Oxtails News

Tha Neighborhood Kitchen in southern Dallas makes great take-out soul food

Tempting fare from Tha Neighborhood Kitchen.

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This Dallas food stop is aptly named: Called Tha Neighborhood Kitchen, it's a take-out restaurant located in a highly residential neighborhood in the Joppa area of southeastern Dallas.

Other than an abundance of churches -- including one right across the street -- this small squared-off brick building at 4705 Yancy St. is surrounded by homes. At one time it was a home as well, until 2008 when the then-owners built the current structure from which they operated a small grocery and washateria. It was also a restaurant called Nana B's.

Current owners Katrina Chaney and Herman Brown took it over in December 2020. Both have backgrounds in hospitality: Chaney worked for Aramark for many years, then became a private chef. Brown owned a fast-food chicken concept called Chick 'N 7, now closed, and is also a realtor and builder. He spotted the location in the middle of the pandemic.

They decided to pool their expertise and fill a need for the area.

“Every neighborhood needs homecooked meals," Brown says. "We wanted to be a pillar in a community that’s so deserving."

The menu is a Southern/soul food wonder, with an array of options, from affordable lunches to high-end meals. At $26, oxtails are the most expensive dish (and available on weekends only), but you can also get wings with fries for $8.59 and a catfish basket with fries for $10.99.

Homey options include:

Smothered Pork Chops
Beef Tips
Shrimp Pasta
Pot Roast

These items are on display in a steam table. Catfish and other fried foods are cooked to order.

Baskets come with fries, while plates come with cornbread and two sides, from a big selection that includes broccoli rice casserole, mac & cheese, yams, collard greens, cabbage, black eyed peas, and more.

Portions are generous. A couple of meals can feed a family of 4.

They also have tempting desserts, all $5, including cake by the slice in flavors such as Red Velvet, Lemon, and Chocolate; plus banana pudding and peach cobbler.

Lunch is busy and there's a rush before closing at 6 pm, when there's often a 10- to 15-minute wait. The place is small, and it is an experience to watch the kitchen, perfectly orchestrated at getting the orders out.

The Joppa community is traditionally Black, and over recent years, the Hispanic population in the area has grown area as well. The shop's clientele is diverse, and goes beyond the residents of the area, but it is neighbors and city employees that keep this place busy.

Brown says their goal is to help families whose parent or parents work all day and have no time to cook.

"Some single parents that don’t have time to cook, and we try to make it affordable to get a homecooked meal," he says.

openings

Teppanyaki News

Japanese restaurant chain with sizzling hot plates to debut in Frisco

Pepper Lunch

Pepper Lunch is coming to Frisco.

A distinctive Asian restaurant concept with sizzling hot plates is coming to the Dallas area: Called Pepper Lunch, it's an international chain from Japan that does a fast-casual version of teppanyaki, and it's opening in Frisco at 9180 Warren Pkwy. #150, in a busy shopping center anchored by 99 Ranch, in the former Gen Korean BBQ space.

Frisco will be the very first Pepper Lunch in Texas. According to co-owner Phil Guo, it'll open in mid-March.

Pepper Lunch was founded in Tokyo in 1994 by chef Kunio Ichinose and features teppanyaki, a Japanese cooking style where chefs cook on a hot griddle (teppan) in front of diners, creating an interactive and entertaining meal.

But Pepper Lunch takes it a step further with do-it-yourself teppanyaki, with meals served on 500-degree Fahrenheit hot plates, which are patented to stay hot for more than 20 minutes — allowing diners to cook their own food at the table.

All that sizzle has made Pepper Lunch an internet sensation. Cooking your own food at your table is a trend, and Pepper Lunch also has price and convenience on its side: Most of its menu items come in under $20 and can be complete in 20 minutes, making it a desirable option for workers and others with a limited lunch hour.

The signature dish is their Pepper Rice, which comes in about a dozen options, including the best-selling Beef Pepper Rice, featuring sliced beef, white rice, corn, and spring onion, with freshly-cracked black pepper, which is also a signature. ("We crack it fresh every morning," Guo says.)

Salmon terifyaki at Pepper Lunch Frisco.Pepper Lunch

Other varieties of Pepper Rice include Salmon Pepper Rice, Chicken Pepper Rice, Shrimp Pepper Rice, and Tofu & Veggie Pepper Rice.

You can get your meat, rice, and veggies in a teriyaki option or with curry sauce. They also have pastas with cream sauce and your choice of protein. Sides include American classics such as fries, onion rings, or sweet potato wedges, and they offer Kirin beer.

Dallas is part of Pepper Lunch's broader expansion across the U.S. They currently have more than 500 locations across 17 countries.

Guo is a veteran restaurateur who, along with partner Ken Cheng, operates three locations of Jinya Ramen Bar, a completely different kind of dining experience.

"Jinya is a full-service restaurant with a nice bar and intimate atmosphere, and the food is more complex," he says. "Pepper Lunch is fast-casual, more family-oriented, with a faster pace. If you need to, you can be in and out in 20 minutes. But there's heat nothing like it when they bring your plate to your table, and you get to cook rice or steak right in front of your face — it sizzles and pops."

He loves to recall the first time he encountered Pepper Lunch, decades ago, on a family trip to Hong Kong.

"We waited in line for two hours, and I will always remember sitting down and experiencing that sizzling smell," he says.

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