|
The 2009 Golden Gavel Awards
By Michael Anderson and Anthony Lowenberg
Your Undiscovered Law Reviewers (Hey, we’ve been here all along!)
The future is the undiscovered country. At least, that's what Star Trek VI told us, and Star Trek movies never lie! Never mind what Hamlet had to say about it, he never had to escape from a Klingon ice planet prison by sleeping with a shape-changing alien who looked like David Bowie's wife half the time and a blue skinned iguana-man the other half, now, did he? Anyhoo, now that our obligatory random intro is out of the way, let's get to this year's Golden Gavel Awards V: The Undiscovered Country. No, this year's theme is not which places around town serve the best Romulan ale and tribble pie (that's next year's theme). Instead, we’re giving awards this year to the undiscovered/underrated food and food-serving establishments that fly under the radar in our fair city. You won’t see these dishes or places listed on the annual ‘Best of’ listings in other “publications” around “town” cuz they ain’t the sexy, popular picks, but they’re all good eatin’. And the Undiscovered Gavelies go to…
Best Unknown Lunch Ambiance: Atrium Café at the DMA. This catered café at the back of the DMA tends to go overlooked by anyone who isn’t showing around out-of-towners or strolling through the latest special exhibit, but on a clear, sunny day, it’s a relaxing respite from the downtown weekday grind and has decent and interesting food that changes to match the exhibits.
Best Tucked-Away Tex Mex: La Victoria. Why wait in line at Mia’s or Mi Cocina when you can get burritos as big as yo face and piping hot gorditas all made with fresh, tasty ingredients right here in this little old drive-in place off Ross Avenue on Haskell just east of downtown. It’s cheap too, little-old-drive-in cheap.
Best Afghan Adventure: Afghan Grill. We may not be the first people to talk up this tasty little Afghan establishment off Preston Road in Far North Dallas, but, until there are more Afghan Grills than Woodfire Grills in the Metroplex, it’s fair to say it hasn’t been discovered yet.
Best Old Standby: S&D Oyster Co. Some day this place may be gone and you will have to get your fried shrimp at Long John Silver’s. Think about it.
Best Sandwich Steals: Banh mi at La Me. If you don’t know what a banh mi is, you don’t know what you’re missing. They’re Vietnamese baguette sandwiches, and La Me has the best ones we’ve tried in town. Each baguette is crammed with yummy fillings like grilled pork, paté and veggies and they generally don't cost more than $3-4 a pop. Honorable Mention: Antoine’s. The definition of a Mom n’ Pop sandwich shop, the sandwiches are simple, fresh, dirt cheap and better with the owner’s homemade chow chow (relish).
Best Downtown Deli Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies at Powerhouse Deli. This healthy deli in the Downtown “T. Boone Pickens” YMCA will occasionally bake up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. When they do, knock over your own grandmother to get some (Just don’t expect a check in the next birthday card)!
Best Below-the-Radar Burger: Grass-fed Beef Burger at Kozy Kitchen. No bun, just some blue cheese or feta sprinkled on top and sautéed vegetables on the side… and it’s the best burger we’ve had in Dallas (one of us, at least). Hmmm, must be something in the grass. Honorable Mention: Salad Burger at Goff’s. Sloppy, messy and bad for you. You know, like a proper salad.
Best Deceptively Tasty Dish: Burger Dog at Wild About Harry's. A hot-dog-shaped burger patty is not the most appetizing-looking food item and dressing it up with shredded cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mustard in a hot dog may sound weird, but darned if it ain’t de-burger-dog-licious!
Best Ethnic Comfort Food: Beef Panang at Royal Thai. Allright, this is probably one of the more well known dishes at one of the more popular Thai places in town, but, when most people think comfort food, they think mac n’ cheese or chicken soup – something gooey or hearty that Mom used to make. Well, next time you’re looking for that gooey, hearty comfort food fix, give the panang a try and we promise you won’t be disappointed.
Best Chain Cobbler: Peach Cobbler at Dickey’s. Somehow, the cobbler helps you forget that 20 minutes ago you were all, “Dang, I could use some totally awesome bbq,” that 15 minutes ago, you ordered more than you could consume, and that five minutes ago, you sat back in your seat, stuffed, and were all, “Dang, I could use some totally awesome bbq.” And Don’t Forget About: Dickey’s Soft Serve Ice Cream – cuz it’s tasty and free!
Best Appetizer That Eats Like a Meal: Boudin Balls at Alligator Café. Chock full of boudin sausage, an order of six of these hush puppy-like contraptions with a side of remoulade sauce doesn't leave much room for the rest of Alligator Café's tasty Cajun cooking, but you'll find the space somehow.
Best Mini-Meat on a Stick: Yakitori at Teppo Yakitori & Sushi Bar. These Japanese mini-skewers range from standard white-meat chicken chunks and chicken meatballs to more exotic miso beef tongue, chicken hearts and gizzards. Just add Japanese red pepper and yellow mustard and you've got yourselves an ulcer-prone vegan's worst nightmare. Why there are Mongolian grills on every corner but not more of these places around town is a mystery to us (but maybe not to ulcer-prone vegans).
Best Overpriced Side Dish That's Somehow Worth the Money: French Fries at Smoke. Another “professional” reviewer recently gave Smoke a great review. The truth is probably somewhere in between, albeit exactly like our version. Honorable Mention: “Trio of Fries” at Tillman’s Roadhouse. No fries should cost this much ($9) but we’ll be danged, the gimicky-sounding “Purple Peruvian Fries” were fantastic. And purple. Horseradish pickle mayo should be everywhere, too. Everywhere.
So, that about wraps up another year of living and eatin’ here in Big D. As always, if you have a food problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them… maybe you can hire The LR-Team. Dum-da-dum-da! Dum-dum… Wait, what comes next?
|
Smoke
I had got a desire to start...
Taj Mahal (downtown)
The TAJ MAHAL(Downtown , da...
2009 Golden Gavel Awards
That is good that we can ta...
Chic From Barcelona
For lunch on Friday, April ...
The Law Reviewers
Howdy Chef, We have a dead...