Vegan News

Veteran Dallas vegan chef rolls out new food truck with tacos and asada

Feniks Vegan hibiscus asada with guacamole and fresh chopped cilantro.

dallas.culturemap.com

A new food truck has opened in Dallas from a chef well known in the vegan food realm. Called Fēniks Vegan Spot, the trailer is from Christian Rios, who previously had a restaurant in Richardson called Lahla's Plant Kitchen, which closed in 2021.

Rios has spent the past two years saving for the trailer, taking home-remodeling jobs to accumulate a bankroll.

He started taking it out on the road in mid-2023, doing popups around town, then celebrated a grand opening of sorts on November 4, outside Mashup Market in Denton, where the trailer will occupy a semi-permanent residence, providing Rios' fans a predictable place to find his food.

The custom-made food trailer offers a detailed menu of vegan plates, from chicken & waffles and tacos to Cajun lobster-mushroom pasta.

"I did the popups for six months and it was a great way to get out and meet people," Rios says. “But I knew I wanted to expand.”

Rios, who's 40, first came to DFW in 2015, but has worked in dozens of restaurants, taking points on each: Outback Steakhouse, Mexican diners, and Italian restaurants.

“Cooking is my love language, I started when I grew up,” he says. “My mom wasn’t the best cook, so I taught myself about food and just started to learn and grow.”

He attended culinary school in Austin where he learned about classic French cuisine, which he calls the upper echelon of cooking.

"I am applying French techniques to my menu," he says. "Working in a lot of restaurants exposed me to all kinds of food, so now I have a grasp on international foods and I can bring that to the food trailer menu."

He became acquainted with vegan food while living in Austin.

“It was very big there,” Rios says. “I was at a point where I had to start thinking about my health and really loved the plant-based idea. I looked at it also as a way to use my culinary creativity."

One popular dish is his Hibiscus Asada, where he takes hibiscus leaves and brews them, then rinses, smokes, and seasons until they become "beefy." They're served with roasted sweet potatoes and grilled onions.

For chicken, he uses lions mane mushrooms, pressed hard to remove excess liquid, then fried with waffles.

The trailer gives him mobility and the opportunity to be part of events like Vegan Brewfest Dallas at Community Beer Co. on Saturday November 11.

He’s pondering a ghost kitchen where he can prep food for delivery, while also seeking a more permanent trailer location.

More immediately, “I’m going to be back outside Mashup in Denton after this weekend. And soon, I’ll have a permanent place.”

openings food-trucks vegan

Deep Ellum News

Mexican 'vibe' restaurant from California to open in Deep Ellum Dallas

Mama Por Dios

A buzzy concept from California is coming to Dallas: Mama Por Dios, a Mexican restaurant chain known for its vibe, will open its first location in Texas in Deep Ellum in the Epic development at 2525 Elm St., taking over the former La Neta space, which shuttered in May.

According to a spokesperson, the restaurant will open in early to mid-January.

Mama Por Dios was founded in Southern California in 2020 by chef Misael Guerrero, who famously got his start selling Mexican sushi out of his garage.

Since those early days, he's gone on to form a restaurant empire called Emme Group, with concepts that include Los Amores de Julia, El Rincon de Los Dolidos, and Culichi Town, a lower-priced chain known for Sinaloa-style Mexican sushi & seafood, which has a local presence: It opened a location in Mesquite in 2022.

Mama Por Dios — which translates to "Mother of God" — describes itself as modern Mexican, offering a unique blend of steakhouse, sushi bar, and seafood. The menu includes favorites like tacos and enchiladas, alongside luxe dishes like lobster with spaghetti, lobster enchiladas, and a surf & turf featuring a lobster tail balanced atop a skirt steak. Prices range from $18 for birria tacos to $48 for a bacon-wrapped filet mignon with mashed potatoes and asparagus.

But they also have a showy side that includes flamboyant presentations such as the bacon-wrapped shrimp which come strung on clothespins; or the trompito al pastor, served on a personal spit, as well as servers who walk around with shots while dancing with patrons.

There's a Gold Burger for $65 featuring Prime beef on a brioche bun garnished with 24k gold leaf, and a similarly gilded tomahawk steak for $400 that brings to mind the good old days of Salt Bae. Decor is swanky with low lighting, and there'll be a serious brunch offering on weekends.

Cocktails such as the Al Agua Pato — served in a mini bathtub with a rubber ducky — are made for Instagram. They offer margarita and mezcalita flights with flavors such as mango, tamarindo, and strawberry, and intriguing sips like Carajillo, a Spanish cocktail with Licor 43, espresso, and 43 different fruit, citrus, aromatic, and herbal ingredients.

There’s also a $20 per-person minimum spend, and the menu comes with a warning that everything is cooked to order — meaning some dishes may take 30 to 40 minutes. For many diners, waiting will surely be part of the experience.

deep-ellum tex-mex openings