Food Truck Time

Seasoned Dallas restaurant vets hit the road with their funky little food truck

After dishing up meals at some of Dallas' most popular restaurants, Gila Elmekies and Steven Beegle took their skills on the road — literally, and in more ways than one. Not only did the talented chefs start a sought-after catering business, they also doubled-down by adding a food truck to their fleet.

Nosh Box Eatery delivers a fresh, seasonal, mostly organic menu to hungry Dallasites, using as many local purveyors and products as possible. Everyone is covered, from vegan to vegetarian to gluten-free, and the meals are as mouthwatering as you would expect to find in any culinary hot spot. Think spaghetti and meatball sliders, pulled pork Irish nachos, and a Cheddar melt prepared with honey roasted turkey, Granny Smith apples, and house-made bacon jam.

"My husband and I both came from the corporate restaurant world and had been catering in the background, but after the birth of our baby girl we wanted to focus on something with more flexibility and that our family could perhaps join in on someday," says Elmekies.

The food truck debuted in 2016 and quickly became a fan favorite. It even picked up a coveted honor at the Food Truck Championship of Texas, winning best menu and gaining scores of new devotees. Those who order from the truck will always find Chef Beegle, and not an hourly employee, inside preparing their food.

But this celeb-on-wheels is also down to earth, providing bites for events of all sizes. Just as the food truck's menu shifts with the seasons, the catering company is flexible and accommodating.

"Our style is definitely not 'pick option one, two, or three,' or 'chicken, beef, or fish only,'" says Elmekies. "We can work with almost any budget and wish list. Want to serve your grandma's famous family recipe at your wedding? We can do that."

Weddings are an obvious occasion for hiring the Nosh Box team, but everything from work lunches to house parties is an option. You'll also likely spot the truck out and about at major Dallas events, as being involved with their community and giving back to local charities is major priority to the owners.

They made a splash at Food In Fashion, an event that helps provide culinary scholarships for local students, by being the first participants to make their garment out of liquid. The agua fresca dress not only wowed the crowd, it encapsulated Nosh Box's unique spirit.

"It's not that we're rule breakers," says Elmekies, "but we knew there was a better way to give people better food and service. So we went out and did it."

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Reach out to Nosh Box Eatery at 972-532-0220 or through its website, www.noshboxeatery.com.

Everything at Nosh Box Eatery is made from scratch.

Photo courtesy of Nosh Box Eatery

Everything at Nosh Box Eatery is made from scratch.

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where to eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: Best new restaurants for September

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Lots of things on the table at Common Table.

This latest Where to Eat, our monthly compilation of Dallas restaurants worth checking out for one reason or another, is a motley bunch. Some of these are newly opened. Others have introduced new locations or even new meal segments (and "meal segments" in this scenario means "brunch").

Here are the best suggestions for where to eat in this September edition of Where To Eat Right Now:

Chilangos Tacos
At long last, this taqueria concept has opened their location at 4012 Ross Ave., a former Subway at Haskell Avenue. Chilangos is from a polished team that includes SMU grad Jon Garay and highly-regarded chef Joel Mendoza. They first debuted the concept in 2019 with a location on Harry Hines by Dallas Love Field, featuring Mexico City-style tacos, made with top-quality ingredients. (It earned them a spot on our Where to Eat list for July 2019.) They serve authentic tacos, quesadillas, and refreshing fruity margaritas, and were among the first in DFW to do the now-buzzy birria taco. They also have locations at Legacy Hall in Plano, and in Nashville.

Common Table
Friendly restaurant-bar just opened at District 121, the development at SH-121 and Alma Road, adjacent to Craig Ranch. This is the second location and an interesting journey for a concept that started out as a craft beer bar in Uptown before morphing into a congenial sports-bar spot owned by Milkshake Concepts and starring a menu of good food by chef Rodman Shields. They opened a location at The Star in Frisco in 2018, and are one of the few places to not only survive the pandemic but to thrive at the Star. They're open for lunch, dinner, and a popular brunch with a stick-to-your-ribs menu that ranges from pretzel bites with beer cheese fondue to fried chicken Cobb salad to wings to Hatch chile queso, nothing over $20. There are creative cocktails, good wines, and back to where they started: a worthy list of beers on tap.

