16 January 18 - 24, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents prosperity and longevity in Chinese. The chain created by Kevin Chen has had some fast-growing success in California, where it now has five locations scattered across the state. The new location in Frisco marks the brand’s first expansion across state lines. And from the bustling weekday crowd during the Frisco location’s soft opening, we’re sure the prosperity will follow 88 Baobao to Texas. The sheer amount of people in the dining room during the dinner rush is telling. Grab a seat at one of the family-style tables and order a nice spread at the self-service coun- ter. Portions are shareable and prices are low. Nothing on the menu exceeds $15; for a California-based brand, we were pleasantly surprised. The cucumber salad dressed in a pool of sesame-peanut oil or popcorn chicken served crispy with a green onion topping are both good openers, along with other tradi- tional Chinese appetizers like vegetable spring rolls or marinated pig ears. Each will set you back between $5 and $8 and are de- signed for sharing. Seven different varieties of pan-fried dumplings come stuffed with pork, vegeta- bles, shrimp, chicken and other protein op- tions, served in generously sized platters of eight. However, for a more authentic dim sum experience, you might choose to order your dumplings steamed. These are crafted with a chewy, glutinous wrapper that breaks into hot fillings of ground vegetables, meat or even steaming hot soup. The menu isn’t limited to dumplings. Or- der from eight different types of bao buns, coated with a fluffy dough and served in sets of two, or huge plates of fried rice, which come dotted with egg, shrimp or chicken protein. A standout on the menu is the scal- lion pancake, which is flakier than most and comes thinly layered with chopped scallion. The delicacy, which compares roughly to the size of a small pizza, is split into eight pieces for easy sharing. Order it studded with white sesame seeds for an extra $2 or folded into a juicy beef roll for $4. If the food wasn’t testament enough to homemade food and recipes, the clear-glass window that looks into the kitchen surely is. Dough is rolled, pulled and shaped from scratch by chefs Tom and Lisa Chen, who are uncoincidentally the parents of 88 Bao- bao’s owner, Kevin Chen. “The chefs had originally come to Texas for the purpose of retiring,” manager Ho- ang Tran tells us. “They left their retire- ment to come cook again at the Frisco location.” It’s definitely a bold expansion from the chain’s roots in California. We’d argue that the ultra-flaky pancakes, fluffy bao buns and chewy soup dumplings make the cou- ple’s coming out of retirement a great idea. And the full dining room of customers seems to agree. 88 Baobao, 4800 Eldorado Parkway, Frisco. Daily, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. ▼ FIRST LOOK TURKISH DELIGHT FIND FINE TURKISH FARE AT THE MAYOR’S HOUSE BY SELDA. BY HANK VAUGHN T he large old house dating from the 1910s on North Zang Boulevard, dubbed “The Mayor’s House,” has been in and out of development as a restau- rant for years. The quaintness, character, size and location near the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff are a great draw for those hoping to bring their culinary vision to the area. In December 2023 Mert Tezkol and Habip Kargin, boyhood friends from Turkey, finally succeeded, creating a sort of offshoot of their successful Selda Mediterranean Grill in North Dallas. The old two-story house has a colorful history. It’s named for George Sergeant, who served as Dallas mayor in the mid-’30s, and lived there until he died in the early 1970s. Supposedly FDR himself shared lemonade with Sergeant on the patio that wraps around the house during the Texas Centen- nial celebration in 1936. Such storied history was the impetus for Tezkol and Kargin’s agreeing to keep “The Mayor’s House” in the name of their res- taurant, though they put their stamp on the place in other ways. Kargin as executive chef has let his personality and vision shine via Turkish cuisine. But it was Tezkol who transformed the space with colorful hang- ing lamps, Turkish rugs and furniture. They converted the entire space into a unique dining experience, complete with an upstairs balcony that offers views of downtown Dallas. We were seated in a cozy room near a fireplace and next to a window. First off, we were brought some olives and feta along with some Turkish lavas puffy bread so hot out of the oven that steam escaped when we tore off a piece. The bread was great and the olives pitted, but we did notice that the table next to us received lavas with sesame seeds on it while ours was unadorned. The waiter asked if we wanted some Turkish tea so we took him up on it, curious since we’d previously had only Turkish cof- fee. It turns out that Turkey has the highest consumption of tea per capita in the world. Who knew? The tea was piping hot and a bright crimson color, served in the tradi- tional tulip-shaped glass. It hit the spot on this wintry day. We ordered some hummus to go with the lavas, and it was some of the best we’ve had in a while, rich in chickpea, yogurt, tahini and garlic with a perfect dollop of olive oil on the top. Asked if we’d like more bread we said yes, please. It arrived moments later, again without sesame seeds, but still fantas- tic. As we pulled off another piece to scoop up some more of the wonderful hummus, we saw yet another table receive some with sesame seeds. Oh, well, we could have asked had it mat- tered that much to us (which it didn’t), but it did become a running gag during the rest of the lunch. We’d receive non-sesame seed bread; others got the sesame. At one point a server brought us some more bread only to notice we already had some, so she shrugged and went back to the kitchen with it. That lavas had sesame on it. Of course. Still, what’s in a seed? We also had some fried cauliflower, be- cause you can never go wrong with fried cauliflower, and we didn’t. It was a sizeable serving, cooked just right, dressed with some chimichurri sauce and sitting on a thin layer of yogurt. Other sides include grilled eggplant salad, muhammara, stuffed dates and pa- canga boregi. For our mains, we went with adana kebab and lahmacun. The kebab is considered one of their signature dishes, with hand- chopped lamb and red pepper cooked over a charcoal grill, then served on a bed of rice along with a mixed green and bean salad. The lamb was perfectly cooked and sea- soned, the rice flavorful and al dente, the salad fresh and dressed well. The lahmacun is Turkish-style, very thin flatbread topped with minced meat, vegeta- bles, herbs and spices. When they say thin, they mean thin, reminiscent of Chicago- style tavern pizza. Large in size and full of flavor, the bread never got soggy, the meat not overpowering. We tried to ask what ex- actly the “minced meat” was, but didn’t get a definitive answer. Probably a mixture of beef and lamb? It was thoroughly enjoyed by someone who does not like lamb, so bravo to chef Kargin. Other mains include lamb shank, ali na- zik (beef tenderloin with eggplant), kuru fa- sulye (short ribs) and various incarnations of pide, a Turkish flatbread topped with ei- ther salmon, cheese, Turkish pepperoni and pastrami, or spinach, feta and onion. There’s a Turkish breakfast option on the weekend. Great food, great atmosphere and a short walk to the Bishop Arts District, which we did to work off some calories post-lunch. Highly recommended with or without ses- ame seeds, especially for fans of the original Selda location in North Dallas. 635 N. Zang Blvd; Monday – Friday, noon – 2 a.m.; Saturday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 2 a.m. ▼ OBITUARY DALLAS’ RESTAURANT INDUSTRY MOURNS JOSHUA BONEE THE DALLAS CHEF WORKED AT MANY LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND ALSO HAD A BIG IMPACT ON THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY. HE WAS 36 YEARS OLD. BY CHRIS WOLFGANG D allas chefs were stunned to learn of the loss of one of their most beloved colleagues with the news of Joshua Bonee’s passing on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Bonee, who was 36 years old, died from pneumonia, Anisha Holla A plate of fried sweet bao buns goes for just under $7. City of Ate from p15 Hank Vaughn Adana kebab: hand-chopped lamb with red pepper cooked on a charcoal gril.l
