A good friend directed us over to Duncanville to try out Odom’s. First good sign: smoke perfumed the small lot next to the tiny shack of a restaurant. Second good sign: walking up to the register, a sign declared that no orders would be accepted while the customer is on the phone.
The fiance and I ordered 1 pound each of ribs and brisket (along with potato salad and beans, the only sides available)–our hostess exclaimed mightily that both of us could not possibly consume that much food. After a few minutes assuring her that we were serious about eating good grub, we grabbed our receipt and a booth.
A few minutes later, we received our tray and two plates of sauced meats, along with white bread and sides. Initially I paused, thinking we should have specified sauce on the side. But I dug in anyway, eager to prove our hostess that we were up to the task of consuming the entire meal. The sauce assaulted the tongue with a sharp and tangy edge, but it didn’t do any justice to the already-bland brisket. Sadly the brisket had no discernible smoke ring, no fat nor spicy crust; it had been sheared of its flavor and relegated to sandwich grade material. The pork ribs, on the other hand, had a sweetness that punched through the sauce, and both of us declared it the winner on the plate. I also enjoyed the potato salad, a mustard-mayo concoction that was both slightly sweet and sour. However the beans missed the mark–tasting canned, having that distinct bean chili flavor that recalled hotdogs on the cheap.
We hadn’t tasted the sausage so we missed out on that 3rd spoke of the bbq wheel, but we’ll be back next time we’re in town to enjoy more ribs and give the links a try.
It’s been several years or more since I dined at Jinbeh (the Las Colinas branch) and thought it was time to sample its satellite spinoffs. For a Friday evening, I took the fiance out for some sushi at the Lewisville location. Tucked away in a strip mall, this location isn’t as upscale as the original, but it is still nicely decorated and spacious. Guests walk past two hibachi rooms before arriving at the sushi bar in the rear, an excellent setup, since we were nearly convinced to partake in the grilled foods.
But I had my heart set on sushi tonight. For a starter, we ordered the fried soft shell crabs, which were nicely crunchy but needed the flavor of the lemon and ponzu to perk it up. The seaweed salad didn’t fail to disappoint. For the main courses, we order nigiri-style mackerel (my old standby) then 3 of the house rolls. The first was a delightful roll that was sweetened by the mango inside…I couldn’t get enough of it! The 2nd was a spicy salmon and crab roll, decorated with two sauces, one of which was a zingy wasabi dressing. This one paired well with our mango roll, forcing me to jump from one plate to the next with each bite. The finale was a tempura fried stuffed jalapeno roll, piled high on a plate decorated in fire–ok it wasn’t really fire, but the sushi chef made it look like it was, using sriracha and mayo sauce. While the jalapeno wasn’t close to the heat in our other dishes, we nevertheless enjoyed the crunchy contrast it provided, and liberally sopped up the sauce from the plate.
We warned our waitress that we’d be using a coupon for tonight’s dinner, which she obliged without a fuss, so our $60 dinner only cost us $50 and tip. I felt this was a great price for a goodly and tasty amount of food. I can’t wait to come back to try their other Super-Mario-themed sushi.
I had to do it…another jalapeno/cheddar dog now resides in my happy tummy, w/ 20oz of DCwL to wash it down.
I make my daily trek to the Racetrac for a Diet Coke with Lime and the hot dog rollers beckon me. It’s a rare day that I don’t pick up one of their Jalapeno and Cheddar sausages. A tad bit spicy and salty to make me forget the bland white bun it sits in–then washed down with a 20oz bottle of Coke. Just lovely. All other hot dogs pale in comparison…even the 100% beef hot dogs peddled next to it. If ever there’s a day when Racetrac doesn’t sell these delectable snacks, then I take my business elsewhere!
This has taken awhile to germinate, but I think it’s about time I weighed in on the two Korean BBQ places I’ve visited in the first half of 2010.
Omi Korean Grill and Bar
2625 Old Denton Dr
Carrollton, TX 75011
Omi has a few things going for it. It’s perfectly located in a busy Asian strip mall. It’s also relatively new, meaning spacious, pretty and clean. My dining partner and I checked out their AYCE barbecue buffet, and we were mostly satisfied by their selection, though their options leaned toward more pork than beef or chicken. The panchan was a mixed bag, mostly forgettable. Service and pacing was typical for this kind of dining, meaning inattentive and inconsistent. Despite the giant vent hood over the table, I still walked out of the restaurant smelling of smoke, but I was pleased Omi had the grill built into the table, unlike some other places. Will I be back? Probably…they had an extensive menu of options that I’m willing to explore. And Omi provides a good setting for celebrations, entertaining friends and out-of-town guests.
My rating: 3.5 stars
Blue House
2540 Old Denton Rd Ste #300
Carrollton, TX 75006
Blue House is in an older building and setting across from the busy Korea-town strip mall from Omi. As part of our dining adventure, we sampled the AYCE bbq buffet. While the tables here were designed with built-in grills, it seems that the portable table-top burners were the grills of choice here. The fiance and I were pleased with the mostly beef offerings, and the banchan tended to be more memorable than previous places (including the large salad plate). Service here was just as comparable as other Asian establishments, meaning the staff was as accommodating as most places (though we were lucky to be visiting when we were one of two parties in the entire restaurant). Blue House had a nice sized Korean and Japanese menu, and I was almost persuaded to order off it, had I not the mission of checking their buffet. Worth another visit? Most likely! But I would be less likely to share this place with others; Blue House is more of a guilty pleasure than a must-go destination.
Some times when the food gods are generous and the stars and planets converge into harmonious alignment, a regular meal at a restaurant evolves into extraordinary eats. For example, last week’s visit at Hard Eight BBQ produced an unforgettable $19.95 ribeye dinner–perfectly seasoned, perfectly grilled and mouthwateringly good! The accompanying grilled onions and jalapeno elevated the dinner to sublime levels, and they finally got the recipe for sweet creamed corn correct. Our previous ribeye dinner at Hard Eight was less than stellar, overcooked after a long trip around the dining room on a hot plate…but Hard Eight redeemed itself in our next visit. Also not to be upstaged, Big Al’s Smokehouse on Inwood in Dallas is still the best BBQ restaurant in town to find beef ribs served right, outside of a Brazilian steakhouse. We visited their new digs this weekend and indulged on 1.5 pounds of freshly smoked ribs. Any BBQ joint that leaves you smelling of smoke hours later is as authentic as they come.
