Classy&Sassy's Top Five Crave-able Dallas Dishes*

*Plus nos. 6-10 (the runners-up) &

Five Things Other People Crave That I Really Don't Get!

FoodiePrincess was on to something, so I thought I'd sit down and list those dishes that I come back to again and again. And those that I wish I didn't live so far away from, so that I could come back to them again and again. I was surprised at my list, and I think you will be too. There is something to be said for "comfort food", and no matter how adventurous an eater I think I am, or how much I really do like squid, these are the dishes that really melt my butter (oh, Truvy). And, before you ask - No, you can't have a bite of mine. Order your own!

1. Cheese Burger
The Porch
2916 N Henderson Avenue, Dallas

Yes, it's listed this way on the menu – two words, capitalized. This is indicative of the respect paid to the good ol' American standby at The Porch. It's big, drippy, covered in cheese and makes everything else just fade into the background as soon as you take the first bite. There is also a “Stodg Burger” with foie gras and a fried egg. Haven't had it - but if you have, let me know what you think!

2. Cru Steak Pizza
Cru Wine Bar
3699 McKinney Avenue, Dallas

Sliced beef tenderloin, mixed greens and balsamic vinaigrette resting atop a golden, crisp, homemade pizza crust. And, it's designed as a perfect match for a variety of wines. Both classy and sassy. 'Nuff said.

3. Southwest Egg Rolls
Two Rows Classic Grill
5500 Greenville Avenue, Suite 1300, Dallas

I don't care that they've started to refer to themselves as a “Classic Grill” instead of a brewery. Whatever the hell that means. I don't care that pieces of flair will inevitably follow. I only care that these little babies are pure heaven. Forget the shameful iterations of this dish that you've had elsewhere – these are huge, packed with filling and (wait for it) deep fried to perfection. Add a beer and call it a night.

4. Soft Chicken Tacos
Mi Cocina
3699 McKinney Avenue, Dallas (and various other area locations)

I'm stumped by these tacos. The chicken is perfect: moist, and seasoned to the point of rendering all taco accompaniments unnecessary. How do they do it? This is not diced pre-cooked chicken breast floating in an all-encompassing brick red grease slick. This is the real thing. I would venture a guess that someone's grandma taught them how to do this. I've even gone so far as to beg a friend who used to work for M Group Restaurants to try and get me the recipe. He was unsuccessful, so I'll just have to stick with enjoying them on the patio in the West Village, with a Mambo Taxi.

5. Cuatro Leches Cake
La Duni
4264 Oak Lawn Avenue and 4620 McKinney Avenue, Dallas

Does dessert count, FP? If I get to decide, it certainly does! I'd challenge anyone to find a more beautiful, decadent, masterful dessert than this one offered by La Duni. Vanilla sponge cake soaked in Tres Leches sauce is topped with caramelized Swiss meringue. Two sauces – gooey caramel and even more Tres Leches – take it right over the top.

Close Seconds (rankings 6 – 10):

6. Cheeseburger
Snookies, 3604 Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas (and various other area locations)

7. Spinach Quesadillas
Gloria's, 4140 Lemmon Avenue, Dallas (and various other area locations)

8. Eggplant Parmesan
Eatzi's, 3403 Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas

9. Pho (chicken recommended)
Pho 95, 9780 Walnut St Suite 120, Dallas

10. Carne Asada
Mia's, 4322 Lemmon Avenue, Dallas

Five Things Other People Crave That I Really Don't Get:

1. Freebirds

2. Tomato Basil Soup at La Madeleine For that matter, anything at La Madeleine. How much overdressed salad and room temperature quiche can one person tolerate?

3. Taquitos from Whataburger My husband is not the only person to wish he could just liquify and mainline these tortilla torpedoes. Me, I don't see the big woop.

4. Krispy Kreme I sincerely hope that the Krispy Kreme craze has passed. Someday we will
look back on our momentary lapse of reason and laugh. Probably in a "Early 2000's" edition of that silly show on VH1 that makes fun of parachute pants and Diff'rent Strokes.

