DiRotiman's Profile
Fresh Roti in Irving or Plano Area?
Taste of the Islands in Plano is the best fresh roti in town. They sell off to many Indian markets locally. If yuh don't have yuh own tawa, get yuh roti at Taste of the Islands. But it's so easy and cheap to make -- and there's nothing better than your own hot fresh ones!
Best Dallas restaurants
So this question is like, "if Dallas only had 5 restaurants, which ones could you live with?"
That's tough -- just pairing down to 5. I'll give it a shot...
I've never been a fan of "the higher the price tag, the better the meal." So while I appreciate the fine-dining experience from time-to-time, there's nothing better than digging into a plate from one of the kitchens and counters that have been part of the Dallas landscape longer than the freshly painted facade of the next celebrity chef's flash in the pan.
1. Aw Shucks - Lower Greenville. Why? Consistently great and cheap seafood served up many different ways -- all with a regional flair. Atmosphere is funky, kinda dining indoors but yet outdoors, great people-watching spot. Mexican-style shrimp cocktails are signature, as well as the oysters on the half-shell are consistently fine. Crawfish in season, is done very well. Boiled crabs, fried catfish and more along with a ice-cold, serve yourself beer and an honor system. It's like going to a party and it won't empty your wallet.
2. El Taquito Cafe - Samuel @ Grand. Why? The absolute hottest and best salsa in Dallas, combined with cheesy-greasy good ol' Tex Mex that will cure anything from a hangover to a broken heart. Plus the price tag and service make it one of my favoritas.
3. Jimmy's - Bryan @ Fitzhugh. Why? Great sandwiches and deli. It's like driving to Chicago without having to drive through Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and the lower two-thirds of Illinois.
4. Louie's - Henderson near Ross. Why? The powerful combination of the best pizza, calzones, and greek salads on the planet and the coolest old bars. It's a local thing, you probably wouldn't understand.
5. The All Good Cafe - Main St., Deep Ellum. Why? Inventive home-cooking, some of the best breakfasts and lunches you could imagine, and one of the best local live music venues at night. It's like driving to Austin without having to drive through Waco. This place is truly, "all good!"
New to Dallas - need some recommendations around Lakewood
A'ight den. Guess the rest of the list is on like a pot of neckbones!
Note to self: Substitute Mai's for Viet-Nam Restaurant (Bryan @ Peak).
How's that? :))
Ethiopian/Korean (Dallas)
For Ethiopian, Queen Of Sheba still reigns supreme in DFW. They've moved up to near Addison, (Inwood south of Belt Line) but haven't lost their rule in my book. Dallul on Inwood @ Maple offers a more Eritrean twist and runs a close second.
Taste of Galilee - Plano
Went there last week for lunch and for under $10, it was a bargain! Staff there was incredibly nice, too. Great experience... Will return soon!
New to Dallas - need some recommendations around Lakewood
If you've moved to Lakewood, you're in good hands. There's a lot to offer in the way of diverse dining choices.
Jimmy's for a Cuban sandwich or a muffaletta -- not to mention their wide variety of Italian specialties and groceries -- the best in DFW!
Scalini's for pizza and crab claws -- on Abrams.
Angelo's for Italian dishes -- sure you've found that if you know about Matt's.
El Taquito Cafe (Samuel Blvd. @ Grand) for the best salsa (and hottest) and chips in the DFW area -- plus it's inexpensive and decent Tex Mex.
La Acapulquena for some authentic mariscos and Mexican specialties.
Jade Garden on Bryan St. for Chinese (excellent and cheap!)
Mai's Vietnamese Restaurant on Bryan St. (the original Vietnamese restaurant in Dallas) -- excellent.
Alligator Cafe on Live Oak near Carroll for Cajun and Louisiana specialties.
York Street (on Lewis St.) for upscale hoity-toity dining $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Gold Rush Cafe on Skillman for killer breakfasts.
Mac's BBQ on E. Main St. for good Texas BBQ.
La Calle Doce on Skillman for top-shelf Margaritas!
Bangkok City (the original) for excellent Thai.
~Bon Chance mon ami!
Tex Mex Slop I Have Known and Loved
El Fenix is THE place for good "chain" Tex Mex -- especially the Downtown Dallas location. Their tamales are tough to beat. Order the #3 lunch special (tamale con carne, soft cheese taco, and cheese enchilada) and it will cure *any* problem you may ever encounter -- hangovers, relationship woes, landlord issues, and gas price woes, etc. -- especially when paired with three or more cold Tecates.
Passion for sour cream chicken enchiladas (DFW)
Tejano's in Oak Cliff gets my ultimate vote... but have I mentioned (the downtown location) El Fenix lately?! Hehehe...
