Bacon-wrapped organic chicken sandwich on ciabatta.

I just dropped into the newish Texas de Brazil Express in Preston Center and picked up a couple of sandwiches. It’s a create-your-own sandwich, salad, or rice bowl concept. I guess you could call it a mini-churrascaria: There are skewers of beef, chicken, lamb, pork, Brazilian sausage, and picanha (sirloin) sizzling over an open flame in the middle of the self-service line.

If you love Texas de Brazil, you’ll love the mini-TdB. It’s certainly a cheaper way to enjoy the familiar meats. It took me forever to make up my mind, but dozens of regulars moved past me and recited their orders like robots.

Jump for my love.

First, I constructed a sandwich with ciabatta bread and bacon-wrapped organic chicken. I covered it with roasted garlic mayonnaise, crispy shallots, roasted red bell peppers, a slice of provolone, sliced tomatoes, and pickled jalapenos.

Then I picked a baguette and lined the bread with picanha, roasted red peppers, Muenster cheese, and a small ladle of bitchin’ chimichuri sauce.

Picanha with chimichuri sauce, red bell pepper, and Muenster cheese on baguette.

The baguette was too thick and dense which made it difficult to bite through. When I finally did managed to chew through, the oil from the chimichuri sauce ran down my arm, across my keyboard, and over the side of my desk. Luckily my faithful dog, Lulu, was there and licked it off before it hit the floor. I ditched the bread and the remaining slices of steak and cheese made a lovely little lunch plate. (This would have been a great salad combination.)

The delicate ciabatta bread was more user friendly and the hot juicy chicken balls stayed between the bread and allowed me to savor all of the flavors—salty bacon colliding with hot jalapenos and sweet red pepper.

I’d go back. The high-quality ingredients are superb. Sandwiches range from $5.85 to $7.50 and it’s quick and easy.

The two huge slices of Mexican bread are filled with fistfuls of sliced avocados, chopped and griddled poblano peppers and white onion, melted white cheese, crema, sliced tomatoes, and lettuce. For a little torta joint, this place offers a zillion options: too many tortas to name (Cubana is probably the most familiar to you), quesadillas (deep-fried), enchiladas mole, and tostadas. They also carry a large selection of bottled Mexican soft drinks and candies. The price of the torta poblano is $6.69 but one is enough for two people. Unless one of those people is me. I am looking down at my stomach right now and it looks like I am, once again, pregnant with a food baby.

I’ve never been much of a sub sandwich fan—to me, once you pile on all of the ingredients and douse them with oil and vinegar, they all taste the same. I’m sure some versions have better bread and others have qualities I fail to appreciate, but ordering a sub sandwich for lunch isn’t my first, or fifteen, choice.

But yesterday, I ordered one at Jersey Mike’s. The store opened had just opened the day before and was doing a brisk business. The manager was shocked when I told him I’d never heard of Jersey Mike’s. I learned that the original opened in 1956 and currently there are over 350 locations nationwide. The manager, Dalton, held up a big roasting pan full of two raw meat and said, “You don’t see this in too many sub shops.”

I didn’t want to disappoint him so I ordered the “Famous Roast Beef and Provolone Cooked on premises using only Certified Angus USDA choice top rounds.” (Pictured) I added all of the fresh ingredients and oil & vinegar. The bread had a slight crunch and didn’t crumble all over my lap. The beef was a beautiful light pink. I’m sorry, it tasted like every other submarine sandwich I’ve ever ordered. Except Potbelly. There I said it. Potbelly is better. TGIF.

For the first installment of SideDish TableTalk, I knew just where to go to round up a couple of fellow Chosen People to talk about Zinsky’s Delicatessen. What follows is the transcript of that conversation (or, if you prefer, complaint fest). We all seem to like Zinsky’s very much, but that doesn’t stop myself, “The Pastrami Kid,” and “Harry” from finding something to kvetch about. Below we discuss important Deli issues such as the one-handed sandwich, kasha knishes, and bagels. You don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate this, but it helps.

