106 September 21 - 27, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER contents | shopping & services | Arts & entertAinment | Food & drink | sports & recreAtion where it melts down the sides of the pan, caramelizing and crisping the crust. Yes, it’s as game-changing as it sounds. 1425 FM 407, No. 600, Lewisville 972-654-6276, motorcitypizzatx.com Best espresso Martini Meyboom Brasserie In the bustling Lower Greenville neighborhood, you’ll find the Belgian- influenced pub Meyboom Brasserie. On tap are select beers and draughts spanning Western Europe, along with top-flight cocktails and Belgian-inspired bar bites. Owners April Segovia and Jeff Karetnick were inspired to open their own pub after a trip to Belgium in 2019. Karetnick is behind the bar, and he is, for our money, one of the more underrated bartenders in all of Dallas. Meyboom’s espresso martini, made of Sobieski vodka, Kamora coffee liqueur, simple syrup, egg and Window Seat espresso, is in a league of its own. 2100 Greenville Ave. 214-838-8298, meyboombar.com Best Fish and Chips Isla & Co. Isla & Co., with its Australian-influenced menu of brunch and dinner dishes, artisan coffee, vino and spiffy signature cocktails, resides in the thriving restaurant scene of Bishop Arts. Executive chef Matt Foley, who honed his culinary repertoire in Michelin-starred kitchens Marea and Manhattan Beach Post, has created a diverse menu that ranges from breakfast (like brioche French toast) to skewered kangaroo to a wonderful spicy shrimp vodka rigatoni in pomodoro sauce. But Isla’s fish and chips — deceptively simple preparation of Atlantic cod sheathed in a flawless batter and served with yuzu kosho tartar sauce — was the dish that had us returning long after our first visit. 408 W. Eighth St. 214-258-6132, isla-co.com Best oxtail Daq and Mag Daiquiris Daq and Mag Daiquiris offers a menu fusion of soul food and American classics — not to mention a deep roster of daiquiris. But the main event at Daq and Mag’s may very well be the oxtail. Cleaned, soaked and marinated in a house-made Nigerian blend of herbs and spices known as Ondo seasoning, the oxtails here are cooked low and slow for six hours in the oven before emerging onto your table with succulent oxtail meat primed to slide right off the bone. It’s served with your choice of two sides, and beneath lies a bed of buttery rice permeated with all the glorious drippings from the oxtail, marrying the two and resulting in pure soul-food bliss. 3431 W. Camp Wisdom Road 214-605-2309, daqandmagdaiquiris.com Best Café Where an assassin Tended Bar (Well, MayBe) The Square Café After assassinating Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater on a mid-April night in 1865, John Wilkes Booth was tracked down 12 days later and killed at a barn in Virginia. Or was he? One theory places Booth in Granbury under the alias John St. Helen, where he lived on and continued his stage acting career at the Granbury Opera House while moonlighting as a bartender at a saloon next door (now The Square Café). The Square Café serves burgers and sandwiches for lunch and a killer (no pun intended) breakfast menu, including an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet on Sundays. 137 E. Pearl St., Granbury 682-936-4240, granburysquarecafe.com Best hot ChiCken Ricky’s Hot Chicken As Nashville-style hot chicken restaurants continue to flock to the culinary landscape, Ricky’s has figured out how to separate from the pack. Ricky’s quarter birds, tenders, wings, nuggets and chicken sandwiches are Halal-certified. The Bird’s Nest (chopped tenders, vinegar slaw, pickles and comeback sauce on a bed of fries) is also a Ricky’s fan favorite. The heat levels elevate six rungs up the ladder from no heat to the A-Bomb, which comes (deservedly so) with a serious warning from servers. The A-Bomb at Ricky’s is the hottest we’ve ever had. But it’s not just about the spice at Ricky’s: The birds are juicy, teeming with Nashville flavor and just damn good. You can also find Ricky’s in Plano and Arlington. 100 S. Central Expressway, No. 18, Richardson; 214-272-3735, rickyshotchicken.com Best Beer seleCtion Lakewood Growler Want to get a taste of the craft beer offerings in Dallas? Lakewood Growler is your place. Check out the fancy menu board, which lets you know when a keg is low and also if it was “just tapped.” From old favorites like Peticolas’ Velvet Hammer
