the year of eating fabulously So much food, so little time: Our favorite dishes of 2012.

STORY BY SCOTT REITZ n PHOTOS BY CATHERINE DOWNES

fellow food writer recently told me that food is one of the greatest pleasures of life you get to experience three times a day. If you followed this convention, you’d have more than a thousand opportunities to consume some- thing beautiful every year. Our daily meals seem like an Aalmost endless opportunity for culinary exploration. The thing is, most of us don’t unearth even a fraction of this potential. Breakfast is almost always forgotten. If we eat at all, our morn- ings are often mired in microwavable oatmeal or a terrible bagel sandwich purchased and devoured on the run — hardly inspira- tional eating. So many lunches are squandered on mindless meals we bull- doze in a hurry, collecting our calories at drive-thru win- dows, munching sloppy sandwiches on bad bread from the cafe in an office basement or wolfing down lukewarm Chinese takeout during a quick afternoon break. Dinner seems more sacred, but even this meal falls victim to the countless in- trusions of other important activities in our lives. Our ultimate barrier to plea- surable dining is our demand for con- venience. Unless you have a lot of free time, you probably get only a handful of opportunities a month to go out and eat something wonderful, and those experiences often fall victim to a res- taurant rut. Overwhelmed by recom- mendations offered by newspapers, magazines, blogs and friends, we fall back on our old familiar favorites and then won- der how we ended up stuffed with mediocre Tex-Mex again. Even as a professional food critic with a dining budget, I’m not immune to the occasionally uninspired meal. If you ever see me stuffing a 7-Eleven egg-salad sandwich into my face outside the office you’ll know I’m really behind on a dead- line. This is how we end up trying to wrap our faces around another burrito at Chipotle (which is a fine enough meal, but hardly an excit- ing one) or at the prepared foods section of Whole Foods. This is how that frozen pizza ended up in the fridge. Suadero Tacos at La Banqueta The richest dining experiences require us to let go of our comfort- Fanned out on a plate like daisy petals with two limes able restaurants and venture to try something that will often turn out to be where the yellow center should be, La Banqueta’s a disappointment. If you gamble enough, every now and then you’ll stumble suadero tacos look just as good as they taste. They’re a across the undiscovered treasures that drive the best food lovers to constantly little salty — good salty — and sparsely seasoned. The seek new dishes. This is how you find the small-batch, hand-crafted cooking brisket isn’t muddied with too much cumin or other that gives any food scene its core identity. spices but flavored simply by the heat of a flat grill in- Not all of the following dishes, gleaned from my year eating out in 2012, are gems, stead. Some pieces are tender and fatty, others have a but they all bring something significant to the table. If you dig deeper and learn how bit of chew, and still more get rendered down into they’re inspired, prepared or made, you’ll find they’re all interesting in some way. crunchy, desiccated bits of salty meat like brisket ba- They all have a story. con. With a hearty squeeze of lime and a squirt of Use a single dish for your launching point to check out a new restaurant you bright green tomatillo salsa, this is one of the best bites hadn’t previously considered, or as a stepping stone into a neighborhood you’d never you can buy in all of Dallas. otherwise have visited. There are hundreds of culinary treasures to be discovered in and around Dallas. This list barely scratches the surface.

