Why am I typing all these details out and making you read them? For every vote, Chase Sapphire is giving $1 to Feeding America, and Feeding America will then give up to $10,000 to the North Texas Food Bank. Your votes will be providing meals for your hungry neighbors in Dallas.

It’s quite easy. I’ll even break it up into three simple steps.

Step 1) Choose your favorite from these 8 restaurants and their cuisines:

Argentinian – Empanadas at Argentina Bakery
Cantonese – Dim Sum at Hong Kong Royal
Italian – Steak Florentine at La Fiorentina
Moroccan – Beef Tenderloin Tagine at Medina Oven+Bar
Thai – Shrimp Red Curry at Royal Thai
Spanish – Paella at Si Tapas Restaurant Bar
English – Fish and Chips at The Londoner Pub
French – French Onion Soup at Toulouse Café and Bar

Step 2) Go here to vote every day from now until July 31.

Step 3) Feel good about yourself for helping the North Texas Food Bank and treat yourself to a milkshake.

Founder Atti Worku (left); Chocolate pudding cake with coffee ice cream (right) photos by Desiree Espada

Last night, Bolsa Mercado transformed into a delightful backdrop, playing host to founder Atti Worku and her non-profit, Seeds of Africa - an organization that provides a nurturing, educational community for young children and young adults in Adama, Ethiopia. Chef Jeff Harris prepared a four-course menu to approximately 60 Seeds supporters as I, an invited guest, witnessed this NYC-based non-profit introduce itself to Dallas.

Jump for more Desiree Espada photos.

Ricotta cavatelli with English peas, sweet corn, smoked tomato, and pea tendrils

While Worku was growing up in Ethiopia, she made the precocious connection at the early age of 10 or 11 that not all children had the option of attending school. This realization stuck with her into her adult days as a Dallas resident, spurring the young former Miss Ethiopia to start Seeds of Africa and do her part to fight the vicious cycle of poverty in her country. So far, Worku’s efforts are paying off. Seeds has carried out its mission statement with full force. In Ethiopia, it established a preschool program with 50 students where it provides educational services, uniforms, and anything else a child needs to attend school. This all-encompassing service ensures a better opportunity for the younger Ethiopian generations.

“Children will grow up to be whatever they want to be, and I believe all children deserve that,” says Worku.

Bolsa (left); dinner party guests (right)

Noura Liben and Samira Abderahman (left); decor (right)

• Enjoy Cuban food from International Bakery Cuban Dulceria serving El Cuban, Pan con Lechon (pork sandwiches), Media Noche (midnight sandwich) and others plus pastel de carne, croquetas, papa rellenas (stuffed potato ball), mariquitas (plantain chips) and much more.

• Quench your thirst with traditional Cuban soft drinks like Iron beer (iron beer), Materva (mate), and Jupiña (pineapple). And of course enjoy the cold taste of Coca-Cola, whose first plant out of the U.S. was in Cuba.

• Savor our Families Favorites -pastelitos de Guayaba y Queso (Guava&Cheese pastry), Guayaba (Guava pastry) Pastelitos de Coco (Coconut pastry) & more. Dulces Finos, Capuchinos (drenched cones-cakes) Senoritas (Napoleons) Éclairs de Carmelo (Carmeled Éclair plus Éclairs de Chocolate (Chocolate Éclair)

• Experience tastings from Bustelo Supremo, Goya, Cigar Roller, Cuban Art, and Cuban Music.

• Raffled Java Cabana gift baskets from Bustelo and Goya.

International Bakery Cuban Dulceria May 17, 18 and 19 th from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Our address 2662 N. Josey Lane, Suite 228, Carrollton, Texas 75007,  972.242.3797.

New Orleans : Mardi Gras ::
Germany : Fasching Fest ::

If you didn’t understand that, retake the SATs and jump below.

Since Germany’s Fasching Fest is supposed to be as wild and crazy as Mardi Gras in New Orleans, let’s hope there aren’t going to be naked ladies at the GermanDeli European Food Store’s Fasching Fest on Sunday because they’re planning to have face-painting and prizes for kids.

Entrance is free for anyone who enjoys grilled bratwurst, Fleischkäse, and authentic Nürnberger Bratwurst for low prices. Adults can attend a beer and wine sampling event from 1-3 pm, while the offspring can listen to music and run around a big tent.

