It was love at first taste. The first time I ate the mazateño taco at Tacos Mariachi, I fell in love. The flour tortilla, from Oak Cliff’s Araiza Tortilla Co., is exquisitely crisp. The shrimp are fabulously sautéed, never overdone, never rubbery. The cabbage is crisp and light, offset by…
My office takes lunch outings seriously. We have a shared document listing nearby restaurants in categories like “Old Favorites,” “New Openings” and “Places That Have Changed and Are Different and Frightening Now.” If your office is similarly intent on lunching well, and is located anywhere near the intersection of Interstate 35…
Withhold your judgment, carnivores: There are 10 vegetarian burgers in Dallas that are downright delicious. I know — it’s a challenge to believe that’s possible. One of these veggie burgers is, somehow, even better than its beef compatriot. There are vegetarian burgers in Dallas that come with aromas of cumin…
It had been a long day at the State Fair of Texas. My friends and I tried the fried jambalaya (meh), fried clam chowder (tasty), fried PB&J (even better than the original!) and fried brownies (decadent). By dinnertime, we were feeling a little queasy and not at all hungry. “What…
The North Texas barbecue scene just keeps getting bigger — and more spread out. Your favorite barbecue joint may be dictated more by location than by what’s coming out of their smoker. Not that it isn’t worth it to, say, drive 45 minutes for bacon burnt ends. If you’re in…
It was only a matter of time before some fast food industry titan hopped on the brunch bandwagon. And now Jack in the Box, the same company that brought us a round-headed mascot and combo meals that treat tacos like side orders, has developed Brunchfast, the all-day, drive-through friendly take…
When eating your way through the State Fair of Texas, one of the best ways to keep your insides happy is to exercise fried restraint. It’s like a food casino. Stick to a corny dog, zig-zagged with mustard, or the Game of Thrones-level turkey leg or anything dunked in hot…
All-American is a series that looks at beloved, longstanding North Texas eateries and examines their history while exploring how the food has changed — for the good or bad — over the years. Two bowls of gravy come with important instructions. One is mixed with spheres of sausage, and it’s…
Back in July, Kitchen LTO, the “permanent pop-up” concept at Trinity Groves that swaps out chefs and menus every few months, closed abruptly. “It’s funny — we thought that was gonna be good,” Phil Romano told the Observer in August when talking about the concept. “It worked in the beginning then it just…
Writing about Mi Lindo Oaxaca feels like breaking a vow of silence or unmasking a secret society. It’s a practically unknown restaurant in a practically unknown Oak Cliff strip mall. The front door and sign out front say “Tacos King.” Payments are cash-only and service is rarely in English; only…
It arrives at my table in taco form, thin dark strips filling corn tortillas piled high with pickled onion and something resembling Parmesan cheese. I pull one of the julienned strips of brown mystery out of the taco and taste it on its own. It’s smoky and moist, tangy from…
Si Tapas, the excellent Spanish restaurant tucked away in a quieter corner of Uptown, recently opened an outpost at the Dallas Farmers Market. Though the menu has been curtailed to accommodate a food court environment, the quality hasn’t faltered. During our visit, we sampled a meat and cheese plate ($18),…
Fort Worth has another barbecue joint, one that’s crazy busy and smoking up briskets, sausage and bacon burnt ends almost non-stop. The new restaurant is made more interesting by the fact that it’s run by a couple in their mid-20s who are successfully spending nearly 24 hours a day together…
Barley & Board test drove the first of what will hopefully become a quarterly seasonal supper club this week. The private event featured a craft beer-driven pairing menu of five fall-inspired courses served to friends in their intimate private dining room. Executive chef Chad Kelley was on hand to walk…
The cars pile up on the Henderson Avenue funnel. For a moment, headlights bleed as far as down the street as I can see. From the Velvet Taco patio, which is full on a Wednesday night, speakers pulse with Michael Jackson’s “Somebody’s Watching Me.” Cars fight for parking nearby. Over…
After only a few months in business, Knuckle Sandwich on Greenville Avenue has closed, Escape Hatch reports. The bar was a project from popular Dallas bar maven Eddie “Lucky” Campbell. Via Mike Hiller: … Eddie “Lucky” Campbell has closed his Lower Greenville Avenue restaurant, Knuckle Sandwich Co. Open only a…
You may have heard stirrings about the newest concept to come to Deep Ellum, STIRR. They’re more than just rumors (finally), with an impending opening later this week. The open industrial space on the corner of Main and Crowdus (formerly Blind Lemon) has been turned industrial chic with cozy elements like plush…
All-American is a series that looks at beloved, longstanding North Texas eateries and examines their history while exploring how the food has changed — for the good or bad — over the years. I don’t know what it was about the tacos, but this time I felt it deep down…
Monday, 5:50 p.m. There is no line at Shake Shack. Only eight tables are occupied, six by people dining alone. I snag a parking spot right in front of the door. Is Dallas coming to its senses? We live in, probably, the burger capital of the world. There are dives…
Move over, Grandma, this ain’t your kind of comfort food. At least not anymore. Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen opened earlier this week in Lakewood Shopping Center, replacing the long-standing Dixie House that occupied the space at the corner of Gaston Avenue and Abrams Road for more than 35 years. After Dixie…
Located in the Harwood district, Happiest Hour occupies one of the center cuts of Dallas’ dining real estate. It’s also a massive piece of realty with over 12,000 square feet of space that has been given the modern industrial treatment. You’ve seen it before: Edison bulbs, oversize tubular furniture, hosts and…
A turkey burger is always a high-risk gamble: The probability of a turkey patty setting your hair on fire with its greatness, at most restaurants, is about the same likelihood as SETI receiving the broadcast of a thumbs-up emoji from a distant planet. A turkey burger is the menu item…
