It’s official: The Dallas food fad of 2018 is pho. Surprised? So are we. But restaurateurs across town have begun taking the beloved Vietnamese soup and transforming it in fascinating ways. At Sapp Sapp Lao & Thai Kitchen, we’re learning about the sheer diversity of traditional preparations across Southeast Asia,…
About a month ago, Misao Masuda quietly opened The Creek Cafe in the Lakewood Shopping Center. Masuda is new to Texas after cutting his culinary teeth at high-end restaurants in Japan and Hawaii. Now he’s here, serving breakfast and lunch from his small four-table eatery. The food is fast-casual, aimed at…
It’s been more than a year since Lower Greenville favorite Remedy closed to make way for a new concept, and now, we can finally get a taste of its replacement: Gung Ho. Brought to life by 8020 Hospitality — the group behind HG Sply Co., Standard Service and the late…
Damasita Izakaya opened in January on Royal Lane near Harry Hines Boulevard, in the heart of Dallas’ Korean neighborhood. One month later, the izakaya is keeping a low profile, without a website, social media page or any publicity at all except for some photos on Google Maps. But Damasita does…
Two months ago, Cristina Mendez and John Pham opened their first restaurant together. At the ripe age of 23, the couple decided to bring together the culinary bests of both of their cultures into Cris and John’s Vietnamese Street Food. Vietnamese street food is a slight misnomer. This is a far cry…
Dallas’ first slider festival hits Dallas Farmers Market on Saturday, March 24, and some serious slider talent has already signed onto the inaugural fest: Harlowe MXM Henry’s Majestic Pollo Campero Bucky Moonshine’s City Council Snuffer’s Cook Hall Haystack Burgers & Barley Dot’s Hop House & Cocktail Courtyard Fresh Art Foodie…
30 Rock’s iconic, mustard-stained matriarch Liz Lemon said it best: “I believe that all anyone really wants in this life is to sit in peace and eat a sandwich.” If your worldview is equally sandwich-based, there are a few Dallas sandwiches that should be on your must-eat list right now…
Porchetta, when it’s done right, is the Sistine Chapel of the pig. It’s a Roman canvas, labored over for hours in tight quarters, primed with brine and seasonings, skin crackling after some light aging. Like the Apostolic Palace, there should be tours and respectful whispers while one gazes into sun-stroked…
Apparently, good food and drinks and attentive service aren’t enough in 2018 — you need stuff. Not normal restaurant things like TVs for the big game or purse hooks under the bar, oh, no. You need amenities: mini golf, an arcade, a stage for live music, a beer garden, a dog…
Scardello’s chocolate, cheese and bubbles tasting is the perfect event to mask emotional pain. What better coping mechanism is there than a curated collection of food and alcohol? This Lonely Hearts Edition of Scardello’s multi-day tasting involves some special pairings and solo-style treats. Tickets are $45 and selling fast, just…
It’s nearly 40 miles from the Dallas Observer offices to Tender Smokehouse in Celina, a fact that spurred some internal debate before our visit. We can almost write the Facebook comments ourselves from readers who will think we’ve ventured too far north to be relevant. But North Texas food is…
All-American is a series that looks at beloved, longstanding North Texas eateries and examines their histories while exploring how the food has changed — for the good or bad — over the years. Once you’re in the dark embrace of the Cock & Bull, other than yanking out your phone…
Part Dallas food fest, part live chef cooking competition, Dallas Observer’s Iron Fork returns to Centennial Hall at Fair Park on Wednesday, April 25 with unlimited food samples from nearly 50 Dallas restaurants, beer/wine/cocktail tastings and Iron Fork’s Chef Challenge, which pits two Dallas chefs against one another in a…
In the past six months, downtown Dallas has seen the arrival of two titans of fine French dining. The French Room, a storied space with a century of history, reopened to considerable acclaim. Just blocks away, Bullion offers an equally refined take on classical gastronomy in an art-filled space designed…
Maybe you’re great in the sack. You’re a sex sherpa guiding your lover to new levels of ecstasy and exploration. For you, Valentine’s gift-shopping won’t be necessary. For the rest of us, there are macarons. Yes, macarons. Some may argue it’s a tired trend, that they never taste as good…
In theory, there’s no reason a buffet shouldn’t be a premium dining destination, right? Give it an unlimited budget — charge customers a little extra — and you could ensure a huge selection of fresh, continually replenished foods in a fancy-looking dining room with elegant trimmings. You could also hire…
Wow Donuts and Drips in Plano was two years in the making. Opened in December near the Shops at Willow Bend, this is not your typical doughnut place. General manager David Sim put a lot of research into the concept. “Coffee shops are where people hang out — it’s a…
Jeng Chi opened in 1990, a few doors down from where it stands today as one of DFW’s most well-known Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants. Then, it only had four tables, and owners Yuan and Mei Teng served only dough-based items — dumplings, noodles and gua boa (buns). They did not…
It’s that time of year again for Chinese families across the globe, when red lanterns and red and gold emblems are strung across ceilings, doors and street lights. Relatives convene and the elders tuck ornate red envelopes full of cash, or hong bao, beneath the pillows of sleeping children. The…
Let’s skip the platitudes — ranging from “Valentine’s Day is hell on earth” to “I bought you this stuffed animal from Walgreens” — and get right to it: If you’re in a relationship and haven’t explicitly set greeting card holiday-related boundaries, you’re gonna have to pull something out of your…
Don’t call Fernando Barrero a chef. He’s been in the restaurant industry for two decades in positions ranging from dishwasher to manager, and he jumped into a couple of cooking classes at Brookhaven College but quickly refuses the title. He prefers to keep the cooking at home, he says. Barrera…
It started with something called flour salt. BrainDead Brewing chef David Peña’s powers of food deductions are acute, preserved after years of shellacking his mind with Whataburger cheeseburgers and hot, salty french fries. In order to reconstruct the A1 Thick and Hearty Burger from the ground up — he recently…