The deets:
GermanDeli European Food Store
5100 State Hwy 121, Colleyville, TX 76034 817-354-8101
We will host Fasching Fest in the store and under the “big Tent”
Sunday, February 19th
12:30pm – 4:30pm

Duck meat, crispy skin, green onions, hoi sun sauce, and pancake

Owner Jack Kang carves the duck tableside (left); Carved duck pieces (right)

While other children my age were perfectly satisfied with eating buttered noodles (a bland phenomenon I will never understand), I spent my summers and winters in Taipei demanding to eat Peking duck. Give me some fat, crispy-skinned duck caramelized in its own juices, and I will be the most well-behaved kid on this planet. It worked every time.

Let it be known that I hardly eat Peking duck in the States. It is always a sure disappointment that will make me start itching to buy a plane ticket to Taiwan the very second I finish my meal – money be damned. When I heard that Mr. Wok serves up a mighty duck, I decided that it was time to break my golden rule and see what all the fuss was about.

Jump or quack for more.

Cantonese crispy, fried egg noodles

Preparing a Peking duck is a long and lengthy process that requires chefs to blow air under the duck’s skin to separate it from the fat, then brush the duck with syrup and spices that’ll soak into the duck’s skin while it’s hanging up to dry. It’s a complicated process that once made me skeptical about finding a suitable Peking duck chef in the likes of Dallas, Texas. Eating Peking duck is similar to eating a fajita… except (how do I say this nicely?) it’s better. Hands down. Nobody can deny the lure of juicy duck meat combined with crunchy skin, chopped green onions, and sweet hoisin sauce wrapped inside a thin, crepe-like covering. (And if that person does exist, we need to have a little chat.)

Jack Kang, 33, and owner of Mr. Wok, calls the crepe-like wrapping a “pancake,” but it’s actually supposed to be much thinner than a pancake. Before he took over his family’s restaurant, Kang roamed the kitchen of Mr. Wok as a ten-year-old boy while his parents worked long, tiring shifts. “I realized in my senior year of high school that this was the route I wanted to take, but my dad tried to talk me out of it,” says Kang. After graduating from UT’s business school, Kang took over the restaurant in 2000, opting to keep the same booths and chairs that graced the store’s opening day in 1989.  Now the furniture looks like it should belong to a garage sale, but Kang claims that customers tell him his restaurant looks cozy.

What’s certain is that it’s easy to forget Mr. Wok’s shabby interior as soon as Kang brings a roasted whole duck tableside promptly after you sit down. (That’s if you called early to make a reservation.) He lifts the duck by its feet and starts carving the living juice out of it – an exciting show to watch if you’re into the art of duck slicing like nerdy, nerdy me. The duck is skinny with minimal fat (around 6-7 lbs), so Kang packs up his knives after five minutes of comfortable small talk and finishes arranging the duck slices onto a plate.

Banana and chocolate springs rolls dipped in caramel sauce

My parents, both expert Peking duck eaters, agree with me that Kang’s duck was prepared well, but the pancakes (which were thick as tortillas and clearly not made in-house) and hoisin sauce (which tasted like it came straight out of a can) were certainly not rave-worthy. Still, it makes me as proud as a puffed-up dead duck that my city can serve this dish to a welcoming crowd. According to Jack Kang, Mr. Wok sells around 70 ducks per week mostly to weekend customers who enjoy the freedom of bringing their own wine and beer to pair with popular dishes like mango shrimp and beggar’s chicken. “We don’t have a corkage fee,” says Kang. “I don’t believe in that.”

While Mr. Wok’s duck ($32.95 for 12 pancakes, feeds 4-5 people) didn’t meet my high expectations, it is certainly worth a taste for those who’ve never ventured into the Peking duck world.

Other dishes to try: Cantonese crispy egg noodles are a recent menu addition ($7.95), and I must admit that I ate all four banana-chocolate spring rolls ($4.95) without pausing to breathe.

Tips on having the best Peking duck experience: It takes a good 12 hours to roast an entire duck from start to finish, so do Jack Kang a favor and call one day ahead to tell him you’re coming. You can choose to order the duck with buns (gua bao) or the pancakes.  After Jack finishes slicing the duck,  you decide whether he makes the duck bones into a soup or stir fries them. Go with the soup. It comes with rice noodles, napa cabbage, and sour mustard leaves. The stir fry makes your duck bones look like carnage. BYOB. Pay the bill. Give Jack a hug. You know the drill.

