Gourmet Food Does Double Duty

Half Pint Palates whips up wholesome pureed meals for babies and aged

Former corporate chef, wife and mother Tara Anderson started baby and toddler food company Half Pint Palates in March, to give other Dallas parents an alternative to processed, jarred baby food. But right away she knew she had more customers to serve.

The CIA grad had watched her sick, elderly father failing to eat anything of real substance in his last years, and she knew she could help the aging population by making well-balanced and flavorful pureed meals for them.

“There are people with dementia who still have strong flavor and smell memories,” Anderson says compassionately. “Seniors who have lost their teeth or are sick and have a loss of appetite find it hard to eat.” With this in mind, she added meals for the aging to her menu.

Chef Tara Anderson infuses global flavors into her recipes, such as chile verde and tamarind and honey “O’s.”

The meals, comprising purees or stews, are made with seasonal ingredients sourced from local and sustainable producers. Anderson balances vegetables — think organic leafy greens, thin-skinned veggies and legumes — with fruit, pasture-raised meats and eggs.

“My meal plans are well-balanced,” she says. “I use lots of whole grains, limited meats and plant-based proteins. It’s a natural fit for seniors.”

Anderson infuses global flavors into her recipes, including chile verde, which helps introduce heat gradually to tender taste buds, or tamarind and honey “O’s,” a flavorful twist on the popular Cheerios snack. The fruit-based purees, such as cinnamon-spiced zucchini and banana, can double as popsicles for toddlers when frozen.

“It’s great for working parents who don’t have the time or parents who don’t like to cook but want their kids to eat good food,” she says. “Not everybody has that passion to cook.”

Customers can order à la carte or a full meal package, which includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks ($17.50 per day for babies or $27.50 per day for the aging supplement). There is a $200 minimum, and Anderson delivers within a 35-mile radius of Deep Ellum, where she is based.

In August, Half Pint Palates meals and snacks will be available retail at the soon-to-be-opened family-friendly cafe Bake and Play in Lakewood.

Half Pint Palates fruit purees double as popsicles when frozen.

IttyBittyFoodies

Half Pint Palates fruit purees double as popsicles when frozen.

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Chino-Mex News

Fun festive Dragon Casa restaurant in north Dallas combines Chino-Mex

Yelp

Tacos at Dragon Casa

A new restaurant has opened in North Dallas with a pretty uncommon fusion: Called Dragon Casa, it's open at 3355 E. Trinity Mills Rd. #213, in what used to be a Chinese restaurant called Chef Chu, with a menu that combines Chinese and Mexican flavors — tacos with Peking duck, for example.

The restaurant is a spinoff of Dragon House, a Chinese concept founded in Southlake that's acclaimed for its dumplings. It's from JJ Food and Beverages, who took over Dragon House in 2020, after the original owner was arrested on a prostitution ring charge.

JJ kept the original recipes including the signature dumplings, and opened a second location in Highland Village in 2024. They also own Japanese restaurant Nikko in Southlake.

Dragon Casa dumplingsYelp

Co-owner Chris Choi says that the menu and concept behind Dragon Casa — whose subhead is "Chino Mex Kitchen" — was inspired by their own team.

"Many of the people who work in our kitchen are Hispanic," he says. "We work as a family behind the kitchen and we share culture."

The menu spans more than 200 dishes, including customer favorites from Dragon House, from dim sum to house-made noodles to fried rice.

But Dragon Casa also has a separate "Chino Mex" section with dishes such as calamari with jalapeno and taco seasoning; and pork bun fajita, with pan-fried pork buns served in a fajita skillet.

There are six tacos, but with clever Chinese-inspired fillings such as kung pao chicken and Mongolian beef. They're served in the same slatted wooden bowls that are used to steam dumplings.

Meals begin with "chips and salsa" — but instead of tortilla chips, it's crispy wonton chips with sweet and sour sauce. Even their beverage menu is a culinary mixup with Jarritos, Mexican Coke, Chinese and Mexican beers, margaritas, micheladas, and hot tea.

Dragon Casa "chips & salsa"Yelp

One amusing section on the menu summons Chipotle: Called "Chinopotle," it has three burritos, but with Chinese fillings: Orange chicken burrito, Mongolian beef, and honey walnut shrimp.

The decor is a festive fusion of Chinese and Mexican cultures, including neon chile peppers and colorful lights. An Instagram nook features the classic wall of greenery but with a stack of sombreros on a chair. It's a little retro and a lot of fun, although the authentic Chinese roots remain thanks to a large see-through window that allows diners to see the dim sum and noodles being prepared.

Choi says they love the neighborhood, which has come out to support them.

"The demographic in this area is so diverse, and we see families coming to visit from all backgrounds," he says. "We do well in suburban areas because we are very family friendly."

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