Food Rankings

Silly survey says Texas has only 3 of the 100 hottest restaurants in America

If you believe OpenTable, Texas has only three of the top 100 “hot spot” restaurants in the country. According to its latest list, compiled from 5 million reviews submitted by OpenTable diners, the hottest restaurants span 21 states. But the real winners are California and Florida, with 26 and 18 spots, respectively.

Texas’ holy trinity comprises Matt McCallister's FT33, in the Dallas Design District; Del Frisco’s Grille on McKinney Avenue; and the Provisions half of Pass & Provisions, in Houston. Quality over quantity, right guys?

Of course, Texas tied with Atlanta, which also has three ranking restaurants. That hurts our Southern pride just a bit.

So how did OpenTable figure out which places are as hot as Hansel right now? It’s pretty simple: Between March 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013, the website collected reviews from its users. Restaurants had to meet a minimum overall score with enough reviews; they were then sorted according to the percentage of reviews that included “hot spot” as a special feature.

We think we figured out how Texas got hosed out of a few spots while California and Florida reigned supreme. We all know that the citizens of Miami and Los Angeles are a bit image conscious, so it obviously behooves them to claim that anywhere they go is a “hot spot.”

Meanwhile, we Texans, confident in our dining choices and wary of overcrowding, took a more “under the radar” approach to the whole ordeal. It makes perfect sense, really. No, you’re jealous.

If you feel inclined to add a couple of stops on your next trip through Chicago or need a new Vegas joint to hit before Cirque de Soleil, check out the rest of the list.

FT33 was one of only two Dallas restaurants to make OpenTable's list of "100 Hot Spot Restaurants" this year.

Smoked potatoes at FT33 restaurant in Dallas

Photo by Kevin Marple

FT33 was one of only two Dallas restaurants to make OpenTable's list of "100 Hot Spot Restaurants" this year.

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Asian Food News

Asian restaurant in Carrollton imports new malatang trend to Dallas

Tanghuo

Tanghuo Kungfu Malatang serves three dishes: malatang, stirfry hot pot, and pork.

An Asian restaurant has opened in Carrollton, bringing a fresh new trend: Called Tanghuo Kungfu Malatang, it's the first location in Texas of a chain from Korea named for malatang, a popular street food from China.

The restaurant is open at 2701 Old Denton Rd. #164 in a center just north of the Bush Turnpike, where it's specializing in mala tang, a dish originally from China that is similar to hot pot, with ingredients cooked to order in a broth.

Both hot pot and mala tang consist of a broth in which ingredients are cooked quickly.

However, in hot pot, ingredients are brought by servers to your table, for you to share with your party. At malatang shops, it's self-serve, with customers selecting fresh ingredients that are displayed on shelves — almost like a supermarket — which they pile into a bowl and take to the counter to be cooked for them in a spicy broth.

That communal experience of choosing your own raw ingredients, very hunter-and-gatherer, as well as the freshness it implies, is what makes it unique.

At Tanghuo Kungfu Malatang, you choose your own ingredients.Tanghuo

At Tanghuo, the menu has only three items and everything is charged by the pound:

Mala Tang is a spicy hot mala soup, cooked in a broth, and is $15 per pound.
Mala Xiang Guo is a spicy stir fry (which they call hot pot) and is $19/pound.
Gua Bao Rou is sweet and sour fried pork: Pork tenderloin served with a tangy sweet sauce, $19 for 8 pieces and $27 for 14 pieces.

Ingredients include seafood, beef, noodles, mushrooms, bok choy, fish balls, tofu, squash, Napa cabbage, all cut into sizes that will cook for the same length of time.

While $15 to $19 per pound may not sound "cheap," they push the affordability aspect, including the fact that the self-serve approach means it's "no tipping."

The Carrollton location of Tanghuo Kungfu Malatang is from Yoon Mun, a native of Daegu, South Korea who has been in Dallas for 13 years, working in tech operations. He discovered the unique concept on a trip to Asia and was shocked to discover it had not arrived in the U.S.

“I want to make malatang a trend here in the U.S., just like pho and ramen is," he says. "It is a trend right now everywhere as it provides an affordable, personal and enjoyable culinary experience. It is all fresh ingredients, great quality, and we try to make it affordable."

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