Drive-Thru Gourmet

Pizza sliders at Arby's? Sounds like a really dumb idea, but somehow it works.

As wrong as its parts are, the finished product is really tasty. It works.

Photo courtesy of Arby's

This week I reached out for a 3-pack of Pizza Sliders — think mini-slices of pepperoni pie on a bun — at America’s No. 2 sandwich shack, Arby’s, with 3,300 restaurants coast to coast, top and bottom.

Pizza Sliders are Arby’s “take on pizza,” and boy are we lucky. Because no matter how hard you search, it’s practically impossible to find a Pizza Hut, Dominos or Papa John’s today.

Except on every corner.

Here’s the Pizza Sliders breakdown: Genoa salami, pepperoni, melted provolone cheese, and roasted garlic marinara sauce on a warm, soft slider bun.

Total calories: 300. Fat grams: 17. Sodium: 930 mg. Carbs: 23 g. Dietary fiber: 1. Protein: 13 g.

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $1.49. If your Arby’s has “happy hour,” Pizza Sliders are only a buck between 2-5 pm.

There are so many reasons why Pizza Sliders at Arby’s is a dumb idea. Let’s start with ... Arby’s is where you go for fast food roast beef sandwiches. The slogan is “We have the meats,” not “We have the pizza.” Drive-thru rule of thumb: Order what’s on the sign out front. KFC: fried chicken. Burger King: burgers. IHOP: the P.

The geniuses in Arby’s product development have a weird idea of what makes a pizza. Genoa salami isn’t exactly a top 10 pizza topping. And where’d they get provolone cheese on a pizza? As Alex Trebek would say, “Sorry, we were looking for mozzarella.”

If Arby’s wanted to imitate a pizza, how about a toasted, crunchy, charred-on-the-edges ciabatta roll instead of a soft slider bun?

But here’s the devil in those details. As wrong as its parts are, the finished product is really tasty. It works. If everybody else in the office is ordering Arby’s, Pizza Sliders will satisfy your pizza addiction. That kicky marinara isn't Arby's same old dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks.

Maybe I’ll stop off at Arby’s after work tonight and order a half-dozen Pizza Sliders. I'll eat three on the way home and polish off the rest after the game on TV.

Pizza Sliders are No. 8 in Arby’s sliders collection. The others are: Buffalo Chicken, Corned Beef ‘n Cheese, Roast Beef, Roast Beef ‘n Cheese, Jalapeno Roast Beef, Ham ‘n Cheese and Chicken ‘n Cheese. They’re one price fits all.

While sliders, by legend, are small, Arby’s has another new item that may require your weekend “eating pants” — the Half-Pound Roast Beef ‘n Cheese Sandwich. It’s two layers of Arby’s flagship roast beef and two layers of gooey American cheese.

To give you an idea how hefty this meat monster is, a regular Roast Beef ‘n Cheese is 5.4 ounces total weight. A Double is 8.4 ounces. I know that doesn’t add up, but, hey, you want to do math homework, or you want to eat?

A Half-Pound Roast Beef ‘n Cheese Sandwich, bread, cheese et al. tips the scales at 10.4 ounces.

Now for a personal complaint. This week, I made an Arby’s run to taste-test the Pizza Sliders. I went online for the Arby’s closest to my summer house (it’s also my winter house). When I got there ... no Arby’s. It’s been closed for a couple of years.

New rule: When a fast food restaurant shuts down, the company has to go online and make sure that no website still has it as open. I drove to another location and, whew, made it in time for happy hour.

ken-hoffman

Tex-Mex News

Dallas Tex-Mex institution Desperados brings the puffy tacos to Plano

Desperados

Puffy tacos at Desperados

A Dallas Tex-Mex institution has expanded to Plano: Desperados Mexican Restaurant, a family-run Mexican and Tex-Mex favorite, has opened a location in West Plano, at 5960 W. Parker Rd. #210 in a former On the Border, just east of the Dallas North Tollway.

Desperados is a legend dating back to 1976, with a dedicated following for its authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex favorites, and lots of margaritas, all served at a wallet-friendly price.

The restaurant was famously founded by Jorge Levy, who was working at another Mexican restaurant when he was approached by two customers who lured him away to start his own place. Jorge secured recipes from his mother to create the restaurant's menu of authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes, and they opened their historic location at 4818 Greenville Ave. in 1976.

They followed that with a second location they opened in Garland at 3443 W. Campbell Rd. in 1996. Jorge's two sons Jake and Michael Levy joined him, beginning to work at the restaurant from a young age. Jorge helped found the annual Dallas Margarita festival in downtown Dallas, and the restaurant operated a booth at the State Fair of Texas for many years, where they won the Big Tex fried food competition with their Deep Fried Latte.

In 2025, the Levy family retired, handing over the reins to Iron Table Hospitality, a Dallas company that also owns Firo Pizza, Craft Pies Pizza, and Fire Bowl Cafe. But Desperados is such a well-oiled machine, with many longtime employees, that little has changed, says spokesperson Shaena Rowland.

Mural at Desperados.Photo courtesy of Desperados

The Levys also lent a hand with the expansion, she says.

"They always wanted to expand to the north and helped scout the location," she says. "Desperados has maintained a wonderful group of regulars and many of the original customers from Greenville Avenue now live in Plano."

"Jorge, the founder who came up with these recipes, has also been back in our kitchen showing the cooks how to do it," she says

Specialties include their chile relleno; fajitas in chicken, beef, or shrimp; brisket and seafood tacos; upscale dishes such as steak Argentina, a tenderloin with chimichuri sauce; and what many swear is the best flan in town. To keep things fresh, they regularly rotate in new dishes with recent additions such as a quinoa bowl and stuffed avocado salad.

But they're best known for their Desperados tacos, their version of the cult puffy tacos from San Antonio in which the taco shell gets fried until it puffs into a crisp, airy, and chewy experience. Desperados' rendition has two crispy flour tortilla tacos, jack cheese, choice of beef or chicken fajita meat, pico de gallo, and avocado. It's their most-ordered entree since opening day.

A close cousin are their flautas, rolled in flour tortillas, filled with brisket or chicken, and deep-fried until also-puffy, served with guacamole, refried beans, and sour cream ranchero sauce. Most dishes average $15.

Margaritas are a key part of their appeal, with a big lineup of flavors such as frozen original and mango; the Texas Tornado, which brings to mind Mi Cocina's mambo taxi; as well as an irresistibly creamy new avocado margarita that was a major hit on opening day in Plano. And their "Margarita Wednesdays," featuring margaritas for $4, are a Desperados tradition.

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