dallasobserver.com | Month XX–Month XX, 2012 | DALLAS OBSERVER 1 Turkey Sandwich at Bolsa Mercado Turkey sandwiches are usually dry and bland, so I’ll only order one when I feel as though I’ve hit my burger quota on any given week. Bolsa Mercado’s smoked turkey sandwich could change this. The soft, freshly baked ciabatta roll is springy and supple, while an avocado spread keeps it from eating like a sack of sand. The turkey is smoked in house, and a pepper spread brings brightness. Chicken Shish Kebab at Pepper Smash Put aside the skewers and roll up your sleeves. You’re about to make a killer sandwich. Pick up a huge, tender hunk of juicy chicken, blis- tered in a hot tandoor oven. Fold it into a hunk of freshly baked naan bread. Smear a little tahini dip and yogurt on your makeshift sand- wich before topping it with a little tabbouleh laced with lemon. The people at Potbelly in the same plaza have absolutely no idea what they’re missing. Babaganoush at Baboush Typically, babaganoush is about a point or two higher than hummus on the boring scale of Mediterranean dips. Baboush’s dish is more sturdy, based on a simple blend of roasted eggplant given personality with the subtle heat of fresh jalapeños. A dollop of creamy basil pesto adds unexpected flavors that are offset by bright bursts of fresh pomegranate. Jerk Chicken at Island Spot Most Jamaican restaurants make use of pre-made seasonings (Walk- erswood is the most popular) and Island Spot in Carrollton is no differ- Grilled Whole Bronzini at Tei Tei Robata ent, but a waitress there told me the jarred spice blend is only the This dish is like a haiku of fish: Deceptively simple in construction, but artfully revealing unexpected depths. Cross start. They add spices and aromatics to hop up the flavor and amp up hatches are cut into the flesh of a whole fish that is seasoned only with salt, skewered and laid across a smoking the heat before letting chicken parts soak in the marinade for days. grill. The juices boil and drip as the flesh slowly blisters and blackens. The meat is lean and juicy near the bones, and fatty and flavorful near the belly. It’s a thing of beauty seasoned with nothing but salt and lemon, served with Barbacoa Tacos at Restaurant Y Taquería Cristina a pickled onion laced with ginger on the side. The tacos may be greasy as hell, but it’s hard to argue against some of their fillings. Lengua and carnitas are woefully bland, but pastor is full of flavor. The barbacoa taco, however, is outstanding, at once beefy, bright and juicy enough that you have to eat it directly over your plate. Enmoladas at Mesa Jhinga Masala Nizami at Mughlai Fine Indian Cuisine A freshly made tortilla is carefully dipped Sure, the shrimp are tender and plump, and the curry itself is thick and into a hot pan of mole. The sauce softens heady, but it’s the fresh ginger and herbs the kitchen tosses into the the tortilla, which the cook folds and dish at the last second that really round out the dish. The thin match- dips again before folding the tortilla a sticks are cooked only by the residual heat from the sauce, and they second time. Now the tortilla is shaped explode with spicy, fresh flavor. The herbs do the same. You might like a fat slice of pizza, and the cook want to consider ordering a second naan. You’re going to want to mop plates up three of them, tucking a little up every last drop of this dish. braised chicken inside each soft corn- laden envelope. Some cotija and micro Schwarma at Samar cilantro finish out the plate. Enjoy. Tex- Order the schwarma sandwich with a very important caveat. Tell your Mex will never be the same to you. waiter you have no interest in their store-bought, pallid pita. Request your sandwich be made on freshly baked naan and all will be right in the world. Small strips of flavorful hanger steak mingle with tabbouleh so lemony it’s almost a sin. All sandwiches should taste this great. Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich at Highland Park Pharmacy It’s a simple sandwich of soft, melted cheddar the cooks griddle on a press that looks just about as old as as the bar stools that line the counter in this drugstore, which first opened in 1923. Who knew grilled cheese could be so punk rock? Cochinita Pibil at Meso Maya The pork may not be Berkshire, but it’s braised into juicy succulence, and while I wish they used more achiote for pungency and earthiness, vine- gar is used so aggressively this dish will almost make you pucker before a smile slowly spreads across your face. Pick up a huge hunk of tender pork and drop it into a handmade tortilla, pressed from freshly ground corn. Top it with a few strands of pickled onions. Take a bite. If it’s not hot enough, the smoky habanero sauce served alongside will take you as far as you need to go. Berkshire Pork Belly with Japanese Plum at Sharaku Watch as the cook stokes the coals with a bamboo fan before balanc- ing a thin skewer holding two rolled strips of meat cut from the black Arepas at Zaguan Latin Café pig’s belly. Inside the pinwheels of pork, a small Japanese plum waits Stuffed with your choice of beef and cheese, chicken to burst with fruity flavor. The soft morsel is actually quite tart. Acid’s and cheese, mushrooms and cheese or my personal the perfect foil for fatty swine, among other things, and here it works favorite, reina pepiada (pulled chicken and avocado), perfectly. the little baby sandwiches pack in big flavor. And if a gut bomb is what you’re going for? Just order two. Breakfast Burrito at La Victoria The small counter with a handful of bar stools may be one of the best places in Dallas to drink a warm cup of coffee out of a thick-rimmed mug, and fork and knife a burrito stuffed with eggs, potatoes, cheese and roasted chiles. You must top it with plenty of Vicky’s red salsa. The fiery puree pushes a normal breakfast burrito experience into a hang- over miracle cure.