Best Tex-Mex in Dallas for out-of-towner
And I'll fifth El Fenix -- Downtown location. They're the only spot with the "hot-hot" sauce. That used to be their house sauce until about 10 years ago. It is one of my favorite salsas -- completely different than any other salsa you will ever taste. Their food is consistently great, served hot, service is faster than anything I've ever experienced. Plus the downtown location is a historical landmark. "El Fenix! El Fenix! El Fenix is the place with the great Martinez name..." (commercial jingle from the 70's.)
Fredericksburg - Recomendations Needed
Hope you checked out The Hill Top Cafe, just west of town towards Mason.
BBQ close to, or in, Dallas.
Sammy's BBQ next to the Federal Reserve Building (Routh @ Woodall Roger's-ish...) Passes my critical mass for all things tender and smoked.
Dallas under $5
A lot of Indian Grocers have a chaat counter. Very filling, very well spiced non-meat stuff. Really outstanding for those with a palate for outside the hum-drum. Taj Mahal Imports in Richardson is a great example of what I'm suggesting. It'll cost about $4 and you can sip on a cold coconut water or mango juice included.
Akbar-Plano
Akbar is still on my list of Indian restaurants, but kinda by default -- they've been around for a very long time. That said, I still think they were top-notch when they first opened on Coit Rd.back in the late 80's -- long before moving to their present spot in Plan Zero.
Their food is just... kinda... typical northern Indian fare. Now back in the 80's, ANY Indian fare was considered about as exotic as food could get here in DFW. But now, there's so many choices. One thing is for certain, Akbar was there at the beginning of the Indian wave.
Best Restaurant Not in a Major Texas City - Texas
Rudy and Paco's - Galveston
Johnny Cace's - Longview
Stillwater Inn - Jefferson
De Happy Cajun - Pottsboro
(goofy but fun): Pirate's Landing - Port Isabel
Moving to Tyler, where do we eat?
Most of the restaurants in Tyler seem to be on or around Loop 323. I'm sure there's other hot spots, but that's what I usually see when I'm passing through there several times a year, heading from DFW to Lake Charles, LA. Believe it or not, my favorite rest stop is a drive thru chicken shack off 69 and Front St. called Southern Classic Fried Chicken. I know this isn't the droids you are looking for -- but, thought I'd just plug 'em cuz they're outstanding!
I grew up near Mineola, but things have changed in Tyler since I was a kid. My folks and I used to make a monthly trip over to Longview to eat at Johnny Cace's. It's rather legendary, featuring New Orleans style seafood and steaks. It's worth the trek over there if you're in the mood for something out of the ordinary. They've got a cool piano bar and the place reeks of history, if not my own personal family history! That's my $0.02.
D'Vine Wine in Plano
I concur on the McKinney slot -- and fully concur on your selections -- both my favorites there. Very unique -- not for every taste, but holy catfish! The chocolate port is fergie-licious!
Looking for crawfish in Houston
It ain't exactly H-Town per se, but if you're up for the drive, Dixie's Bayou Victuals in Conroe has some good bugs (and gumbo). Call 'em before you motor up there with the latest Brian Jack CD in the changer! Bon fete mes amis!
Sushi in Plano
Aight den... Sushi On McKinney. Best rolls, including their Osaka-style "pressed sushi" -- the best I've tried. They have something I've never seen anywhere else called mushroom sushi. Two Edo-style pieces filled with sliced, fresh mushrooms and a Bernaise-ish mayo sauce. They are then gently roasted under a broiler and served piping hot. I reckon I'm a bit more of a sashimi guy, tho...
TV Dinners
Hi Dolores and others. I had no idea my post would generate the level of feedback; I'm humbled and glad I'm not alone. When we booked 'quiet and romantic' -- it was done online, which is getting to be a bit of a crux too, nowadays, eh?! Ha... There wasn't a confirmation other than we knew we had a table.
There's a lot of factors at play. Popular spot, busiest night of the week... I typically don't "go out" on the weekends and prefer mid-week dining experiences. All I know is: Bob's does steak -- good steak. Guys love steaks. Most guys love sports, therefore television is an instant source of companionship and information.
