Mex-Mex News

Seasoned chef debuts Mixtitos Kitchen, new fusion spot in East Dallas

The unusual croque monsier sandwich at Mixtitos Kitchen.

Mixtitos

There's a new restaurant in East Dallas that's full of surprises. Called Mixtitos Kitchen, it's from chef Jose Luis Rodriguez, and it just opened at 2706 Samuell Blvd., previously home to La Acapulqueña, which served authentic Mexican food and margaritas in that space for 33 years before closing in December 2021.

At first sight, Mixtitos appears to be a traditional Mexican restaurant, with tacos, ceviche, fajitas, guacamole, and steamed fish.

But the menu is actually a fusion of cuisines that include American, Mexican, and French. The talker: the "Mix Croque Monsieur," a unique rendition of the classic French grilled cheese sandwich.

In place of the usual thinly-sliced ham, they use discada, a traditional preparation from agricultural Northern Mexico with a combination of meats that can include flank steak, bacon, ham, sausage, and/or chorizo, held together in this sandwich by the melted Swiss cheese.

Other unexpected dishes include:

Shrimp bisque: Cream soup with shrimp bites, garnished with cilantro
Schnitzel sandwich: Thinly-sliced breaded tenderloin topped with mozzarella cheese, beans, lettuce, tomato, and onion on toast, served with truffle fries
Japanese Shepherd's pie: Rice Karē (pork in a curry sauce) topped with white rice, pickled onions, and jalapeños, with Saltines on the side
Filet Mignon: 6-oz filet with blue cheese, and a wedge salad
Japanese tempura vegetables
Buffalo wings

It's a departure from La Acapulqueña and new for a neighborhood that is not-quite-yet gentrified.

But the menu reflects Rodriguez' varied experience, including seven years at Charlie Palmer at the Joule Dallas hotel, as well as Bistro 31, Sloane's Corner, Café Brazil, Enrique Tomás, Jalisco Norte, and most recently Perry's Steakhouse.

In January 2022, he broke out on his own, founding an earlier version of Mixtitos Kitchen as a ghost kitchen, where he refined his dishes and got his feet wet before finding the La Acapulqueña spot. It's an inviting, energy-filled space that seats 84, with a vividly colored mural on the wall for Instagram opportunities, and a stage for live music, which they host Wednesday-Friday.

The restaurant has a full-service bar with made-from-scratch cocktails such as the frozen margarita swirl, featuring house-made sangria and garnished with a slice of dried mango dipped in tajin. Prices are low, with entrees averaging $15.

La Acapulqueña had a loyal following after having been in the neighborhood since 1989, and Rodriguez is honoring their memory by doing a few customer favorites — although with his interpretation — including nachos, enchiladas, and oysters on the half shell (La Acapulqueña specialized in Mexican seafood).

"We want to bring some light to this neighborhood that does not have the reputation it deserves," he says.

openings tex-mex

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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