118 September 18 - 24, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Contents | ReadeRs’ PiCks | shoPPing & seRviCes | aRts & enteRtainment | Food & dRink | sPoRts & ReCReation catalyst for grabbing a latte to go for a post-brunch stroll. At night, it’s a surprisingly romantic, transportive haunt with a dinner menu that offers Asian favorites like banh mi and chicken satay. We won’t recommend trying to take on the trail after a few glasses of saké, though. 4205 Buena Vista St., No. 130 214-272-3993 rosecafedallas.com › BEST FOOD TRUCK Sophia’s Haitian Cuisine Kavin Adisson’s Haitian-inspired food truck is based in Celina but can be found all over the greater Dallas area on any given day, delivering comfort food from that island nation. Seasonal favorites include joumou soup as well as daily offerings of pâté (a Caribbean take on the empanada), griot (tender and marbled chunks of lightly fried pork) and the star of the show, pikliz (pickled cabbage, carrots and hot peppers) that is slathered on everything here from hot dogs to fried plantains. Check the Instagram site for the current month’s schedule and look for Adisson’s smiling face and bright yellow truck. 469-492-6224 instagram.com/sophiashaitiancuisine › BEST SIDE Grilled leeks at Pillar Pillar will appear elsewhere on this list, and for good reason: taking up residence at the location of the late, great and missed Boulevardier in Bishop Arts, chef Peja Krstic has created a wonderful space and menu that evokes a high- end bistro. One of the many high points of our meal was a side dish, grilled leeks. First steamed before then being grilled over binchotan (Japanese white charcoal), it’s then topped with buttery poached crab and crispy hazelnuts before being dressed with an orange and brown butter vinaigrette, a fantastic mélange of both sweet and earthy tones and texture. 408 N Bishop Ave., No. 108 972-803-3274 pillardallas.com › BEST LATE-NIGHT GRUB Brick & Bones Celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2025, Brick & Bones remains an after-hours respite for Deep Ellum postgames. Tenders? Wings? Sandwiches? You can enjoy fried chicken in just about any form at Brick & Bones, plus a menu of cocktails and Southern-inspired sides. It’s open nightly from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. 2713 Elm St. 469-914-6776 bricknbones.com › BEST KOREAN Maht Gaek Despite being one of the smaller Korean restaurants around, Plano’s Maht Gaek punches well above its weight class and has solidified itself as one of the top pound-for- pound Korean restaurants in the area. The menu holds six categories: barbecue, ox-bone soup, chef specials, entrees, hot pots and cold buckwheat noodles. Maht Gaek takes special pride in its ribs (both pork and beef short ribs), and rightfully so, but try the ox bone soup or buckwheat noodles. The portion sizes are generous, so bring a friend. 151 W Spring Creek Parkway, No.519, Plano 972-398-9344 mahtgaekplano.com › BEST TEX-MEX La Comida One of the newer additions to Oak Cliff’s storied Tex-Mex scene is La Comida. Traditional Tex-Mex options abound, but it is the dishes reflective of the Yucatán Peninsula, where the owner-operator Urtecho brothers hail from, that are truly special. We recommend starting out with the mini cochinita pibil tacos before moving to the mole enchiladas or the crispy tacos. The Flamingo margarita, a frozen house margarita swirled with sangria, is named for the restaurant’s feathery mascot and has never done us wrong. 1101 N Beckley Ave. 945-277-1698 lacomidatx.com
