12 February 13 - 19, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents “Most Reviewed.” No less than 30 pages later, we found our spot, and the reviews of Taste of Chengdu on Old Denton Road in Carrollton were more than enough confirmation: “This should easily be a four-star place. Why the negative reviews? Taste of Chengdu has consistently served good food and good enough service. Sometimes hard to flag down the servers, but once you get their attention, they’ve always gotten us what we want,” wrote Bob in his review. “Food was decent,” wrote A.N. for a three-star rating, “Was expecting an authen- tic Chinese food waitress didn’t speak lick of English so it was hard to ask anything. She just stared me down when I tried to ask something so just pointed to the dish.” This was followed by a five-star from Yaya L., “I am from Chengdu, this restaurant is probably the best I’ve had in the U.S. re- garding Sichuan food. The cook Mr. Feng is from Chengdu and he’s very very friendly and nice. Would definitely come back.” Taste of Chengdu was perfect from the second we walked in the door. We weren’t greeted, so we were off to a great start. There was a massive ordering screen to the left of the hostess stand, which we poked around on. No less than a minute later, a host came out to greet us, starting with an apol- ogy since he didn’t see us. At first, we were the only guests, and ser- vice started strong with thoughtful recom- mendations. But after a handful of families came through, things unraveled. Thankfully, service slipped and became slow. We did, in fact, have to flag down a server, but — as Wong hypothesized — the food more than made up for it. Three years later Wong’s video has amassed almost 11 million views with 2 mil- lion likes affirming his claims. Some comments prove a little neglect is worth it to get the goods. Like this one with 74,000 likes: “My friend and I went to a hole-in-the-wall dumpling place and tried to order everything and the waiter got mad and said ‘That’s too much!’” So next time the waiter ignores you like your high school boyfriend, you’re probably in the right place for some pork ribs. ▼ BLACK HISTORY MONTH CARRYING ON KEVIN WINSTON ON THE LEGACY OF SOUL FOOD. BY TERRANCE PORTER K endall Karsen’s Upscale Soul Food in South Dallas has become a beacon of soul food since its opening in 2018. Owner Kevin Winston gave up a decades- long career in the corporate world for the restaurant business; he knew he wanted something different. After earning a bache- lor’s degree in philosophy and mathematics, a master’s in business and corporate finance and a doctorate in health administration from Texas A&M, he leaned on his faith and switched his focus to soul food. Named for his two sons Kendall and Karsen, Winston’s restaurant has gained recognition and nods from several local me- dia outlets, including a spot on the Observ- er’s Top 100 restaurants in Dallas. Companies like Walmart, Wayfair, Hello Fresh, General Motors and FedEx have or- dered thousands of plates for their employees through the catering side of Winston’s busi- ness. According to the Texas A&M graduate, the restaurant sells out of its cooked-to-order entrees daily, requiring constant calls to dis- tributors. “Just to give you a guesstimation,” he says, “on Sunday, we opened at 12. By 2 p.m., we went through 140 pounds of yams. That kind of tells you what kind of foot traffic comes through here.” The proprietor learned at an early age to make sure to have plenty of food for every- one, especially on Sundays. Winston’s late grandmother, Louberta Johnson, known to everyone as “Aunt Lou,” would be proud to see her grandson following her example. On Sundays, Aunt Lou started cooking at 4 a.m. to make sure everyone at her home in Oak Cliff — sometimes up to 60 people — had a hot plate of food after church. Her ta- ble was open to more than just Winston and his cousins; neighborhood kids and friends were also welcome. All of it on a simple budget. “I grew up with it,” Winston says of soul food. “My family cooked. My grandmother made the front page of the The Dallas Morn- ing News in ’87, ’88. She cooked for the homeless at the VA hospital. It’s embedded in me. It’s something I enjoy. I love the reac- tions on the patron’s face after they eat some good, down-home soul food.” Winston’s culinary influences also come from outside his family. Growing up, he ate many meals with his grandparents at Dallas’ iconic Sweet Georgia Brown. “I respect all the soul food restaurants,” he says. “Each one brings a certain charac- teristic to the dynamics of soul food.” But it’s not just his grandparents’ influ- ence at Winston’s restaurant. Kendall Kars- en’s Upscale Soul Food is a whole family operation. One of the healthier options on the menu, the okra gumbo, is his late moth- er’s favorite recipe. His youngest son, Karsen, works behind the counter, greets customers and helps with prep work in the kitchen. His oldest son, Kendall, is studying at Morehouse College and is poised to step into the operations of the brand after gradu- ating. Winston’s end goal is generational wealth. The Kappa Alpha Psi member understands the purpose lineage brings to soul food. “For me, the change needs to be cleaner cooking (…) from slavery, we used what we had,” he says. “All we had was a lot of fatty greases because that’s all that we were allowed to use. We need to get away from that. I wish the whole industry would go in that route.” Thankfully, there has been more aware- ness of healthier alternatives when recreat- ing the classic dishes of yesteryear. Just because something has been established doesn’t mean an alteration is impossible. “We cook with our hearts. We don’t have anything sitting under heat lamps. Coming from the health industry, I believe in clean cooking. I cook with a lot of olive oils. It’s just giving people the kind of food I’d want. The same expectation,” he says. “When I walk into a restaurant, I want something fresh. I want something hot and I want something that hasn’t been sitting for a cou- ple of hours. That’s what I give back to the community. I try to give them the best prod- uct possible.” Recently, a new soul food restaurant, Kendall’s Soul Food, opened in downtown Dallas, within walking distance of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza. While the names are similar, these are com- pletely separate restaurants; one distinc- tion is the new one in downtown offers some Caribbean-influenced dishes, which Kendall Karsen’s doesn’t. He is aware of the new restaurant and has been fielding questions from confused customers. He proudly informs them of the key features of his menu and shares directions of where they need to go. Don’t fret though, expansion for Winston’s Kendall Karsen’s is on the horizon. After test- ing the market and fielding demands from var- ious cities, he plans on opening a Desoto location before this summer. The new location will mix soul food and fine-dining elements like a wait staff, white linen tablecloths and live music, all with the same communal spirit of the current Oak Cliff location. City of Ate from p11 Terrance Porter Kendall Karsen’s Upscale Soul Food’s catfish dinner