2 DALLAS OBSERVER | Month XX–Month XX, 2012 | dallasobserver.com Brisket Enchiladas at ME Lounge The whole plate is heaped with crunchy fresh lettuce and cotija cheese. Beneath the greens two brisket enchiladas lie under a blanket of dark, mildly spicy mole and fried potatoes. Carrots and onions round out a plate that sticks to your ribs. Make sure you take it easy on the chips and salsa while you wait, or you’ll never Oysters at be able to finish this dish. Rex’s Seafood Smoked Salmon Potato Skins at Nova Unlike those served Potato skins are usually a snooze. Most restaurants fill dried- elsewhere in Dallas, out hulls with oily cheddar, flecks of bacon and green onion the oysters at Rex’s slices. Not so at Nova, where smoked salmon as a topping Seafood are perfectly could be innovation enough to break this tired bar snack out of consistent. A dozen its mold, but that’s just the start. The lightly smoked fish plays Wiannos will set you nicely with the crunchy, salty bacon but it’s the crème fraîche, back only $22, but lightly spiked with horseradish, that pushes this dish deeply you’re better off into must-eat territory. shelling out an extra four dollars for the Fried Chicken Sandwich at Union Bear East Dennis Bay oys- This may be Dallas’ best fried chicken sandwich. The bread is light ters that blew my and fluffy and sports a fresh brand of hatch marks from the grill. mind at lunch. Me- The chicken itself is tender, hyper-juicy and has a thick, crunchy dium-sized and briny crust. But I think it’s the pickled slaw and spicy mayo that make as a salt lick, these this sandwich so persuasive. Every time I write about it, I’m in- oysters need nothing clined to go get another. more than a drop or Tom Kha Gai at Bambu two of lemon juice. The soup is clouded with coconut milk, but still as bright as lemon tea, and loaded with tender shreds of chicken breast and the oc- casional straw mushroom that bursts in your mouth when you bite. Bambu may be a bit of a drive — the restaurant is buried in the back of a Richardson strip mall — but this soup is more than worth it. Crispy Duck at Bangkok City Subtle flavors and textures made this dish one of my favorites. The duck skin is so crisp it stands up to the sweet brown sauce it swims in, and reminds me of the skin on Southern fried chicken. The crispy basil leaves were so aromatic they scented the entire dining room. The Cubano at International Bakery Cuban Dulceria I took my first bite, and tried to figure out why Rita and Sara Potato Pancakes at Kuby’s Vasquez, the owners of International Bakery Cuban Dulceria in Car- Kuby’s doesn’t lean heavily on mashed potatoes for its pancakes, rollton, would neglect mustard from their otherwise very traditional but instead use coarsely grated raw potatoes. The tubers are Cubano sandwich. I was told it hid the flavors of the mojo-mari- lightly accented with herbs, molded into perfectly round cakes nated pork, roasted till it falls apart into strings. No matter. All you and fried to order. Often, potatoes fried in oil become greasy and have to do is ask for mustard and you’ll get it. And mustard or no heavy, but these are as light as potato cakes can possibly be. The mustard, this is without a doubt the best Cubano you can buy in the crunchy bits on the exterior explode with subtle, savory flavors. area. They bake the bread right there. It’s soft as a cloud and the hot press toasts the exterior into a thin eggshell of crisp crust that snaps when you bite it. Coffee and Doughnuts at Rosemont Remember that paper bag of over-sugared mini doughnuts you bought from the grocery store? Forget them. Rosemont has a re- freshing take on the tiny cake grenades that are more moist and fla- vorful than what you’re used to. And remember the last time you had a cappuccino topped with a dash of cinnamon from a shaker bottle last filled months ago? Not here. A fresh stick is grated right over the top of each cup. Expect the real deal from now on. Chile Relleno at Avila’s Breaded, eggy, fried versions often eat like a wet sock after they Wings at Ten Bells Tavern swim in a soupy sauce, so the folks at Avila’s were right to keep If you’re a Buffalo wing purist, you’re not this poblano pepper naked. Stuffing it to the hilt with tender going to like this. At least at first. The shredded brisket wasn’t a bad idea either. Add a restrained blan- wings at Ten Bells Tavern aren’t sauced ket of melted cheese, a fresh salsa with crunchy onions and pep- with Frank’s Red Hot alone, and that pers, and a side of hot sauce that packs a respectable punch and blue cheese dressing is a curveball too. you have one of the better Tex-Mex plates in Dallas. The kitchen calls it blue cheese fondue, Large Tabouleh at Ali Baba which is odd, but they certainly need to Leave it to Ali Baba to deliver a Texas-sized portion of parsley call it something other than blue cheese salad. I might make a dig at the place for the over-the-top serving, dressing. Go on, taste it. That’s Point but the tablouleh is nearly perfect. You can smell the lemon juice Reyes that’s filling your nostrils with its wafting up from the bowl as they bring it to the table and it’s full dank and musky footprint. of coarsely chopped parsley you really have to chew on. The cracked wheat isn’t overwhelming and the whole thing tastes like summer. The Nooner at Jonathon’s Oak Cliff Jonathon Erdeljac’s gut grenade is almost a parody, it’s so over- loaded with farm animals. Topped with American and Swiss cheese, mayo, an egg, tomato slices, ham, bacon and shame, this burger is the pinnacle of over-indulgence.

