Yee-Haw, Good Food in Texas!
I just got back from a work trip to Grapevine, Texas which is close to Dallas. My last trip there was about seven years ago and I didn’t have any meals worth mentioning. However, this time around there was surprisingly a lot to highlight.
There is a small historical district in Grapevine that runs on North Main Street. This street is cute with lots of restaurants and shops. If you go South about a mile past the railroad track on South Main Street, you will find two really good restaurants.
I went to Mi Dia From Scratch for dinner twice because it was that good. The menu is pretty broad serving regional Mexican cuisine, Santa Fe inspired dishes, and Tex-Mex. After eating a ton of addictive chips and salsa, my colleagues and I shared the queso fundido, which is melted cheese topped with chorizo & roasted poblano and baked in a cast iron pan. This delicious cheese is eaten with fresh tortillas. I was in love at first bite.
I chose duck two ways as my entree. The first serving of duck was a breast cooked with a guajillo chili. It came with thinly fried chayote, whipped potatoes, and a pineapple mole. The second serving of duck was a duck carnitas sope. The two preparations of duck were very different which made me feel like I was having not one, but two dishes. The duck breast was cooked to a beautiful medium rare and offered a tender and slightly fruity flavor. The sope topped with the duck carnitas was full of deep smokey flavors. I enjoyed my dish.
When we came back to Mi Dia two evenings later, I ordered another game bird. The codorniz, grilled quail was served with guajillo rice & charro beans. The butterflied quails were perfectly cooked with crispy skin and tender meat. This dish exceeded my expectations.
Right next door to Mi Dia is The Winewood Grill which is where we also dined. I felt the need to order barbecue so I got the BBQ pork ribs. The ribs were smothered with a sweet BBQ sauce so I was glad it came with crispy French fries to balance out the sweetness.
I had a taste of my colleagues Bourbon glazed pork chop. It was really nice and the potatoes au gratin that it came with were super yummy.
On my last evening, some of us decided to drive out to Dallas for BBQ. Off the Bone is a small BBQ joint in a somewhat industrial part of Dallas. After a forty-five minute drive to get there, I was both hungry and excited. The dining area was reserved for a private party, so we were going to have to eat in the car.
After reviewing the menu, I decided to get two meats and two sides. I picked the smoked pecan baby back ribs and the sliced beef brisket. I chose honey spiced baked beans and southern potato salad as my sides. The sides were good, but the meats are really something to talk about. I picked up a rib first. They were tender and easily fell “off the bone.” The BBQ flavor was so wonderful you really didn’t have to use the sauce. Off the Bones’s sauce is tangy and delightful so I alternated between using the sauce and not. I was very happy after eating my first rib. It was time to move on to the beef brisket. This melt in your mouth brisket was simply amazing. Best brisket ever! I am salivating just thinking about it.
Surprisingly, there is some good food to be found in Grapevine/Dallas!