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Friday, December 5, 2008

Best Bites: Dining out in Dallas-Fort Worth December 5

By Teresa Gubbins

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The Vietnamese "banh mi" sandwich is a foodie cult item, and so Lee's Sandwiches is a real find. This is the first Dallas branch of a chain that originated in San Jose and is devoted to this Vietnamese version of a sub sandwich. It's made on a French baguette, with pork usually, plus pickled vegetables, cucumber, cilantro, and jalapeno peppers. When done right (and the one at B.B. Bop is a personal favorite), it has a delicious sweet-and-hot thing from the cilantro and jalapenos, plus crunch from the vegetables, that really fills the mouth.

Typical banh mi sandwich

Typical banh mi sandwich

Lee's offers banh mi sandwiches with a variety of meats including ham, pork, cured pork, and pate, as well as sandwiches made on croissants, fruit smoothies, and ice cream. The chain has more than 30 branches up and down the California coast, but also a branch in Arizona, Oklahoma City, two in Houston, and now this one at the Saigon Mall in Garland.

MaNow, not later

MaNow Asian Brasserie, which takes over the space on Lemmon Avenue vacated by Thai Nipa last year, has been open only a few weeks but has already undergone a name change. Spokesman Sean Kang 'splains.

"We originally called it 'Asian fusion', but everybody uses the word 'fusion' and you have a high rate of failure when you use that term," he says. "The term 'brasserie', we did not borrow it from France, but from Japan, where the brasserie concept is the hottest thing going on right now. One of our investors' sons studied in Japan and he brought the word in, with the definition being 'in between a restaurant and a cafe', it can go big or small."

There's also hairs to be split over the way they describe their cuisine.

"We are 'authentic Thai fusion-plus-sushi cuisine'," Kang says. "We're not Thai-Japanese, we are more Thai cuisine plus sushi. Our signature dish is rainbow carpaccio, with paper-thin slices of tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and super white tuna, lined across the plate in stripes like a keyboard, infused with a line of lime juice, lemon juice, aged soy sauce, sesame oil, roasted sesame seed, garnished with radish sprouts and caviar."

The place boasts a $250K makeover (lots of plexiglass); a chef named Nook imported from Chicago; and a menu with drunken noodles, soft-shell crab curry, and grilled-chicken sandwich with green curry. Liquor license is pending, so for now it's BYOB.

Sandwich from Paradise Bakery

Sandwich from Paradise Bakery

Off and on

  • A second branch of Margarita Ranch, the Tex-Mex place in Mockingbird Station, has opened in the Quadrangle (right around the corner from where Mike Modano and company's new sports bar-restaurant Hully & Mo Restaurant & Tap Room is set to open).
  • The Franchise Grill & Bar is opening in mid-December at the intersection of Custer and Parker in Plano, where soon-to-be El Centro graduate/chef Earl Nadel will do from-scratch versions of bar food, including hand-patted burgers and a clever "build-your own queso dip" with ramekins of chopped tomato, crumbled sausage, and diced jalapeno peppers that you can stir in to suit your taste. It has 26 TVs, including three 73-inchers and 23 50-in plasmas. This makes three sports bars within a mile, right in between Austin Avenue and End Zone.
  • Paradise Bakery & Cafe opened a branch in the new Rosewood Court complex at 2101 Cedar Springs Road. Did you know that Paradise was acquired by Panera Bread last year? I did not. ... The Meridian Room has re-opened with the same menu it had with the previous owners. ... Olea Bistro in Plano has closed.
  • Veteran sharp-suit wearer Brian Perry has left Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek and is now manager at Nick & Sam's. ... Chef Chris Svalesen, who founded Go Fish (now Go Fish Ocean Club) has landed at Central Market where he was just promoted to executive chef at the specialty market's fancy new cafe in Dallas. ... Aurora pastry chef Bethany Costello is baking loaves of their signature cranberry/pistachio bread for Christmas gifts, $15 per loaf.

Thanks to Webra for tip!

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Comments

Billusa99

Billusa99 Anonymous

I used to know a Nanook in the north. But, it was a lot further north than Chicago. He was pretty damn good with walrus carpaccio.

11 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott

Scott Anonymous

Any idea where Nook cooked in Chicago. That's a town with some damned fine Thai food.

11 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

JENNUWIN Anonymous

I have made several trips to MaNow, and would highly recommend it! The atmosphere is sleek , yet simple. The food is fantastic, especially if you can get Sean (who is a spectacular sushi chef) to whip you up a customized roll. Last time I was there he made me an awesome twist on a california roll, inside out with a mango wrapper...the best I have ever had hands down. Breathtaking presentation to boot. Also, though it is BYOB, all 3 times I have been there, they have had several wines to pour (free of course) served with a smile by Nico, my favorite bartender ever. I can hardly wait until they get their liquor license!

11 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Russ Vandeveerdonk

Russ Vandeveerdonk Verified

Chris Svalesen is a great chef, he did good for Go Fish, I helped PR the grand opening there a few years back in Addison, he was professional then and still is now! Central Market is lucky to have him!

11 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

DC

DC Anonymous

TG, does your new bahn mi place offer head cheese, clearly the superior meat in this instance?

11 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

CityVybes Anonymous

I realize you're focusing on eateries with a full menu. Yet, there are those of us who believe "eat dessert first"!

I highly recommend Pokey O's. A fun place to enjoy some sweets. Just take a look:
http://cityvybes.com/Dallas%20Fort%20...

11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

webra

webra Anonymous

I agree, MaNow has some great food. Try the red curry duck. May be the best in town. Excellent papaya salad too.

Just wish the staff would chill out a bit on talking about the restaurant to the customers. They have what seems like a 15 minute script where they discuss everything T.G. mentioned above, plus much, much more. Then you hear the same thing being told a few tables down.....

11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

luniz Anonymous

pate on the banh mis?

11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

David Gouldin

David Gouldin Staff

The best banh mi I've had was at the now-defunct Mr. Munchies in Denton. I miss that place.

11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

luniz Anonymous

best I ever had was either La Me in Garland or Duong Phong in New Orleans.

11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

DC

DC Anonymous

I prefer the thinly sliced.

11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

webra

webra Anonymous

I agree with Luniz on La Me. Seriously, everyone please go there. My life would be much less wonderful if they go out of business. http://la-me.net

Lee's Sandwiches are way, way, below the quality of La-Me. Went there with friends and ordered about 6 different kinds. Some had stale bread, some didn't. Meats are sub par.

11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

webra

webra Anonymous

Forgot to mention La Me makes their own Pâté. They even have it available to take it home. Good stuff. And also surprisingly good homemade Flan.

11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Teresa Gubbins

Teresa Gubbins Staff

yay for webra -- not only for actually trying the sandwiches at Lee's, but also for being the one to break the news that Tio's Tortas closed -- news that was then reported by local blogs five days later

11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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