Evan: Hello, gentlemen. Hello?

Pastrami Kid: I am here. Where is Harry? And Sally?

Evan: Just so everybody knows, I guess I should make this disclaimer on why we are talking about Zinsky’s deli: We are all middle-aged, all of Jewish background and all enjoy food. Oh, and we’ve all been to Zinsky’s.

Evan: So, what are your impressions?

Pastrami Kid: I like the place a lot. It’s a really comfortable place to hang out, to start with.

Pastrami Kid: Which, in itself, sets it apart from your typical NY deli.

Pastrami Kid: The waitresses are too friendly. They would never make it at the Carnegie. They actually ask you how you would like certain things made…like matzoh brie for example…”would you like that made with onions or without?”

Evan: Don’t know that they would have made it at Gilbert’s for that matter. When Harry and I went, we sat for a good 30 minutes after eating our last bite of food and not one kvetch from the staff.

Harry: Sorry I’m late, I was eating.

Pastrami Kid: Don’t talk with food in your mouth, Harry.

Evan: Very surprising, Harry. So, what were your impressions of Zinsky’s?

Harry: It is a good Dallas deli but…

Harry: Too clean. Too polite. Too goyish. I want attitude and a corned beef sandwich I need two hands to hold.

Pastrami Kid: Yeah, there is an awful lot of smiling going on.

Harry: At least the waitress, who was far too nice, didn’t ask if we wanted mayo on the corned beef.

Pastrami Kid: So you are objecting to the one-handed sandwich?

Harry: What else?

Harry: To be completely authentic here all questions should be answered with a question.

Evan: That is a good point, Harry. Like talking to my dad. I say “Hello, how are you?” He says “How am I? How should I be?”

Pastrami Kid: How about the corned beef itself?

Evan: The sandwich is rather small, I gotta say that. I want to be able to complain that “you could feed an army” with that thing, because how much fun is it if you just eat the food and enjoy it? I need to kvetch.

Pastrami Kid: OK, but you two guys are the corned beef eaters. How is the meat?

Harry: So what’s to say about the corned beef? It was OK.

Evan: I thought the Corned Beef was very good, very lean, no?

Pastrami Kid: OK? As in Stage Deli ok? As in Brooklyn ok? Or as in St Patrick’s Day with cabbage ok?

Harry: And since you didn’t ask, I thought it was a mistake to put the counter in the back. I like to peruse the goods before I buy.

Pastrami Kid: you can’t walk 10 yards to the counter??

Evan: Oy vey.

Harry: And by the way, that parking lot is crowded.

Evan: Not enough signage. Harry was walking all the way to Royal China before I stopped him.

Harry: Is there anything more Jewish than Chinese food?

Harry: I’ll say this, though, the matzoh balls were delicious. The soup not so bad, too.

Pastrami Kid: I agree on the matzoh ball soup

Evan: What do you know? Me, too. Momma, I’m sorry for saying this, but these matzoh balls might have been better than yours. Oh, I cause her such tzuris.

Evan: Two golf ball sized matzoh balls that allow for enough soup. Other places, they just try and wow with the size of their balls (that’s not a euphemism), you know what I mean? These were light and tasty.

Pastrami Kid: You could go to Royal China and throw in a few kreplach because Zinsky’s doesn’t have any. I hear they are thinking about adding them, though.

Harry: No Kreplach, no knishes, either.

Pastrami Kid: As for knishes. NO KNISHES??? Are you kidding me? They could buy the NY frozen knishes which are delicious and have them shipped down, couldn’t they? The square ones, I mean.

Harry: And there absolutely has to be kasha knishes.

Evan: I can’t get over the knish thing. What are they trying to do to me? Every other attempt at a Jewish deli in town had square knishes and they were fine. They go better with the corned beef sandwiches.

Pastrami Kid: I think kasha knishes might scare off all the gentiles.

Harry: Deli News has round knishes. Good too. But last time they slipped in a meat knish on me. Not good.

