All-American

Waffle House? At Christmas? It’s More Than You Think.

Waffle House? At Christmas? It’s More Than You Think.

Top Round Opens in East Dallas this Saturday

Top Round Opens in East Dallas this Saturday

Deep Ellum’s AllGood Cafe Adds Booze to the Menu ‘To Pay the Rent’

By Taylor Adams
Jul 26, 2019

After 19 years of business in Deep Ellum, AllGood Cafe has decided to shake things up with a new menu item: booze. “I didn’t really want to have liquor and a full bar in the beginning. But here we are, 19, almost 20 years later, and Deep Ellum has changed...
M&O Station Grill Offers Burgers and a Trip Down Memory Lane

By Lauren Drewes Daniels
Jul 24, 2019

M&O Station Grill in Fort Worth is attached to a museum about a department store and subway. It results in a trip down memory lane and a full meal of a towering burger.
The Best Fried Chicken Sandwiches of Dallas

By Nick Rallo
Jul 24, 2019

On the sixth day, Popeyes Louisiana Chicken created a sandwich. They rested the day before, having built monuments of MSG in the people’s bloodstream. Next, Popeyes, in its infinite wisdom, rolled the sandwich out nationwide. It’s out there, lurking, for $3.99, and it’s an awe-striking thing — a stupendous two-hander...
The House that Pad Thai Built: The Story of Bangkok Inn

By Nick Rallo
Jun 10, 2019

How one Dallas family made an empire out of a family pad Thai recipe.
In a City Ambivalent About Hot Dogs, Burger House’s Chili Dog Has Been Around 70 Years

By Nick Rallo
May 31, 2019

It’s standing room only at Burger House. Lunch is a blur of baskets: Burger drops to paper. Paper is smushed into a ball. Trash is crushed down. For the staff, bunching into the tiny, seven-decades-old kitchen is an Olympic performance. They’ve synchronized burger-flipping, steam-hopping and order-calling. “It’s going to move...
The Black Forest Coffee Shop Is Half Price Books’ Secret Weapon

By Nick Rallo
Mar 14, 2019

Everyone loves Half Price Books, but the Black Forest coffee shop — slinging German sandwiches and espresso inside the bookstore — is a gem, too.
What Has Beef House Been Doing for 70 Years? Being a Diner That Doesn't Give a Damn.

By Nick Rallo
Feb 6, 2019

At Beef House, you know exactly what you're getting.
Years After the Fire, the Osso Bucco Sandwich at Terilli's Is a Celebration

By Nick Rallo
Jan 31, 2019

For whatever the reason, it’s a quiet afternoon at Terilli’s. The first floor is missing diners entirely, each table dressed up with white tablecloths and a yellow rose in the center. The bartender is cutting limes and leans over the counter to tell a story: He’s having a strange day...
After Nearly a Decade, Maple & Motor Is Still One of Dallas’ Best Burgers

By Nick Rallo
Jan 7, 2019

You’re familiar with this origin story: It starts when two people build something from the bottom up in their garage. They start by reverse engineering the concept, deconstructing the way it’s been done before, analyzing the method, then soldering and searing new parts together. There are wisps of smoke and misfires. In...
The Unbelievable Happy Hour Comfort at Malai Kitchen

By Nick Rallo
Dec 24, 2018

Five months after they opened, business went off the face of a cliff. The decline was a gut-punch surprise for owners Braden and Yasmin Wages. Malai Kitchen was their first restaurant, and good feedback met them right out of the gate. They’d traveled the world, enriched bowls of lip-smacking curries...
Almost 35 Years Later, Finding Solace at Hunky’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers

By Nick Rallo
Dec 17, 2018

The bells on the front door jangle awake. The griddle crackles from hot beef fat, a sound that bests any jukebox on earth. It should be early. That’s when it’s best at Hunky’s: Be there right after the doors unlock for lunch. The sputter of rendered fat on a flat...
The Lessons We've Learned from Dallas' Un-Trendy, Long-Running Food Institutions

By Nick Rallo
Oct 31, 2018

What have we learned after two years of Nick Rallo's All-American column? That there is no one way to create an indelible American restaurant.
A Great American Hero: Dallas' Great American Hero

By Nick Rallo
Oct 19, 2018

Days after the Internet apocalypse, the line of cars at the drive-thru buckles awkwardly into Lemmon Avenue. Passing car horns begin their blurts immediately as irritated drivers zoom around the gridlock and mouth things from behind the wheel, but none of it deters those who are sandwich-patient. It’s the same...
Even After 10 Years, Bolsa Is Still As Oak Cliff As It Gets

By Nick Rallo
Sep 27, 2018

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 good or bad — over the years. Find a counter stool, and you’ll see the signs: Steel guitar croons over the speakers. Across the street,...
How One Man's Career Making B-Horror Movies Led to Sammy's Bar-B-Q

By Nick Rallo
Sep 17, 2018

It had never been about brisket. Prior to 1992, the Prichard family business had everything to do with crab monsters, butcher-knife wielding slashers, or, in one case, murderous, rampaging tomatoes. It’s the same old story: Jim Prichard had spent three decades in the movie production and distribution game, populating theaters...
Can an Organic Market and Gas Station Serve Good Breakfast Tacos? Green Spot Says Hell Yes.

By Nick Rallo
Sep 10, 2018

All-American is a series that looks at beloved, long-standing North Texas eateries and examines their history while exploring how the food has changed — for the good or bad — over the years. The first rule of Green Spot is: You should not feel bewildered by Green Spot. Stepping in,...
For 16 Years, Spiral Diner Reminds Us That Vegan Food Doesn't Have to Be Healthy

By Nick Rallo
Aug 24, 2018

Consider the sweaty effort that goes into one sandwich at this diner. Quinoa bubbles in vegetable broth. It’s hit with tumbles of carrots, onions and parsley. Nearby, cashew paste —when cashews get demolished, they take on a fatty, creamy texture — thickens from scoops of tapioca. The quinoa, the cashew...
Two Delicious Street Burgers at Shoals Will Remind You of McDonald's. They're Supposed To.

By Nick Rallo
Aug 14, 2018

On a Sunday afternoon, Elm Street is clogged by cars. It’s just after 1 p.m., and the horns blast and the brake lights stutter. Sidewalks are flowing with people. Inside Shoals Sound & Service is an alleviating quiet. The bartender walks to the end of the counter, fiddles with the...
After 11 Years, Olivella's Pizza Empire Just Keeps Growing

By Nick Rallo
Jul 27, 2018

Now 11 years old, Olivella's has a surprising New York origin story - and several new DFW locations in the works.
Greenville Avenue Pizza Co. Marches on With a Truck Yard Cheesesteak Pizza

By Nick Rallo
Jul 13, 2018

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. The Cheez Whiz is drizzled on as a finale. The “pizza slayers,” each wearing a leather holster...

More All-American