Anyone know if ramps are still around? Or if they ever were down here?

I'll be in El Salvador in July visiting a friend. I will be with locals so I'm sure I'll be taken care of but does anyone have any "can't miss" restaurants/stands that I need to go to. Of course I'll eat a million pupusas but if there was 1 or 2 places you went that are absolutely unbeatable, please let me know.

Love La Me but i've never been crazy about their pho. Pretty much everything else there is amazing though (and big points for using real crab!)

I went to Senmiya a couple days ago for lunch. I was initially deterred by the ambiance and pan Asian menu but all the food I had was great. Specifically, the clay pot rice and the basil chicken (actually 3 cup chicken for fans of Taiwanese food) were delicious.

I've gone to Pho Bang in Garland dozens of times. The last two times I went the broth had a bitter, overly peppery flavor. Does anyone know if they've had an ownership/chef change? Has anyone noticed a similar decline in quality? Since I've enjoyed it for so long I'm assuming my experiences were anomalies but twice in a row justifies polling the community.

I've only had phenomenal brisket at PL. I've never been impressed with anything else there though.

I would definitely say that. Plus Persian food which I love. To be honest, I'm always blown away by the selection at Afrah but have never been too impressed by the quality. They do have a few items I don't typically find in a Mediterranean buffet (like stuffed peppers) so I'm always happy to go there regardless.

None of those. I'm sure you know this but Afghan Grill has both dishes, both very good.

For Persian, the options I'm aware of are Giovannis and Sahara in North Dallas and Cafe Izmir on lower greenville. Sahara might have the most extensive lunch buffet, never been there for dinner though.

There were vegetarian options. From the best I can remember, the buffet was divided into three sections. Cold "salads" which included: israeli salad (probably not the best thing to call it at a Persian/Afghani restaurant but anyways), tabouleh, humus, chickpeas (i think) and one or two other items. Then there were maybe 6-8 in the hot food section including: plain rice, pulao, stew chicken, ghormeh sabzi, two fish dishes (one fried), a eggplant dish (vegetarian), lamb and chicken kebab, and a cauliflower dish. Then there was a third dessert section that had fruit and I don't remember what else. They also had really good bread. I thought it was lavash and asked but was told it's just a thin pita. Seemed like lavash bread to me though. Either way, it was good.

I had lunch yesterday at a new (3-4 month old) restaurant serving... wait for it... Afghani and Persian food. The buffet, while not as comprehensive as a place like Afrah, was phenomenal. Specifically, lamb and chicken kebab and the Ghormeh Sabzi (persian spinach/lamb stew) were all great. Check it out. It's on the Northwest corner of Beltline and 75 facing the service road of 75.

Just got an email from Russ & Daughters that they will be receiving their first shipment of New Catch Herring on June 18th. So, the search is on. Anyone in Dallas going to carry these? I'm looking at you Mr. Alexis :)

Absolutely make sure you go to Paynes next time. It's phenomenal. However, i would ask them to go light on the sauce as the last time i went it was drenched in sauce which detracted from the sandwich.

As a side note, Rendezvous is horrible. And i don't mean overrated or too touristy, it's just bad bbq. Worse than dickeys.

The original Snuffers has been torn down for renovation but there are others still open. Either way, your friend has bad taste in burgers. Snuffers is famous for their gut bomb cheese fries, which also are unspectacular but have nostalgic value for SMU alumni.

Twinwillow's list of burger joints is spot on. My personal favorite is Offsite Kitchen which is more of the Shake Shack/In 'n Out variety stylistically speaking.

If it were me, I would want to focus on items that are better in Dallas compared to NY. With that in mind, I'd suggest the following:

Tex-Mex - Specifically I always like Mia's for their brisket tacos. Others disagree. Either way, you should get tex-mex as Rosa Mexicana and Dos Caminos are horrible.

Mexican - Go get tacos. Taqueria Banqueta is exceptional, especially the suadero.

BBQ - Pecan Lodge (brisket specifically) is amazing. Only lunch through. People are getting excited about Slow Bone though I haven't been. You could also consider Lockhart BBQ in Bishop Arts.

Vietnamese - Garland and Carrollton (two suburbs) have the best Vietnamese food. Pho Bang is one of the better places for Pho. Saigon Block for Viet style catfish. La Me for most non-pho soups.

Cajun - Not sure when you're coming but if it's in the next couple weeks you'll catch the tail (pun intended) end of crawfish season. Boiling Crab is the best but prepare to wait a couple hours.

Ethiopian - Ibex is great as is lallibela. I just tried a new place, Gojo, which was pretty good and it had chechebsa which is hard to find.

the best LA food will be in Lafeyette and Acadia, not in New Orleans. Specifically, Old Tyme Grocery for the best po boys.

LH and TW covered Dallas. In Memphis, he needs to go to Paynes for a chopped pork sandwich. Not only one of (if not the) best bbq anything i've ever had, it's a top 5 sandwich. Alternatively, Central has the best ribs. Of course, i'm sure you'll find these recommendations on the memphis board but the dallas recs were already taken and i wanted to contribute :)

Here are two ideas of things you can bring back that are probably impossible to find in Florida (definitely are not in NY) and are absolute staples in the diet of anyone who grew up in Texas. Plus, they're easy to pick up and travel with. Go to any grocery store and pick up cans of Ro-tel and Wolf Brand Chili. Not the sort of things to impress your office but it would make any displaced Texan very happy.

Note: don't cook them together.

LH - Are there any off menu items that are regularly available? I remember the one time we all went and had shrimp laab and it was amazing. I've been wanting to have it again but didn't know they have off menu options (without a heads up at least).

