14 OctOber 19 - 25, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents inside Saint Rocco’s New York Italian res- taurant. The “Witches Brew” pop-up serves spooky cocktails in the ominous bar with floating candles, wicked decor and a wheel of fate. Sip on a Black Flame Candle made with tequila, pomegranate, Chambord and lemon, or a Pumpkin To Talk About with rum, almond milk, honey and pumpkin spice among other sinister drinks. Don’t miss the Hideaway Cabaret (Oct. 28), Cos- tume Contest (Oct. 31) and Casino Nights (every Thursday) where you can run amok. Roy G’s 4001 Cedar Springs Road (Uptown) Dragonberry blood bags and devilishly cre- ative cocktails have returned to Roy G’s for All Hallows Eve. Boo-itches should try the Bubble, Bubble Toil and Trouble, a cauldron filled with Pama pomegranate, peach Schnapps, vodka, fresh lemon and Cham- pagne served over dry ice. The Creepy Crawly 3some throws gummy worms and Midori melon together and is chased with a shot of blood-red Kool-Aid. Or try The Per- fect Husband, a balance of strong and sweet, with just a little bit of spice. Wonder Bar 2107 N. Henderson Ave. (Knox/Henderson) Drink up, witches. The whimsical and ec- centric Wonder Bar is decked out in Hallow- een with drinks including the Scary AF, which requires a minimum of two people to be ordered. There’s a green slime drink called a Skull Crusher that’s served in a cra- nium-shaped glass. After completing the Wonder Bar right of passage, a spin of the signature “Price is Right” wheel, explore to find the pair of Demogorgons, snap a pic in the sinister photo room and bust a move un- der the disco (eye) balls. Snuffer’s 3526 Greenville Ave. Ask any of the staff at Snuffer’s on Greenville Avenue about their experiences with the paranormal and you’ll be met with hair-rais- ing accounts of dark silhouettes, lights turn- ing on, footsteps down the hall and a bathroom door that opens but never closes. There are many theories swirling as to who lingers, but the story that carries is the spirit of a man who was murdered when the building was a pool hall. Even after Snuffer’s was demolished and rebuilt in 2013, it seems the ghost remains: paranormal investiga- tions have been conducted since and even the manager won’t enter if he’s alone. Our verdict? A side of mild fright could never keep us away from those cheese fries. ▼ BARBECUE THE BARBECUE EASY BUTTON ZAVALA’S BARBECUE IN GRAND PRAIRIE HAS ROLLED OUT TWO DEALS FOR THRIFTY DINERS. WITH BRISKET. BY CHRIS WOLFGANG J ust the other day, I opened my electric bill with a bit of trepidation. We just wrapped up one of the hottest sum- mers on record, and if I wasn’t already aware of just how blisteringly hot it was every time I stepped outside, my electric bill served up a fiscal reminder of the price I pay to live in air-conditioned comfort. One of the downstream effects of getting a shock on the electric bill is how it affects the rest of your monthly budgeting. Any- thing remotely discretionary will get cut back. Going out to eat? Not if I want to keep the lights on. It’s time to look for bargains. So it seemed well-timed that I got an email from Zavala’s Barbecue with a new offer. In- stead of the usual per-pound order, Zavala’s is offering up a two-meat plate with two sides and one of their fantastic tortillas for just $25. For five bucks less, you can get two tacos with the meat of your choice, plus beans and hom- iny. Winner winner, brisket dinner. I popped over to Zavala’s late on a Thurs- day afternoon, which can be a risky proposi- tion. While they try to stay open until 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, I pulled up to find Joe Zavala sitting at a table out front, glancing at his phone. As it turned out, they were wildly busy during lunch and had sold out of almost everything. I was going to get the last meal of the day. “Some people are happy when they sell out, but I just know that some people who wanted to come later are gonna be disap- pointed,” Zavala said. Smoking a bunch of barbecue remains a guessing game, and the summer doldrums have slowed restaurant traffic, making the prediction game that much harder for everyone in the business. Thankfully, there was plenty of brisket to build a plate, and I opted for a pizza pepper sausage link as my second protein, and added cheesy hominy and a side of slaw. Zavala’s will often give a 10% discount after the lunch rush to move out the rest of the day’s food, and even though there would be no evening rush, Joe still generously applied the discount to my lunch. I added the discount back into the tip jar, grabbed a Topo Chico and sat down to enjoy the barbecue bargain. There’s a reason we named Zavala’s bris- ket as the best in Dallas, and our reasoning was backed up with three glorious slices of beef, bark glistening, the extra zing of Zava- la’s spicy rub evident in every bite. We took one slice, laid it on the tortilla, then topped it with a bit of slaw and red salsa for an im- promptu taco, and momentarily forgot all about the electric bill. Bites of the pizza pep- per sausage just added to our euphoria. “We need to give people easy button and good price point,” Zavala told us about the plate offerings, and we can’t disagree. Both plate options are available any day the res- taurant is open. While we ate, we chatted with Joe Zavala about his latest venture, the Backyard BBQ Box from his side hustle, BBQ Distro. In the back of Mas Coffee, Zavala sells an assortment of his own sauces and seasonings along with rubs and accessories from other barbecue ven- dors across the state. In the summer, he launched the Backyard BBQ Box, a monthly selection of rubs from Zavala’s and from a ro- tating cast of barbecue notables. Last month’s collaborator was Kris Manning of Smokey Joe’s BBQ (another Top 100 destination), and Zavala said that next month’s box will offer products from Panther City BBQ. We picked up a box of seasonings last month as a raffle prize from another event we attended, and our box had beef, poultry, pork and fajita rubs, plus a jar of seasoning salt and a bottle of Zavala’s infamous Sloppy Juan sauce. As I’m writing this, a pork shoulder is resting in the kitchen thick with Zavala’s pork rub. BBQ Distro sells season- ings individually or lets you build a custom box with as much as you need. The Backyard Box is $55, along with the seasonings and sauces, unlocks recipes, tips and tricks from Zavala’s and its collabora- tors, as well as online videos and Q&A ses- sions to make your next backyard cookout a hit. Zavala’s plans to collaborate with a dif- ferent barbecue restaurant each month, and if backyard smoking is really your thing, there is a recurring subscription service to ship you a new box each month. Cooking at home is definitely a way to save money, and we appreciate that Zavala’s has found a way to get some of its exquisite barbecue flavor at home. Of course, knowing that a plate of affordable goodness awaits at the restaurant isn’t a bad thing, either. Zavala’s BBQ, 421 W. Main St., Grand Prairie. Thursday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. (or until sold out). City of Ate from p13 Chris Wolfgang Zavala’s barbecue in Grand Prairie. ENTER TO WIN TICKETS
