Ethnic Cuisines

Veggie Girl: Green Papaya

Eddie GarzaThey say Green Papaya isn't authentic Vietnamese. I say: When I first moved to New York, my oldest friend introduced me to her cousin, who also lived there and was also a journalist. We hit it off immediately, and one of our shared passions--aside from writing, reading, watching Proje ... More >>

Dude Food: Rosita's Restaurant & Catering

My eyes! My eyes!Rosita's Restaurant & Catering4906 Maple Ave.214-521-4741Dude Factor: 8, or "Cantinflas" on a scale of 1 ("Carlos Mencia") to 10 ("Cheech Marin")Looking to try something new for a cheap and fast lunch, an amigo and I decided to try out Rosita's. The joint is just minutes from th ... More >>

Veggie Girl: Eatzi's

A hat tip to the writers of Dude Food, who this February ensured that good ol' meat-eatin' men could dine successfully at Eatzi's. So, it turns out, can veggie-eating types. Eatzi's is one of those Oak Lawn institutions whose charming perks have given it staying power. It could be the outdoor ... More >>

On The Range: Tortillas

Corn or flour?Depends on the filling. This comes from Alison Cook, author of "Taco Capitol, USA," a groundbreaking Texas Monthly cover story on the subject of Tex-Mex cuisine, who notes that while flour tortillas are better suited to Northern Mexico-style grilled meats and to breakfast tacos, "certa ... More >>

Veggie Girl: Cosmic Cafe

Fill in the blank: The best thing about Cosmic Café is... ...a deck of Tarot cards at every table. ...free yoga. ...unlimited mugs of soy chai. ...delicious plates of all-veggie food, whose prices all add up to multiples of nine. (We don't know why. We asked our waitress, and neither did she...b ... More >>

On The Range: Enchiladas

Let's face it: A true Tex-Mex establishment succeeds or fails on the strength of its enchiladas. I realize I'm speaking only for myself, at least as far as popular dishes go. Many patrons of an El-or-La-something-or-other (as Rosemary Kent dubbed Tex-Mex restaurants in her Genuine Texas Hand ... More >>

Short Orders: Andiamo

Andiamo4151 Belt LineAddison972-233-1515Andiamo is the dining equivalent of television's Life on Mars or Ashes to Ashes--an unexpected and momentarily confusing step back in time. The decor probably hasn't changed at all since the place opened in 1990. The menu includes staid, old-school dishes like ... More >>

10 Questions: Lidia Bastianich

She arrived in New York at the age of 12 in 1958. Half a century later, she's a cooking icon with five cookbooks, four television series and six restaurants to her name.Bastianich's most recent PBS cooking show, Lidia's Italy, is such a hit in Dallas that she's frequently asked to help with loca ... More >>

Short Orders: Reikyu Sushi

Reikyu Sushi5321 E. Mockingbird Lane214-823-3772Has there ever been a craze as pervasive as sushi? America's passion for raw fish began to build sometime in the very early 80s, which means it's closing in on 40 years. That tops disco fever by 34 years. Our bitterness toward Japan for that faux pas a ... More >>

Short Orders: Taverna

Taverna3210 Armstrong Ave.214-520-9933You can imagine Europe from a table inside Taverna, especially on a dim and sputtering March evening. The drafty windows, the clicking of rain, the homey clutter--it's like you've drifted somehow into an old world cafe...until Uptown boy walks in.He saw fit to c ... More >>

On The Range: Tamales

Pig's head tamales?Well, yes. Robb Walsh notes in his Tex-Mex cookbook that traditional emporiums use pig's heads as their base meat when making their husky creations. The head is boiled until the meat and lard cook away, then the broth is used to moisten the masa harina (corn meal infused with lime ... More >>

On The Range: Mexican Breakfasts

Beans for breakfast? Are you kidding?Ah, but according to the indispensable tome The Tex-Mex Cookbook, here in the Lone Star State a pot of beans was often used to break a cowboy's fast on the long trail, whether plain (as preferred by eminent Texas writer J Frank Dobie) or with a little bacon and ... More >>

On The Range: Combination Plates

Dwight Eisenhower (right) took Mamie for a Tex-Mex combo plate at The Original Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio before WWILet's get one thing straight: Tex-Mex has never pretended to represent Mexican cuisine in its entirety. In fact, according to Robb Walsh, author of The Tex-Mex Cookbook, the ge ... More >>

Short Orders: Nicola's

Nicola's 5800 Legacy Drive, Plano 972-608-4455 Consistency is the sweeping corner at Monza known as the Parabolica--a deceptive right hand turn, it's fastest line lurking somewhere just beyond each apex. Miss this line and the race car seems to teeter, as if fighting for balance on the edge of a cl ... More >>