Mr. Wok Asian Bistro
972.881.1888
Mon-Sat from 11am – 10pm
2600 14th St., Plano, TX 75074

]]> http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/02/14/good-asian-grub-mr-woks-peking-duck/feed/ 17 http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/01/24/how-i-celebrated-the-new-year/ http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/01/24/how-i-celebrated-the-new-year/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:28:16 +0000 Carol Shih http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/?p=35037

Homemade pork dumplings with green onion, garlic, and ginger

My family used to have the weirdest Chinese New Year tradition. When I was a young lass, my mother would scrub seven or eight coins really well and hide them inside her homemade pork dumplings so she could watch my brother and I go cockfight crazy as we each attempted to amass the most number of coins. To our disappointment, my father would always win; his superior chopstick skills and fast-eating ways would earn him a shining victory (plus some pained teeth from biting down too hard). His winnings meant that he’d have the most prosperity for the rest of the year.

Jump for more traditions.

Chinese people are superstitious – I mean, very superstitious – when it comes to certain things, and their hocuspocus beliefs are revealed through specific dishes eaten during Chinese New Year. People who can’t afford the fancy restaurants I listed here can still follow tradition and savor these foods at home.

Jiaozi (dumplings) are shaped like gold money from the Ming Dynasty. Eat these so you can be rich one day.

Pomegranates are red (a lucky color) and symbolize fertility (because of all the seeds). They’ll bring you good bounty.

Mien (noodles) will give you a long life. Especially if you eat long noodles.

Ping guo (apples) are also red and will bring you peace (ping ping an an). Notice the word play?

Nian gao (Chinese New Year cake) is this sweet sticky rice that I’m actually eating right now as I type. Yum.

How did you/how will you be celebrating the Year of the Dragon? Post your holiday spirit down below.

Prepare to move halfway across the world for that dream job as a tattoo artist, meet the love of your life (potentially George Clooney, but don’t get your hopes up), and exert your independent strength in some political rally where you’ll end up smelling like those Occupy Wall Street dudes. In any case, you should probably celebrate at these places before your luck runs out.

Kirin Court is going to be a hot spot for Chinese people who like to start off their new year just like everyone else in Asia: family style. It’s going to be packed, especially on Jan 18, Jan 28 and Feb 4 when lion dancers will perform around 7pm. Sit around a circle table with 8-10 people and stuff your faces with lobster, garlic fried chicken, pig feet, and red bean soup for dessert. $278 for ten people and $208 for eight.

Never in a million years would I endorse P.F. Chang’s since I can’t stand fake Chinese food, but P.F. Chang’s will be handing out red envelopes containing unknown rewards to guests who visit between January 23 and February 6. I don’t want to be held responsible if evil spirits haunt you for not receiving a red envelope this year, so maybe you should go just to drink their specialty Dragon Punch cocktail.

Steel Restaurant and Lounge’s website mistakenly thinks it’ll be the Year of the Rabbit, but at least its dinner menu between January 23-29 has it right: three courses for $45 per person with whole fish, duck, noodles, and shrimp. Here’s the menu in case you’re not convinced yet. Traditional lion dancing by the kids from Chin Woo School will take place on January 23 at 8pm.

Reminder: Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck is having a prix fixe menu for $125 per person like Nancy mentioned in this post. If you’d like to see him in person on February 1, reserve a spot soon.

Fresh sugar cane juice with lemon.

D Magazine intern Carol Shih prowls Dallas for the best Asian cuisine and also writes a blog about sandwiches.

On Fridays and Saturdays after the last prayers are said in Arabic, the Ismailis of Carrollton exit the holy halls of their Jamatkhana, file into cars that’ll take them across two minutes of roads, and greet each other again inside the Al Markaz shopping complex where they fill their empty stomachs with juice and samosas.

An elevator-sized shop, squeezed between a beauty parlor and cell phone store, bears the name AGHA JUICE and a colorful neon sign that indicates it’s open until midnight.

Before Agha Juice opened its doors in 2004, Kareem Valliani, the owner, discovered that his community was missing a dessert concept. “Back home in Karachi, after dinner we would go out and have dessert. There was no place here for the dessert that we enjoyed back home.” So he bought a small space next to the George Bush Turnpike and covered the walls with bright objects he’d bought in Karachi—objects that Pakistani parents could point out to their American-born children and say, “You see that toy truck? That’s what the trucks in Karachi look like.”

