Chosun BBQ’s Pork Ribs: What Are You
Waiting For?

These pork ribs off Chosun BBQ’s specialty menu are insane. The fork-tender meat falls from the bone with the slightest nudge. Slathered on the succulent meat is an appropriately sweet sauce that packs the slightest punch of heat. A bed of sautéed onions sits beneath the bountiful ribs, soaking up…

Thai-Rrific is Thai-Ribble.

In the mood for some authentic Thai cuisine, I came across Thai-Rrific. Ballsy name for a place in a super-rundown shopping center. Even ballsier name for a place that serves up shitty food. It pains me to say that, since the service was really friendly. But it also pained me…

One2One: You Can’t Please Everyone.

Our server knew something was wrong at five paces. “A little too much whipped cream?” he asked with an ambiguous smirk that either indicated he thought we were fools for chancing another course after a disappointing meal or he’d grown accustomed to the kitchen’s clumsiness. In any case, he was…

Pigging Out at Whiskey Cake

You know the story. First pig builds house of straw, wolf blows it down, second pig builds his house of sticks, wolf blows it down. Smart Pig #3 builds house of bricks, and wolf huffs and puffs with all his might and can’t blow house down, so smart pig survives…

Crossroads Diner: Bacon Got A-Hold of My Soul.

The overall vibe at the just-opened Crossroads Diner is less Bone Thugs Crossroads, more Britney Spears Crossroads. They serve breakfast all day, which is pretty Bone Thugs of them. But they offer frittatas, which errybody knows is ungangster. “But, hey!” Crossroads Diner seemed to say. “We put fuckin’ chorizo in…

Chicken House: The Fried Chicken Gods Answer a Prayer.

Last week, I had some underwhelming chicken at Pope’s. Since then, my fried-chicken stomach has been super pissed. After almost a week of letting FCS relentlessly hurl unkind words at me (including, but not limited to, “Jeggings are awesome!” and “Scarlett Johansson is a talented actress!”), it was time to…

A Hunka Burnin’ Love for Sushi

Elvis Tuna Tartare at Shinsei Top Chef contestant Casey Thompson may be gone from Shinsei, but thankfully Elvis is still in the house, rockin’ the fresh sushi. Recovered completely from a motorcycle accident, Shuji “Elvis” Sugawara still draws crowds with specialties like his Elvis Tuna Tartare, a sumptuously simple preparation…

Pope’s Chicken, a Not-Quite Immaculate Conception.

I heard Pope’s Fried Chicken was a rundown, super-sketchy chicken place near Carroll Avenue that even some grown men are openly afraid of approaching. You had me at “Pope’s.” The guy is super angry old and he’s pretty busy being the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, but the pope…

Revolving Doors: November Is a Cruel Month

T.S. Eliot proclaimed that April was the cruelest month, but we would argue that November has been particularly unkind to some restaurants. Top Chef fan favorite Tiffany Derry found herself without a gig after Go Fish Ocean Club shuttered its doors this month, and Sharon Hage closed York Street, long…

Piggie Pies: A Good Reason to Escape the Chain Gang.

I steered clear of Piggie Pies for the longest time because of its location and name. Something about a place called Piggie Pies that’s in the same shopping center as a Condoms To Go made me question what it was that Piggie Pies might be serving up for lunch. And…

Bambu: This Friendly, Authentic Thai Spot Gets a Kiss on the Cheek.

I wouldn’t dare claim food writers have it worse than podiatrists and divorce attorneys, who can count on strangers to show them their bunions and bore them with stories of rapscallion spouses, but the patter unfurls pretty predictably when civilians learn they’ve crossed conversational paths with someone who eats for…

Picture Show: The Big Chicken and Waffles of Dallas

It’s no dirty secret that combining two already-great foods into one juggernaut food is a staple in this country. So, what’s better than to take a fried thing and drop it on top of a breakfast thing? Not much, we’d propose. So, let’s embark on another photographic journey, shall we?…

Anvil Pub’s Hammering Down A Heavyweight Menu

Since it opened one week ago today, there’s hardly been a moment when the Anvil Pub’s “OPEN” sign wasn’t on that I didn’t pass by and see the place brimming ever fuller with enthusiastic patrons overjoyed to have a proper pub in Deep Ellum. Opening up on a strip of…

Varsity Grill: Deep-fried Menu Would Go Better With Beer.

The Varsity Grill recently opened in the same spot that used to be Coach’s Burgers. Other than the name change, the decor looks exactly the same. Even the menu is similar. Seems to me opening a sports-themed burger restaurant in the same place that a sports-themed burger restaurant recently tanked…

Nosh: Avner Samuel’s Latest Is Fine, Affordable and a Touch Too Friendly.

When Avner Samuel, a revered titan of the Dallas dining scene, this summer dismantled Aurora—where the famed Grand Tasting menu cost about what a minimum-wage worker takes home each week—he saved its most accessible elements, stitching them into a new concept he’s calling Nosh. Samuel purposely lifted the expression from…

Texas Oyster Season is Here. Time to be Greedy.

Texas oyster season is under way, and you might as well be greedy. The oysters emerging from the Gulf this year are plump and sweet, and they’ll probably be gone by Christmas. While the recent BP oil spill didn’t taint Texan waters, oyster eaters in Louisiana weren’t so lucky. To…