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. 38: Mussels at Neighborhood Services
Once you get past the rubbery texture, the un-fishy smell (hopefully) and the size of each individual mollusk (too large and they lack flavor, too small and they're too much work), a dish of mussels comes down to a singular defining element: the sop-ability of the sauce, or in the case of Neighborhood Services, the broth. Billed on its menu as "Pan Roasted Blue Mussels Chiarello's cured chorizo/crusty bread," Neighborhood Services offers a modest portion for the modest price of $8, which seems altogether fair. The name contains a toque tip to Napa Chef Michael Chiarello, whose cured chorizo gives the white wine broth much of its bold flavor and makes sopping it up with crusty bread such an appetizing appetizer. The cooked tomatoes help bring out the taste too, but in the end after each mussel is history, it's the remaining broth that enables you to savor the experience and lulls you into forgetting that you have just eaten something that was scraped off a rock.
Neighborhood Services
5027 W. Lovers Lane
214-350-5027
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 Yama
No. 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
No. 60: Basil Chicken at Genroku
No. 59: Capricciosa Pizza at Il Cane Rosso Truck
No. 58: Shrimp and Chicken Curry Clay Pot at Mai's Vietnamese Restaurant
No. 57: The Grilled Cheese and Chili at Highland Park Pharmacy
No. 56: Meatloaf Blue Plate Special At Norma's Cafe
No. 55: Carne Asada Plate at Taqueria El Fuego
No. 54: Pork Carnitas at Matt's Rancho Martinez
No. 53: Lacquered Chinese Duckling at Five Sixty
No. 52: Fritto Misto at Cibus
No. 51: The Californication at Buzzbrews Kitchen
No. 50: Enchiladas Suizas with Off-The-Menu Salsa at Veracruz Café
No. 49: The Steak Bomb at Kenny's Burger Joint
No. 48: Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs at Hattie's
No. 47: Truffle Butter Popcorn at Tillman's Roadhouse
No. 46: Hamburger at Adair's Saloon
No. 45: Bone-In Short Rib at Stephan Pyles
No. 44: Ricotta Cheese Blueberry Pancakes at Villa-O
No. 43: 911 Roll at Oishii
No. 42: Fried Chicken at Babe's Chicken Dinner House
No. 41: Sausage Pizza At Oak Cliff Pizza
No. 40: Black Truffle Pizza at Neo by Olivella's
No. 39: Pastrami Sandwich at Deli-News
