18 September 7 - 13, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents We wanted to sample a couple of Tequila Social’s tacos and ended up going with the Baja fish taco (blackened cod, corn salad, cabbage and poblano sour cream) and carni- tas taco (braised pork, pineapples, salsa roja). During happy hour, tacos are five bucks. We assumed that was per taco. But instead, we were happily surprised when our server dropped off two of each. At $2.50 a taco, they’re virtually giving them away at this point. Absolute steal. Chips and salsa, a strong margarita, queso fundido, and four tacos. Our total? Twenty- four bucks. That ain’t shabby at all. Prices spike markedly outside of happy hour, though. So keep that in mind. Other items on the happy hour menu: flautas, quesadillas, an assortment of tacos and margaritas (both frozen and non-fro- zen). All $6 or less. Draft beers are also a dol- lar off during happy hour. Tequila Social, 3100 McKinnon St., No. B100. Monday – Thursday, 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m. – midnight; Saturday, 10 a.m. – midnight; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. ▼ FIRST LOOK 101 FLAT BREADS ON THE MENU 101 PARATHA IS SOUTH ASIAN BREAD BASKET. BY ANISHA HOLLA C ount all the parathas on the menu here and you’ll find exactly one past 100. With a name that checks out, we wanted to try this slightly more casual sib- ling to parent restaurant India 101, lauded as one of North America’s largest Indian buf- fets. In fact, long lines at owner Sunil Puri’s first restaurant venture are what pushed him to open 101 Paratha, Dallas’s first and only restaurant that serves just over 100 va- rieties of Indian flatbread. “Back home in India, we eat paratha ev- ery weekend,” Puri says. “It’s a comfort food for us Indians that I really just wanted to bring here to Irving.” Inside is inviting, with umbrellas dan- gling upside down from the ceiling and bright orange walls, along with the requisite greenery. A traditional South Asian flatbread, the paratha has origins in the North Indian state of Punjab. Soft layers of dough are stuffed with just about anything: boiled eggs, shred- ded cheese or spiced meat. Different doughs, stuffings and geographic influences mean that there are almost infinite permuta- tions of the Indian delicacy: spicy, tangy and sweet. A couple of customer favorites are enough to sate the appetites of a hungry ta- ble. Priced from $10 to $13 each, parathas come served in large skillets and sliced into eight pieces. Experiment with the paneer parathas, stuffed with variations of Indian cottage cheese tossed in spicy marinades. A butter chicken paratha is filled with shredded chicken slathered in a creamy but- ter masala. Clever nomenclature like the Jal Ki Rani (queen of the ocean) has marinated fish seasoned with dry mango powder and chilies. About 15 minutes fill the interlude between ordering and the arrival of your meal. Aromas wafting from nearby tables make the wait less bearable. However, wait times aren’t a worry on weekends, when the Paratha is exclusively buffet-style. Indulge in a self-serve spread of more than 15 different parathas — cheese, meat, vegetables and dessert — for $17. It’s not a bad idea to come back a couple more times to experiment with new things on the menu. Parathas stuffed with almond chicken, cream cheese and dried fruits are some we didn’t even get around to reading about until the tail end of our visit. But, that’s a lot of reading, so who can blame us? Purists can request their paratha to be baked in a tandoor at no extra charge. There’s also a self-serve bar with Indian pickles (achar) and yogurt-based lassis (mango, sweet or salted). 101 Paratha, 3311 Regent Blvd., Irving. Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 5:30–9:30 p.m.; Friday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and 6–10 p.m. City of Ate from p17 Anisha Holla Parathas come with a side of Indian yogurt and your choice of colorful dipping sauces.
