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    Ramen News

    Famous food blogger moves to Dallas, calls out brisket at revered BBQ spot

    Teresa Gubbins
    Apr 28, 2021 | 12:59 pm
    Strictly Dumpling Mike Chen
    Mike Chen is an engaging and likable reviewer with a big following on YouTube.
    YouTube

    A famous online food reviewer with millions of followers on YouTube has moved to Dallas to cover its booming restaurant scene.

     

    Mike Chen is the host of Strictly Dumpling, a YouTube channel that has amassed 3.7 million subscribers since it launched in 2013. A companion channel, called MikeyChen, has 1.34 million subscribers.

     

    Since his relocation to North Texas in early March, he's already posted raves about our ramen, Vietnamese food, and sushi.

     

    But uh-oh: He was unimpressed with the city's No. 1 most recommended BBQ spot.

     

    Chen follows a tradition of guys — it's always guys — touring restaurants and doing reviews that includes Anthony Bourdain, Guy Fieri, and Action Bronson. He's traveled around the world documenting foods he's tried, from an all-you-can-eat lobster buffet in Las Vegas to ramen in Japan.

     

    Chen is in Texas because he's opening a Korean restaurant in Houston called Karne later this year. But he says he chose Dallas for his residence because of its burgeoning Asian restaurant scene. (He actually moved to Allen, into an apartment which he rented sight unseen; he dedicated a video in which he oohed and aahed over its spaciousness compared to his prior residence in Seattle.)

     

    "Good Vietnamese food is part of the reason I came to Dallas," he says.

     

    His arrival has been the buzz of the Asian Grub in DFW Facebook page, the center of the Dallas food universe right now, and he's proven to be an unflaggingly gracious recipient of the attention he's receiving from fans.

     

    He's already covered lots of ground. For example, he just published an "Ultimate Japanese Ramen & Sushi Tour," covering ramen spots Wabi House on Greenville Avenue, Ichigo Ramen Lounge in Deep Ellum, and Ramen Izakaya Akira, which he proclaims is "the closest to a Japanese ramen shop I've been to in a long time."

     

    He also did a tour of Dallas' Koreatown where he ate ribs for breakfast, and has even hit Houston for a tour of the city's Chinatown, where he discovers someone has strangely invaded his car and stolen a change-of-address form. One of the many likable things about his videos is his down-to-earth authenticity.

     

    Most of his videos are positive. But his review of Dallas' BBQ sacred cow, Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum, not so much.

     

    His first disappointment: They're already sold out of the beef rib.

     

    "I wanted a beef rib which is the Cadillac, the Rolls Royce, the Halle Berry of BBQ meat, but they sold out within one hour," he says.

     

    Second disappointment: the lean brisket, which he proclaims to be dry.

     

    "The biggest mistake I made was not specifying I wanted fatty brisket," he says. "I always specify fatty. I don't think I've ever had lean brisket that wasn't dry. I don't understand lean brisket."

     

    Dear Mr. Chen, I can explain lean brisket: Some people don't like gross disgusting jiggly fat.

     

    He has nicer things to say about their jalapeno sausage and he likes their signature sweet potato topped with chopped brisket.

     

    He has a better experience at Terry Black's, also in Deep Ellum, where he gets his sought-after beef rib, plus smoked sausage, smoked turkey, and a tour of their smokers.

     

    In the video, he promises to continue covering BBQ. "I will try most if not all of the BBQ places in Dallas and in Texas, but it's gonna take some time," he says.

     

    ---------------

     

     Eric Sandler contributed to this story.

     
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    Bakery News

    Dallas bakery delivers baklava cheesecakes and Middle-Eastern treats

    Luciana Gomez
    Jul 28, 2025 | 2:20 pm
    Baklava cheesecake
    Pistache
    Baklava Cheesecake

    There's a bakery specializing in artisanal American desserts with a Middle-Eastern touch: Called Pistache, it's a bakery without a storefront whose sweet treats can be found all across DFW.

    Pistache is from Tarek Elbana, who grew up in Lebanon, then moved to Dallas to study. In 2023, he baking desserts with a strong Middle Eastern influence, with authentic ingredients that reflected his upbringing: orange blossom, pistachio, herb blend zaatar, olive oil, and cardamom.

    He bakes from a commercial kitchen in Dallas and distributes his desserts to coffee shops such as Qamaria Yemeni Coffee in Mansfield, as well as the famers market in Arlington and at various events in Fort Worth, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, and Dallas.

    “We are trying to spread what we are all about one pastry at a time, showing our identity in what we do," Elbana says.

    The star of the menu is Baklava Cheesecake, baked over an orange blossom-infused cheesecake base, and sold by the slice or full 8-inch cakes that feed about 6-8 people. He also offers them in sets of 3 mini cupcakes.

    They also sell an array of tempting cookies including:

    • Kunafa, a sweet and crispy phyllo cookie
    • Dubai chocolate cookie, with a pistachio paste mixed with crunchy phyllo
    • Chocolate pistachio cookie
    • Pistachio white chocolate cookie
    • Kahwa coffee cookie with cardamon
    • Olive oil chocolate chip cookie

    Customers can buy their desserts at farmers markets and events, order via Instagram, or through their newly launched website. Pistache also provides catering services for weddings, birthdays, and other social events.

    “Overall, it’s been quite exciting for me. People might not know or understand my culture, but they are open to learning and trying new things, so through food we can break barriers, Elbana says.

    Next for Pistache is a coffee cart business, which is currently in the works, and that will pair drinks with their already popular baked goods during events.

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