12 December 25 - 31, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents lot of something for everyone. Recently, a bright new storefront popped smack-dab in the middle of it all. Pinkitzel is hard to miss; pink extravagance pours out the front door. I kept seeing the word “tin- sel” in there, thinking of the bright silver tree decor and - yes, it’s like tinsel on Bishop Avenue. “Pinkitzel” is a marriage of words: kitzel means “tickled” in Yiddish (so, see ... tickled pink). Jonathan and Christa Jantz are the duo behind this sweet shop. Two other stores are in Oklahoma City and McKinney. Icing on the Cake The store’s vibe is one of playful, over-the- top elegance, mostly evident in the form of cupcakes and sweets. It’s Marie Attoniette blowing bubble gum. It’s vomiting pink after one too many cupcakes and red drink. On a recent visit, while gawking at the goods (everything is visually stunning), I asked an employee where all the goods were made and got a very effusive, “Oh, we make them all,” without a chance to ask, “but where?” Which is fine. We’re not here for ceremonial-grade icing or farm-fresh sponge cake. This is let-’em-eat-cake deca- dence. In addition to the cupcake counter, there are rows of bulk candy with saltwater taffy, chocolates and bars. Bright lollipops, rock candy and bubble gum, along with pop art tchotchkes that might be for sale or might be the decor. Cupcakes are available in seasonally themed options, such as Chocolate Candy Cane Lane, for $5.50 each. But What’s It Taste Like? These make for great “eye candy” that will make little kids (and adults with a hard- core sweet tooth) squeal in delight. If you brought one of these cupcakes home for your boo, you’d get gold stars. Food like this makes one feel loved. How do they taste? We hate to use this word, but the taste is generally fine. It’s three to four bites of sponge cake and a lot of icing and toppings. The Chocolate Candy Cane Lane did the job. An almond cupcake with a raspberry fill- ing, however, was quite bad. We’re going to chalk it up to a recipe going off the rails somehow (“Did I add extract already? Nah, I don’t think so ... more won’t hurt”). The al- mond flavor was metallic and overwhelm- ing: lick-your-sleeve-to-get-the-medicine-taste- off-your-tongue level. Did we finish it any- way? Actually, no, we didn’t. Would we go back and buy more? Yep! For the kids, surely. We would just stay away from any of the al- mond numbers. The accoutrements adorning the top of the intricately decorated cupcakes are all edible with a neutral taste. We reached out to Pinkitzel about reci- pes and a possible commissary, but did not hear back. Pinkitzel adds to a day out at the Bishop Arts, not as your next great culinary adven- ture, but as a fun spot to pick up gifts and to get a sugar rush. Pinkitzel 417 N. Bishop Ave. Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. ▼ ROAD TRIPS ‘COME GET FAT’ WE FIND A SOUL FOOD GEM IN EAST TEXAS. BY NICK REYNOLDS W e knew very little about Glade- water before trekking through East Texas on a recent road trip. When you’re this far east of Dallas, you’re not far from the Louisiana state line (roughly 60 miles, which isn’t far in Texas terms). Gladewater’s population is a little over 6,000. It’s known as the “Antique Capital of East Texas,” and it’s a well-earned title as antique shops, one after another, line Glade- water’s busiest streets. Gladewater also boasts a connection to the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley. In the 1950s, Elvis performed at the long-defunct Mint Club, which is now an abandoned building by the side of the road. The old Res- Mor Motel (now apartments) is where Elvis stayed when he came through town to visit his friend, DJ Tom Perryman.All of this is reason enough to make the two-hour drive from Dallas to Gladewater. But maybe the best reason of all is a hole-in-the-wall gem we were tipped off about (and that we’re now in love with), thanks to the wonders of the internet. Nobody’s T&K Pop-Up Grill and Café bills itself as a soul food kitchen, which it is. But the menu here can’t possibly be nar- rowed down to a single cuisine category. State Fair-Inspired Fare Latonya Lindsey is the remarkable woman behind it all (her fiancé serves as co-pit- master), and Lindsey’s menu is delightfully eccentric. Lindsey operated a food truck at the State Fair of Texas for two years, and you can see that reflected in the menu, which includes pancake breakfast tacos, beignet banana pudding nachos, waffles on sticks, honey bun and funnel cake patty melts and boudin (or boudain in Texas) egg rolls (which are freaking phenomenal). Outside of Lindsey’s restaurant, there’s a sign saying, “Come get fat.” And Lindsey doubled down on that as we walked in, as- suring us, “If you’re here to get fat, we got you.” The space is small, humble and patriotic — both Lindsey and her fiancé are fiercely proud veterans. They’re also devoutly reli- gious, offering prayer cards to any customer who walks in. As we sat down, diners at the two nearest tables glanced at us with know- ing nods as if to say, “You’ve come to the right place.” “God blessed me with the gift of cooking, and I want to share that. I love watching people enjoy my food. It brings happiness to my heart,” Lindsey said. Hot Link Nachos and Smoked Bologna Other menu offerings include (but are not limited to) sweet potato bowls, dirty rice bowls, po’ boys, lamb patty melts, smash- burgers, pork chops and waffles, hot link na- chos, smoked bologna, beef “dinosaur” ribs and smoked alligator links. Speaking of alli- gators (which are also available in deep- fried form), Lindsey offers whole Cajun-smoked alligators via preorder. And the full spectrum of traditional barbecue of- ferings is on hand, from brisket to pork ribs to smoked chicken. “There was only one other barbecue place in Gladewater. That’s why we came,” Lindsey told us. And the prices here are a steal by today’s standards. “Folks keep tell- ing me to raise prices, but I’m not going to. I want to keep it affordable. If I make a little bit by the end of the week, I’m good.” Priced Right For $40, we got dirty jambalaya (with crab meat, turkey, sausage and chicken), brisket mac and cheese, a smoked pulled pork sand- wich, a honey bun patty melt, and funnel cake fries with chocolate. And they don’t skimp on portions here. The jambalaya and the brisket mac and cheese were outstanding. The honey bun patty melt, which had to have been born di- rectly out of Lindsey’s State Fair roots, is precisely how it sounds: A grilled beef patty with cheese and onions sandwiched be- tween two honey buns and then waffle- ironed on the grill. It should be illegal, but this over-the-top combination of sweet and savory had us in love from the first bite. And the smoked pulled pork sandwich would rival any in Dallas. As we neared the end of our lunch, Lind- sey, who has been cooking for 25 years, sat and talked with us. “It’s hard but rewarding work. We only get one true day off a week. Eighteen-hour days are the norm because smoking barbe- cue the right way requires over 12 hours it- self,” said Lindsey, who is also involved in a community church program that feeds the hungry. “This business is for my dad, Robert Lee Albright Jr. He took care of me and my brother after my mother died. He passed away three years ago. And he’s the reason I won’t give up,” she said. Nobody’s T&K Pop-Up Grill and Café, 186 North Mill St. No. 10, Gladewater. 12-4:30 p.m. with takeout service and outdoor seating. City of Ate from p11 Nick Reynolds The honey bun patty melt at T&K channels the State Fair of Texas. Lauren Drewes Daniels Pinkitzel’s cupcakes are beautifully decorated.