dallasobserver.com | Month XX–Month XX, 2012 | DALLAS OBSERVER 3 Ramen at Tei-An The broth is a perfect savory soup based on pork bones that’s adorned with seaweed, green onions and bamboo shoots. Each is Kimchee French Fries carefully added to the bowl so it looks as good as it tastes. at sSahm Food Truck Scotch Egg at Central 214 Kimchee fries: They should be spicy, Graham Dodds’ version of the British bar snack is everything most ver- fermented cabbage and french fries sions aren’t. The breading is so crunchy it reminds me of excellent right? It’s so much more. The fries falafel. The coarsely ground sausage packs serious flavor and encases are hand cut, the kimchee is cara- a perfectly cooked hard-boiled egg. Finished with a small dusting of melized, and the whole mess is sea salt and a tangle of lemon-kissed greens, Central 214’s version is a topped with Monterey Jack and serious upgrade in Scotch egg cookery. cheddar cheese, cilantro, onions and spicy mayo. Oh, and why not? Let’s White Clam Pizza at Nonna throw in some spicy bulgolgi too. Or- A New Haven fan would not be pleased. There’s not enough garlic, not der yours with a smock and a shovel; enough oil and what’s with this funny, runny sauce on my pizza? We’re you’ll need both. not in Connecticut, though, we’re in Dallas. Julian Barsotti was on a quest to pay tribute to one of America’s classic pies, but he couldn’t help but to tweak things a little at his Highland Park Italian restaurant Nonna. And while the “clam pizza” on the menu borrows elements from the Northeastern classic, it’s decidedly a whole new beast. Bar- sotti steams the clams in a mixture of sweet onions, wine and olive oil, removing the clams as they pop and then reducing the liquor they yield into a thick sauce he fattens with a little cream. When you order a clam pizza, the cooks fold the reserved chopped clams back into the creamy sauce along with some fresh herbs and a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes and pecorino cheese. The results are a compelling top- ping for a chewy, slightly blistered crust. Pork Banh Mi at Nammi You could drive all the way out to Richardson and buy an authentic banh mi, but it will cost you three or four bucks for the sandwich and twice that for gas. Why not let Nammi do the driving for you instead? For $7, they throw together a massive handcrafted number that should be considered one of Dallas’ greatest sandwiches. All you have to do is find out where in Dallas they’ve parked when your craving strikes. The pork version packs the most flavor. The meat is marinated and then cooked each morning before the Nammi folks heap it into each baguette to order. Pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro, a few jala- peño slices and a healthy slather of mayonnaise complete what is a re- ally well-balanced sandwich. Fried Bologna Sandwich at Maple and Motor Maple and Motor gets a lot of attention for its burgers, but it’s the ul- tra-humble sandwich fashioned from bad deli meat that really strikes Just About Any Burger a chord with me. I’m talking bologna. Except that the bologna isn’t at Off-Site Kitchen cold here, it’s sliced thick and grilled hot. Little nicks cut into the pe- rimeter of the slice keep it from curling up. The slice lies flat when it Burgers are the everyman’s food we can’t put cooks and develops a deep, rich crust across the exterior, while hun- down, and our ravenous quest for bovinity has dreds of burgers searing nearby lend their fatty flavor. It’s a humble spurred the opening of countless burger