16 December 8–14, 2022 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Month XX–Month XX, 2014 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER | Classified | MusiC | dish | Movies | Culture | Night+day | feature | sChutze | uNfair Park | CoNteNts | setlist of fancied-up Tex-Mex favorites, such as $17 seafood enchiladas. The menu-within- a-menu is the work of a chef hired in late 2018, Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, who brings her own distinctive and creative perspective on Mexican cuisine. Focus on the Quiñones fare by ordering her “tacos de tacha,” a daily taco special made with tortillas that have been fla- vored by the addition of hot peppers, black beans, mole spices or some other twist. Look out for seasonal aguachiles, too, and, if you’re lucky, some sensational carnitas. 4931 W. Lovers Lane, 214-891-5673 KA-TIP THAI STREET FOOD: From the minute it opened, Ka-Tip offered probably the best Thai food in Dallas city limits. Nearly everything on Ka-Tip’s tiny menu is sensational, and spicy- sour noodle soups like tom yum are perfect both for takeout and for winter months. Be- cause the kitchen here doesn’t Americanize, sweeten or tone down its flavors and ingredi- ents, each dish is more vivid than the equiva- lent at many Thai spots around town. If you’re a seafood fan, grab an order of hoi tod, a crispy grilled pancake filled with morsels of shellfish. Otherwise, go for the excellent noodle dishes. 1011 S. Pearl Expressway, No. 190, 214-238-2232 KEnDAll KARSEn’S UPScAlE SOUl FOOD: What’s remarkable about the dishes at Kendall Kars- en’s is their confidence. No, those baked ribs don’t need a sauce, not with their peppery rub and tender meat that comes off the bone with a gentle tug. But there’s a cup of deep brown barbecue sauce on the side anyway, and it’s fantastic. No, these stewed collard greens don’t need half a saltshaker and a pound of bacon to achieve deeply satisfying flavor. (There are inch-wide planks of pork in the cabbage, though.) What’s even better than the food, though, is the outstanding hospitality of this ul- tra-friendly team, which serves a close-knit community of regulars. No wonder this spot has hosted celebrity visitors like Bun B. 3939 S. Polk St., No. 305, 214-376-2171 KnIFE: What matters here is the meat, most of it expertly dry-aged to deepen the flavor. Live it up with excellent seafood crudos, oxtail ravioli, an old-school aged rib-eye from a Texas ranch, some of the world’s most perfect lamb chops and creamed spinach so good you’ll clean the plate. Or you can get out of Knife for less if you just want one of the city’s best burgers. The question is which incredible burger to choose, from the legendary Ozersky, its thick patty adorned simply with American cheese and red onion with pickle on the side, to the Tail End with pork belly and collard greens. The choice is yours, but whatever experience you choose, Knife does it right. 5300 E. Mockingbird Lane, 214-443-9339 KUmAR’S: Kumar’s uses savvy, “small plates” marketing to appeal to a non-Indian audience, but the restaurant is usually buzzing with south Indian guests who know the kitchen is turning out some of the best food in Plano. The menu highlights specialties like thalapakatti biryani, with big, tender pieces of goat mixed into the rice. Kumar’s offers a lot of goat, but vegetarian options abound, too — go for the delightfully spicy cauliflower that’s marinated in seasonings and then fried, roasted eggplant or a masala dosa. 1301 Custer Road., No. 510, 469-666-0682 lA cAllE DOcE OAK clIFF: Sitting on the porch at La Calle Doce in Oak Cliff, you could easily be- lieve you were lunching in San Antonio. Upscale but not stuffy, this local institution (which also has an East Dallas location) serves some of the best-quality Mexican seafood in town, from cev- iche cocktails and tostadas to seafood chiles rel- lenos and perfectly grilled shrimp alambres. 415 W. 12th St., 214-941-4304 lA mE: The noodles at La Me, a Vietnamese spot in far northeast Dallas, go well beyond pho. Try my quang, a bowl of rice noodles with turmeric in the dough to turn them yellow. The noodles are loaded up with shrimp, peanuts and a show- ering of herbs. Or try a delicately flavored duck noodle soup with fatty, bone-in pieces of bird. Even the egg rolls here are good. 9780 Walnut St., No. 140, 972-669-8515 lAS AlmAS ROTAS: This “shrine to the spirits of Mex- ico” once contended for a James Beard Award for best bar in the United States, a recognition of its extraordinary library of tequilas, mezcals, sotols, raicillas, corn whiskeys and more. Their tacos come four to a plate and are all swaddled in Molina Oloyo Heritage corn tortillas. We’re partial to the chicken tinga - chipotle and tomato stewed chicken - and the roasted carrots and cauliflower vegetable op- tions. The chicharrones con cholula is a perfect bar snack. 3615 Parry Ave., 972-685-5666 lImOn’S: The Limon family’s Veracruzan kitchen sits well outside the spotlight with locations in the west side of Oak Cliff and Grand Prairie, which means Dallas at large is still hearing the good news about their exceptional garnachas, mole veracruzano and picadas. Be careful with the enchiladas verdes: There are habanero pep- pers in the salsa, and a lot of them, which makes probably the spiciest salsa verde we’ve tasted anywhere in town. 3105 W. Davis St., 214-330-0947 lORO: Texans certainly hold their barbecue opin- ions close to their hearts, and it’s risky business to attempt to fuse barbecue with Asian fare and not upset fans of either cuisine. Under the guidance of Uchi’s Tyson Cole and Franklin Barbecue’s Aaron Franklin, the food at Loro soars. Menu op- tions hopscotch between Asian influences like Karaage chicken and char siew pork belly to more traditional barbecue hits like succulent brisket or smoked turkey breast. 