14 November 14 - 20, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents make one thing clear: it would be a mistake not to drive to Flower Mound to eat at Yummy Sichuan. The kitchen here undoubt- edly serves some of the best Sichuan (or Szechuan) dishes in North Texas. Yummy Sichuan does not have the caché that some of the more popular Dallas-area Chinese restaurants have: it doesn’t adver- tise hand-pulled noodles or specialize in dumplings (though the dumplings and pot stickers are delicious); it isn’t dedicated to hot pot or dim sum. What is here is a large menu of damn good Sichuan Chinese entrées. Alongside plates of fried rice, sweet and sour chicken and eggrolls are authentic dishes like sweet roast duck, spicy garlic pork feet, dried pork intestine hot pot, Sichuan cumin lamb and pepper and salt squid. On our most recent visit, we fell some- where between the standard and the adven- turous. We tried the mushrooms in an iron wok, a dried hot pot with lamb, dried chili fish fillets and the Yu Shan eggplant. In prior visits, we’ve tried a range of other entries. Whether you order the mapo tofu, boiled fish in hot Sichuan sauce, dried chilli chicken or Sichuan cumin lamb, we can con- fidently say that you will not leave Yummy Sichuan disappointed or with an empty stomach. Everything we have tried from Yummy Si- chuan has excited our taste buds, our mouth- feel and our sense of smell. The aromas are alluring. The textures of individual compo- nents are just right. The flavors are robust. The décor of Yummy Sichuan can be confusing. The walls are white, as are the tablecloths, and the dining area may seem a little bare at first glance. However, there is more than what meets the uncareful eye. The dining area is exceptionally clean and tidy, the flowers are well placed, the walls are adorned with impressionist and ab- stract art. The clientele is similarly filled with contradictions: from sports t-shirts and jerseys to pressed button-ups and slacks, and everything in between. You can also hear a variety of languages on busy nights. People gather at Yummy Sichuan for a comfortable night out, as well as for large, formal family dinners. Whatever your rea- son, just go try Yummy Sichuan. Make up an excuse if you truly need one. 2221 Cross Timbers Rd, Suite 129. Daily, 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. ▼ OPENING NEW DALLAS FOOD HALL VICTORY SOCIAL OPENS THE MULTI-CONCEPT EATERY IN VICTORY PARK WILL INCLUDE THE CHICKEN SPOT BIRDIE, RISE & THYME AND OTHER CHEF-DRIVEN CONCEPTS. BY CARLY MAY GRAVLEY A new multi-concept eatery opened this week on the ground floor of One Victory Park (2323 Victory Ave.), the skyscraper and office complex at the corner of Victory Avenue and Lamar Street, less than half a mile south of the American Airlines Center. Victory Social will include a diverse col- lection of six chef-driven restaurants. The 12,000-square-foot food hall will be helmed by James Beard-nominated chef Joshua Harmon, whose popular fried chicken spot, Birdie, is relocating to Victory Social from Exchange Food Hall in AT&T Discovery District. Other tenants include grab-and-go coffee and breakfast spot Rise & Thyme; soup, salad and sandwich destination Park Bistro; contemporary taqueria Itzá Cocina; steak and seafood joint Victory Grill; and Neapoli- tan pizza and pasta place D’oro Italiano. Apart from the pre-existing Birdie, these were all developed by Harmon in collabora- tion with Hospitality Alliance, the manage- ment group behind Victory Social. Harmon created all six menus and oversaw the hiring of chefs. Beginning in December, Victory Social will also offer curated, full-service dinner menus handpicked by Harmon in the eve- ning. Selections will include duck frites, Berkshire pork cheek with fermented garlic sorghum, and grilled prawns with smoked scallop cream and fried pepperoni crumbs. A robust by-the-bottle and by-the-glass wine menu will be available, along with craft and on-tap cocktails, local beers and selt- zers. A preview of the space shows an open, modern environment. The clean, warm and minimalist design will be a perfect backdrop for whatever outing you’re having there, be it your lunch break or a dinner date. When you live in the city (especially an area like Victory Park), convenience is ev- erything, and any spot you can get to with- out sitting in traffic is a must-visit. We’re sure a food hall where you can get your morning coffee, a soup and sandwich for lunch and high-quality dinner and drinks within walking distance of the financial dis- trict, Katy Trail and the American Airlines Center will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Victory Social , 2323 Victory Ave. Open Sunday – Thursday, 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Friday – Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – 11 p.m. Rise & Thyme hours are daily, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. FIRST ▼ LOCAL FIRST WHAT DOESN’T STAY IN VEGAS PLANO LAYS CLAIM TO THE FIRST SHANGHAI TASTE OUTSIDE LAS VEGAS. BY HANK VAUGHN J immy Li, a James Beard nominee for best chef in the Southwest, opened his dumpling shop Shanghai Taste in Las Vegas’ Chinatown in 2019. It specialized in xiao long bao, those lovely little soup dump- lings often associated with the street food of Shanghai. It proved popular, and a shop location was opened in Vegas, this time outside of China- town. Now, a third location, this time in North Texas, has opened to much rejoicing. The new Texas location shop, in Plano, is a small affair in a narrow space with fewer than 50 seats. Part of the space is re- served for the prep area where you can watch diligent dumpling artisans plying their trade, kneading, roll- ing and forming the nu- merous varieties of dumplings. Appetizers include crispy shrimp, beef tongue, Black Angus with crab stick, scallion pan- cake and sweet and sour ribs. Noodles, fried rice, soup and desserts are also available. But the head- liner here is the dump- lings. We chose shen jian bao (pan-fried dumplings), crispy fried pork chops and traditional Shanghai soup pork dumplings. Then, in a happy surprise, we saw chao nian gao (Shanghai fried rice cakes) on the menu, and since we’re always on the lookout for these family favorites we ordered these as well. Items are served one at a time, allowing time to enjoy each dish without distraction. The shen jian bao were the first to arrive, four to an order. They were topped with black sesame seeds and green onion with a slightly pan-fried bottom skin. They weren’t any easier to eat than a traditional soup dumpling, but you have to work for good food. Next to arrive was the fried pork chop, several thin slices of breaded and fried strips with a good fat-to-meat ratio, not greasy and not too chewy. There was a bit of a lull after the pork chop, and we took that opportunity to stand at the viewing window and watch the women making dumplings up front, which is always entertaining and informative. The chao nian gao were brought out next and, in another happy surprise, were one of the best examples we’ve had of this dish in North Texas. Very thinly sliced pieces of tender pork, cabbage and onions accompa- nied the rice cakes in a richly flavorful sauce that we’re still thinking about. Finally, the steamed soup dumplings ar- rived in a basket, and — following the recent trend — were of an odd number: seven. It’s hard to split a soup dumpling, so someone in our even-numbered party was out of luck. They were good, and it’s easy to see why Shanghai Taste is so popular: good skin with a flavorful interior, all perfectly steamed and simply presented. This place is still really popular, and a wait developed while we ate. Even when we ordered, the restaurant had already run out of a couple of things we wanted, like the scallion pancake, ribs, cold bean curd noodles and crab stick. It’s probably best to go early or for lunch if you don’t want to wait and want access to the full menu. This new location in North Texas lays waste to the bromide, “What happens in Ve- gas stays in Vegas,” showing that you don’t need one-armed bandits, dancing water fountains or a gigantic geodesic sphere to enjoy good xiao long bao. 109 Legacy Dr., No. 120, Plano. Daily, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Miguel M. Vargas The cumin lamb is one of the highlights at Yummy Sichuan. City of Ate from p13 Hank Vaughn Xiao long bao pork soup dumplings.