chains. sandwich for sure, but lettuce and a tomato slice freshen things up a The thing is, burgers aren’t good for us, which is touch. one of the reasons why I’m so smitten with the of- Dan-Dan Noodles at Royal China fering at Off-Site Kitchen. (The other is they rock.) The Dan-Dan noodles here are a must-order. I prefer Sloppy Taco at Off-Site Kitchen The burgers here are diminutive, yet still filling. the Lanzhou version: The long, thin noodles are eas- The crunchy taco shell invokes the taco dinners your mother used to They’re juicy and flavorful, but leave me with a ier to wrangle with chopsticks. Served cold, the noo- make for weeknight meals. The sweet barbecue-sauce-soaked meat sense of well-being instead of shame and guilt. dles balance sweet with a spicy heat heightened recalls the Sloppy Joe meals that probably graced your childhood ta- with the spark of Sichuan peppercorns. Sprouts add ble too. Pick the taco up and you’ll even feel like a little kid: The shell is freshness and crunch. So, so good. wider than your head. Grab a few hundred napkins or you’ll look like a toddler when you’re finished eating. Dolmas at Pera Turkish Kitchen Dolmas get a bad name because so many premade versions are passed off as food at Middle Eastern restaurants. At Pera Turkish Kitchen, the grape leaves are rolled by hand in the kitchen and stuffed with rice, pine nuts, currants and onions. The dolmas have a nice tex- Roast Chicken at Bolsa ture that really gives you something to chew on. Jeff Harris’ dish solved a cooking co- Sampler Plate with Samoon at Judi Bakery nundrum I’ve wrestled with as a home Judi Restaurant and Bakery turns out a football-shaped Iraqi samoon cook over and over again. If the flesh that is almost good enough to feature on its own as a favorite dish, but of a cooked chicken is moist enough, when it’s paired with their veggie sampler plate, the chewy, fresh- the skin that surrounds it often be- baked loaves are no-brainers for anyone’s list. Tabouleh, hummus in comes soggy by the time it gets to multiple varieties, baba ganoush, cucumber and yogurt salad, and your table. Crisp skin at the table, on other dips get plated up with olives, pickles and dolmas that make for the other hand, tends to be a harbin- a compelling meal. ger of dry meat. Harris’ chicken was so juicy it wept and the skin was so crisp Fried Chicken at Sissy’s it broke like glass. The plate made me Usually when I’m done with a review, I’m done with a restaurant. The smile and lifted my mood. day after my review of Sissy’s ran in the paper, however, I went back to the restaurant and grabbed a seat at the bar. I did not order an entire bucket, but I did order fried chicken. I’m not saying it’s the best in Dal- las, but if it can draw a critic in for a rehash long after he’s filed his copy, then it’s definitely a worthy addition to our list of favorite dishes.

4 DALLAS OBSERVER | Month XX–Month XX, 2012 | dallasobserver.com Italian Combo at Carbone’s If you’re from Philly or the surrounding area and love hoagies, Dallas’ sandwich scene will make you very sad. Go cheer up a little at Carbone’s. The roll comes from Il Vecchio Fornaio in Arlington and is shaped wrong, but the texture is pretty close. It’s a crusty and tough number that holds its own against a vinegary Italian dressing. “Combo” refers to three meats: house-made mortadella, coppa from La Quercia in Iowa and soppressata from Fra Mani in California. It’s a son-of-a-bitch that you must pay $11 for the sandwich, but when looking for reminders of home, you pay for what you get.

