16 August 24 - 30, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Reggae Wings & Tings 3315 N. Town East Blvd., Mesquite 469-862-4040, reggaewingsandtings.com This little spot in Mesquite specializes in Jamaican cuisine including jerk chicken, wings, curry goat, salt fish, oxtails, cabbage, stews and more. It’s an unpretentious setting that definitely puts flavor over form. The servings are large and usually come with two sides. If you’ve suddenly got a yen for Man- nish water (goat soup), then look no further. Seafood selections include steamed red snap- per, escovitch tilapia, saltfish and shrimp. Pork is also available jerked, and there’s goat that’s curried. Lots of fried sides are available, including but not limited to dumplings, okra, and plantains, as well as rice and peas. All of it can be washed down with any of the various canned Jamaican sodas available, or with some homemade sorrel, a sweet, gingery hi- biscus-infused Jamaican beverage favorite. Oh, and there’s plenty of thumping reggae music filling the dining space as well. Tomyumkung Thai Café 3030 N. Josey Lane, Carrollton 972-394-7999, tomyumkungthai.com This Thai joint is worth a visit for the duck fried rice alone, consisting of a large portion of wonderfully crispy pieces of duck atop perfectly prepared Thai fried rice. Tradi- tional favorites such as pad woon sen and pad Thai are also on the menu, of course, but one of the things that sets Tomyumkung apart is the Isan food offerings, a cuisine originating in the northeast region of Thailand that has Lao influence. Isan options include tom sap, a spicy and sour pork rib soup; nam with crispy rice, prepared with Lao sour pork sausage, rice and peanuts; and larb chicken, consisting of minced meat, crushed rice, red and green onions, cilantro and herbs. Other chef spe- cialties include soft shell crab curry and spicy basil catfish. But it’s the duck that really shines here, epitomized by the aforemen- tioned duck fried rice but also evidenced by the duck pad Thai, duck curry and crispy duck Thai basil dishes. It’s a duckapalooza. Chicago Style Dog’s 3225 S. Jupiter Road, No. 100, Garland 469-452-3328, chicagostyledogstx.com This entry into the thankfully ever-grow- ing Chicago-style hot dog scene was started by two Chicago-area transplants, and that pedigree definitely shines through. It’s a small spot with a tiny dining area, practically no seating and limited parking, attached to an auto body shop to boot, but that’s all part of the charm and makes it very reminiscent of hole-in-the-wall hot dog shops in Chica- goland. The dog is done correctly, using Vi- enna Beef and the proper bun dragged through the garden, and there’s also Max- well Street Polish sausage, Italian beef and a rarity in north Texas, the humble pizza puff (think of a larger, cheesier Totino’s pizza roll). One can also order a chili cheese dog and cheeseburger as well, but why? You’re here for the dogs and Polish, right? Break- fast, served all day, offers a breakfast sand- wich composed of Polish sausage, egg and cheese that hits the spot as well. This place is well worth the drive for those who want to branch out a bit from the corporate ho- mogeneity that is Portillo’s. Just plan on get- ting it to go. And don’t ask for ketchup. Kabayan Filipino Store & Café 2305 S State Highway 121, Lewisville; 19009 Preston Road 972-798-3030, facebook.com/kabayanfsc With locations in Dallas and Lewisville, Kabayan Filipino Store & Café offers both a market for Filipino staples, groceries and treats as well as a restaurant that has a good variety of Filipino fare served cafeteria-style at an affordable price. Options include pork bicol, a stew of pork chunks with ginger, gar- lic, shrimp paste and coconut milk; and lechon, a delightful roast suckling pig that is at once extremely tender yet has a wonder- fully crackly skin. Other items include per- fectly charred barbecue pork on a stick, chicken curry and lumpia, a sort of egg roll stuffed with ground pork. These can all be ordered à la carte or as a turo turo plate, which is a combo consisting of either two or three entrées along with steamed rice. “Turo turo” means “point point” in Tagalog and is thus a perfect name for this option where one points to any of the various stews, noodles, skewers, curries or soups in the col- orful spread in front of you for inclusion on the combo plate. The choices can be over- whelming, but the friendly and knowledge- able staff is there to help . The Cat Shack 2910 S. Beckley Ave. 214-272-3362, catshackdallas.com The Cat Shack, which started as a food truck in 2021 with an eating experience rooted in the culture of Detroit, has added a brick-and-mortar location in Oak Cliff. The truck is parked outside, near the shaded pa- tio dining area so no one can forget. Sand- wiches on offer include blackened chicken, catfish, Creole chicken and a couple of burger options, and the Detroiter, chicken shawarma with tomato, lettuce, pickles and mayo garlic spread, all wrapped up in a pita. Stealing the show, however, is the fantastic house-made corned beef and pastrami sandwich served on rye or an onion roll. It’s not always on the menu, so be sure to check the Facebook page for heads-up when it’s available ... and then drive as fast as your lo- cal traffic laws allow to Oak Cliff. You’re welcome. Soulful Street Bites 16601 Addison Road, No. 110, Addison 214-613-2119, soulfulstreetbites.com A take-out-only joint in Addison, Soulful Street Bites specializes in soul food imbued with some New Orleans-inspired flavors and attitude along with some smokehouse barbecue. Frequent daily specials are dishes like chicken tetrazzini, red beans and rice with sausage and, on Sundays, oxtails with gravy and rice. The signature dish is a bowl of brisket mac and cheese, in large or mini sizes: homemade mac and cheese topped with fall-apart-tender smoked brisket, cornbread crumbles and a drizzle of barbe- cue sauce. Decadent, rich and satisfying. Other options include fried ribs, rib tips, pork chop sandwich, wings and catfish bites. For starters, you can grab some craw- fish eggrolls, brisket fries or nachos and boudin eggrolls, which are filled with Cajun pork and rice. Treat yourself to a peach cob- bler or banana pudding. The diet can start tomorrow. Pacheco Taco N Burger 1802 SE 14th St., Grand Prarie instagram.com/pachecotaconburger This family-run spot can be found at an occasional pop-up, but its home base is in- side a Save Way just west of Mountain Creek Lake in Grand Prairie. Cecilia Pacheco cut her chops working at one of Emeril La- gasse’s restaurants in Las Vegas and her son, Adan, graduated from the culinary program at Tarrant County College. Together they are pushing out smash burgers, tacos and carne asada that breathes flavor into this old gas station. A barbacoa grilled cheese sand- wich has a slab of muenster cheese that is toasted directly on the grill, rendering it both crispy and gooey, with a schmear of barbacoa held together with two buns toasted and buttered within an inch of their lives. Do not leave without indulging in the from-scratch, life-affirming cucumber lem- onade aqua fresca. On weekends try the menudo. Taco City y Mas 265 W. Comstock St. tacocityymas.com Ever driven down a random road and seen a packed taco hut and almost got mad that no one ever told you about it? This is how things got started with Taco City y Mas, less than two miles from downtown, yet a wee bit tucked away on a side road. The “mas” in the name means “food party.” From snow cones to breakfast tacos (served all day), birria and aqua frescas (served with pellet ice) you can eat here all day and night. This small restaurant has a patio with sev- eral tables, but no inside dining room. A sign out front warns all customers that food is made as it’s ordered, so be patient. The con- somme with the birria tacos is drink-wor- thy. Fluffy eggs in breakfast tacos have charisma. The mango agua fresca is addic- tive. The menu is a long read from huarache to flautas, salmon with chipotle cream sauce, enchiladas and even lamb choppas (25-minute wait). You’ve found your new food party spot. Sorry to everyone who thought this was a secret. You’re welcome, everyone else. From top down: Soulful Street Bites, Chicago Style Dog’s Lauren Drewes Daniels Hidden Gems from p15