I'm a steak-loving guy and an information junkie, that's why I'm here on this board. But I also believe in what themes are appropriate when it comes to any "experience", whether it is at a restaurant, home, hospital waiting area, bus stop, whatever. I'm a kid of the 60's, an graphic designer and musician -- so it takes a lot to shock me -- except when I see something that just doesn't match, like paying $160 for a meal in front of a TV. It's like mixing metaphors and it's pervasive -- even assumed by today's public. Get your oil changed, watch TV. Go to the post office, watch TV. I even stopped for gas the other day at Wally-World, and guess what -- there was a 'news in brief' video for me to occupy my mind while I toiled the boring task of pumping gas. Maybe it was to take my mind off the $2.98 per gallon price tag. And heaven forbid I might have diverted my attention to the grackles hopping around with their humorous mating rituals or the clouds swirling in the mid-day sun.
Maybe the iconic television perched in every corner like a wild animal in every public place will play itself out like the leisure suit? Unfortunately, I doubt it. But then again, smoking is all but disappeared in public places. So there is hope, right?!
TV Dinners
Yeah... should woulda coulda left. I guess I was too embarrassed to get up and take a stand. I guess I wanted that steak too bad. Maybe Bob's will add stadium seating and change the waitstaff uniforms to cut-offs and tiny tank-tops -- bare mid-driffs exposed, of course! Okay, I'm done fussin'!
TV Dinners
Why has having a television mounted in the corner of practically every restaurant necessary nowadays?! Whatever happened to going "out to eat"?
Here's why I'm fussin':
Last night, I took the wife to Bob's Steak & Chophouse (Lemmon Ave.) for a nice, tasty, spendy steak dinner. I requested "quiet and romantic" on their online reservation form. So we get there, and they seat us on a 2-top in the back of the place between 2 flat screen TVs, both playing the Pitt/Panthers playoff game. What the!?! It was annoying and distracting. Not the fact that the television brightness and strobing effect made it hard to see the details of my wife's face, but the fact that 3 of the tables around us had football fanatic guys yelling in celebration of [the game] while I attempted to enjoy a $50 filet and have an audible conversation with my wife. I was truly shocked that the highly acclaimed Bob's, had sunk to the level of a sports bar. We might as well have gone to any food chain/sports restaurant for the same atmosphere. Needless to say, Bob's Steak and Chophouse has been lowered on my must-have list as last night was like a nightmare. I felt as though I should have been dining on pizza, nachos, peanuts, hot wings, cheesedog, and beer in a plastic cup, rather than a 16-oz. rare filet and a glass of Pinot.
There's a time and place for everything. I love watching TV, but not when I go out for fine dining. Televisions broadcasting sports, news, foodnetwork, E!, whatever -- don't deserve a place in the main dining area of an establishment where the average bill for two tops the $150 mark.
Have we really evolved into a society that is completely dependent on fine dining under the glow of broadcasted sports flat screens? I was shocked to see a highly-regarded establishment feature televisions in their main dining room!
Big ups to the high-end establishments that have resisted the sports bar aesthetic and offer diners an opportunity to leave the mundane world and all the vices of the "house" behind, thereby letting their patrons feel as though they are doing something special for a change. If television is [that] important for a segment of Bob's patrons, I'll be taking my business elsewhere.
Best Chicago Deep Dish Pizza in DFW
Hey Soulslinger,
Love your posts -- we seem to enjoy similar flavors! My favorite crust recipe is from Lou Malnati's in Chicago -- I found one on foodnetwork.com here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_21809,00.html
It's really quite good, easier than it seems, and is what I like the most. I don't use premade crust unless I'm under the weather or three sheets to the wind! Ha! Plus I've never found any really good thick premade crusts. On the thin side, I tend to prefer going to a few select Middle-East markets and getting lavash bread to make a quickie thin-crust. But that's not what we're talkin' 'bout here, now IS it! Ha!
I love pizza -- made from scatch. That includes crust and sauce. And when it comes to ingredients, I make the trip to Jimmy's for cheese and meats. Sure you can find *similar* ingredients at Whole Foods, Central Market, or Market Street, but Jimmy's is real. Plus the experience of just going to Jimmy's seems to make ALL of my favorite Italian dishes shine -- not to mention their authenticity of being bona fide Italian or East Coast in style just hits the mark in any dish. (Their 'Copa' and Capicola are to be "clipped" for! :)) Not to mention their olive shooters -- holy catfish!)
Nevertheless, I'm passionate about pizza -- my pizzas -- and insist on outstanding ingredients. Jimmy's is instrumental from start to finish in making my pies, and Lou Malnati's recipe for crust is "on like a pot of neckbones!"
A while back, I got a round, deep dish pan for about $9 at... uhhh... ah yes, The Kitchen Collection in the outlet mall in Allen, TX (Stacy Rd. @ 75) Rightous deal -- it's hard to find one at Sur Le Table or Williams Sonoma! Ha! Works great and is developing a nice, rustic patina...