1812 N Haskell Ave. lUcIA: You’ll definitely want to make reservation here, and if the long wait seems daunting, click that box for alerts, which will notify you when there’s a cancellation and you’ll likely get a noti- fication within a week. Be sure to start your visit with a brown butter Old Fashioned, one of the best drinks we’ve ever had. Then consider chef David Uygur’s prized salumi board, which is blessed with house-cured meats, pates and mousse along with house-baked bread. Beyond that, the menu changes seasonally and while it is Italian at its core, this isn’t your typical romp through fettuccine and red sauce. Try dishes like bucatini with mussels or Amish chicken with marinated greens and toasted pecans and crou- tons. 287 N. Bishop Ave., 214-948-4998 ly FOOD mARKET: An Oak Cliff hole-in-the-wall situated behind a potholed strip-mall parking lot is the source of some of Dallas’ best Thai and Lao food, including superbly fiery drunken noodles. If you’re tired of sweet, samey-tasting pad Thai and mild-mannered curries, the Sout- hammavong’s family recipes are a hugely fla- vorful, brilliantly balanced antidote. Dishes get served from a small window in the back of the market, but customers order at the cash regis- ter in the front grocery section. The family that runs Ly Food Market is Laotian, not Thai, in ori- gin, which means menu items like larb have an extra spicy-sour kick. 4440 W. Illinois Ave., No. 400a, 214-330-9616 mASKARAS mExIcAn GRIll: Some of the best Guadalajaran food in Dallas comes from this luchador-themed restaurant in the heart of Oak Cliff. Many first-timers come to Maskaras for its extraordinary collection of lucha libre masks, costumes and vintage posters, but they stay be- cause of the awesome tacos ahogados (“drowned” tacos bathing in salsa), enormous tortas and rich carne en su jugo. The spicy shrimp burrito is more than a foot long, and the hospitality here is as big-hearted as the plates are, well, big. The sudden internet popularity of birria, a Jalisco specialty, became a fan favorite at Maskaras, as the restaurant serves birria three ways: plated as a stew, in soft-tortilla “street” ta- cos or, most indulgently of all, in fried tacos that are also stuffed with gooey cheese. 2423 W. Kiest Blvd., 469-466-9282 mERIDIAn: The menu is an homage to chef Ju- nior Borges’ Brazilian roots like the piri piri chicken, a blue prawn moqueca and calabresa sausage. Barter for a seat in the center of the dining room with a clear view of the open kitchen to watch Borges and his team at work. If a ramekin of their in-house marbled butter comes anywhere near your table, stuff it in your pocket and ask for another. At some point, spread some on their house-made bread, close your eyes and remember that sometimes it’s the simple things. 5650 Village Glen Dr., 469-659-6382 mIlAGRO TAcO cAnTInA: This second iteration of the once-popular taqueria, Tacos Mariachi, just a stone’s throw away from the original, reprised much of the menu along with a whole new slate of ceviche tostadas and a shrimp burger that comes topped with chicharron crumbles and a jalapeño glaze. The standards include a fillet of smoked salmon wrapped in griddled cheese. The shrimp taco, or “taco gobernador” on the menu, is topped with a sweet-sour pickled red onions, pico and a punchy salsa. 440 Singleton Blvd., No. 100, 469-872-0168 mR. mAx: Mr. Max himself, Hare Nakamura, died in 2013, but his namesake restaurant is still go- ing strong in its third decade of business. A ca- sual oasis of high-quality Japanese food in an Irving strip mall that also contains five hair sa- lons, Mr. Max offers cold and hot appetizers, grilled seafood and irresistible fried snacks like takoyaki, the battered balls topped with danc- ing bonito flakes and concealing nuggets of octopus within. Half-sized bowls of ramen mean you can chow down on noodles and still have room for something else. 3028 N. Belt Line Road, 972-255-8889 nGOn VIETnAmESE KITcHEn: Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen has brought a delightful menu to Lower Greenville. Start with spring rolls, fried exteriors wrapping shrimp, pork and leafy springs. The broken rice plate offers tender rice, shrimp, cu- cumber, pickled veggies and a sunny-side egg. Choose your protein, but you can’t go wrong with the lemongrass pork. The banh mi is wel- coming and simple, with layers of meat, foie gras pate and plenty of pickled vegetables and cilantro. A dish you shouldn’t skip is the bun bo Hue, with the bite of spice (as long as you put in all the chili oil) alongside the fragrant lemon- grass. 1907 Greenville Ave., 469-250-7183 nIwA JAPAnESE BBQ: Niwa gives Deep Ellum a proper Japanese grill-it-yourself experience, with excellent meat cuts (grab the hanger steak and short ribs), solid noodle bowl appetizers and a plentitude of dipping sauces. Your platter of meats comes with handy labels for each type. 2939 Main St., 214-741-6492 nOnnA: Nonna is one of the best Italian restau- rants in Dallas. The menu shifts constantly with the seasons, accommodating fresh produce, new cuts of meat or seafood and the culinary team’s latest pasta inspirations. Some of the pastas, made in-house, are unique to Dallas. A wood-fired oven is responsible for some of the biggest hits here, including roasted lamb, veal, quail or gulf snapper and the iconic white clam pizza. 4115 Lomo Alto Drive, 214-521-1800 nORI HAnDROll BAR: Handrolls, to use the Eng- lish word for temaki, are small cylindrical Alison McLean Nori Handroll Bar’s salmon sashimi Top 100 from p15 >> p17