Mr. Valliani often stands behind his own counter, quick to offer a warm hello to customers he knows on a first-name basis. South Asians squeeze inside Agha Juice as if they were standing in some busy Old Delhi market as they order everything from refreshing sugar cane juice to golaganda (snow cones) and masala fruit cocktails. Falooda, a traditional dessert from India and Pakistan, is popular with customers and it comes in six different flavors, but the original is bubble gum pink with rice noodles, milk, vanilla ice cream, Mr. Valliani’s homemade falooda ice cream, jelly pieces, pineapple and strawberry bits, and basil seeds. With so many ingredients inside one cup, it’s no surprise this dessert drink costs a hefty five-dollar bill.

Customers who can’t fit inside or have already received their orders loiter outside the shop, some sitting in plastic lawn chairs and others standing with a cup of fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice in one hand. Many alternate between speaking Urdu and licking their frozen kulfi made in-house. Ten inches of glorious milk, butter and sugar are mixed together to create five different kulfi flavors, but do yourself a favor and ignore four of them. Go straight for the khoya malai—this creamy, nutty ice cream that makes even people with lactose intolerance ignore the consequences of ordering this kulfi flavor.

If you ask Mr. Valliani what he puts in his khoya malai kulfi to make it so addicting, he will probably smile and answer you as he did with me: “That’s my secret ingredient. I can’t even tell my wife, because then she may copy me!”

Darn. And I was really hoping to open my own kulfi store one day…

Kareem Villiani’s newest fast food restaurant, Agha’s Café and Grill, offers halal meat for those who wish to pair a sweet drink with foods like malai chicken and gyros. Agha’s Café and Grill is a couple doors down from Agha Juice.

Address:
1205 W Trinity Mills Rd
Carrollton, TX 75006
(972) 245-5001

Falooda: Vermicelli, milk, ice cream, jelly pieces, fruit bits and basil seeds.

Kulfi: Khoya malai kulfi made with milk, sugar and butter.

Photo from Lightcatcher Winery's Toys for Tots Celtic Christmas.

This link will take you to the DFW International Community Alliance website. There you will find a list of international holiday celebrations taking place in the area. Choose a unique event or two and expand your horizons this season. Experience Venezuelan Christmas Carols or sample food at the Indonesian Christmas Celebration. Not Jewish? Take your family to see A Chanukah Musical Story. You can drive around and look at Christmas lights any time.

Iron Pot Chicken Curry at Malai Thai-Vietnamese Restaurant. Photography by Kevin Marple.

Check out the recent write-up of Malai Thai-Vietnamese Restaurant in our Best New Restaurants 2011 story. I could eat this green curry chicken everyday.

Désir Bakery inside 99 Ranch Market.

Whenever I go grocery shopping in 99 Ranch Market with my mom, I consider buying one of those ridiculous child safety harnesses that some parents use to rein in their little ones. Except mine would be a reverse leash: daughter prevents mother from her crazy tendencies to buy enough pastries from a small Taiwanese bakery inside 99 Ranch Market to feed all the children in Africa.

But who can blame her? Even I can’t help swooning once I’m standing inside Désir Bakery, surrounded by the aroma of sweet and salty breads.

A young pastry chef named Jessica told me that people come again and again because “it reminds them of the bakeries in Taiwan” and they always fall in love with the generous portions for a small amount of change. How much can five dollars buy you at La Madeleine’s bakery? A barely-breakfast of drip coffee and one mini tart. At Désir, those greens can land you a paprika hot dog ($1.19), giant “cup cake” ($1.09 for a cup cake not in the traditional American sense), a Taiwanese pineapple cake ($1.49), and a cup of house coffee ($0.99). That’s what I call a breakfast of champions.

Jump for more.

When 99 Ranch Market, a transplant chain from the Golden State, first opened its Plano doors during the summer heat of 2010, my mother called me in D.C. to announce the big news and has since made it a ritual to go every three weekends. We routinely stop at the bakery section first where we lay low like stealthy predators, waiting for one of the pastry chefs to hold a tray of popular, right-out-of-the-oven cup cakes and yell, “FRESH BREAD!!!!” so we can quickly grab a couple before swarms of Asian ladies steal these hot goodies.

Désir's Number 1 seller, the ugly cup cake.

At first glance, this cup cake is nothing special. It’s really just a starch and flour mixture that looks even uglier than those giant plush microbes some geeks like to give as gifts. Heck, most sugar-overdosed folks will wonder why something so bland is the best seller at Désir. But to Asians who prefer the hint of sweetness rather than the overwhelming taste of sugar, it’s perfect for the palates of Taiwanese immigrants like my mother who hug this warm bread and remember what it’s like to live on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Portuguese egg tarts (custard-filled egg tart).