5. Canh Chu at Green Papaya I love that you love it, FP
...but I just don't get it.

FoodiePrincess' Top Five Crave-able Dallas Dishes

I am the first one to admit that although I pride myself as a foodie, I am also a creature of habit. I am all about trying new places and dishes, but when I find something I really love, I have a tendency to never order anything else. These are the dishes that compel me to drive across town, listed in no particular order.

After you check mine out, tell us--what are your most crave-worthy Dallas dishes? We want to know!

1. Canh Chu (Vietnamese Hot and Sour Soup)
Green Papaya
3211 Oak Lawn Ave, Dallas, TX 75219

If I'm not feeling well, if it's cold and rainy, or if I'm in the mood for something light but full of flavor, there's nothing better than this soup. The perfect combination of sweet and spicy, this chicken-broth based soup is loaded with fresh tomatoes, pineapple, and your choice of shrimp or chicken. It is literally not possible for me to eat at Green Papaya and not order it. A little tip—the shrimp comes with the tails still on, so it's kind of a beating to eat in the soup. Go with chicken.

2. Chicken Salad
Café Max
1600 Alma Rd., Richardson, TX 75081

Mayonnaise is my kryptonite. You can make the best hamburger in the world, but if you put mayonnaise on it, I'm out. Because of this, chicken salad is usually a no-go for me. The chicken salad at Café Max on the other hand, is a mix of roast chicken, pears, apples, walnuts and green and red bell pepper. I've never been able to put my finger on exactly what's in the sauce, but I think it's a mixture of cider vinegar, cilantro and apple juice. Whatever it is, it's delicious, and—at least I like to think—a little more virtuous than your run-of-the-mill chicken salad.

3. Cheese Enchiladas
Mattito's
3011 Routh Street, Dallas, TX 75201
6332 La Vista Drive, Dallas, TX 75214

Most decent cheese enchiladas are fairly crave-able, but these are irresistible. The combination of chile con carne, onion, cheese and tortillas is a classic, but these are at the top of the genre. Yum.

4. Baby Spinach Salad with Steak
State and Allen Lounge
2400 Allen St., Dallas, TX 75204

In general, I'm not much of a salad person, but I order this one almost every time we eat at State and Allen Lounge, which is fairly often. The fresh spinach, raspberry, red onion and oranges are topped with blue cheese crumbles and dressed with warm vinaigrette. Because I'm a total carnivore, I usually get the steak on top, which goes great with the other flavors in the salad. It's crunchy, sweet, tangy, and meaty. What more could you ask for in a salad? Or any meal, for that matter?

5. Crawfish Enchiladas
Alligator Café
4416 Live Oak, Dallas, TX 75204

Yes, I'm raving about Alligator Café—again. I just can't stress the greatness of this place enough. The Crawfish Enchiladas are almost always what I order. Normally cheese and seafood don't mix, but this is the exception. It's also served with dirty rice and red beans, both of which are crave-able in their own right.

The DallasEats Mixology Competition!

FoodiePrincess: I don't care if we got our butts kicked, those Hott Rodds were worth the humiliation!

Classy&Sassy: Speak for yourself, FP. As soon as my head clears, I'm organizing a re-match. I don't take defeat lying down. In this case, I was lying down for another reason all together. (Note to self: Cabana Boys should be enjoyed *one* at a time...two or three in one night is just plain freaky.)




For those of you who have been on the edge of your seats since "Drugstore Gourmet", you can now lean back, get comfortable and read on to find out the gory details of yet another DallasEats Feat of Strength. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, you'd better do your homework: find the details of our first competition along the left-hand side of your screen, under the month of July.



The Set-up:


Five competitors (C&S and FP included, along with three other talented amateur mixologists) created an original cocktail, complete with a catchy "roll off the tongue even after three of 'em" name. The resulting concoctions were evaluated by several esteemed lushes - er, judges - and awarded points for presentation, flavor and creativity. Bonus points were given to those entries that would have been ordered again in a bar or made at home by the judges.


In a surprising upset, 1st, 2nd and 3rd places were all taken by outsiders. We here at DallasEats were amazed by the creativity, originality and personality on display at this competition! Our winners went above and beyond the call to get a houseful of boozers tipsy and keep them entertained while doing so. (Never discouraged by the democratic process, and always prone to making up our own rules, the DallasEats girls are planning a little palm-greasing next time to ensure that at least one of those shiny ribbons stays in the family.)

