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.
Every kitchen has its hazing practices. Jiro Ono of the famous Sukiyabashi Jiro makes young sushi apprentices wring out scalding hot towels with their bare hands as customers look on; the French make students turn carrots until their hands cramp; and Kyla Phomsavanh of Sakhuu makes his cooks (and himself) do unthinkable things to hundreds of chicken wings.
The cooks somehow manage to remove the two small bones from the outer segment of the wing, leaving the skin and tip intact. The meat is then ground and mixed with cilantro, onions, toasted rice and other seasonings before it's stuffed back into the skin like a tiny poultry balloon. The results are then baked until the wings are tender and cooked through, to be flash-fried when an order is placed.
That last step renders any remaining fat from the skin, which is the secret to producing a thin, almost translucent crust that cracks and crunches when you take a bite. Carved into thin coins and fanned out on a plate in a sauce sweetened with honey, the two wings make for an impressive introduction to Sakhuu's menu. Every diner should order them.
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
