demigodh's Profile
Colombian Hot Dog
I just had a Colombian style hot dog at El Portal in Carrollton and it was awesome. They make their own buns and load them with two dogs, pineapple, mayo, ketchup, topped with crushed potato chips and bacon bits. Totally worth your time.
Palayok is BACK!!
Very rarely am I in a position to make a positive contribution to the community so I apologize for getting over excited about it. In any event, Palayok, the once loved Filipino restaurant, is back. It is located in the Asia World Food Court on Legacy. I went today and it seems the whole food court is improved from the last time I went. Speaking to Palayok specifically, they have a buffet counter of 8-10 dishes made daily. The owner told me that balut and halo halo or coming soon but many of the staples you love (lumpia, adobo chicken, etc...) are already there. They are closed on Mondays. Enjoy!
Dallas Dim Sum
In my experience, Kirin Court has better ambiance (crowded mess of people in a huge warehouse with a million carts going by) while Maxims has better food. I like the craziness of a crowded dim sum place but sometimes it's nice when it's emptier and you can ensure you get all the items you came for/want.
Alphonso Mangoes / Mangosteen
All,
The season is upon us. I saw Alphonso mangoes at Central Market (Lovers) yesterday though I'm not sure how long they've been there. Please report here if you find a store with a good supply. I plan on getting my mango fix for the year taken care of over the next week or two while the Alphonso mangoes are still around. Same goes for mangosteen. I checked the vietnamese grocery store on Jupiter today for both fruits and they had neither.
Russian food in DFW?
I've been there a few times with no problem. The sauna experience is pretty awesome and the food might be the best Russian food in Dallas but still isn't great. There's a specialty food store at Park and Coit called Gourmand that has tons of good Russian stuff as well. Specifically, the oreshki there are awesome.
Prior to Tests at Baylor....BEST STEAK RESTAURANT ???
I just want to vote against Bob's. In all fairness I only went once but everyone's steak was cooked incorrectly, all the sides were mediocre, and their famous glazed carrot seems gimmicky at this point. Like Sike said though, most premium steak houses are going to serve a delicious steak.
Nose-to-tail restaurant
I don't know of a nose-to-tail themed restaurant though I've got to assume we have one or two in Dallas. That said, I can definitely point you in the direction of some bizarre cuts of meat or dishes that are available. Are you interested in one off dishes from ethnic dives or does this need to be a semi-fancy offal themed destination?
Sissy's Southern Kitchen
I thought it was mediocre. Had the ham/pimento cheese salads appetizer which was just okay. I thought the fried chicken was disappointing though the gumbo, while slightly pricey, was very good. I also don't get the LB review, I didn't think it was bad but definitely not destination worthy.
ISO Mangosteen
It's that time of the year and I'm on the hunt for mangosteen. If you see it, please post here where I can find it. Muchas gracias!
Tea Store
I went to the Teavana this weekend (Galleria), thanks for bringing that to my attention. In this case, however, I am looking for a place where I can sit down with a pot of tea. Teavana seemed to be only sell supplies and offer samples. Is there anything, like a coffee shop but for tea, in Dallas?
"12 Bagels" Frankford and Tollway
After reading the rest of this thread, I feel I need to re-state my experience. I was trying to be "nice" in my original post and am kinda shocked to see the glowing reviews. Frankly, I thought the bagels were pretty bad. Now, I understand people have different tastes but to compare 12 Bagels to a NY bagel seems to me to be inaccurate. My definition of a good NY bagel includes a hard exterior crust with a dense yet soft interior. Put another way, it would hurt if I threw a NY bagel at you. 12 bagel bagels might as well be a nerf koosh ball (similar to Einsteins, which I totally get if that's your preference in style).
So i'm thinking either we have different definitions of a NY style bagel or I was there on an off day. Either way, I wanted to clarify my other post.
"12 Bagels" Frankford and Tollway
I went there yesterday morning. In my opinion, they are not very good. I had a plain bagel, untoasted, with plain cream cheese. It was way too soft throughout.
Full disclosuer, I lived in NYC and can absolutely appreciate a good NY style bagel (my favorite was Bagel Hole in Park Slope) but still have a preference for Einsteins. 12 Bagels is closer to Einsteins in style so if that's what you want, go for it. They also upset a few customers in front of me because they charge $1 for butter. Be ready for that.
authentic Mexican street food/tacos in DFW?
I need to clarify something. Is there a big difference between D.F. tacos and tacos from anywhere else in Mexico? I imagine their might be subtle differences so please correct me if I'm wrong in that assumption. But, I'm assuming every authentic taqueria is serving what is sometimes referred to as "Mexico City or D.F. tacos", regardless of if they're from north, central or southern mexico. LH, Veggo - i'll defer to your expertise in this area.
P.S. same thing applies to "street tacos". does that just mean mexican and not tex-mex? I don't think I like how mexican tacos have become dubbed "street tacos". No offense to the OP, just thinking out loud.
Tea Store
Thanks for the help everyone. I will probably check out Teavana this weekend.
Tea Store
All,
I recently visited a tea shop in Houston (I think it was called The Path of Tea) and want to find something similar in Dallas. I would liken it to a coffee shop except they specialize in tea (not boba, i mean green, yellow, black, oolong, puer etc...). There's a station for smelling the different varieties prior to ordering. Anyone know of anything like this?
Teppo - Review
Spoiler alert: Teppo is awesome. I went last night and had one of my more memorable meals in Dallas. The worst dish was great and the rest knocked it out of the park. Here's what I had (in the absurd order that it was served):
-Opaleye Carpaccio
-Thinly sliced Opaleye with olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt. It was phenomenal
-Duck Prosciutto
-As good, if not better, as you're imagining it would be.