Guisado Verde Tacos led vegetables, salads and funky fishes, I’d have at La Nueva Fresh And Hot never ordered the soup. Huge chunks of fish floated The storefront where you’ll be waiting for your like icebergs in the bowl, which literally boiled when guisado verde tacos is stifling in the summer. Never it arrived. Clams and shrimp swam about and I took mind that. It’s worth it the second you get a double- every bite in a different direction than the last be- stacked tortilla bursting with braised pork sim- cause of that endless array of condiments. Bright, mered in a light green tomatillo sauce. Hit it with a then salty, then sweet, then fishy — I’d never get little onion and cilantro for some crunch, and a little bored eating like this. of the red salsa you’ll get on the side for heat. Spicy Crispy Wings at Malai Patty Melt at NHS These wings take cultural cuisine to the next level — This thing is an all-out monster. I wish NHS would at least for Uptown. They might even be dangerous. slice the bread more thickly, so the sandwich I ordered them as hot as the kitchen would make wouldn’t need four slices to keep from falling apart, them, and a steaming bowl of deep-golden chicken but the patty hidden between the bread is not up flecked with red chiles and green cilantro came to for debate. It’s fatty, flavorful meat, cooked exactly my table. They were sticky, sweet and left whole. how you tell the kitchen to cook it, and then topped These wings are seriously good. How hot were with cheese, Russian dressing and a black jam-like they? Pretty hot. Two cold beers for four double condiment made with onions and bacon. It’s ab- wings hot. A slightly tacky forehead and a couple of surd. It will give you level nine food shame. And you deep breaths as you ate hot. will like it. Chili Dog at St. Pete’s Bistec Con Queso at El Tizoncito St. Pete’s chili dog easily won our chili dog smack El Tizoncito can call it whatever they want, but this down, trumping the Angry Dog and securing its spot is a cheesesteak. It’s not a Philly cheesesteak for in this year’s favorite dishes list. High-quality ingredi- sure. The bread has been replaced by tortillas, and ents are key here, and a hot dog made at Rudolph’s the provolone by Monterey Jack, but the steak and Meat Market just down the road packs a lot of flavor onion combination with melting, oozing dairy stays into an already intense dish. It’s almost possible to true to the flavors you’ve grown to love. pick this puppy up and eat with your hands but I Falafel at Fadia Bakery wouldn’t recommend it. A fork and knife will help. The falafel served in this small storefront in Richard- Cabrito a la Parrilla at El Ranchito son may be one of the area’s best kept secrets. The first time I ate cabrito was at El Ranchito, a glo- Owner Charbel Hamad soaks dried chickpeas over- rious palace of Mexican food specializing in the re- night and then runs them through a meat grinder. gional dishes of northern Mexico. I brazenly tore a Then he folds in minced cilantro, parsley, onion, jala- fatty chunk of meat off the mini-goat carcass peño and garlic. It’s not until you place your order splayed on the parrilla in the middle of the table that he grabs some of the falafel dough and folds in and tucked it into a warm flour tortilla with grilled baking soda and a blend of spices. These savory lit- onions, guac and pico. The baby goat was rich and tle fritters pack a lot of punch into a pillowy, fluffy tender, less gamey than lamb but exponentially package encased in an impossibly crunchy and sa- more flavorful than chicken, with a touch of smoky vory exterior. flavor from the grill. In a word, delicious. Deviled Eggs at R&D Kitchen Breakfast Schnitzel at Crossroads Diner At R&D Kitchen, this simple snack gets elevated a The pork was pan-sauteed into a deep-brown touch while remaining true to its picnic-basket crust and came perched on a bed of wilted spin- roots. The kitchen uses a sweet house-made relish ach in a swamp of thick, cheesy, gritty grits. It was that gives these eggs a distinct personality. A tiny crowned with a perfectly cooked egg, laced with dice of celery offers a final twist, lending cool, wa- lemony Hollandaise that jiggled in anticipation as tery explosions to every bite. it hit the table. The yolk gushed when urged to do Spicy Fish Soup at Korea House so with the edge of my knife, washing my plate in If I hadn’t passed the old man’s table, littered with a slow-motion tide of yellow that tied everything little bowls of interesting condiments such as pick- together. dallasobserver.com | Month XX–Month XX, 2012 | DALLAS OBSERVER 5 Panamericana Torta at Tortas la Hechizera The sandwich pairs a pounded and fried pork cutlet with sliced ham, av- ocado, tomato, diced on- ions, cheese and a serious slathering of mayonnaise. It’s a sandwich that’s big enough to satisfy two people if you’re not starving. Bring some backup, or you’ll likely have to skip your dinner.