Jennifer Tsao, Marketing Director of 99 Ranch Market, claims that Désir’s pastries are made with “unbleached flour and real butter with no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives” – a statement I seriously question since the taro plants I’ve seen in pictures aren’t the same bright purple color I found inside their cheese puff taro bun ($1.19). Still, it’s hard to hold it against Désir when this flaky pastry (comes with cheese and pork sung filling too) sings joyful songs inside my satisfied belly before I even make it back home. Some customers like to finish their treats while they’re in the check out line. Others—exercising slightly more self-control—wait until they’re safely in the car to drive with one hand and use the other to stuff their faces with bread. My mother and I tend to fall in the latter camp.

If your taste buds aren’t shy, try the teriyaki bun for $1.19 even if it doesn’t taste anything like teriyaki; each bun has a surprise fish ball inside with a salty-sweet combo covering the top. For the sweet-toothed, go for the Portuguese egg tarts ($1.25) that have a crème brûlée-like consistency and custard filling. Individually-wrapped green tea red bean mochi cakes ($2.49 each) and pineapple cakes ($1.49 each) make the best gifts and stocking stuffers, in case you’re inclined to think ahead.

Red bean mochi bun (sesame seeds, red bean filling).

Plan to visit during the weekend when hot bread is constantly pulled from the oven and Asians practice their Speedy Gonzales moves. Before you know it, ten pairs of hands will snatch up an entire batch and you will be gazing into the depths of a very empty tray, my friend. I share all these secrets because I want you guys to eat well, but I must warn you: if you would like to remain (or become) friends with this intern, don’t you dare hog the bread and crowd up my bakery. I will hunt you down.

Address:
131 W Spring Creek Pkwy Plano, TX 75023
(972) 943-8999

Combination seafood noodle soup with roasted pork, shrimp, squid, and fish cakes. (photo by Carol Shih)

D Magazine intern Carol Shih prowls Dallas in search of the best Asian cuisine. This time she bribed her Vietnamese-American friend to help her translate and teach her the art of eating.

When I took my old high school buddy Theresa to Bon Mua (“Four Seasons”), a Vietnamese restaurant in Carrollton, she laughed the minute I started draining the bowl of beef broth the owner, Din Huynh, placed in front of me. “You’re not supposed to drink it first,” she said. “You pour a little bit onto your rice to wet it, and then you finish the soup after you’re done with the meal.”

Jump.

Deep fried Vietnamese egg roll with ground pork, shrimp, bean sprout, carrot, and fish sauce. (photo by Carol Shih)

After all these years of eating, I never quite understood the Vietnamese order and method of consumption. Not until Theresa, my Vietnamese-American friend, sat across the table and gave me the complete lowdown. It can be a confusing process for any Vietnamese food virgin who is seated at a restaurant like Bon Mua where the owner can’t speak more than ten words in English, a barrier which really throws off the customer as soon as a waiter starts piling bowl after bowl of fish sauce and broth onto the table. Almost every dish on Bon Mua’s menu comes with a side of something.

So here are some tips to make your life easier, fellow eater, from me to you.

Bánh bǒt loc lá, translucent tubes of tapioca flour wrapped with banana leaves, filled with whole shrimp and slices of fatty pork. (photo by Carol Shih)

First. Place your order. (Like how I’m taking this reeeally slow and easy?) I suggest starting off with the fried egg rolls ($4.75) rolled in thick, crackly paper. Or, if you’re daring, get the bánh bǒt loc lá ($4.75), gelatinous tubes of sticky tapioca flour wrapped in banana leaves filled with whole shrimp and fatty pork. Mr. Huynh told us these were “specialty cakes found in the middle of Vietnam” and he also suggested the còm bò lúc lǎc, cubed tender beef with lemon pepper sauce for $7.99. My favorite has to be any of the broken rice dishes which come in combos or plain pork; Bon Mua’s the only place I know that serves this nuttier, smaller rice form which is native to Vietnam.

Còm bò lúc lǎc, cubed tender beef with lemon pepper sauce, lettuce, red onion, tomato, and steamed rice. (photo by Carol Shih)

Second. Dip eggrolls and bánh bǒt loc lá into accompanying fish sauce (don’t worry, it doesn’t taste fishy at all, but I’m not going to reveal how it’s made because then some of you weaklings won’t try it) or pour fish sauce over rice and vermicelli dishes. Add the generous plate of raw bean sprouts and cilantro into your bowl and mix. If you’ve ordered pho or a noodle soup ($5.75 for small; $6.75 for large), quickly throw in the veggies and let them cook inside your broth while you decide whether to douse it with fiery Sriracha sauce. Some friends of mine like to do this and it’s always a painful process to watch since I like mine clear and spice-free. But to each his own.

