▼ Dish A Tale of Two Districts Two North Texas spots for Vietnamese street fare. BY DIDI PATERNO I f you Google “District 1 Vietnamese Dallas,” you will stumble upon two dif- ferent top searches: District 1 food truck in Garland and a District One brick-and-mortar location in Carroll- ton. So, which is which? The term “District One” holds signifi- cance in Vietnamese culture. It’s an urban district and home to finance and foreign consulates in modern-day Saigon, or Ho Chí Minh City. As the largest city in the country, it has a bustling and diverse street food scene. This is the only glue that holds these two North Texas district ones together. DISTRICT ONE: SAIGON STREET FOOD 2540 Old Denton Road (Carrollton) Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday - Sunday District One at the corner of Old Denton Road and the President George Bush Turn- pike in Carrollton represents Vietnamese cuisine and culture in this strip mall that is home to other Asian businesses. Owner Tom Búi is living his dream of shar- ing his beloved cuisine with the rest of North Texas, serving food straight from the streets Ho Chí Minh City. His goal is to capture the traditional tastes. Hence, you will find your fa- vorite Vietnamese staples like banh mi and pho in the long list of dishes on the menu. But veer away from those standards and give the tastes of the streets of Vietnam a try. Bo ne, Vietnamese-style steak and eggs, will hit home for any beef-loving Texan. Tender steak, a dollop of pate, a single Vienna sau- sage and fried eggs over easy on a sizzling plate is eaten with a baguette. WE ARE OPEN FOR DINE IN, TO-GO & DELIVERY! limited offering, which is far from traditional. Here Dang draws inspiration from various restaurants he’s worked in, creating unique dishes for the food truck. They not only offer a take on Vietnamese street food but add touches from neighboring Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia and Thailand. One example is the xiên bò nuong Cam- puchia, grilled Cambodian beef skewers, thinly sliced marinated beef interspersed with fat that keeps the meat juicy. Another is the bánh hoi chiên nuac mam, deep-fried vermicelli blocks form an edible plate that remains crispy with a dousing of hot sauce and a sprinkle of pork floss, tiny dried shrimp and green onions. Try the bánh mì lon xon, a snack of toasted banh mi triangles topped with squiggles of mayonnaise and secret sauce, slices of hotdog, pork floss, dried, salted baby shrimp and green onions. When available, order the bánh khoai mì nuong tham lung, chewy cassava cake, pressed inside a waffle maker to create the crispy exterior and edges. It looks like that familiar toaster snack, but far from it. Set your tray of treats on the small fold- ing tables, then squat and settle onto the low plastic stools. Or better yet, come prepared for crowded evenings and bring your own chair. Being an outdoor space means that pets are welcome too. District One, 2540 Old Denton Road (Carroll- ton). Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday - Sunday. District 1, 3212 N. Jupiter Road (Garland). Open 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday - Sunday ▼ FIRST LOOK CRY WOLF Didi Paterno Bánh bot chiên, pan-fried rice cake tiles mixed into beaten eggs are fried into a flat omelet. It’s best with a dip into the accom- panying sauce and slather of Sriracha. Of course, the owner puts his signature on his take of the banh mi, Dac Biet Ông Tom or Mr. Tom’s special sandwich. His secret sauce is creamy and savory, complementing the crusty baguette. DISTRICT 1 FOOD TRUCK 3212 N. Jupiter Road (Garland) Open 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday - Sunday The bright yellow District 1 food truck is hard to miss as you enter the parking lot of Top: District One spread in Carrollton; Below: District 1 food truck offerings. the Cali Saigon Mall on the corner of Jupiter Road and East Belt Line Road in Garland. It’s just one of the food trucks that are parked here on weekends. Owner Dang Tran explains that the color yellow is impor- tant the Vietnamese culture as it represents fortune and prosperity. Their logo draws an outline of the gates to the historical Ben Thành Market in Ho Chí Minh City. While Mr. Tom’s District One covers the breadth of Vietnamese street food, District 1 in Garland swings the other way with a more C A VIEW FROM THE CHEF’S TABLE. BY HANK VAUGHN ry Wolf sits in an unassuming little shopping strip in Junius Heights, but the food is anything but unassuming. The blurb on their website touts “a cordial, intimate space focusing on seasonal fare and refined cocktails,” which captures the place well. They’re open 5 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and we decided to make the trek on a chilly Sunday evening. We made reservations for the chef’s table, which was the last two seats at the end of the bar, but it was much more than bar seating. Chefs Ross Demers and Liam Byres were right in front of us preparing the dishes, and general manager Tim Case was immediately to >> p16 $1 OFF PER POUND MONDAY & TUESDAY CRAWFISH 7224 Independence Parkway • Plano 972.618.4542 • litasdallas.com 15 1 dallasobserver.comdallasobserver.com | CONTENTS | UNFAIR PARK | SCHUT |ZE | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | MOVIES | DISH | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 MARCH 24–30, 2022
