Welcome to August! The hottest and cruelest month on the Texas calendar, but a month that I am obliged to defend because my birthday is in it. As ever, remember that this monthly news roundup is not a traditional summary of everything that’s happening in Dallas. It’s filtered through my lens as a dining critic. This is the news that’s most interesting to me, along with a few recommendations and mini-reviews.
Meals of the month
A Bolivian dinner party at Marcello Andres Ceramics
I wrote about this in great detail last week, so just a quick recap here: you should keep your eye on pop-up events and guest chefs visiting Dallas, because they represent some of our most exciting chances for a great dinner. Here, local chef Gigi Zimmermann teamed up with visitor Marsia Taha, who flew in from her restaurant in La Paz for an extraordinary tour of Bolivia’s native herbs, fruit, corn, and chile peppers. The evening delivered both comforting homestyle cooking and sophisticated restaurant-style plates.
A big ol’ messy chicken sandwich at Ookuma Japanese Burger
The new kitchen in the old Sandwich Hag space keeps things simple. There are three burgers, fries, a side salad, and a handful of appetizers and vegetarian options. On my first visit, I tried the chicken burger and was rewarded with one of Dallas’ messiest meals. You can’t eat this one-handed. In fact, you can’t eat it without a mountain of napkins, since the crispy chicken cutlet is topped with a generous scoop of housemade tartar sauce loaded with chopped egg. You’ll want to hose down afterwards, and it’ll be worth it.
Desserts from Quarter Acre
At a recent dinner to try Quarter Acre’s summer menu, the desserts stole the show. Black olive tuile and crumble add a savory underline and a rich complexity to the restaurant’s lemon custard with blackberry sauce. If olive in dessert is a little out there for your taste, get the poached Texas peach with vanilla custard and a muesli brittle cracker. The peach comes with a whole second dessert: a scoop of goat cheese ice cream topped with a splash of gin.
News of the month
Michelin stars are coming to Texas
We have published a handy guide to Michelin’s arrival, including answers to frequently asked questions about what it all means and interviews with three local chefs about the news. Look out in the next few days for our reader contest to see who can most accurately predict Dallas’ Michelin stars.
One more tiny news story I haven’t seen reported elsewhere yet: Shayna’s Place was locked out of its Sylvan Thirty location for nonpayment of rent in early June and has not reopened.
Where to go in August
Aguasal. This is the last full month for Rye’s vacation-themed pop-up, which will wind down around Labor Day. As long as Aguasal is open and serving its Caribbean fare, beach cocktails, and delightful desserts, it’s a must-visit. Vegetarians can substitute mushrooms into any tacos or “arepjitas,” or go to town on an order of coconut fried queso. 1920 Greenville Ave.
Baby Back Shak. The beloved Cedars barbecue spot is back open after a serious kitchen fire. Owner Clarence Cohens told the Dallas Observer, in a heartwarming profile by Lauren Drewes Daniels, that he had doubts about reopening, especially when he visited the damaged restaurant and could see the sky where ceiling was supposed to be. Plus, he’s about to turn 70, and the restaurant is about to turn 30. This could have been time to quit. But Katherine Clapner of Dude, Sweet Chocolate organized a GoFundMe for restoration costs and, in Cohens’ words, “everybody in the Cedars did not want me to leave.” Neither did we. 1800 S. Akard St.
Restaurant Beatrice. The acclaimed Cajun spot near Bishop Arts announced the arrival of new chef Colin Younce, formerly of Petra and the Beast, Homewood, and Cry Wolf. He told Eater that he was drawn to the restaurant, despite a non-Cajun background, by its sustainable practices: “I was already very farm-to-table, but their composting program and everything they’ve been doing drew me in because I have those values myself. To be blunt, they didn’t just talk the talk.” His arrival coincides with two special dinners on August 21 and 22 featuring a Viet-Cajun menu and a collaboration with Hanoi-based Sông Cái Distillery. An improved wine list is also expected this fall. 1111 N. Beckley Ave.
Evan’s Meat Market. First let me say how much I hate fake marketing holidays. It’s National Double Stuf Oreo Day? Who cares? When I found out August is National Sandwich Month, part of me was tempted to suppress the list of sandwiches we’re about to publish. But that’s no way to live. Sandwiches are good. Anyway, the superb butchers at Evan’s Meat Market are offering 10 percent off all their po’ boys every Wednesday through August. This includes probably the best pastrami in the city. 4266 Oak Lawn Ave.
Otaru Sushi and Handroll Bar. This affordable new sushi and handroll bar from the people behind Kome on Walnut Hill Lane is now open in the Bishop Arts District, in the space that once was Lucia. 408 W. Eight St., Ste. 101
Venezuelan Restaurant. Gotta love a concise name. This newcomer in Richardson is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it has stellar online reviews in its first month. Since arepas are made from corn flour, they’re good for gluten-free folks. 1403 E. Campbell Rd., Ste. 108, Richardson
Five one-sentence restaurant reviews
Though the lunch menu at Sanjh is tight and well-executed, you can also order almost any dinner menu item if you ask politely. The Texas breakfast taco at Mija Barbecue is a super-filling combo of brisket, potatoes, eggs, refried beans, and salsa verde. Jaquval’s sausage plate is almost as delightful as its beers, but the brewpub could use one or two more vegetables. Pokesaur, at Asia Times Square in Grand Prairie, is wildly inauthentic in its jumbo piled-on bowls with cooked ingredients, but still full of flavor. Speaking of Grand Prairie, the cricket stadium changed food vendors for this summer season and although you still a generous portion for your money, food and drink quality fell slightly across the board.
