City of Ate from p14 Swamp Café 17721 Dallas Parkway, No. 104 (972) 818-7888, swamp.cafe David Cui, the owner and chef of this cozy Cajun joint, has over 30 years of restaurant experience. He brings his Louisiana roots to Swamp Café, where he serves up a lovely se- lection of po’boys, etouffee, gumbo and beig- nets. The roux has character, and the beignets are crisp golden brown on the out- side and fluffy on the inside. E.B. Latin Bistro 6505 W. Park Blvd., Plano (469) 892-5531, eblatinbistro.com This Cuban-inspired spot offers up a wide variety of Cuban-style sandwiches and sal- ads, along with enchiladas and tacos. But the main draw is the paella, which comes in sev- eral varieties including seafood, vegetable, chicken and various combos. The Valenci- ana, a paella that comes with yellow rice, calamari, on-the-bone chicken, shrimp, cho- rizo, green peppers, onions, garlic and clam juice, is one of the stars of this menu. El Portal Café 2810 E. Trinity Mills Road, Carrollton (972) 417-3927, elportalcafe.com Venezuela isn’t the only South American country represented on this list; El Portal is a must-visit for those jonesing for Colom- bian food. The café serves savory dishes such as cheleta apanada (pork cutlets), mon- dongo (tripe) soup, arepas, ajiaco (potato soup), and ropa vieja, as well as many unique beverage choices. There’s a small bakery here, too, where you can pick up fresh pas- tries like almojábanas, alfajores, pandebo- nos, and guava and caramel-filled empanadas. Fat Ni BBQ 2528 Old Denton Drive, No. 310, Carrollton (469) 900-8887, fatni-bbq.com Fat Ni started as a food truck in New York City before expanding to a couple of stand- alone locations in North Texas, where a vari- ety of Chinese street food is made in-house every day. The highlights are the skewers, which are priced at around $3 each, and the hand-pulled noodles. One of the draws here is that it’s open until 2 a.m., so instead of Jack In The Box tacos, next time hit up Fat Ni for a lamb skewer after your night of im- bibing. Aso African Market 18110 Midway Road, No. 208 (214) 393-4390, asorockmarket.com Aso African Market and cafeteria is near the northernmost part of Dallas, but it’s worth the trip if you’re craving some good beef suya, jollof rice or moi moi pudding. You’ll find some grocery staples like akanozo ama- saka flour here, along with some of the best jerk chicken around. 16 16 Montes Burritos 19004 Midway Road (inside the Shell station) 972-773-9262, facebook.com/MontesBurrito- sofDallas Sometimes the best Mexican street food can be found in a gas station, and Montes Burri- tos, located in a Shell station, continues this Hank Vaughn tradition. The spot offers extremely afford- able burritos with freshly made tortillas filled with a myriad of choices such as cho- rizo, egg, beef tips, sausage, barbacoa and potatoes. El Arepazo VZLA 2661 Midway Road, No. 100, Carrollton 469-677-0177, elarepazodallas.com There aren’t a ton of Venezuelan restaurants locally, but El Arepazo has stepped up and provides some authentic fare. One can find empanadas stuffed with shredded beef or banana, as well as tostones (fried plantains topped with cheesy goodness), tequeños (savory deep-fried dough with a creamy cheese center) and delicious cachapas (corn pancakes stuffed with queso de mano and shredded beef ). Samad Café 2706 Manor Way 214-350-6311 This, my friends, is what you find when you look up “Hidden Gems” in your reference book of choice. Samad’s Café is extremely hidden — tucked away in a nondescript building in an older business part of town near Love Field — and it provides a great se- lection of less common Persian food, all cooked by the same man for over 30 years. Succulent lamb shank, perfectly grilled chelo and jojeh skewers, and wonderfully seasoned Bengali rice await you. Say hi to Samad for us. Huapango 2971 Walnut Hill Lane (972) 685-0330, facebook.com/profile. php?id=100068417566950 Huapango is another in the long line of great little joints serving up food just like, appar- ently, your abuelita used to make. This is more Mexican than Tex-Mex, which is fine