On The Range: Fajitas

I made a rather startling discovery while continuing my quest into the origins of Tex-Mex. For some reason I had assumed fajitas were a California addition, perhaps because of their ready adoption in to the presumably healthier Cal-Mex lineup. But no--legend credits Ninfa's in Houston, although a ... More >>

Lost In Translation

One thing you will never see on City of Ate or in Observer reviews--except perhaps in mocking form--is the word 'foodie.' In part, this is personal preference. The cute diminutive nickname just sounds so damn childish. But my distaste for the term stems from something decidedly generational (and alm ... More >>

On The Range: West Texas Enchiladas

The first of a series documenting Chris Meesey's personal quest for authentic Tex-Mex. But we'll let him tell you more... I'm a genu-wine Texan, born and bred. In fact, I began life at Nix Hospital, San Antonio--less than one mile from The Alamo, the acknowledged epicenter of the Texas Universe. ... More >>

Pairing Off: Bratwurst and Sauerkraut

Patrick MichelsWhen Charles de Gaulle famously moaned "how can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kinds of cheese," the Frenchman who best defined national vainglory hoped to excuse political chaos in his country.Geez, the Germans manage orderly governance (and the occasional foray into F ... More >>

Short Orders: Cyclone Anaya's (Oak Lawn)

Cyclone Anaya's3211 Oak Lawn Ave.214-420-0030Recent visits to this popular outpost of the Houston-based chain inspire two observations.First, bars and restaurants in Dallas consider the Margarita a child's drink. Order the famous Tex-Mex cocktail and, with a few exceptions, they bring out something ... More >>

Spam-ming The City; Maximo Effort

Don't call it McSushi, but finding a reasonably priced roll in the DFW area is about to get really, really easy. A restaurant with the convenience of fast food and low price points of grocery store sushi, Wylie-born Avocado California Roll & Sushi is already rolling for our neighbors in Dento ... More >>

10 Questions: Paula Lambert

She opened the Mozzarella Company way back in 1982, after returning from Italy frustrated--not at the city's lifestyle or our inability to gesture frantically while holding normal conversation, but at the shortage of good, fresh cheese. Back then Lambert's fledgling company produced no more than 10 ... More >>

Pop Culture

Chicken Lollipops. Red India Bistro, you had us at Chicken Lollipops.That menu item, one of many at the brand-new Indian-Chinese fusion restaurant in Addison, certainly caught our attention. What kept our attention however, was the bistro's other notable qualities implemented by owner Pramod Pro ... More >>

How 'Bout Them Knockers: Sushi Zushi

Sushi Zushi3858 Oak Lawn AvenueDallas, TX 75219214-522-7253 Promised delivery time: 45 minutesActual delivery time: 26 minutes Plucky, aptly-named tele-server: 9 pointsZippy delivery: 10 pointsFood temp: 10 pointsTentacle tenderness: 8 pointsPoints deducted for timid tuna: 2 Total Score: 90 Overa ... More >>

Hash Over: Home for the Holidays, Cut-Rate Lobster, Etc.

Who knows why everyone takes such delight in gingerbread houses? The fate that befell Hansel and Gretel--or nearly befell; we only know the story through Bugs Bunny--when they encountered such a structure was none too pleasant.But last night, the Rosewood Crescent Hotel put the final bit of icing on ... More >>

Kids Eat The Darndest Things: Los Lupes, Duncanville

Waste Management Issues at a Texas Stadium Demon-Burning Festival? Seriously, Who Saw That Coming?

Ask a Mexican

In corn vs. flour, wheat gets a smackdown

Vintage Tex-Mex

Ask A Mexican

All good things come from Texas—in food, anyway

Imagine, Your Own Italian Restaurant

Off the Mark|Big D, Little D

Wherein Mark Stuertz Asks Paula Lambert: "What's Your Stinkiest Cheese?"

ˇAsk a Mexican!

Whaddaya Mean, "Secret?" | Well, We're Trying | We Is Smart

Chop Suey Syndrome

Our restaurant critic travels to China to unravel the riddle: Why can't Dallas do Chinese?

Zest is Best

Spice things up with ZestFest

Stuff It

Plus: Liberal Libations

Kowtow to Cacao

Chocoholics unite at Gourmet Showcase 2005

This Week's Day-By-Day Picks

Best Buffet

Fadi's Mediterranean Grill

Best Urban Cheesemaker

The Mozzarella Co.

Best Box Deal

Bento box at Reikyu

Best Appetizer

Risotto cake at Café Modern

Best Mexican Restaurant

Avila's Mexican Restaurant

Vietnamese Restaurant

Oishii

Best Greek Salad

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

Best Indian Restaurant

Mantra

Best Tamale

La Popular

Best Place for Healthful Mexican Food

Baja Fresh Mexican Grill

Nice Spice

Cooking for the curry-ous