Crown Block
Restaurant that opened atop the Reunion Tower in June is now launching Sunday brunch beginning September 24. Beyond the views for miles, this will involve buffet stations and one plated entrée, for $80. A Bloody Mary Bar, espresso drinks, mimosa flights, and craft cocktails are extra. Hey, those views aren't free. Although, the Crown Block tradition is to welcome guests at the elevator with a beverage, and on Sundays, that'll be a mimosa. So that's free. Brunch stations include a sushi and seafood bar with oysters, nigiri, maki rolls, ceviche, poke bowls, shrimp cocktail, smoked ham, sausage, a lavish candy bar, pies, doughnuts, and cakes. Entree options include Chicken & Waffles with caviar, a BLT sandwich with scrambled eggs, Masa Pancake, and Wagyu Croquetta Benedict with eggs and asparagus.

Dea
Italian restaurant near Dallas' Inwood Village in the former Fireside Pies at 7709 Inwood Rd., from Tracy Moore Rathbun and Lynae Fearing, has been serving a banging dinner with pastas (cacio e pepe, Bolognese with ground beef & spicy Italian sausage), daily risotto, and entrees such as scallops with white bean cassoulet and halibut with farro. Now they and chef Roman Murphy are launching Sunday brunch beginning September 24, from 11 am-3 pm, with live music and dishes like bacon and egg flatbread, lemon-ricotta French toast with lemon curd, and cocktails like the Ciao Bella, with Tito’s Vodka, lemon juice, and blackberry hibiscus syrup.

400 Gradi
Italian restaurant with great pizza, which debuted in Dallas in 2019, has opened a second location in McKinney, at District 121, the mixed-use development at SH-121 and Alma Road, adjacent to Craig Ranch, along with its sweet sibling Zero Gradi, a cafe for gelato, pastries, and coffee. A grand opening will take place September 23-24, which will include menu tastings, gelato carts, and champagne. 400 Gradi specializes in pastas, entrees, cocktails, and wine. More than 70 percent of their ingredients are imported, including the truffle paste and burrata on the antipasti menu, and the dough for their pizza is prepared with water filtered to replicate that used in Naples, Italy, then fermented for 48 hours in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room. Standouts include Linguine Alla Pescatora and Pappardelle Ai Funghi. Husband-and-wife owners Igor Stevovic and Nikoleta Plavsic are dedicated to bringing the full Italian experience to the greater Dallas area.

Jonathon's Forestwood
Dallas breakfast and brunch institution is now open in a new location at 5337 Forest Ln. The restaurant from husband-and-wife Jonathon and Christine Erdeljac first opened in Oak Cliff in 2011, where it drew a following for down-home dishes such as chicken-fried steak & eggs, and biscuits & gravy. But facing a rent increase after a decade, they decamped to the former Kel's Restaurant, which they've fastidiously renovated the space and are having fun trying out new dishes such as a bountiful Cobb salad, a buffalo cauliflower appetizer with picnic sauce, fried chicken salad, and the Pig Mack sandwich with a spicy ground pork patty, citrus slaw, pickled red onion, Pepperjack cheese, Harissa Aioli, and an easy egg.

Pearl
New sushi restaurant from chef Shine Tamaoki (Nobu) is now open at 4640 McKinney Ave. #130, with an adherence to Japanese tradition combined with a progressive approach to sushi. Nigiri and sashimi include otoro, king salmon, fluke, tiger shrimp, snow crab, and more, as well as sushi rolls such as the spicy yellowtail roll. Hot dishes include filet of beef (either A5 Kobe or American Wagyu) served seared and sliced; Japanese fish & chips, with beer- and curry-battered fried white fish with burdock chips; shrimp tempura; shojin tempura; and fried Japanese oysters. Cocktails highlight Japanese flavors such as the White Pearl - made with Grey Goose vodka, lychee puree, lime juice, elderflower syrup, and plum bitters.

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