As a countdown to the Dallas Observer's "Best of Dallas" 2010, City of Ate is serving up 100 of the favorite dishes we crave, savor and hope to scarf down again soon. These dishes are in no particular order. Some are little known, others celebrated. Some are pricey, others can be eaten on the cheap, but all are delicious to the extreme. Don't hesitate to share your own nominations in the comments. More of the dish's tasty details are after the jump.
No. 60: Basil Chicken at Genroku When one thinks of sweet and sour chicken, invariably what comes to mind is that fried mess of chicken bits drowning in a sauce spilled from metal drums marked radioactive that could turn unsuspecting townsfolk into the living dead. Thankfully, the basil chicken at Genroku Sushi & Grill doesn't resemble that abomination.
Neither is it fried nor accompanied by slop. The basil chicken, modeled after three-cup chicken, one of Taiwan's national dishes, is a delight whose flavors come in succession then simultaneously. Served in the wok it was cooked in, the basil chicken offered a little of everything -- there is crunchy basil, hints of sweetness after the forward savory from the piquant ginger and pronounced star anise flavors, tender bone-in poultry, all bound by glazed mixture of soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil
The restaurant in the China Town DFW strip mall is one of what seems an endless line of Asian victual purveyors. Genroku, like other establishments, also trades in fine examples of sushi (when fresh, the yellowtail nigiri is particularly tasty) -- as if the name hadn't tipped you off -- but the basil chicken is tops.
Genroku Sushi & Grill 400 N. Greenville Ave., Richardson 972-783-8688.
No. 100: Oatmeal Pancakes at Legal Grounds No. 99: Shanghai Buns at Jeng Chi Dumpling House No. 98: Mashed Tater Parfait at Cowboy Chow No. 97: Chicken and Waffles at Victor Tango's No. 96: Colorado Lamb Osso Bucco at Hibiscus No. 95: Flatbread Pizza at Dish No. 94: First Chinese Barbecue in Richardson No. 93: Elotes at Fuel City No. 92: Summer Platter For Two at Big Shucks No. 91: Chicken Gizzards at Sushi YamaNo. 90: Bob Armstrong Dip at Matt's Rancho Martinez No. 89: The Angry Dog at Angry Dog No. 88: Sliders at Dish No. 87: Spaghetti Bolognese at Urbano Café No. 86: Vietnamese Pork Panini at Lumi Empanada & Dumpling Kitchen No. 85: Cheese Fries at Snuffers No. 84: Tres Vasos at Samar No. 83: Quatro Leches at La Duni No. 82: Pad Pak at Bangkok City No. 81: Brisket Sandwich at Maple and Motor No. 80: Lunch Express at Dream Cafe No. 79: Apple Crisp at Salum No. 78: La Vaca Loca at Good 2 Go No. 77: Shrimp and Grits at Screen Door No. 76: Meatball Sub at Jimmy's No. 75: Baja Chicken at Mattito's No. 74: Fried Port Salut Cheese at The Porch No. 73: Lobster Roll at Rex's No. 72: Fried Green Beans at Local No. 71: Shaved Ice at May's Ice Cream No. 70: Shredded Pork Sandwich at Mojitos No. 69: Tom-Yum-Gai at Bangkok City No. 68: Paella at La Calle Doce No. 67: Bacon Cheeseburger at Wingfield's Breakfast and Burgers No. 66: Original Nachos at Fuzzy's Taco Shop No. 65: El Aragón at Tortas La Hechizera No. 64: The Cheeseburger at The Grape No. 63: Dungeness Crab Dip at Hibiscus No. 62: Sweetbreads Made Two Ways from Restaurant AVA No. 61 Asado De Puerco Rojo At Chitos
