23 December 12 - 18, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Petra & The Beast: When chef Misti Norris launched Petra and The Beast in a converted gas station in 2017, Norris thought the idea might last six months. Five and half years and dozens of ac- colades later, Petra has a new home in Lakewood, with a larger kitchen that allows Norris’ talents to shine. Menu items like the charcuterie board loaded with house cured meats or any of Petra’s rotating cast of handmade pastas are still present and accounted for, but the new space has added a full bar and a Sunday brunch menu, both in- fused with Norris’ love of foraged or fermented ingredients. And for all of the creativity with the menu and the rise into one of Dallas’ esteemed dining destinations, Petra still presents a casual, come-as-you-are vibe. 1901 Abrams Road, Dallas, 214-484-2326, www.petraandthebeast.com. Quarter Acre: Chef Toby Archibald says restau- rants like his Quarter Acre are plentiful in his na- tive New Zealand, but this year-old spot on Greenville Avenue in the former Rapscallion space is at the vanguard of some of Dallas’ most creative cooking. On its face, the cuisine may come off as pretentious, but a closer look re- veals a playful sense of whimsy. There are small one-hitter bites that offer inexpensive tastes of Quarter Acre’s imaginative spirit. Appetizers and entrees are updated often as ingredients move in and out of season, but the impressive short rib or hot smoked salmon are both stars and seem to have a permanent home on the menu. 2023 Greenville Ave. #110, Dallas, 214-647- 1616, quarteracrerestaurant.com. Resident Taqueria: Chef Andrew Savoie’s tacos are straightforward delicious. Cauliflower, kale and other dutiful-sounding greens prove to be better taco fillings than one might suspect, and the braised beef short rib taco with chipotle crema is a delight. Resident’s creative specials — think birria, Philly cheesesteak, duck breast or crab cakes inside a taco — have grown in num- ber, and have become fan favorites. This taco spot also has good local craft beer on draft. 9661 Audelia Road, Dallas, 972-685-5280, www.residenttaqueria.com. Revolver Taco Lounge: After the pandemic hit, chef and owner Regino Rojas completely rebuilt the dining room here, walling it off from the kitchen and replacing the huge communal dining space with four small, distanced tables. The old Purepecha tasting has been replaced by La Resis- tencia, a reservations-only dinner for half the old cost that focuses on spectacular specialty tacos built on fresh tortillas made from colorful heir- loom corn. Rojas’ fascination with Japanese cooking — much of the food is cooked on a yaki- tori grill — manifests in tempura-battered sea- food and crudos. And, best of all, he’s convinced James Beard-recognized pastry chef Ricchi San- chez, of Bullion, to create Mexican desserts. The bottom line: Before the pandemic, Revolver Taco Lounge was Dallas’ best restaurant, and now it’s even better than it was before. 2701 Main St., Dal- las, 214-272-7163, revolvertacolounge.com. Roots Southern Table: Chef Tiffany Derry’s tri- umphant Farmers Branch restaurant oozes joy. The customers are happy, the staff is enthusias- tic, the mood is like a family reunion and the food tastes like a celebration. Derry’s kitchen serves up Southern fare inspired by her Louisi- ana roots, and traditional and modern takes are brilliantly blended together by Derry and her team. 13050 Bee St., Farmers Branch, 214-346- 4441, www.rootssoutherntable.com. Rye: Look past the silly names for entrees such as Cure For The Common Cabbage or Everybody Loves Relleno, and you’ll quickly realize that Rye serves seriously good fare that you’re unlikely to find in mainstream Dallas restaurants. Dinners are built from an array of plates that grow progres- sively larger on the menu, each selection a smart combination that encourages discussion be- tween flavorful bites. Of course, with a name like Rye, there is plenty of brown liquor available, as well as a serviceable wine list. Small plates might be a foreign concept in Dallas, but we’re grateful to Rye for continuing our education. 1920 Green- ville Ave., Dallas, 972-803-3391. Sachet: Sachet’s vegetable-focused, elegant Mediterranean plates of food start from impec- cable ingredients, and they’re served in portions small enough that we can try more. It’s possible to focus on a different aspect of this restaurant with each visit: Come once to sample Sachet’s seasonal house-made pastas — Sachet is one of the best pasta joints in Dallas — then return to try a half-dozen or so of the vegetarian meze or to focus on the new lineup of swordfish kebabs and grilled octopus. The menu’s influences range from Spanish Iberico ham to Turkish-in- spired lamb, with a detour at the end for Tuni- sian doughnuts, but pastas like green tortiglioni and lobster spaghetti just might be best of all. 4270 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, 214-613-6425, www.sachetdallas.com. Saigon Block Restaurant: Many of the regulars at this Richardson institution come to share a bounteous portion of whole roasted catfish, priced by size and served with rice paper, sauces and herbs for make-them-yourself spring rolls. There are also roasted quail and buttery frog legs on the menu at Saigon Block, which spe- cializes in the kind of banquet meals that might mark a Vietnamese special occasion. 