Fish and Chips at the Londoner Hollandaise sauce with a prominent citrus twang The Londoner’s version sports a thick, crispy crust that cuts through the richness of the sauce, oozing that’s not too oily, which encases dense cod that yolk and mound of slow-cooked pork. breaks apart into massive, meaty flakes. Chips play Italian Beef at Jimmy’s more than a supporting role with a generous por- Sure, it’s made of prepackaged products shipped tion of potatoes cooked just right. The results are a down from Chi-town, but they come together in an plate that eats heartily while leaving you feeling honest rendition of the sandwich that works really, (mostly) guilt-free. really well. Order yours with extra giardiniera. The Sopa de Atlahua at Veracruz Cafe spicy and acidic pickle of carrots, celery and pep- It’s a bit like a French bouillabaisse but with Mexican pers makes the sandwich. leanings. Veracruz Cafe’s Sopa de Atlahua is an- Brisket Tacos at Manny’s chored by a broth loaded with shrimp stock and I ate so, so many versions of these heavy little gut chili flavors. Scallops, tilapia and whole shrimp bombs on my quest to find Dallas’ best that now I’m round out the seafood components, and carrots, certain. These are it. The poblanos and onions are full Mexican squash and zucchini assure Mom you’re of life and crunchy rather then drenched in oil and soft eating healthy. Fresh epazote, a bitter herb that — plus, they give you a huge bowl of gravy for dip- looks a bit like dandelion greens and tastes of anise ping. Manny’s for the brisket taco win. It’s a no-brainer. and coriander, finishes off the dish. Chicken-Fried Egg at Union Bear Pepper Bomb at Goodfriend Union Bear’s beer list is a reason to go all on its The mix of serranos, habaneros and Thai bird chiles own, but its chicken-fried egg is one hell of a bonus. on this burger packs wicked heat, but it’s nothing With a salty, crunchy exterior, wrapped around a once you’ve tangoed with the Trinidad chili. And if tender egg white, wrapped around a oozing yolk, flaming lips are not your thing, that’s OK. There are this number owes as much to its sourcing as it does other burgers on the menu that make use of the to the chef that handles the dish. Yellow Prairie same great beef. Farm in Caldwell supplies the eggs, and the kitchen Shanghai Buns at Jeng Chi Dumpling House consistently turns out golden gushers. Some people tear a little hole in the little parcels of Brisket at Pecan Lodge pastry to let the soup fill their spoon before slurp- I was blown away how the fat in Pecan Lodge’s ing. Others make a little nick with their teeth and meat melted away in my mouth and how simple in- suck the savory broth directly from the dumpling. gredients — salt, pepper, heat, smoke and beef — Not me. I may eat one or two like that, waiting for came together to create something so much the magma-hot broth to cool, but as soon as they’re greater than the sum of its parts. tepid I lose control. I pop the whole thing in my mouth and bite down hard into a gushing, briny sea Regina Margherita at Cane Rosso of porcine flavor. Last year Cane Rosso’s pizza made our favorite dishes list when it was still a humble mobile oven, Sweet Shrimp at Yutaka wheeled around the city behind a pickup truck. My meal at Yutaka is months old but one memory Now the pizzas are available in a full-service sit- is firmly with me. I’ve been trying to find better down restaurant and have only gotten better. The shrimp heads at every sushi restaurant I’ve visited crust is more airy, delicate and less filling because and am still coming up short. The batter on these Dino Santonicola, an Italian-born pizza pro, in- babies was amazing, shattering like glass as I took creased hydration and the temperature at which he a bite. I popped each head in my mouth like an ferments the dough. Sit at the bar with a cold Per- over-sized potato chip and a smile crept over my oni draft and watch the master work. You’re eating face as I crunched away. Their insides were meaty Dallas’ best pizza. and textured and tasted of custardy cooked shrimp. It was a fresh and simple flavor I can’t Chicken and Waffles at Jonathon’s Oak Cliff There’s something about that deeply honeyed skin: shake. Just looking at it, you can almost hear the crunch Pulled Whole Hog BBQ and crackle it makes, even before you stab it with Eggs Benedict at Smoke your fork. The gravy is rich and full of flavor and Tweaking a classic, Smoke swaps out the Canadian trickery. (I was convinced there was pork fat in the bacon for Smoke’s elevated version of pulled pork. mix, and I was dead wrong.) The chicken is packed The char job on the English muffins brings a smoky with flavor, too, and moist from a bath in a Tabasco- aroma, and two perfectly poached eggs come in a laden buttermilk. 6 DALLAS OBSERVER | Month XX–Month XX, 2012 | dallasobserver.com