crash! The new Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos have arrived! Actually, to steal the punch from the cymbal crash, it was available yesterday. You just had to know to ask for it, which I did because I live on the edge…
Pupusería La Pasadita may be one of the smallest restaurants in Dallas. It’s a stretch even to call the ramshackle takeout joint a restaurant. This is a food truck without wheels. There’s no seating, unless you count the sad metal bench sitting on the curb out front, and there’s little…
Boca Chica Tapas & Tequila recently opened above the old Bailey’s Prime Plus space at the Shops at Park Lane. Designed by the always-swank Plan B Group, this spot specializes in stiff drinks and modern (yet, sometimes ancient) Mexican fare. This little mouth is the latest footprint from Restaurants America,…
And you thought nothing exciting was going to happen this week. Silly you! Whataburger has brought back a limited batch of its spicy ketchup. So, rent a U-Haul and find the keys to the storage unit, it’s time to stockpile. Last year I interviewed chef John Kleifgen, who was at…
