The Secret, Off-Menu "Bowl of Doom" That's Become Famous in Dallas CrossFit and Paleo Circles

Kozy Kitchen has been serving healthy Dallas fare for 15 years. CrossFitters could go there before paleo was fashionable because chef Nicholas Pavageaux had the ingredients and aptitude to put together dishes that fit the diet profile.

But a few years ago, something that began as a protein-fueled joke to the chef wound up becoming a customer favorite — but you won't find it on the menu. After fielding requests from CrossFitting regulars, Pavageaux got creative and the Bowl of Doom was born.

“They started ordering these mass amounts of food,” Pavageaux says. “So it was sweet potato hash, they added a protein, they wanted an egg, they wanted an avocado. And I didn’t know how to serve it on a plate. So I threw it all in a bowl and threw it on the table, threw salsa on it, and said, ‘There you go. There’s a bowl of doom.’

“I was kind of being sarcastic, and I just mounded the food up on purpose,” he says. “And they were like, ‘No, this is perfect.’”

The hash — a recipe of sweet potato and bacon that Pavageaux will not disclose — takes up the whole plate, then it’s piled with a choice of protein: buffalo and venison are the chef’s favorites. But diners can really get any protein they have in the kitchen, and feel free to double it up.

Even those who order only one meat still get two eggs and half an avocado on top. A cup of salsa comes with the plate, too, and while it does taste great on its own, diners quickly learn whether or not they like salsa on sweet potato.

Those who didn’t lift extra heavy that day can take the rest of the plate to-go for a second (or third) meal.

“It’s huge,” Pavageaux says. “For a normal person, it’s two meals.”

The dish may be a bit of a secret outside of certain circles, but word is getting out thanks to a recent write-up in Men’s Health Magazine that claims it’s a favorite dish for Noah Syndergaard, pitcher for the New York Mets. You'll find variations on Pavageaux’s recipe on nearly a dozen paleo blogs.

Even with all the attention, this dish won’t show up on Kozy Kitchen’s menu anytime soon.

“I’m not ever going to put it on the menu,” Pavageaux says. “People ask about it, and it’s a way for our servers to be engaged with the customers, also create a little rapport and tell them about the restaurant. And so it’s purposefully done like that, and people love it.”

Kozy Kitchen, 4423 McKinney Ave.