I've had very inconsistent experiences at Hard Eight. I'll also say that i think their best item is the jalapeno poppers (and that's not meant to be a complement of a bbq restaurant). That said, I've had it when it's good and I don't know a better BBQ place around the airport. The experience is also worthwhile with the huge smoker out front and huge pot of beans (which are in fact delicious, especially with the corn bread crumbs).

One other suggestion I would make within 10 minutes of the airport is Nepali food. Dallas has the third largest Nepali population in the U.S. (mostly in Irving) so that would be a cool experience. My favorite is Everest off of New Rochelle. Go get some momos and a Nepali thali.

@9lives - It looks like you live in Boston so in your defense, Dickeys (which is probably the worst bbq in dallas) is still better than pretty much anything I could find in D.C. or N.Y. when I lived in those cities 5-10 years ago. I assume the same holds true for Mass.

I would probably act the same way for the worst lobster roll in Boston :)

Hard eight is a good BBQ place not far from the airport. Also good for a Texas-y BBQ experience.

Crazy timing, I just got my Russ & Daughters delivery (I tend to order something every year or two) last week. Hands down best lox in the world. Also, I have no idea where else to find belly lox.

My favorite "reasonably priced" sushi spot is Sushi Robata at Frankford and the Tollroad.

Despite being a chain, I'm a big fan of Nobu for expensive sushi.

The timing of this is pretty perfect as I had fajitas at Uncle Julio's last week (for the first time in probably a decade). I definitely enjoyed them. However, again learning towards more authentic Mexican restaurants, I much prefer the "fajitas" at El Ranchito, Taqueria Lupita, Cuquitas and others. I put fajitas in quotes because many Mexican entrees come "fajita style" meaning on a hot plate over onions and peppers and served with tortillas, pico and guac on the side. However, the places I named have better seasoned (though probably cheaper) meat, in my opinion. The Parillada at Taqueria Lupita (sausage, steak, chicken, shrimp) is awesome. Same goes for the Tablitas (short rib). The Mollejas (sweetbreads) at El Ranchito are phenomenal as is the Cabrito.

Regarding the brisket tacos at Mia's and Manny's, I'm a big fan. I realize they're practically pre-made and come out within two minutes of ordering but they are still extremely tasty.

One conspicuous omission that is very much worth your time are the Brisket Tacos at either Mia's or Manny's. Also, I'd take Uncle Julio's off your list.

As an aside, the tex-mex most of us grew up with seems to no longer be popular as we became foodies. That food, which I know I loved growing up, I now realize is little more than crappy meat, processed cheese and pico. Accordingly, many of these suggestions err towards the Mexican side of things, which most people on this board (myself included) prefer. For some traditional enchiladas with chili con carne, crispy tacos etc..., you might consider Ojedas or Herreras. No longer my favorite but certainly representative of traditional Tex Mex.

Fogo for the best. Brazil Brasilleiro (Richardson) or Vila Brazil (Irving) for the best value and most authentic feel.

So I feel like posting about all the foods I don't enjoy today. Rest assured that this one in particular is intended to help me broaden my horizons and to learn to like something that has generally disappointed me. So, I'm talking about Chinese vegetable dishes. Chinese food, generally speaking (meaning across all regions of China), is my favorite cuisine. One thing I love about it is the tremendous variety. With that said, it boggles my mind how unoriginal the vegetable treatments seem to be. It seems to me that most Chinese restaurants basically stir fry whatever vegetables you choose and add either garlic or ginger for flavor. I generally order water spinach at a Szechuan restaurant, which I enjoy, but it certainly is nothing more than what I just described.

So, here's where I need help. What vegetable dishes do you enjoy? Also, if possible please include where you order them. Let's exclude tofu from this discussion because I'm aware of, and enjoy, many of the varied tofu preparations. To start this, I'll include a few that I like:

Fish scented eggplant - (most Szechuan restaurants)

Turnip Cakes - Don't have a favorite in Dallas but get it any time i go for dim sum. Also, too starchy for me to consider a vegetable dish.

Soy beans and marinated cucumber - appetizer at most Taiwanese places (King Noodle comes to mind). I also get those at Royal Sichuan.

Three kinds of edible fungi - Royal Sichuan

I think I must be missing something because I've never found anything remotely tasty at a Mexican bakery (no disrespect intended, this is obviously a matter of taste). Everything always looks awesome but ends up being not nearly sweet enough and usually not more than stale, bland bread. I think it might be that they are supposed to be bland and are best with coffee. If that's the case, I get it. But if not, what am I missing and/or what should I be ordering? And please don't say I should get a puerquita because I am officially giving up on enjoying those guys.

What did you get? I've only been a handful of times but have always been pretty impressed.

Gladly. So my understanding (this is from a Cantonese friend of mine) is that the original chef from 1st Chinese left awhile back and opened this place. So, take that how you will.

To the food, it's is basically the same menu as 1st Chinese but much better. My primary recommendation is the wonton soup as it is absolutely phenomenal.

I don't know exactly what it's called but the flat rice noodles with beef is awesome. It might just be "fried noodles or stir fry beef with flat noodles". I wish i could be clearer but my friend always orders it in Cantonese and i've always just explain to the server what I want when i go on my own.

I've also had that all inclusive combination fried rice and it's good. The roast and bbq pork are both great though I prefer the roast version as it's not nearly as sweet.

Lastly, i've heard good things about the Pepper & Salt pork chop.

Bottom line, everything I've had is good. Make sure you get the wonton soup (with or without noodles, depending on if it's your entire meal).