Five upcoming restaurant teasers
Down the block from mezcaleria Las Almas Rotas, a bar called Rayo will open this month with a cocktail list starting at $12 and a bar food snack menu devised by one of Dallas’ most creative chefs, Josh Harmon. Burger Schmurger has started telling its future neighbors in Lake Highlands that it will move into a permanent home at the corner of Audelia and Walnut Hill this fall.
In the Arts District, signage for upcoming Sushi Kozy says it will be a high-end omakase spot, which is too bad; downtown is overloaded with omakase and could use better affordable options. Hurtado Barbecue anticipates an end-of-2024 debut at the Dallas Farmers Market in the space that once held Mudhen and The Reserve. Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Que’s future brick-and-mortar location in Allen has gotten over some city planning delays and now looks to arrive late this year.
Required reading
- Every year, workers leave the restaurant industry because restaurants’ unusual hours and often-changing schedules make it impossible to arrange for childcare. Our old friend Nataly Keomoungkhoun reports for Eater on the Texas Restaurant Association’s plans to lobby for worker-friendly changes and creation of the Employers for Childcare Task Force.
- Daniel Vaughn reviewed Smith Spot BBQ for Texas Monthly and found some real original touches at the Garland spot. It’s only open on Sundays for now, but pitmaster Terrance Smith was selected to serve food at the State Fair of Texas this fall. Vaughn finds Smith has a sweet tooth—and a self-taught training that makes his style unique.
- Speaking of barbecue, Christopher Torres has a wonderful interview in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram with Nupohn Inthanousay, the co-owner of Goldee’s BBQ who’s responsible for adding Asian touches like smoked Lao sausages to the menu.
- Over in the Dallas Morning News, Claire Ballor has the most interesting take yet on the arrival of the Michelin Guide in Texas. She asked local chefs and farmers how Michelin will affect demand for local produce and an embrace of seasonal menus. The article ran on the top of the front page of the print edition.
- Also in the News, Imelda García reported on the first edition of the Chispa Awards, a new local prize for Hispanic restaurant workers and owners from the Latino Culinary Institute and Association. García profiles the winners for best chef, sous chef, server, and bartender; the best full-service restaurant winner, La Comida, is in our Best Tex-Mex guide.
- Finally, competitive eater Cameron Maynard told Texas Monthly about his Dallas-based entry into the sport and why he quit. There is a lot of barfing. Maybe don’t read this one over your lunch break.
Three hot takes
High-end restaurants are charging credit card fees to their customers
Georgie and Knox Bistro apply a 3 percent “surcharge on credit card payments,” Quarter Acre adds a 3.4 percent “convenience fee…to all payments made by credit card,” and both Radici Wood Fired Grill and Roots Southern Table charge 3.5 percent. “We recognize that we have the flexibility to capture these fees within our menu pricing,” Radici’s menu reads, “yet we have opted to include this merchant service charge fee for transparency and fairness for our guests that opt to pay with cash.”
Although Texas had a law prohibiting credit card surcharges, that law was made unenforceable and obsolete in 2017, when the Supreme Court ruled that it was a free-speech violation. The logic is somewhat contorted here, but the Court analyzed a similar law in New York and found that it did not regulate the setting of different prices, but rather how those prices were communicated to the customer. Thus, free speech.
Until some savvy legislator figures out how to rephrase the law, the spread of credit card fees from small mom-and-pop shops to truly high-end restaurants is an expensive new dimension to dining out. At Georgie, it would be easy to spend more than $5 per person on fees. Previously, restaurants went in the opposite direction, going cashless to prevent robberies and reduce germs. Now you might bring a bulging wallet to your next fancy meal.
The funniest thing in food media is “influencers” “discovering” “hidden gems”
At the D office, we have a running chat thread joke when Dallas Instagram and TikTok influencers “discover” a “hidden gem” that is, in fact, a very famous restaurant everybody loves. It started when somebody posted a reel in which they “discovered” Jimmy’s Food Store. Then another “discovered” a Dallas spot on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 barbecue list. I think somebody “discovered” Keller’s at one point.
Honestly, it’s kind of cute. If any influencers are reading this, I have a super-secret list of 50 places you can discover. Nobody knows about them yet! They are definitely hidden!
You know Total Wine is shady as hell, right?
A lot of stores are famous for their house-brand goods. Costco has Kirkland Signature. Every snack at Trader Joe’s is irresistible. Some of my friends swear by H-E-B Creamy Creations ice cream.
But Total Wine is a little more shady about its offerings. The wine and liquor store is full of house-brand generic bottles, but they’re not marked. Instead, Total Wine gives them made-up winery and distillery names, then incentivizes their clerks to sell you mystery brands instead of real ones. If you ask for a recommendation at Total Wine, you’ll almost certainly get Kirkland Signature-style generic product. It just won’t be labeled as such.
The Total Wine house brands are still solid. I was given a bottle of Total Wine scotch recently, and it tastes fine. Not especially good, but not bad, either. It’s good for cocktails and great for baking. But when I searched for the distillery, surprise: it doesn’t exist. The marketing materials are baloney. And for someone like me who wants to learn more about whiskey, the fakery actively prevents me from understanding what I enjoy. Is this from the Highlands? From Islay? Who blended it? Who knows?
So it’s not the quality of the product that makes Total Wine so disturbing. They’re selling you decent stuff. It’s the integrity. They don’t want you to know what those bottles are, or who makes them. They don’t even want you to know which are theirs and which aren’t. Shop somewhere else.
What’s coming on SideDish in August
We’ll be giving you the chance to predict Dallas’ Michelin star showing, talking in detail about the steak frites trend, visiting a family-owned Dominican restaurant, reviewing a TV celebrity chef’s new Italian kitchen, and eating a whole lot of sandwiches. Hope you’ll join us.
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