Evan: But enough about corned beef, Kid, how was the pastrami? Another one of the few “Jewish” delicacies on the menu.

Pastrami Kid: speaking of which, we need some help on the potato salad and cole slaw, no?

Pastrami Kid: OK, you asked about the pastrami? You want good pastrami? They’ve got GREAT pastrami.

Harry: Back to the soup. I asked for some, you know, crackers and they served up Tam Tams.

Evan: Tam Tams. Nice touch. My bubby used to have those.

Pastrami Kid: Serves you right for asking for crackers. The matzoh balls aren’t enough for you? You’re eating too much starch, Harry. My cardiologist says to cut out some of that white starch.

Harry: Hey, it’s not a health food restaurant.

Pastrami Kid: I know, I know. I’m just looking out for you, bubbelah.

Harry: I’ll also say this, for a fancy shmancy deli, the prices weren’t bad.

Evan: A half-sandwich and soup for $7.25 is pretty good. Even if the sandwich is small. Now, back to the sandwiches. What else have you tried besides corned beef?

Pastrami Kid: Sorry I gotta have pastrami…..it’s as good as the pastrami I recently had in New York. They slice it a little thick, but who’s complaining?

Harry: I consider myself a turkey maven. Roasted off the bone. It was not bad, right?

Evan: Here’s another concern: No chopped liver. Or gefilte fish. Not that I would ever willingly touch either one, but how can you not have that stuff there, I mean to at least scare the kids?

Evan: They have a BLT, but no tongue?

Evan: Oh wait, I just found the chopped liver. Never mind.

Harry: If you are ever in the Bronx, by Yankee Stadium, there used to be the Roxy Deli. And there was one across the street. They were crowded and delicious.

Pastrami Kid: Yeah, now across from Yankee Stadium there is a place called Yankee Stadium.

Evan: I heard nobody goes there anymore, though.

Pastrami Kid: They got two of them, side by side

Harry: Oy. Like a his and hers?

Pastrami Kid: We could have use two Ebbets Fields, I tell you that

Pastrami Kid: OK, lets talk about hot dogs.

Harry: Soriano?

Evan: I was thinking T.O.

Pastrami Kid:  Zinsky shocked me with his hot dog….delicious.

Evan: You liked his weiner (again not a euphemism)?

Harry: I’ll tell you this…Shouldn’t they be called frankfurters or franks?

Pastrami Kid: Great buns, too….and I don’t mean the ones on that cute little waitress.

Harry: We may need to stop I am getting very hungry.

Pastrami Kid: You just ate.

Evan: Yeah, but he’s skin and bones. Skin and bones.

Evan: They are called hot dogs on the menu, but there is a mention of “franks” and “knackwurst” below. But we all know that knocks better as specials.

Harry: Exactly. Why not call a “frank” a “frank?” Who are they afraid of? The goyim?

Evan: The hot dogs are Boar’s Head. I think they were excellent. Just enough spice to the dog and, I know this is going to sound weird, but I like a good casing on my hot dog. Something that makes it go snap or crunch. Boar’s Head can make a casing, I’ll tell you that. I would have liked the dog to be grilled just a little bit more. I like my franks/dogs/weiners Cajun style – a little blackened.

Pastrami Kid: Nathans always had that crunch, a little juice flying. … Just don’t boil them like those idiots at Fenway Park.

Harry: There is no finer hot dog in the world than Nathans. And this is not a Cajun restaurant. It is a DELI!

Pastrami Kid: I think Evan was just trying to be, you know, hip.

Evan: Nathan makes a good dog. And there is no better place to play skee-ball.

Harry: Oh yes, I had the noodle kugel. It was a little too, sweet, no? Did anyone else have the sweet kugel?

Harry: And by the way now that I think of it, where was the kishka?

Pastrami Kid: No, I tried to come on to that sweet girl Kugel, but she shot me down. … But, you know, you are right. WE WANT KISHKA!