by us. They have some of the best lamb bar- bacoa we’ve had, as well as gorditas, sopes, tortas, burritos and tacos that can be or- dered with alambre, lengua, tripa, al pastor, jamón, pollo, nopales, suadero, campechano and chicharrón prensado. Basically, if it baas, oinks, moos or swims, it’s available. Hong Dumpling House 1901 Royal Lane, No. 105 (469) 399-0149 Hong Dumpling House, on Royal Lane, just off I-35, specializes in mandu, which are Ko- rean-style dumplings with wrappers pre- pared in a rainbow of colors created with natural ingredients. They come six to an or- der for under $10, which is perfect, and can be filled with any combination of pork, vege- tables, kimchi, tofu, squid and shrimp, all cooked to order. Crown Grocery & Deli 1210 S. Hampton Road (214) 467-3810, crown-grocery-deli.edan.io This hidden little spot in Oak Cliff has been around for over 30 years. It’s simple and un- assuming, but the owner, Ibrahim Dalga- mouni, makes it seem like you just walked into The Mansion or something. He’s ex- tremely friendly, upbeat and full of life. He playfully tried to push the five (!) patty burger on us, but instead, we settled upon a couple of hamburgers that were pretty ... pretty good. El Tacaso 10025 Harry Hines Blvd. (469) 335-9055, facebook.com/pages/El%20 Tacaso/804706292959931 Yet Another Taco Joint located in a gas sta- tion, El Tacaso has good breakfast tacos, pas- tor and asada, but the star of this show is always the barbacoa, slow-cooked meaty goodness served in excellent corn tortillas (or flour… if you must) accompanied by the requisite onions, cilantro, limes and two va- rieties of house-made salsa. The vistas may not be beautiful as you eat sitting in your Dodge Dart in the parking lot, but your stomach will thank you. Big Daddy Convenience Store 4121 Colonial Ave. (214) 428-6203, facebook.com/bigdaddyscon- venience Big Daddy Convenience Store (not to be confused with Bid Daddy’s Supermarket about a mile away) holds court in South Dal- las and can be quite a challenging drive dur- ing State Fair season. Yeah, it’s a little neighborhood bodega, but the main draw is at the back of the store, where Big Daddy and company serve downhome fried food and burgers that are as inexpensive as they Left: Beignets from Swamp Café. Right: Shrimp po’boy from Swamp Café. are delicious. The fried pork chop basket rang in at under $5 and included fries and toast, and the burger with fries was $3.99. The small parking lot can be a challenge, so eat in your car on a side street like a champ and everything will be fine. Ly’s Food Market 4440 W Illinois Ave., No. 400 (214) 330-9616, facebook.com/Lyfoodmarket The Southammavong family have been op- erating this small Asian grocery store and restaurant in a Southwest Dallas strip mall for about 10 years, and it has remained a family affair where brothers, mom, dad and occasionally grandma help prepare and serve up some wonderful Lao and Thai food in the back. We found some of the richest pork green curry here, and the Lao sausages were a revelation. Also on the menu for about $10 is Thai-style menudo, which we have yet to try. Just be sure to order at the front of the store, not the back, and maybe you can look for a wok cleaning brush while you wait. El Palote Panaderia 2537 S. Buckner Blvd. 972-807-2637, www.elpalote.com This must certainly be where vegan dreams come true. The proteins have not only the texture of meat but amazing flavor to match. At the counter is a case full of a dozen differ- ent vegan pastries. On the weekends, there are house-made tamales. And if you’re really looking to go all out, try the Flauritto, which is a burrito filled with three flautas, rice, beans, jalapeños, tomato and queso — all vegan. ▼ FIRST LOOK BUYING SUPERIOR LOCAL OAK CLIFF C LA BODEGA SERVES UP MEDITERRANEAN-INFLUENCED, GRAB-AND-GO FARE. BY LESLIE CHATMAN hef and owner Skye McDaniel is an Oak Cliff native and Dallas restau- rant veteran who recently turned an MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 OCTOBER 13-19, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com dallasobserver.com
