Vegan News

Dallas juice shop hosts new weekly pop-up with vegan sushi & ice cream

Can you believe that's vegan.

A vegan food truck from Houston is going to start coming to Dallas on a regular basis: Called Uncle Otis' Earthy Goodness, the truck will be on-site at Roots Market and Juicery, at 4164 N. Central Expy., along with a companion truck specializing in vegan sushi called The Vegan Sushi Spot.

The two trucks will serve buzzed-about vegan options including ice cream and vegan sushi every Saturday from 12-7 pm.

As an introduction, the trucks will make a special appearance on Friday March 25, from 1-7 pm.

Earthy Goodness was founded by Otis Ross, a New Jersey native, and has been popping up all over Texas with a menu of plant-based ice cream and milkshakes.

Ross formed a relationship with Roots Market, a concept founded by ex-stockbroker Brent Rodgers with juices, smoothies, CBD items, vegan meals, produce, and "clean" wines. (In addition to this location on Fitzhugh, there's a Roots in Lakewood at 1906 Abrams Pkwy. and another in the faraway city of Atlanta.)

"The Vegan Sushi Spot and Uncle Otis' Earthy Goodness are two of my favorite food trucks," Rodgers says. "We previously hosted a few pop-ups and they were a big success, so we knew we had to establish a lasting partnership, and both food trucks will now be at our Fitzhugh storefront every Saturday."

Menu items at the pop-up will include plant-based ice cream, as follows:

Milkshakes blended with oat milk with fruits and toppings
Waffle ice cream cones
Banana splits
Artic Blast, with choice of red velvet, lemon, strawberry, or pecan cake ice cream

There'll also be the following sushi items:

Hot Mama Roll with cucumber, asparagus, sweet potato, topped with avocado, vegan spicy tuna, cilantro, spicy mayo, and sweet sauce
Crunchy Potato Roll with vegan shrimp, avocado, cucumber, and jalapenos, topped with crunchy potato strings and drizzled with spicy mayo and sweet sauce
Pineapple Express Roll with cream cheese, avocado, jalapenos, and pineapple, rolled in crushed taki chips, topped with vegan spicy tuna, green onions, and drizzled with spicy mayo, sweet sauce, and sweet wasabi sauce.

For the Friday March 25 event, The Vegan Sushi spot has also created a special: The Roots Roll with avocado, cucumber, mango, spicy watermelon tuna, wasabi micro greens with spicy truffle, sweet wasabi sauce, and yuzu lemon vegan roe.

Their pop-up will dovetail with a complimentary wine tasting that Roots hosts every Friday night from 5-7 pm. This week's wine tasting will feature pours of The Simple Grape’s Chardonnay, Cabernet Savignon, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Grigio.

vegan ice-cream

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."

tex-mex openings