14 December 29, 2022–January 4, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents is 12 pages long, so you can pretend you are hopping from winery to winery (easy there, Harper). There are two Sicilian wines: the Cantine Colosi Sicilia Nero D’Avola and the Passopisciaro Passorosso. Order both to really White Lotus it up. The food pairs beautifully with the wine here. The rich lobster spaghetti has a red sauce that should be famous. It has a touch of Fresno chili, poblano and chili flakes, giving it a nice kick. Also try the sausage pizza, which has that sweet, yet rich red sauce, caramelized fennel and onion and Challerhocker cheese, which is a Swiss cheese that’s aged for a minimum of 12 months. For a nightcap, head to Midnight Ram- bler, the swank subterranean cocktail lounge for an Aperol Spritz but just watch out for the Niccolo types. Or not. It’s your vacation. Do what you want. ▼ FIRST LOOK BIBIMBAP GEM WAVE BOWL IN PLANO SERVES AUTHENTIC ASIAN CLASSICS. BY ANISHA HOLLA S teamed rice, raw vegetables and stir- fried meats converge in a mouth-wa- tering triad in bibimbap, a Korean dish that’s attracted millions of fans over the last few decades. Despite its simplicity, the perfect ratio between greasy meat, sticky rice and raw vegetables is something that’s hard to achieve in the Asian culinary world. Plano’s locally owned bibimbap place — Wave Bowl — is what some may call a “dia- mond in the rough.” It’s not too fancy-looking from the outside, but once you step inside and get around to ordering, we can almost guarantee an authentic (and dare we say perfect?) bibimbap experience. An ethereal bibimbap bowl takes time to perfect; we waited about 20 to 30 minutes for our order. If you’re hungry, get some- thing to snack on while you’re waiting. Wave Bowl serves Asian classics like pan- seared turnip cakes ($5.95), chicken spring rolls ($7.95) and spicy tamarind wings ($5.95). We enjoyed the turnip cakes, a plate of three flat, rectangular cakes made of finely ground turnip. The cakes are fried generously in a pan of oil to give them a slightly charred exterior. There’s some- thing about the way the outside crunch caves into a tender interior that makes these cakes weirdly addictive. Main entrees vary depending on your meat, vegetable and rice preferences. If you prefer your rice fried and oily, order one of Wave Bowl’s fried rice bowls ($12.95). You can choose from either a hibachi- or a healthy-style bowl. The hibachi style comes tossed with a tangy kimchi and your choice of protein, while the healthy style offers a mix of grilled zucchini, carrot, mushrooms and red bell pepper — although we’re not too sure how healthy an oil-tossed rice bowl can really be. Don’t count on it to bring down your daily calorie count, at least. Other popular options include the bulgogi beef bowl ($14.50), which includes a base of steamed rice topped with thinly sliced beef and onions. The Japanese coconut curry bowl ($14.50) is made with a carrot-onion- potato curry with sweet undertones. Also, get your hands on the chicken curry cheese bowl ($14.50). This customer favorite comes with deep-fried breaded chicken breast served atop steamed rice and a cheese-coconut curry. The addition of melted cheese to a clas- sic Asian-style curry adds an ingenious level of depth to the dish. Don’t leave without trying the dessert here. Wave Bowl serves its signature “honey toast” in four flavors, including tiramisu, Nutella-banana, and crème brûlée. All varia- tions begin with the same thick-cut slice of brioche toast soaked in a honey dressing. They’re topped with different nuts, ice creams and mousses, depending on which flavor you select from the menu. While they are on the expensive side of dessert ($11.50– $12.50), our verdict is that it’s worth it for a good end to a good meal. Wave Bowl, 8608 Preston Road, Plano. Tuesday – Friday , 11 a.m – 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.; closed Monday. ▼ FIRST LOOK FOOD LOCKERS IN DEEP ELLUM A NEW DALLAS-BASED ALL-DIGITAL CONCEPT IS ONE-STOP FOOD SHOPPING. BY NICK REYNOLDS O OMI Digital Kitchen is a multi- brand ghost kitchen that recently debuted on Ross Avenue. It’s a streamlined one-stop shop for a spectrum of culinary concepts. Before heading over you’ll want to order online. The offerings include everything from breakfast burritos to chicken sand- wiches to pad Thai. You’ll receive a QR code via text when your food is ready. Then pop in, scan your code at the kiosk, and a trans- parent locker in the wall known as an OOMI box will unlock your trove of calories. No personal interaction. Just grab-n-go. Or you can relax at home and have your order brought to your door. OOMI is applying this same concept to densely trafficked office blocks and apart- ment complexes where OOMI boxes (in se- lect locations) will be set up. The focus is ultra-convenience without sacrificing quality, and a varied menu offers a diverse range of options. It’s a centralized food hub where you’re not tied to one specific cuisine or brand. Dallas-based Which Wich, Hot Lips (Asian street fare), Flyrite (chicken sandwiches), Bowlrito (burrito bowls) and Urban Taco are among your choices. You can mix and match different con- cepts on the same ticket. If you’re ordering in a group, there’s always a nitpicker or two going against the grain. But here, there are plenty of alternatives to appease everyone. We dropped in recently to experience OOMI in person. You can’t dine in. All you’ll find is a small pickup area with seven neon- lit OOMI boxes and a single kiosk. Through the see-through lockers, you can peer into the 2,250-square-foot kitchen. We scanned our QR code and voila: our locker unlatched and there was our meal. Pretty cool. Order in hand, off we went. First, we tried the Cowboy Chicken Sandwich ($9.95) from Austin-based Flyrite. It’s spicy, crispy chicken drizzled in “Hoss” sauce with bacon, cheddar and fresh chopped jalapeños on a toasted bun. It’s not the biggest chicken sandwich in the world, but the flavor was good. The spice level from the batter in combination with the jalapeños was within the sweet spot range. And the sauce was a plus. The Philly Steak ($8.75) from Which Wich was next: melted provolone on thinly sliced sirloin topped with caramelized on- ions and sautéed bell peppers. We rounded out our order with the Cara- cas Road ($13) from Bowlrito. A generous bowl of poblano green rice, tender barbacoa, Manchego cheese, black bean corn pico, pickled onions, julienne carrots and sweet peppers was served with a side of salsa roja. Breakfast is available here as well. Having established sound partnerships with Texas- and locally-based brands and emphasizing convenience and high quality, it’s not difficult to envision success here with enough traffic. 3510 Ross Avenue, No. 100. Monday – Sun- day, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Oomi Digital Kitchen’s Philly Steak Nick Reynolds City of Ate from p13