-Monkfish Pate
-Well you already know it's amazing so I'll add that it was a good portion. Three slices about a half inch thick.
-Yakitori
-Miso Beef Tongue, Duck Breast and Bacon wrapped Tomato. All were delicious. I actually ordered bacon wrapped asparagus but am happy they brought out the tomato one instead, it was great.
-Whole fried baby snapper
-this was the worst of the lot, and still delicious. Fish was amazingly tasty but I would probably order something else next time just for variety sake.
Every single dish was incredible, I can't say how happy I was. To give some context, I was not as impressed by a recent trip to Tei An or a recent omakase at Nobu.
I wonder why I don't read more about Teppo on these boards. Have you been? Agree or disagree? I'm struggling to think of a high end restaurant I like more in Dallas, that's how good it was.
ISO Fish Amok - Cambodian Dish
I know it's very specific but I figure it can't hurt to ask here. Anyone know of a Cambodian restaurant. Ideally one that serves Fish Amok?
Visiting Plano (from NYC), recommendations please (Researched)!!
+1 for that broccoli rabe and hummus. What an amazing pairing which I had never seen before. I was upset when my friend ordered hummus but it was by far my favorite item i've ever had at Smoke.
Visiting Plano (from NYC), recommendations please (Researched)!!
The only location of Cuquitas that I know of that is still open is on Spring Valley just east of Coit (south side of the road). The guiso de puerco, again my personal opinion, blows out of the water the version at Gonzalez's.
Chinese Steamed Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao?) in Dallas - Take Out?
Someone here would need to confirm (or you could call) but doesn't JS Chen's do dim sum around the clock? I think they do in which case they would definitely have char siu bao.
ISO Best Puffy Tacos
I was just in Austin where I had my first ever Puffy Taco at Tio Dans. Now I can't believe I had never had them before. I know it's a pretty regional thing but where can I find the best puffy taco in Dallas?
Visiting Plano (from NYC), recommendations please (Researched)!!
I would probably steer you in a different direction. These are my suggestions and comments on the places on your list, irregardless of location.
BBQ:
-Pecan Lodge if you'll be here on a weekend. Best brisket I've ever had and that includes a 48 hour old trip to Snow's in Lexington. I you can't make Pecan Lodge, I recommend Hard Eight for the experience as much as the food or Meshacks.
In my experience, Smoke always has an exciting menu and disappointing food.
Mex:
-Cuquitas (best corn tortillas bar none)
-Taqueria Lupita (right on Henderson which would make it a good pre or post bar dinner destination.
-Taquerias!!! (you should go to more than one and you'll find plenty on these boards. there are good ones all over except near where you are staying)
Restaurant Gonzalez is more Tex Mex and, in my experience, not good unless you get the enchilladas with chili con carne which is awesome.
Tex-Mex
-Mia's or Manny's for Brisket Tacos. Absolutely destination worthy and something Dallas takes particular pride in.
Lastly, I always take visitors who are not from the South to Babe's. Great fried chicken and an all around fun southern atmosphere that, while it is not at all representative of Dallas, is something you can't find in NYC.
Good Ramen at Sapporo
If Ippudo is a 10 and Top Ramen is a 1 than Sapporo gets an 8. The most obvious distinction is the quality of the ingredients, namely the incredible fatty pork at Ippudo. Noodles are better at Sapporo.
It's definitely a step below but still very good.
Good Ramen at Sapporo
I hear ya and even worse, the waitress didn't know "shoyu" so i eventually just asked for the soy sauce ramen assuming it was probably the same. I did find, however and at least in NY, that a lot of the ramen places had more variety than just the traditional options. I worked across the street from the grungiest ramen bar called Sapporo and they only had a few (including Tonkotsu which is also very common) but the fancier ones like Ippudo etc... had more variety.
Good Ramen at Sapporo
I haven't tried too hard but this is definitely the best ramen t I've had in Dallas. Sapporo, which recently opened on Greenville, next to Canton (I think it's where Ajisen was), has brought a chef from Japan with 30 years of experience making ramen. I had the shoyu "soy sauce" ramen and it was very good. The noodles, broth, pork, bamboo shoots and everything else was well done, with particular props to the noodles. Actually, my only complaint is that the egg was refrigerator cold. I overheard an employee mentioning that the chef owns 12 restaurants in Japan though I'm not sure where; this is his first in Texas. I'm not sure if he's here for good or if he's here to train the staff but I'm sure someone will find out.
Brief Lockhart Smokehouse report
how does it compare to Pecan Lodge? Like everyone else, i've always complained about the lack of good BBQ in Dallas but the brisket at Pecan Lodge is pretty unbeatable for me (everything else there is another story).
Korean BBQ in DFW
Man Chun Ok (might be the name but it's mostly all in Korean) specifically for Seoul Lang Tang (sp?). I've gone there many times and it is always on point. Located on Royal on the North Side maybe right before or after Goodnight Ln. It has a big white sign with red letters and says underneath "Korean Traditional Soup".
Aggie's
I wish this was a more useful post that included a review but that will follow. For now, i am planning (full disclosure: this has been a plan for 3 months) to go there soon and wanted to hear some opinions. It is a Cameroonian restaurant which was recommended to me for their whole fish and pepper soup. I will be getting both of those when I go but has anyone been there that has additional recommendations? Thanks and I'll be sure to report back after I try it.
Also, any other recommendations for West African food (read: not Ethiopian)?
Huitlacoche??
Taqueria El Fuego had huitlacoche and I just learned of a new place in the mid cities (can't remember the name) that also has it. Does anyone have a recommendation of a place I can get huitlacoche in my taco, burrito, enchilada etc...? Ideally fresh and not canned.
