New to Dallas. Comment & Questions....

[masnole]

Had lunch at Urbano this week...hmmm beef cheek panini.....outstanding.

Made it there based on the recos from reading this board.

Stumbled into Jmmy's next door to find a great gem of an Italian wine selection...and Italian specialties (I'm Native NY'er, Italian...). Another great find!

Noticed a Vietnamese joint around the corner. Miais, or something to that effect.

Is it worth the effort to get over there??

[twinwillow]

As it turns out, With nothing to do tonight, I took a short drive to Audelia and Walnut in Garland and had dinner by myself amongst the throngs of Vietnamese daters, families and groups of friends at Bistro B. I only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. And while all the other Vietnamese restaurants in that huge shopping center, were either closed or near empty, Bistro B was still solidly packed when I finished my meal and left about 9:15.
My Pho with Vietnamese meat balls and beef tendon was outstandingly good with intense flavor. As was also, my order of (4) large combination roasted pork and shrimp rolls (they were sold out of the BBQ duck rolls). The glutton in me had almost finished it all but finally, my brain made me realize I had to surrender after eating 3 of the huge rolls and most of the Pho.
They cheerfully packed what was left and I'll have lunch for tomorrow. Total bill with tax: $12.81 plus $3.00 tip. Technically, a meal for four Vietnamese. Probably why THEY are all thin.
Bistro B IS my personal favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Dallas. Their huge selection of food (6 large pages of menu-with pictures plus supplement) and flavors are the best and their selection of sauces and table condiments are superior to all other Vietnamese restaurants I've been to. Plus, they also have a nice "take out" section.
You must give this place a try and tell us all what YOU think about it. I know, I'm addicted!

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Bistro B
9780 Walnut St, Dallas, TX 75243

[air]

You have really got to get out of the Bistro B bubble. Their food scrapes the bottom of the barrel relative to the many good Vietnamese restaurants in that area, and I'm fairly certain you won't want to go back once you try other ones. You referenced the pho, and to me, the broth there is way too sweet and the noodles are mushy and nasty. One of those dipping sauces (nuoc mam) tastes more like oversugared water, rather than the savory fish sauce it's based on. Bottom line, I don't understand where all the praise is coming from for such a mediocre restaurant.

Another note: I'm pretty sure you've said you've been to Nam Hua; and you still claim Bistro's is better? That's a shocker to me.

You've got Pho 95, Pho Bang, Doan Restaurant, An Giang, Hoang Yen... go try any of them.

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Bistro B
9780 Walnut St, Dallas, TX 75243

[Scagnetti]

I like Pho 95. To me, if you are going to eat pho, you need to go to a pho-centric restaurant.

I've had the pho at Bistro B and thought they over-meated the dish to compensate for lesser quality ingredients. I did like their Nha Trang rolls though.

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Bistro B
9780 Walnut St, Dallas, TX 75243

[twinwillow]

@Scagnetti: I really like the rolls at Bistro B as well.

[air]

I agree with you. For the most part, eating Vietnamese requires you to visit a specific restaurants for a particular dish that is their specialty.

[twinwillow]

@air: Will do. As I've said before, I'm still a "newbie" when it comes to Vietnamese food. So I haven't been able to compare dish for dish at the restaurants you've all previously named as being very good. Regarding Nam Hue, I went with someone who was turned off by Vietnamese food. So, I really didn't get an opportunity to eat well there. But, I'm an eager student and anxious to learn. Trouble is, I've few friends willing to join me. They're all still stuck on, tacos!

[JonFromTJs]

this has been a fun discussion...seems like the only thing anyone can agree on is that we don't agree on anything! lots of good suggestions on here, i'll post my thoughts when i get to a few of these.

edit - the only thing we can agree on is that jimmy's is awesome. yay jimmy's. can't believe no one has mentioned the Italian Stalian, my favorite sandwich there.

[twinwillow]

Jon, will you be in your store this Thursday afternoon?

[JonFromTJs]

yes, i'll be here at TJ's late into the night!. chowhound frowns on anyone conducting business on here, so they might prefer we move any additional conversation to email.

[e-mail]

[twinwillow]

Gotchya! You can remove your comment now if you wish.
Thanks.

[DallasDude]

That whole neighborhood near Jimmy's is greatness. Something i do once in a while on a Friday afternoon is drop in and see Tom Spicer, sometimes with a bottle of wine in hand. He has a new deck out back which is cool to shoot the breeze with him and enjoy a glass of wine. The garden is looking nice and the weather is perfect.

Also on the same corner is a good burger at Dallasite.

[JonFromTJs]

i'm sorry, but that will never be the dallasite to me. the dallasite died when the old location got razed. that place was so awesome.

[Barbara76137]

I'm in Fort Worth, so on one of my Saturday's I SWEAR I gotta check out Jimmy's. You, as a NY Italian.......well, if you think it is a great find I had better get my butt over there. I'm a Chicago Bohemian (Czech) who grew up among Chicago Italians. Hope you are a regular member of this board.

[lckeating]

I am a native New Yorker and while not Italian, I love Italian food. For me, Jimmy's is a taste of home. Their homemade sausage is awesome and their meatball parm sub is one of my favorite sandwiches in Dallas. Definitely worth checking out!

[twinwillow]

Be sure to get on their email list for their weekly news letter about sale prices, new items, wine dinners and wine tastings.
Jimmy's is a rare gem in Dallas. We love them!
http://www.jimmysfoodstore.com

[amokscience]

I get guanciale at Jimmy's. Have to ask for it specifically, it's usually not listed and some of the employees don't know what it is. Elevates pasta carbonara to the proper level.

So far I think the Italian sub is a ridiculous deal (huge) and the spicy cuban leaves me drooling (but order ahead, takes 10 minutes). That little street intersection is a small wonder.

[LewisvilleHounder]

Now if we had a Czech store much like GermanDeli or Kuby's we would be set....business idea???

[twinwillow]

This should give you a start....

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_loc=G...

[twinwillow]

Glad you found Jimmy's!

[twinwillow]

.....and, Urbano, too!

[twinwillow]

With all due respect to my fellow posters, Mai's is horrible! The food has definitely gone waaay south since formally owned by Mai. And, it's filthy, too.
For the real thing, (as in, where the Vietnamese eat) Try Pho Pasteur or Saigon Block in Richardson.
Or even more authentic, La Me and Pho Bang in Garland and my favorite, also in Garland, Bistro B. There are many more to list in Garland. Just seek (Google, Vietnamese in Garland) them out.

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Pho Pasteur
1342 E Belt Line Rd, Richardson, TX 75081

[JonFromTJs]

I tend to agree with twinwillow on just about everything but I love the dishes I mentioned at mais. Love me some la me too...definitely more authentic and better variety. But if you are in east Dallas I put maid up with anything around.

[amokscience]

I'll second TW. If you're going to make an effort to get Vietnamese food then you need to come up to Garland or Carrollton. My list looks like Pho Bang, Nam Hua, Pho Bac, La Me.

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Pho Bang Restaurant
3565 W Walnut St Ste A, Garland, TX 75042

Pho Bac Restaurant
153 N Plano Rd, Richardson, TX 75081

[CharlieKilo]

Well worth it.

[JonFromTJs]

mai's is awesome. lemongrass chicken with vermicelli is my favorite. others like the clay pots, not me, but i'm in the minority. the calamari appetizer is super as well.