14 June 11 - 17, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Smoke Show James Talarico talked beef at Smokey Joe’s this week. BY AUSTIN WOOD J ames Talarico dispelled veganism accusations and spoke out on soaring beef prices while visiting Smokey Joe’s BBQ on Tuesday (one of the Observer’s Top 50 res- taurants). The Texas state representative and Dem- ocratic Senate hopeful isn’t the biggest fan of smoked, grilled, broiled, or really any kind of meat — that is, if you’ve been listening to Ken Paxton. While accepting the Republi- can nomination last week, Paxton said that “tofu Talarico” is a “vegan who thinks God is nonbinary,” while cautioning his supporters that the candidate was an existential threat to Texans’ way of life. After again removing all doubt that he is, indeed, a meat-eater while eating some of Smokey Joe’s Texas Monthly Top 50 barbe- cue, Talarico met with reporters outside the joint for a press gathering. He said Paxton’s false allegations that he is a vegan rang hol- low against issues like soaring food prices, especially beef. “Ken Paxton doesn’t have anything to run on,” Talarico said. “He doesn’t have solu- tions to lower people’s costs and unrig this economy. So, all he’s got is name-calling, and he’s going to lie about what I eat. I’m gonna focus on making sure Texans can afford to eat.” Definitely Not a Vegan Other Republicans have also echoed and even amplified accusations that he eschews meat products like brisket or burnt ends — and by extension, is no true Texas politician. Donald Trump has repeatedly mislabeled Talarico as a vegan and told reporters after Paxton won the nomination that “you can’t get elected as a vegan in Texas.” After the candidate was seen eating a potato, egg and cheese taco in Austin, Texas. Gov Greg Ab- bott wrote on X that “Homie is not beating the vegetarian allegations.” That order, made while campaigning with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa and Barack Obama, has added to online discourse, as have his past remarks from his 2022 reelection campaign for the Texas House of Representatives. At a fundraiser for the Human Legislation Net- work, Talarico said it was imperative to cut down on meat consumption in the face of climate change and that he was proud to an- nounce that “our campaign has officially be- come a non-meat campaign.” On Tuesday, Talarico admitted that some of his past statements have not helped his case, but quickly drew the focus back toward beef prices. “I’ve been in public service now for four terms,” he said. “I have sometimes missed the mark in decisions that I’ve made, but I think with the rising price of meat, we may all be forced to be vegans.” Meanwhile, Beef Prices Soar According to an analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture data by the National Cattle- men’s Beef Association, brisket prices at the beginning of 2025 averaged around $6.44 per pound. That price has increased by nearly 30% in June 2026 to $8.37 per pound, and compared to 2020, when the price was closer to $2.50 per pound, it’s a nearly 235% increase. Rising meat prices, fueled by herd de- clines and drought, have hit barbecue joints especially hard. While reiterating the im- pact of inflation on consumers, Talarico told reporters that “we need a U.S. senator who’s going to fight for this economy.” “What this race is about is everywhere I go across the state of Texas, whether it’s in big cities or small towns, whether it’s red ar- eas or blue areas, whether it’s visiting small businesses like this, everyone is struggling,” he said. He called for tax relief for ranchers and a fully funded USDA. The Trump Administra- tion has proposed nearly $5 billion in cuts to the department’s fiscal 2027 budget, amounting to nearly 20% of the USDA bud- get, in a move critics have warned will have an outsized impact on farmers and ranchers. Trump’s deal to increase the amount of Ar- gentinian beef entering the U.S. market was also criticized as the “Argentinian bailout.” “It’s forcing small businesses to cut back,” Talarico said. “We even got legacy businesses that may be forced to close their doors because of these rising prices. It’s these crazy tariffs that are driving up the price of everything, including the styrofoam that you use, plastic utensils, the materials that small businesses need; all of that has gotten more expensive.” What Did Talarico Order? While he may have opted for a meat-free op- tion in Austin, Talarico was served a platter of brisket, sausage, Texas Twinkies and ribs while visiting Kris Manning’s acclaimed barbecue joint. “I come from central Texas, where we’re known for our barbecue,” he said. “I gotta say, it’s got nothing on southern Dallas bar- becue.” But the candidate’s favorite bites, he said, weren’t the usual staples of most Texas bar- becue joints. He lauded the sides and brakes, a specialty Manning said is “always some- thing that you can find in southern Dallas.” Brakes, by the way, are a crispy dish made from repurposed rib meat that’s left over af- ter trimming, such as rib ends. Manning and his pit crew marinate the meat, throw it on an old-fashioned offset smoker and finish with a fresh dusting of jerk seasoning. “It’s one of our highlights in southern Dallas,” Manning said after the press gather- ing. The second-generation owner and pit- master said he and Talarico had a produc- tive conversation before the media availability. “It made us feel great to have his support — to come in and, one, want to do something about the prices; and then, two, to care, check out our business, come eat barbecue, and taste what southern Dallas barbecue is,” he said. “That’s our goal.” Manning added that rising prices have been hard on his business. Typically, he pre- fers grass-fed beef, but with rising prices, he has increasingly been forced to opt for choice to supply Smokey Joe’s. “How much of the price can the cus- tomer take on before they say, ‘You know what, we’re not going to get brisket.’ I mean, it just doesn’t make sense financially, and es- sentially, people that don’t eat pork stop coming to barbecue places.” ▼ OPENINGS DINNER PLANS HERE ARE 10 NEW RESTAURANTS WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT. BY AAREN PRODY Y our wallet is about to be personally victimized by all the new restaurant openings around Dallas. This time, it’s a healthy mix of heavy-hitting ice cream and bagel imports, mixed with exciting new restaurants from multiple celebrated and awarded Dallas chefs. Here are 10 new openings we’ve had around the city, primed for summer dining. Olōyō 4422 Gaston Ave., East Dallas Oloyo is a new contemporary Mexican res- taurant in East Dallas, but more than that, it’s the dream brick-and-mortar restaurant from James Beard-nominated chef Olivia Lopez and her partner, Jonathan Percival. This restaurant has been years in the mak- ing, blooming from their weekend pop-ups and private dinners under the alias Molino Oloyo. Everything inside is impeccably sourced, all the way down to the salt from Lopez’s home state of Colima in Mexico. Reservations drop daily for the following day, so don’t let Resy let you down. Lion’s Den 2927 Maple Ave., Uptown The Stoneleigh is one of Dallas oldest ho- tels, and what emerged after its recent $20 million renovations to the 102-year-old building was Lion’s Den, a new restaurant with global inspiration and inventive tech- niques. The kitchen is helmed by chef Mi- chael White, who is a James Beard Award | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish Austin Wood Talarico said Trump’s tariffs and rising beef prices are “forcing loyal customers at places like this to pay more.”
