To prepare for this fall's Best of Dallas® 2014 issue, we're counting down (in no particular order) our 100 Favorite Dishes. If there's a dish you think we need to try, leave it in the comments, or email me.
A handful of plates leaving the kitchen at CBD Provisions will turn the heads of diners, but none as much as this crispy head on a plank of wood. It's hard not to notice, with that gnarled ear jutting outward, that crunchy nose curling upward and oh my God is that a tooth?
Scraping the face off an animal will quickly remind you that meat requires certain sacrifices, but just beneath that crispy skin are glistening lumps of meat that will remind you that yes, this is in fact food: absolutely delicious pork carnitas that will rival the best carnicerias in Dallas.
If you still need convincing, grab one of the accompanying tortillas and heap as much of the fatty pork as you can handle, making sure not to neglect the impossibly crispy skin. Add some pickled onions and radishes and then paint your creation with one (or both) of the salsas that are also at the ready. The resulting taco will change your outlook on the day. But maybe not the pig's.
As for strategy, start with the cheek, where the most soft and unctuous meat waits to yield the most decadent possible tacos. From there, eat anything you can safely sink your teeth into. This is the most carnal sort of eating.
No. 100: Pastrami Egg Rolls at Blind Butcher No. 99: Chicken-fried Steak at Tom's Burgers and Grill No. 98: Pasta with Uni Butter at Nonna No. 97: Camarón en Agua Chile at La Palapas No. 96: The Wings at Lakewood Landing No. 94: Chicken Kebab at Afrah No. 93: Trompo Tacos at Bachman Lake No. 92: Fish and Chips at 20 Feet No. 91: Canelés at Village Baking Co. No. 90: Banh Mi from La Me No. 88: The Burgers at Off-Site Kitchen No. 87: The White Album at Spoon No. 86: Ramen at Tei An No. 85: Tacos at Revolver Taco No. 84: Stuffed Chicken Wings at Sakhuu No. 83: Korean Fried Chicken at Bonchon No. 82: Grilled Branzino at Tei Tei Robata No. 81: The Toddfather at Cattleack Barbecue No. 80: The Biryanis at Chennai No. 79: Shish Tawook at Qariah No. 78: Arepes at Zaguan No. 77: Goat Momo at Everest Restaurant No. 76: Steak Tartar at Gemma No. 75: Escabeche at Joyce and Gigi's No. 74: Spicy Fish in Oil at Royal Sichuan No. 73: Pupusas at La Pasadita No. 72: The Kathi Roll at Simply Dosa No. 71: The Chicken Wings at Teppo No. 70: Cheesesteak at Truck Yard No. 69: Chicken and Waffles at Jonathon's No. 68: Birria Tacos at Los Torres Taqueria No. 67: Bulgogi Cheesesteak at Say Kimchi No. 66: Suadero Tacos at La Banqueta No. 65: Brian Luscher's Post Oak Red Hot No. 64: Banana Flower Salad at Mot Hai Ba No. 63: Cinco Leches Cake At Mesero Miguel No. 62: Cabrito a la Parilla at El Ranchito No. 61: Reuben at Kuby's No. 60: Plain Cheese Pizza Cooked Extra Crispy at Zoli's No. 59: Enmoladas at Mesa
