ST. PETE’S DANCING MARLIN Bar & Grill SINCE 1994 EAT AT PETE’S A DALLAS LANDMARK! WISE UP, WE’RE OPEN FOR DINE IN, to-go & CurbSIDE! | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish Bird Is The Word Darkoo’s Chicken Shack roosts in East Dallas. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS stpetesdancingmarlin.com Deep Ellum • 2730 Commerce 214-698-1511 W Contemporary Indian Food WE’RE OPEN FOR DINE IN, TO-GO, CURBSIDE AND DELIVERY! 12817 Preston Road, Suite 105 972-392-0190 indiapalacedallas.com INTRODUCE YOUR DALLAS FORK hen the small East Dal- las Lao restaurant Khao Noodle Shop closed earlier this year, owner Donny Sirisavath prom- ised that while it was the end of one chapter it was the beginning of another. In its short three-year run, Khao, with a menu of boat noodles and small bites, was anointed the second-best new restaurant in the nation by Bon Appetit in 2019, along with a bevy of lo- cal accolades, including a spot on our 100 best restaurants. Darkoo’s Chicken Shack is a collabora- tion between Sirisavath and Jimmy Niwa of Niwa Japanese BBQ. Here they serve Asian- style fried chicken. When they opened the doors on just their third day of business, there was a small line of customers waiting outside. Families with small kids played around the tables in their courtyard. Like Khao, the menu here is tight. There are four chicken options on Darkoo’s menu along with 11 sides and five house-made sauces. For the mains, Lao gai comes in two or four-piece buckets with fries or rice ($13 or $18). Karaage, chunks of mostly dark meat coated and deep-fried, is also served with a side of fries or rice ($12). Panko tenders are all- white meat with a thick crust of panko ($14). A plate of Khao mun gai, poached chicken served atop seasoned rice is $14. Finally, there’s “incogmeato” for vegetarians ($13). The Lao gai comes with a small crack-like packet of spice, which is appropriate. Unlike the typical salt packets that are tossed aside or used to save a bland dish, these are a mix of some holy flavors that completely transforms the meal. You’ll find yourself scouring the black and white checkered paper, mushing chunks of chicken and sticky rice atop scatter- ings of the spice to get every last lick of kick. The sides are a hopscotch of cultures. TO THE TASTE OF NEW YORK! NY DELICATESSEN RESTAURANT & BAKERY 10 4 DFW LOCATIONS • CINDISNYDELI.COM 10 There are the traditional sides we’d expect to find at an American fried chicken place: macaroni salad and coleslaw. Then there’s “eLAOtes,” a nod to the Mexican street food often found in East Dallas. Plus traditional Lao and Thai dishes. We tried the spicy cucumber salad that comes with dismembered crabs; a pincher here and leg there throughout the salad. The cucumbers are soaked in a vinegary sauce and aren’t too spicy. But the crabs pack heat; be careful sucking the juices and meat out of those as those little guys. They absorb some serious spice before becoming part of the Lauren Drewes Daniels menu here. For other sides, there are fried chicken skin, fried ‘shrooms and carrots and pickled daikon. Prices for all the sides range from $5 to $7. The sauce menu definitely deserves a more thorough investigation. At the time, with a line to the door on just the third day of business, it didn’t feel appropriate to in- terrogate the staff on the distinctions of each. Since they cost $1.50 each, I asked them to just pick one for me. Next visit we’ll be sure to add on an order of Darkoo’s eggs, which are sweet potato and purple yams that look like doughnut holes, served with a pandan custard. Despite Sirisavath’s genius touch with noodles at Khao, packing up delicate noo- dles to go during the pandemic was too hard of a punch to absorb, despite a lot of bobbing and weaving. With this concept, we hope this East Dallas gem does well. Darkoo’s Chicken Shack, 4812 Bryan St. #101, 6-10 p.m. Monday - Thursday; 6 - 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday ▼ OPENINGS RESTAURANT BIGNESS DALLAS CONTINUES TO SEE A DIZZYING NUMBER OF NEW RESTAURANTS OPEN. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS D espite all the woes restaurants con- tinue to experience from inflation to staffing, entrepreneurs in the food world aren’t hearing it. There are so many openings, it’s hard to keep up. We’ve recently written about Toussaint Brasserie in downtown a chic spot serving French fare. The Italian spot Sfuzzi is back living its best fourth life on Henderson Ave- nue. And Knife Burger recently opened at The Highland hotel (which is really just the steakhouse Knife reopening for lunch hours and tweaking the brand, but we don’t care, we love it). Fiatto is also open in Uptown and we’re very excited to give this from- scratch kitchen a try. In timely coordination with the new TV show Deep Fried Dynasty that looks at the money behind state fair food vendors, Fried Jesus himself, Abel Gonzales, has opened a new spot for breakfast and lunch called AG Darkoo’s Chicken Shack’s karaage, cucumber salad, eLAOtes Texican Restaurant and Catering on Harry Hines Boulevard. Gonzales earned fried food royalty at the Texas State Fair. He’s won the Big Tex Choice Award five different times. His deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a big player on Deep Fried Dy- nasty, and it’s almost painful to watch and know that we can’t get one until the fall. At his first proper brick and mortar, Gon- zales is serving everything from breakfast tacos, quesadillas, doughnuts. Lunch will be quesadillas stuffed with brisket, pork, steak, chicken or vegetables. He’ll have gorditas, flautas, tortas and tamales. Plus, there will be a daily special for $10 to $12. The New York City brunch spot Sadelle’s recently opened in Highland Park Village in the spot that used to be Royal Blue Grocery Space. “Sadelle’s is a modern ode to New York City’s classic tradition of all-day din- ing,” according to their website. This posh spot is known for its bagel and lox towers, oysters, salads and sandwiches. You can make reservations through their site, which are already filling up weeks out. In 2016, Bon Appetit anointed Trompo as the taco of the year. So, when they closed their Bishop Arts location late last year, it hurt. There’s still the East Dallas location, but owner Luis Olver just opened another spot — a walk-up window — at a commercial kitchen in West Dallas (921 W. Commerce St.) called Commerce Fork Company. It’s a large ghost kitchen with several other restaurants serv- ing out of there too; pick-up only. You can or- der from Trompo using their website. La Stella Cucina Verace opened in the Dal- las Arts District recently just across from the Meyerson, where Flora Street Cafe used to be. This spot is home of a “verace” experi- ence, which, according to the restaurant, is a “way of life and an appreciation for good food, good wine, and the good life.” Chef Lu- igi Iannuario is at the helm here; he’s worked in Michelin star-rated restaurants in Europe. Luna’s Tortilla Factory recently got a new home. They’re at 8014 Harry Hines Blvd. now. If you’ve eaten tortillas at any number of restaurants around Dallas, you’ve likely eaten theirs. They’ve been in business just MARCH 31–APRIL 6, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | dallasobserver.com
