15 December 15-21, 2022 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER | Contents | Unfair Park | sChUtze | featUre | night+Day | CUltUre | Movies | Dish | MUsiC | ClassifieD | Southern Comfort Soulful Steet Bites in Addison offers daily specials of comfort food to go served by friendly staff. by Hank VaugHn S oulful Street Bites, a take-out-only spot in Addison specializing in New Orleans-inspired soul food, has been operating for a couple of years pretty much under the radar as a food truck before open- ing a physical location this September. The place operates out of a small storefront in Yet Another Strip Mall with a small area consisting of just a few chairs for those wait- ing for their orders. But the food here is large: cooked with care and full of flavors straight out of your childhood kitchen. The menu has specials that change daily, with mains that are available only on that day. Tuesday is chicken tetrazzini, Wednes- day is red beans and rice with sausage, and Sunday is the granddaddy of them all: ox- tails, gravy and rice. Other main choices in- clude chicken with dressing, pot roast and crawfish etouffee. Sides can vary daily as well but include fried okra, greens, cabbage, broccoli-rice and cheese casserole, yams and dirty rice; desserts include banana pudding and peach cobbler. We were there on a Tuesday and were greeted by the friendly staff at the front. They answered all of our questions patiently while also prepping and bagging orders for the three or so people waiting ahead of us. We started out with an order of the bris- ket mac and cheese, and it did not disap- point: shell pasta in a rich cheesy sauce with chunks of tender brisket that was a perfect combo of fat and lean. There was no skimp- ing on the meat, either, so even though this was perhaps a bit high at $10 for an appe- tizer, it was worth it. We wanted to try the daily special, chicken tetrazzini but noticed that it was one of the choices for the three-vegetable plate, so we went with that, gladly accepting it as a vegetable because if nothing else we are health nuts. Broccoli rice casserole and some cooked cabbage rounded out the plate, along with a cornbread muffin that hit the spot. All three items were delish, and they gave us the larger entrée size of the tetrazzini because they’re nice that way. The cabbage is de- scribed as “cabbage (turkey)” on the menu, but while there was no turkey present one assumes that it was prepared in turkey stock, so vegans beware. The broccoli rice casserole was on point as well. Our other main was the pork chop sandwich, fried and well-seasoned, served simply on a couple of pieces of sliced white bread and a side of hot sauce. The bone-in chop was large but we were a bit underwhelmed, perhaps because we’ve been spoiled by Big Daddy’s pork chop sandwich. Several flavors of what was described as “Kool-aid” and lemonade are available for beverages; we went with lemonade and mango lemonade, and they did the job. Finally, why not finish everything off with a cup of banana pudding? This was va- nilla pudding with banana pieces mixed throughout and topped with shortbread crumbles and a whole cookie rounding out the presentation. It all tasted as good as it looked. The joy of having a rotating daily special menu is that there is always a new reason to return. Oxtail is definitely in our future. 16601 Addison Road, No. 110, Addison; Tuesday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 5 p.m.; closed Monday. ▼ First Look Family Reunion Abruzzo’s reopens As A QuAint itAliAn restAurAnt in oAk Cliff. by Lauren DreweS DanieLS A bruzzo’s is a small family-run Ital- ian restaurant in Oak Cliff that sits at the corner of West Davis and Ty- ler streets, just far enough outside the Bishop Arts District that parking isn’t a nightmare. Proprietors Elias and Delores Rodriguez opened this spot eight years ago as Bishop Arts Winery. After a few years, they added food and, eventually, a full kitchen. And while Abruzzo’s still serves its own private- label wine procured from a winery in Me- ridian, Texas, where they collaborate with other small wine-makers, now the roles have flipped: instead of a winery with some food, it’s a restaurant with some wine. After being closed for two years because of the pandemic, a timeline that was ex- tended due to difficulty in hiring a full staff, Abruzzo’s kitchen is cooking once again. We stopped in on a chilly Saturday evening re- cently for wine and pasta. Parking still isn’t easy, but after just one loop around the block, we found a spot near the cocktail bar Tiny Victories, which was perfect for a nightcap after dinner. Either way, parking is much better than what can be expected in the heart of Bishop Arts a half mile down the road. Abruzzo’s has all the charm of a small local restaurant. There are two dining rooms, one at the front of the restaurant with big windows looking onto Davis Street. It’s a bit busier with customers com- ing in and out for to-go orders. The dining room in the back, past the kitchen and rest- rooms, is a bit more intimate and has the bonus of a cozy fireplace. Each room seats around 12 diners. We started with a glass of the house cab- ernet ($10) to go along with a large plate of fritto misto: perfectly crisp and tender cala- mari, shrimp and a mound of garlic-Parme- san fries. A large side of marinara for dipping the seafood was chunky and so fla- vorful it could be eaten alone. A bright and fresh house salad came as part of our main pasta dish and was a sur- prising delight. A housemade basil gorgon- zola dressing was excellent. We went heavy on ravioli this evening, and perhaps wished we’d diversified with the lasagne bolognese or one of the big bowls of fettuccini passing through the din- ing room. But the seasonal butternut squash and lobster ravioli lured us in. The lobster ravioli comes covered in a lobster bisque sauce ($18). The butternut squash ravioli is served with an alfredo sauce that has a bit of zest to it and was the favorite of the two, despite the good amount of lobster stuffed in the pillowy pasta. We didn’t have an ounce of space left for the tiramisu, but Abruzzo’s Instagram pho- tos of the dessert are promising. Again, more to look forward to on another visit. Service was quick and attentive, and it’s clear the Rodriguezes are trying to rekindle this neighborhood restaurant after Soulful Street Bites’ porkchop sandwich Hank Vaughn | City of Ate | ▼ Dish >> p16 WIN 2 TICKETS TO THE DALLAS MAVERICKS VS L.A. LAKERS GAME SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25 1:30 PM AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER SCAN HERE TO ENTER