Below, the winning entries. Make one at home tonight for a little extra fun at cocktail hour! Or make three at home tonight for a lot of extra fun at cocktail hour - then call in sick tomorrow. You deserve it.


3rd Place - J.R.

"The Cabana Boy"

Mix equal parts:

Mango Malibu
Passion Fruit Malibu
V8 Tropical Splash

Stir and serve. Works great as a slushie, too! Garnish with pineapple, oranges and cherries.

2nd Place - Rodd

"The Hott Rodd"

Pour these three chilled liquors in the order listed (pour slowly over the back of a spoon to maintain distinct layers):

1. Godiva's Dark Chocolate Liqueur

2. Caravella's Orangecello
3. Patron's Citronage Orange Liqueur

Take a spoon and drizzle Stonewall Kitchen's White Chocolate Orange Sauce along the inside of each glass, sprinkle orange sugar onto the sauce and serve.
Says Rodd: "This drink is sure to warm you up on a cool night and it's sexy too!"


1st Place/Grand Prize - Robin and Rob


"Mr. and Ms. Pineapple Heads"

Mix equal parts:

Pineapple juice
Fresh Lime juice
Triple Sec
Silver Tequila (Silver mixes better with fresh fruit juice)
dash of salt

3 cups of each yields about a gallon of cocktails. Serve chilled, over ice. Or in a custom-carved pineapple with maraschino cherry eyes and fresh-flower garnish. (see photo)

Hats off to Robin and Rob - the Pineapple Head is our new favorite treat!

Restaurant Review: Urbano Paninoteca

Urbano Decay

...Or: Why hindsight isn't always 20/20

Urbano Paninoteca
2533 McKinney Avenue

A Note of Explanation:

I fell in love with Urbano Paninoteca back in 2002 when it was a hole-in-the-wall off McKinney Avenue. This was during the panini early years—a time when these grilled sandwiches were still new and fresh, before barely-edible microwaveable facsimiles were available in the frozen food section of the supermarket.

Urbano's grilled tuna panini was a revelation (Fresh tuna! Fresh greens! Praise be to buttery grilled bread!) and the sole ray of light on the gloomy first day of a job that would continue to leech my life-force for another six months. Soon, I was visiting that “new little place across the street”, as we called it, almost every day of the week. A crisp tomato-basil-mozzarella panini, oozing with creamy melted cheese, was often the only thing that got me through the day. Maybe I romanticized it in hindsight, maybe I remember it being so wonderful simply because I looked forward to it so.

I'm beginning to believe that's the case, because a recent move to a larger venue on McKinney prompted me and FoodiePrincess to visit Urbano for the purposes of reviewing it for the blog, and to say that it was not as good as I remembered would be an understatement...

- Classy&Sassy

Who was there?

Our first visit was at lunchtime on a weekday, and Urbano was packed with young professionals. The crowd was lively and well-dressed and many seemed as though they visited the restaurant on a regular basis.

At dinner, only a few tables were occupied for the majority of our visit. We sat indoors and most of them were outside, so we couldn't tell you what the patrons looked or dressed like. With such a gorgeous patio, offering views of McKinney Avenue, trolley and all, we were surprised there weren't more folks out there taking advantage of the beautiful late summer evening.

We later found out why.

How were the drinks?

Drinks at lunch were straight-up fountain fare. Method of service was the sticking point (read on below). A wine menu was presented at dinnertime, but they'd have to be giving away free Moët to make up for our disappointing meal. Great by-the-glass wine pricing or an innovative cocktail menu (not that they had either) would be beside the point in this case.

What were we eating? How did it taste?

At lunch, the Warm Roast Beef Panini was a hit. Our companion enjoyed the melting provolone, grilled onion and roasted red pepper that accented tender shredded roast beef. The meat was fresh, and if not homemade, was of the high-quality deli-counter variety. So what if the bread didn't have the crisp and buttery grilled texture that we remembered from the past? Overall, the sandwich was a success. Fries on the side were thin and crisp. They've been voted Best in Dallas by D Magazine in the past, and while we wouldn't go that far, they were certainly above average.

The Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad, however, was a lunchtime disappointment. (aside: Why is it so hard to get a decent salad? This is not the first time this issue has come up! I will lay a fat juicy one on the person who points me toward a great place for creative and tasty salads! - C&S) Greens were fresh, but tomatoes lacked flavor and the salad as a whole was overdressed. Chicken was cold and soggy.

On our dinner visit, we began with the Calamari Fritti appetizer. The usual rings arrived – no strips of fillet or tentacles – but the breading was flavorful and crisp. Someone at Urbano is great with a Fryolater. Dipping sauces alongside were ho-hum. A plate of foccacia and dish of olive oil were also placed on the table. Bread had somewhat of a chill and, while flecked with seasonings, did not deliver the usual rosemary and sea salt punch.

The Asparagi alla Griglia salad consisted of steamed asparagus spears and roasted red peppers alongside lemon and basil pesto ciabatta toasts. The veggies were fine, but the toasts had obviously prepped far in advance – they had the settled, lackluster look of leftovers.

Zuppa di Pesce was another disappointment. The dish was tepid, which could have been due to underheating in the first place, or sitting too long before service with only a shallow 1/4” of “zuppa” in the bottom of the bowl. Neither of us understood why this was billed as a soup at all. The broth was a flavorful spoonful and a half of liquid which pooled beneath ample, if overcooked and under seasoned, seafood.

One dish that was tasty, if overpriced at $15, was the Ravioli con Burro e Salvia. While the name makes it sound like “Ravioli with Donkey Spit,” it was actually Ravioli with ricotta cheese, roasted tomatoes and brown butter sage sauce. The sauce lacked as much of a sage kick as we would have liked, but the roasted tomatoes added a welcome sweet/savory flavor component to the dish.

The only dessert sampled was the banana bread pudding with caramel sauce. This was too tempting to pass up for FP, a bread pudding fanatic. Unfortunately it was the biggest disappointment of the evening. The caramel sauce was delicious, but the bread pudding itself was tasteless and dry - pretty much inedible.

How was the service?

Lunchtime means counter-service here: file in up front cafeteria-style and then place your order at the register. Drinks are self-serve, and the cubby hole in which the fountain soda and pitchers of water and tea were located was dingy and small. During a busy lunch rush, it was very uncomfortable for everyone to squeeze in and out holding purses, drinks, order number table tents, straws, etc.

At dinner, Urbano breaks out the white tablecloths for a surprisingly effective transformation from casual sandwich shop to chic bistro, if only in décor. Dinner service didn't match up to the smart costume change, however. Waiter was friendly, but ultimately distracted and forgetful.

How much did it cost?

Paninis range from $6.50 - $8.95 and are reasonable at that price, considering the quality of the ingredients and the finished product. All other menu items, especially those on the dinner menu, we felt to be far too expensive when evaluated on any combination of criteria – serving size, ingredients, presentation, atmosphere, etc.

Would you go there again?

This may be a first for us, but we both agree that we won't be back. Given the plethora of paninis in the city these days, there is really no reason to risk another hit-or-miss experience with Urbano.

A Brief Literary Interlude

Let's take a moment to enrich our minds, while celebrating one of our favorite things: cocktail hour. Below find Baudelaire's 1869 treatise on indulgence...not only is it food (drink?) for thought, but it's a damned good reason to pour yourself a tall one today at 5.

Be You Drunken!

One must always be drunk. That's all there is to it; that's

the only solution. In order not to feel the horrible burden of

Time breaking your shoulders and bowing your head to the

ground, you must be drunken without respite.

But; with what? With wine, poetry or virtue, as you will.

Be you drunken.

And if sometimes you awake, on the steps of a palace, in

the green herbage of a ditch or in the dreary solitude of your

room, then ask the wind, the waves, the stars, the birds, the

clocks, ask everything that runs, that moans, that moves

on wheels, everything that sings and speaks – ask them what

is the time of day; and the wind, the waves, the stars, the

birds and the clocks will answer you: It is time to get

drunk. In order not to be the martyred slave of Time, be you

drunken; be you drunken ceaselessly! With wine, poetry or

virtue, as you will!