The Grilled Cheese at Common Table. (Photo by Rich Vana)
As the prospect of another week rears its head, we at Entree Dallas began to let our imaginations wander – an all-too-frequent habit - and started daydreaming of what foodstuffs and viddles might help us make the journey to Friday. We figured a few destinations might help provide a little culinary light to the Monday gloom.
Breakfast
The Southern Recipe Cafe, a little restaurant off Campbell Road in Richardson just East of Coit, doesn’t add too much flair to their breakfast, and that’s they way they like it. Simple, traditional and basic breakfast options are there for the choosing along with a couple offerings that dip their toes in the waters of creativity, such as the breakfast quesadilla (cheddar and mozzarella cheese, bacon, chives, sausage and eggs folded into a flour tortilla) and the seafood benedict (shrimp and crab meat). This simple diner isn’t revelatory from a culinary perspective, but sometimes a well-made serving of bacon, eggs and a couple pancakes can reveal that a simple breakfast can be simply satisfying.
This bistec taco at Tacos La Banqueta. (photo by Rich Vana)
Lunch
The relatively new location (of four total) off Gaston near Garland road may make it more convenient for some, but Tacos La Banqueta is still a trek for those who live points farther North. Nonetheless, it’s a trek worth making. The small tacos – lengua, suadero, cabeza, tripa among them, can be had for less than $1.50 each, and provide a perfect medium for ingredients that may be less-than-familiar to the average Dallas diner. Plus, you can wash it down with a cold, sweet Mexican Coke (no HFCS here). There’s not much to be said for atmosphere here, but you’re not going to for the atmosphere, you’re going for the tacos.
Dinner
Despite the name of the restaurant that serves it, the Grilled Cheese at The Common Table is no common assemblage of cheese and bread. Pork tenderloin, provolone, mozzarella, and smoked cheddar are all piled between two sourdough slices and griddled until it’s a cheesy, meaty, melting ode to simple sandwich ingenuity. It’s proof that a grilled cheese sandwich – with a few extra ingredients – can an appetizing dinner make. Plus, it’s easier to justify washing it down with a few beers at dinner rather than lunch.
