13 July 3 - 9, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents fried and stuffed with the flavorful birria. A torta fell apart as we did our best to hold it together; the bread couldn’t keep up with the juices of the meat, which we have no complaints about. A bowl of consomme was served alongside our platter. Every- thing gets a dunk. The pizza earns honors for being the cheesiest application of birria, in the most literal sense. The cheese pulls are Insta- gram-worthy. A little goes a long way; most of this made it home in a to-go box, and it still took a couple of days to polish off. Good news for Dallasites is that Rogelio is looking for a space in Dallas. He’s not nar- rowed down the neighborhood or anything. “I’m big on intuition,” he says. “I’m not big on how many cars pass by a location; it’s just if it speaks to me.” Here’s hoping that something in Dallas proper speaks to him soon. Until then, it’s worth a trip west. Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez, 2108 E. Rose- dale St. Wednesday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Closed Monday and Tuesday. ▼ RESTAURANT NEWS SEED OILS OUT, ZERO-PROOF IN HARWOOD HOSPITALITY’S WELLNESS REVOLUTION HITS DALLAS AND ADDED ZERO-PROOF COCKTAILS, BRINGING WELLNESS- FOCUSED DINING TO DALLAS. BY AAREN PRODY G en Z has led the sober-curious move- ment, the practice of replacing Mad Dog 20/20 in someone’s basement with an adrenal calming mocktail, for years now. It’s paved the way for alcohol-free bottle shops in Dallas and N/A options to be a near-mandatory addition to cocktail menus. Even brands such as Coors, Budweiser and Guinness have caught onto the movement and offer zero-proof beers. This more holistic approach to indul- gence has also affected the food we eat. In March, HG Sply Co. was the first restaurant to ban seed oils and rewrite its entire menu. We had to ask: Is this the future of din- ing? It’s starting to be, and Harwood Hospi- tality is helping move it along. This month, the hospitality group an- nounced it’s following HG Sply Co.’s lead and promoting wellness-focused dining across all concepts: Te Deseo, Happiest Hour, Saint Ann, Mercat Bistro, NDA Bras- serie, Poco Fiasco, Elephant East, Dolce Riv- iera, Tequila Social and Harwood Arms. They’ve eliminated seed and nut oils from the menu at all locations and incorpo- rated a creative nonalcoholic bar program with zero-proof cocktails. Instead of oils like sunflower and vegeta- ble, they’re cooking exclusively with tallow rendered in-house from the HWD Harwood Premium Beef Program. This supports a zero-waste philosophy in which the whole animal is used in processing. Also, tallow is a nutrient-dense alternative with various ben- efits for the body. According to a press release, every res- taurant or cafe will have a signature zero- proof mocktail program. Still, they’re adding several N/A options to their already estab- lished cocktail lists. No matter, we’re excited to see it. Each restaurant offers a bit of everything, and most importantly, they are all around $10 or less, as most of them should be. Elephant East is getting a lavender lem- onade made with fresh lemonade, lavender, lime and orchid for $9, and a spicy mango coconut mocktail made with coconut, mango, Thai chili, pineapple juice, ginger and Tajín for $7. La Coté, made with zero-proof gin, or- ange, saffron, coriander, club soda and thyme, and the Montmartre, made with zero-proof whiskey, zero-proof aperitif, tonic and Luxardo cherry, will be served at Mercat Bistro. Both for only $10. Harwood is one of the largest hospitality groups in Dallas, so who will be the next to follow in its footsteps and reimagine cock- tails, eliminate seed oils and perhaps elimi- nate added sugars like HG Sply Co. did? Lauren Drewes Daniels We wanted to understand Birrieria and Taqueria Cortez, so we tried the entire menu, which you can too, for less than $100.
