10 January 22 - 28, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents In the weeks leading up to its closure, Rye will be serving its final tasting menu, “Day 1,” from Tuesday, Jan. 27, through Sat- urday, March 7. The menu pays homage to dishes from Rye’s first year in business, circa 2018, but will be reimaged and improved, naturally. The team doesn’t know where the new home for Rye’s Michelin-recognized cre- ative plates will be, but they’re on the look- out now. In the meantime, Apothecary will host special Rye pop-ups and chef collaborations every 6-8 weeks to keep us all satiated until the new space is found. Rye will officially close on Saturday, March 7, and Apothecary’s remodel will be unveiled the following week on Friday, March 13. ▼ FIRST LOOK THE NEW SURF AND TURF WE TRY AN EAST DALLAS SUSHI AND BURGER SPOT. BY COURTNEY E. SMITH S ushi and burgers together on the same menu sounds like a recipe for disaster. The two items do not intuitively go to- gether, and the idea that one chef could mas- terfully make both strains credulity. And yet! Chef and co-owner Alisher Yal- laev immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan at 19 and has worked as a chef at buzzy res- taurants, including TAO in Los Angeles, Azumi at the Baltimore Four Seasons and, most recently, Soy Cowboy, the gigantic pan- Asian restaurant in Arlington, part of the Ben Berg Hospitality family. Before that, he opened a live-fire cooking restaurant for Berg in Houston called Prime 131, so he’s no stranger to grilling meats. His most recent project is Doda Burger & Sushi, located in the space formerly occu- pied by the critically acclaimed Invasion, known for its fried chicken sandwiches. However, the new tenants have given the in- side a complete makeover. The burgers here are standouts, with a classic bacon cheeseburger served on a butter-smothered bun. The Doda Burger is the best of the bunch, featuring a crisp, lightly pickled cucumber, melted pepper- jack cheese, pickled onions and jalapeños, paired with shredded lettuce that eats like a slaw coated in aioli, and the not-so-secret spice: a boatload of black pepper. The Kimchi Burger was the least satis- fying: the pa tties here are salty, resulting in a heavy mineral taste that, when com- bined with the tang of kimchi, is over- whelming. The fries are fries, although the iteration made with Parmesan, furikake and chile ponzu aioli is lovely. Against All Odds: A Tale of Sides Doda makes a solid case for ordering a side of sushi with your burger. The dragon roll is highly Instagrammable, with near-perfect sushi rice, but needs the umami of soy sauce to be truly good. While Yallaev’s skill with a sushi knife is ev- ident in those thin, beautifully placed avocado slices on top, the Alaskan crab, densely packed with shrimp tempura, can be a little dry. The spider roll makes for a great pairing and is a more balanced option, filled with soft-shell crab, kanpyo and cucumber, and topped with a dollop of yuzu kosho mayonnaise. Yallaev’s experience in the world of pan-Asian cuisine is evident on the menu, which offers a few Americanized Chinese dishes, including a brightly flavored or- ange chicken with small chunks of Clem- entine oranges. It’s sweet and citrus-forward, and borders on being ab- surdly flavorful, although that flavor harps on one note. On our first visit, we also had pork pot- stickers, which are not currently on the menu. Those were fine, but in a manner in- distinguishable from a well-prepared Trader Joe’s iteration of the dish. Smart din- ers will stick to the sushi. Omakase lovers note: There is a menu option to order a private chef’s table for eight, in which the restaurant will shut down for the night to serve you omakase for $2,360. We could not afford it, but based on the quality of the sushi, we’re interested. Doda Burger and Sushi, 4029 Crutcher St. Monday - Saturday 12-10 p.m.; closed Sunday. Courtney E. Smith Get a side of sushi with your burger at Doda Burger and Sushi. City of Ate from p9