Evan: I had some of Harry’s kugel and I’m going to give my mother more worries – like if I told her I was seeing a shiksa – but I thought the kugel was good. There was some cheesy filling – farmers cheese, maybe? Almost like eating a blintze.

Harry: I’m guessing you give your mom tsuris in your every waking hour.

Pastrami Kid: Kishka and knishes; kishka and knishes. We could get some picket signs and stand outside the restaurant.

Pastrami Kid: If it ever gets below 90 degrees. You can get a serious shvitz out there.

Harry: Pastrami you are a mensh. That’s not the Jewish thing to do. Stand outside and picket? Please.

Pastrami Kid: That’s revolutionary in my neighborhood, but I’ve already filled the suggestion box to overflowing.

Evan: And how can they not have an early bird special? What about all of us who want to eat dinner at 4 or 4:30.

Pastrami Kid: yeah, they are open late, though, on Friday and Saturday.

Pastrami Kid: OK, how about the elephant in the room???? B-A-G-E-L-S

Harry: Didn’t taste the bagels. How were they?

Evan: Uh-oh, Harry, you asked the wrong question. Here he goes …

Pastrami Kid: THEY MIGHT MAKE IT IN OMAHA … NOT IN NY OR DALLAS. They are too tough and have very little taste. Look, New Yorkers are the worst snobs in the world. But they are dead on about their bagels. There are no New York bagels in Dallas.

Evan: But let’s be fair: Is there a good bagel in Dallas?

Harry: There are lots of good bagels in Dallas. They are all at the airport passing through in sack lunches.

Pastrami Kid: Cindy’s has tasty bagels but they are not New York bagels. Actually, Einstein’s has the closest thing to a NY bagel. … But the lox was good at Zinsky’s and the vegetable cream cheese shmear was fine.

Harry: Einstein’s, oy vey! Maybe you got hit in the head with a foul ball?

Pastrami Kid: Relatively speaking, Einstein’s are ok.

Evan: Since I’m in New York at the moment, I am planning to go actually pay for a bagel later on. Just as research, you know.

Pastrami Kid: Hell just froze over.

Harry: Early bird special? Do they have an “Early Bird” at Zinsky’s.

Evan: No. No early bird. You want to eat at 4:30? No problem. You are still going to pay full price.

Harry: Just a thought.

Pastrami Kid: Good idea. Early birds, knishes, kishka, fly in some New York bagels.

Harry: Don’t forget Kasha.

Evan: But they do cater Bar Mitzvahs. Says so right on the menu. I, also, am available for Bar Mitvahs. Weddings. And Bris, too.

Evan: So, you two mensches, I take it that for all the lack of the foods that disgusted us in our childhood, you would go back to Zinsky’s?

Harry: Would I go back? Why not? … Actually, I’d go back in a heart beat.

Pastrami Kid: I will go back there regularly if they don’t change the pastrami, the matzoh ball soup, and the hot dog.

Evan: But we gotta have the Ks, right? Knishes, Kreplach, Kasha and Kishka, right?

Harry: And kugel.

Evan: They have kugel, dumkopf, you just didn’t like it.

Harry: Oh, yeah. I didn’t like it. … I’d still go back in a heartbeat.

I was shocked to open the door of the location in Preston Forest–the room was full of women. The only men in the space were behind the counter. The menu consists of soups, salads, sandwiches, a quiche of the day, and baked goods. (The Richardson location serves afternoon tea from 3:30-5:30 p.m.) The Chocolate Angel feels a lot like Celebrity Bakery except when you are stand over the cookie case waiting to order, you don’t faint from sticker shock: lemon bars are $1.00, Neiman-Marcus recipe chocolate chip cookies are 85 cents, and cupcakes are $2.75.