All that aside -- Rotis... you inquire about de roti... oh mon, probably should reserve my monologue on those tasty staples for another thread, BUT... after a few trips to T&T, I'm addicted. There's obviously two recipes needed -- one for the skin and another for the filling. My inspiration comes from my well-worn edition of "Culinaria: The Caribbean" by Rosemary Parkinson. The dhalpurie roti recipe is what I use for inspiration for the skin. It's [one love] in a packet! That's all I'll elaborate in this pizza thread -- don't wanna bore the Hounds!
Time to go open another Leinenkugel's and WISH I had Rush Street under my feet...
Best Chicago Deep Dish Pizza in DFW
Great post soulslinger! I vote for Chicago's Finest in Plano; they're good to go, but I REALLY enjoy making my own with all those great ingredients from Jimmy's. Talk about! This is one thread I'm gonna hafta keep my eye on!
Sushi in Plano
I highly recommend Sushi Sake in Richardson (Collins near Campbell @ 75). Just please don't tell anyone... it's crowded enough already. ;)
Dallas and Temple Q and Red
BBQ in Temple/Belton -- Mikeska's. Their billboards alone will make you believe there is no other place to go.
Red in Temple/Belton -- ??? dunno...
BBQ in Dallas -- Sammy's (near the Crescent) for their sauce alone;
Baker's Ribs (Deep Ellum & Upper Greenville)
The obvious landmark -- Sonny Bryan's on Inwood
but believe it or not, I'm rather addicted to Red Hot & Blue's dry-rubbed ribs! ... and their sausage is good... and I'm embarrassed to say their pulled pork is quite good, too. I'm not a fan of the "food chains" but admittedly RH&B has some tasty stuff. I just wish you didn't have to sit down, stare at blues memorabilia, order from a menu and deal with everything coming with a side of this and a side of that. I may be old skool, but I like to walk in, grab a tray and order meat by the pound -- not the plate, stare at some taxidermy marvels, and hear some twangy C&W tunes.
Red in Dallas -- Hand's down Tolbert's (Grapevine) has the closest thing to what I make at home (Texas style, honest bowl, garnished with a fresh serrano); and Love And War In Texas (Plano) has decent red, too.
....wait a goshdarn minute... DOESN'T CHILI'S SERVE CHILI? :) )
New York style pizza
That's good to know! -- Sal's is lowered on my to-do list now! Thanks, irodguy!
DFW - Upscale Indian Restaurant
I agree with Iravat in Plano. They offer southern and northern dishes in a pleasant, modern atmosphere. I'm a vindaloo fan, and I tried their lamb vindaloo. It was good, but fell short when compared to India Palace's. It was too... "red"? Maybe they tripped with the tomatoes on the way to the kardhai? That said, their yellow dahl is the best I've ever had. So, it's worth a try. But for the folks that have been around for decades in town, India Palace has the edge. The owner, Pardeep and Chef Sharma have been around since the early 80's in Dallas as part of the original Kebab & Kurry in Richardson. Also worth a trip is Akbar in Plano and Taj Mahal at 75 @ Meadow in Dallas.
New York style pizza
I keep hearing about this place:
http://www.salspizzadallas.com/
I hear it's good and I've been wanting to try it, but gravity keeps me leaning towards Louie's on Henderson for their thin, crispy slices and killer bar. I guess I'm more of a fan of St. Louis style -- and the thick, upside-down Chicago deep dish pies...
Another pizza joint I've frequented over the years is, Al's Pizza over by Bachman Lake. See: http://restaurants.dallasobserver.com/search/restaurants.php?oid=5681
Dallas Steakhouses Review
I went to Randy's earlier this year and was very impressed. Excellent choice, fuh shure. Bob's is still tops on my list, though. And IF you want a decent steak without taking out a second mortgage, and IF you can tolerate a sorta corporate contrived family atmosphere, complete with peanut shells on the floor and glorified prints of the bearded icon, Willie docorating the walls, Texas Roadhouse is a good alternative to Salt Grass. You can get a cut that's not on the menu, i.e., a larger steak than what you might see in the glass case when you walk in. It's not the best steak you'll ever sink your teeth into, but it will work in a pinch... a penny pinch, that is!
Yah Mon Tasty Jerk Chicken - Dallas (Oak Cliff)
The yardbird is decent, but they char-grill it. I think it would be better if they had a way to actually cook it over a wood fire -- maybe they dweet in warmer weather outside? Dunno. The place is VERY small, so everyting's to go. The owner and his wife are worth the visit alone -- both from JA. Chat 'bout music with them and you'll lose track of time. I want to go back there again soon -- it was a blast! (and tasty, too!) Bless up.. Yah mon... cool, seen?