Third. If you didn’t order pho and you received an extra bowl of liquid that looks exactly like fish sauce but isn’t, this means you have some broth that took Mr. Huynh ten hours to make. Some people pour it all over their rice or take a sip after each bite; others wait for it to cool before gulping it down. My expert advice? Drink the separate bowl of soup whenever you feel like it. Just don’t let it be the first thing you touch unless you enjoy making your Vietnamese-American friend laugh.

Bon Mua Restaurant
3030 N. Josey Ln #113
Carrollton, TX 75007

972-820-6220

Fresh salmon placed on top of California rolls and rice.

D Magazine intern Carol Shih prowls Dallas in search of the best Asian cuisine. She’s a weird Chinese American who doesn’t like most seafood, but can’t help feeling passionate about sushi.

In my food religion, sushi is the Bread of Life and I am its most intrepid disciple. If it weren’t for this inherent desire to seem normal, I would have erected a temple of worship for this Japanese food and used a rice cooker as the altar. Instead, I named my blond Labrador “Sushi” and consider this a sign of my lasting devotion whenever she slips through the fence and I’m hollering her name down the street. My neighbors must think I’m crazy and always hungry.

Food porn and more below.

Tuna Tower- a stack of sushi rice, spicy tuna, crab, and avocado served on zesty creamy sauce.

So when my dad asked his friend, Mary Ann, where she had tasted the best sushi in town, I had to try her suggestion: Sushi Yokohama, a tiny sushi and sashimi bar in a strip mall that I always pass by. But this time I stopped and walked through its front doors, anticipating what Mary Ann had deemed the most authentic place in Dallas.

Though Sushi Yokohama was eerily quiet when I walked in around dinnertime, a few regular customers started trickling in soon after and it was hard to pin down Young Gerke, the owner and waitress. “It’s just one of those days,” she sighed, and then paused in the middle of our interview to help jumpstart one of her customer’s cars. I knew right off the bat that service here must be pretty unbeatable. For the last eleven years since Sushi Yokohama first opened, David Oh, Gerke’s brother, has been the top sushi chef (and now the only one) at this establishment. Don’t let his Korean heritage fool you, though; back in Hawaii, he trained under Japanese chefs and served Japanese tourists until he learned how real sushi—not the Westernized kind—is supposed to taste like.

Louisiana roll- fried crawfish, cucumber, avocado, spicy sauce.

The menu isn’t cheap, but well worth the price considering the generous portions of fresh fish. Thick pink slabs of raw salmon drape over California rolls or rice depending on your preference, glistening lusciously at the price of $11.95-$13.95. For $6.95, I tried the Louisiana roll which comes with fried crawfish, cucumber, avocado, and orange spicy sauce lightly drizzled over little curls of crawfish piled on top. A real winner, I tell you. The Yokohama roll was creative with its flying fish eggs and green soybean paper ($13.95), but didn’t excite my taste buds like the Negihama roll ($7.95), a simple combination of green onion and yellowtail fish that could’ve jumped straight out of the ocean.

Yokohama roll- soybean paper, spicy tuna, asparagus, radish, cucumber, avocado, sprouts, flying fish eggs.

For those who aren’t weak of stomach, stick to the raw fish because that’s what makes Sushi Yokohama stand out from other Japanese restaurants. “We’re a small restaurant and we want to keep it that way. Some sushi places are big and they make the sushi somewhere you can’t see it. We want our sushi fresh,” said the owner. She then bid me over to watch Chef Oh prepare a Tuna Tower ($13.95-$16.95) with spicy tuna, crab, and avocado served on a stack of sushi rice covered in zesty sauce. Holy. Moly. If this tower were any higher, the Sushi Gods would have to strike it down for reaching the heavens.

No wonder Young Gerke calls her place the “best kept secret.”

But now that the secret’s out (at least on SideDish), it’s time to head over to Sushi Yokohama if you’re a fellow worshiper. Just don’t name your dog “Sushi” like me. It never feels right when you tell people you’re going out to eat sushi.

19009 Preston Rd # 115
Dallas, TX 75252-8553
(972) 733-0223