2150 E. Arapaho Road, Richardson, 214-575-6400, www. saigon-block.com. San Pedro’s: This effortlessly friendly, colorful spot is one of the best places in North Texas to enjoy Honduran food. That starts at breakfast, with San Pedro’s signature baleadas, flour tor- tillas stuffed with beans and crumbled cheese. (For a few dollars more, “baleadas supreme” come with avocado slices and meat, too.) Hon- duran tortillas are different from the Mexican variety: fluffier, thicker and softer, they almost resemble the batter used for sweet crepes. You can get a foil-wrapped couple of tortillas on the side of many of the main courses here, like grilled chicken or steak buried in a mound of sauteed onions and bell peppers. Want to try some of everything? Grab the San Pedro’s Pin- cho, grilled skewers of meat that come with rice, beans and fried plantains. 2445 W. North- west Highway #102, Dallas, 972-807-9064, www.sanpedrosdallas.com. Sichuan Folk: This might just be the best Sichuan restaurant in the area, one that can dial up the numbing spice or showcase a more subtle side. Af- ter polishing off some superb spicy wontons, look for the dishes with Sichuan peppercorns, espe- cially if they involve seafood, like the spicy fish. If you don’t want peppercorns setting your tongue and lips tingling, they have plenty of milder op- tions, including simply prepared green veggies and a comforting bowl of noodle soup topped with pork and mustard greens. 1201 E. Parker Road, Plano, 469-863-7215, www.szechuanfolk.com. Sister: When The Grape closed in 2019, the heartbreak that Dallasites felt was palpable. Sis- ter, which opened in the same space in late 2021, has filled the role of lower Greenville’s neigh- borly bistro admirably. With its menu of “loose Italian” and Mediterranean-inspired dishes, a visit to Sister is a delightful journey of pastas, proteins and vegetables layered with imagina- tive flavor combinations. Culinary director J. Chastain says his team wants meals at Sister to truly make you feel at home. “We like to think of it as coming to a dinner party at our house,” Chastain says. “It’s food we want to cook, and it’s like you’re our friends.” 2808 Greenville Ave., Dallas, 214-888-8660, www.sempresister.com. Smokey Joe’s BBQ: Smokey Joe’s know bricks of fabulously tender and minimally treated pork ribs are unbeatable. And owner Kris Manning’s per- sonal passion happens to be brisket, which might be why his has become the best brisket between Cattleack and Waco. Its balance — not overly smoky, not harshly seasoned, fabulously tender and moist — is just right. 6403 S. R L Thornton Freeway, Dallas, 214-371-8081, www.smokeyjoes- bbqdallas.com. Southside Steaks and Cakes: Southside Steaks and Cakes first popped up on many a radar when the family-owned restaurant in South Dallas — situ- ated within 1,000 feet of Fair Park — was added as a concessionaire to the State Fair in 2021. Then, in 2022 fireworks went off when its prison-food-in- spired Peanut Butter Paradise won a Big Tex Choice Award. The more we got to know the own- ers, Chris Easter and Nicole Sternes, the more we were enthralled by not only the food but also their infectious spirit and ambition. Southside has a big party vibe inside. The Philly cheesesteaks are two- handed sandwiches overflowing with meat and cheese. The wing menu has more than two dozen dry and wet rubs. For variety, get a Dime Bag, one of many menu items that play on cultural colloqui- alisms of a trap house, which the owners nickname the spot. 3125 Al Lipscomb Way, Dallas, 469-399- 7644, www.southsidesteaksandcakes.com. SpicyZest Restaurant: As the only Sri Lankan res- taurant in North Texas — and one of maybe a half-dozen anywhere in America outside of New York and California — SpicyZest would be nota- ble even if it weren’t especially good. Run by hus- band-and-wife duo Nimidu Senaratne and Chamari Walliwallagedara, SpicyZest produces outstanding food, ranging from fusion snacks like the “spicy pancake bomb” to traditional special occasion meals like lamprais, a generous helping of rice, meat and vegetables rolled into a banana leaf and steamed. The bar is stocked with Sri Lankan beer and arrack, which Senara- Alison McLean Smokey Joe’s BBQ has incredible brisket. Alison McLean Sister in Lower Greenville offers Mediterranean-inspired dishes. >> p24 Alison McLean Petra & the Beast’s beet textures