JC and I were jonsing for cheese and cheese we did find. She went for the four-cheese sandwich sprinkled with garlic salt and grilled between two thin slices of sourdough. We were so hungry we forgot to ask which four cheeses were melted together. I went for the “Some Like it Hot” sandwich—a thick layer of pimento cheese tossed with toasted pecans, chopped jalapenos, and chunks of applewood-smoked bacon served with a side of thick homemade strawberry jam and a tossed green salad and a ramekin of pasta salad. It was too much for one to eat, but I managed. The whole plate is only $7.29. I was disappointed to find the cheese still cold and the jalapeno slices too few and far between. If you order it, ask for extra peppers and make sure they grill it until the cheese bubbles over the side.

Stuffed, we didn’t eat dessert, but we brought a thick slice of strawberry cake and a thicker slice of dark chocolate cake back to the office. I took a bite of each one and spit both of them back into my napkin. The texture of the cake is spongy and felt rubbery against the roof of my mouth. The thin layer of chocolate icing was almost pure confectioners’ sugar flavored with a hint of bitter chocolate. One office mate described it as tasting like “the inside of an old lady’s house.” Being an old lady, I strongly disagree with her.

The dining room was packed with young, old, big, and little ladies. They all seemed wildly happy. I looked at some of the other sandwiches and the smoked turkey on orange-cranberry bread caught my eye. I’d go back if only to get that pimento cheese sandwich grilled properly.

While the overall trend in dining today is to eat sloooowly, the Gen Y’ers I know are more content to snack quickly. What happened to the good old days of turning on The Thorn Birds (before you knew Richard Chamberlain was gay), grabbing a spoon and a half gallon of ice cream, and eating the whole thing? Once, after I got turned down for what I thought was my dream job, I went back to my apartment, made a three-layer German chocolate cake, and ate every last crumb. Did I feel better? You betcha.

What is comfort food? At home it is one thing, but now restaurants are trying to comfort us in public. Take Kent Rathbun. (beat, beat…) He has gourmet comfort food. He isn’t alone; there are lots of folks making their mortgage payments by selling upscale mac and cheese. Isn’t gourmet comfort food an oxymoron? If you agree, then WTF is healthy comfort food? A lie? You betcha.

I was curious to see if there were any distinctive differences between generations when it came to constant cravings. I didn’t have to Google far to find this little salty tidbit. Jump with me.The following is copied and pasted from the “Generational Comfort Foods” trend mapping report from the Center for Culinary Development (CCD) and Packaged Facts. (I am not making that up. Someone got paid a lot of money to come up with that. Packaged Facts is going to be the title  of my autobiography.) And here they are:

CCD’s national online survey on the topic (3,700 respondents) found that sweets dominate category choices regardless of age. Nearly half (46%) of men and women across the Boomer, Gen X and Gen Y segments say they turn to baked goods, sweets and desserts for comfort, versus 19% who cite entrées, 14% salty snacks, 13% side dishes, and 4% breakfast foods.
Women favor sweets even more than men (51% of women cite sweets as comfort food, versus 36% of men). Among respondents who cite sweets, 26% chose ice cream as their top comfort food, 23% chocolate and 21% brownies.
Within entrées, roasted meats are the top choice across generations; within side dishes, macaroni and cheese and potatoes are nearly tied in popularity; and within salty snacks, chips rule (cited by 60% of total respondents, followed by popcorn and cheese, at 10% and 8%, respectively).
Cheese — either by itself or with a bread or starchy food — seems to elicit the most “passionate” response across generations, but with generational nuances (Boomers citing artisan cheeses versus Gen X’s cheese crackers, for example).

The research also identified top trends in comfort foods, including:

* Breakfast for dessert. Gen Y pastry chefs and a desire to start the day with a “protein burst” are driving this just-emerging trend. Boxed cereals, already found in snack bars and frozen yogurt shops, are now turning up in desserts, along with desserts such as “glamorized” versions of French toast, waffles and doughnuts.
* Madeover meatloaf. Regional restaurants, nouveau diners and sandwich shops are featuring meatloaf offerings with fuller flavors and natural or leaner meat blends. Boomers like the healthier versions of this nostalgic favorite, while Gen Y is drawn to bolder taste variations.
* Artisan pies. The pies now seen in specialty cafes and fine restaurants reflect the “artisan sprit” of inspired pastry chefs and are not only fresh and “home made,” but “full of good things,” CCD reports.
* Pho/Vietnamese beef noodle soup. First spotted as an emerging trend in 2005, this soup’s popularity has now spread, particularly among ethnically diverse Gen Y consumers. In addition to small shops and Vietnamese restaurant chains, it can now be found in mainstream soup restaurants and Pan-Asian noodle houses. The appeal: flavors that translate well to American tastes, combined with “infinite customizability” via fresh garnishes like sprouts, herbs and condiments.
* Asian curries. Very big among Gen Y and also popular as one-pot dishes among Gen Xers who are cooking meals for growing families. CPGs are beginning to offer curries with new simmer sauces and curry meal kits and frozen entrées.
* “New” casseroles replacing processed ingredients with fresh ingredients, including vegetables and “contemporary” proteins such as turkey, crab and shrimp.
* Mac ‘n cheeses featuring natural and organic ingredients and other flavor twists.

Hmm, is this interesting? Not really, but it is a nice primer to get you in the mood to tell me your guiltiest pleasure(s). When you are down and troubled and need a helping hand, what do you want in that helping hand? Lines are open 24/7. Dish it.

El Jordan Cafe is the kind of place I wish I had in my neighborhood. It’s small, it’s divey, and the menu is filled with things I like to eat, like breakfast burritos, tacos, hamburgers, and pancakes. It is cheap. It has character. And, they sell watermelon lollipops covered in chili powder that my boyfriend likes.

It was tough to decide what to order, but in the end, I went with a beef torta. I used to like the tortas at Tio’s, and I haven’t seen many since. El Jordan’s version is huge. Easily two-fists big. The bottom bun had a layer of refried beans (just a thin layer), and it was covered with lightly seasoned, thinly sliced meat. Avocado chunks topped the meat, and then a slice of American cheese, and then shredded lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Next time I would have them hold the mayo and cheese, because it was a little too fatty combined with the creamy avocado. The bread was soft but sturdy. I love refried beans and avocado, so I was happy. The meat on it’s own was a bit dry and bland, but on the sandwich it wasn’t noticeable.

Total cost: $4. I didn’t finish it all. My Bf had a beef taco that was as good as the ones I love at Herrera’s. As I’m reading more about the restaurant online it seems people really dig it for breakfast, so if I can ever get myself out of bed in time to do anything besides the essentials, I’ll have to try it. I would definitely return to El Jordan. 416 N Bishop Ave. 214-941-4451.

I know, everyone already knows about Antoine’s. But I hadn’t ever been there before, and like I said, I was craving a sandwich full of fried seafood and mayo. We nearly drove past the place once, but thank G, we finally found it, bars on the windows and all. So, in we went. The owner came right up and identified us as first-timers. I said I was thinking about getting the Original, and he said that was a good choice. So here it is:

It has ham, salami, provolone, pickles, mayo, and chow-chow on it. The owner told me he uses the chow-chow instead of lettuce and tomato, and that it’s mostly made of cabbage and peppers. The bread was soft. Not crusty, but fresh. You can also get wheat.

When I bit into this sandwich I had a taste memory of being little and making ham and ketchup sandwiches on Ironkids bread. Judge all you want. I love ham and ketchup sandwiches. The chow-chow mixed with the mayo gave the sandwich a creamy, tangy flavor, which offset the salty ham. The pickle gave it a bit of crunch, but there wasn’t a lot of texture-play going on there.

I’m not going to overthink this one. For $4.32 you get a big sandwich, chips, and a can of some sort of Pepsi product. They have about five different choices, but the Original sounded like the thing to go for. They also have a case of baklava, olives, cheese, and a few other random things.

There are long picnic tables to sit at, plus a few other tables. It is quiet. This is a good sandwich and a good place to hang out. And I was really full for less than $5. Next time I’ll try the baklava. The end.

Antoine’s is at 4234 Harry Hines. 214-528-5291 if you want to give them a call.