Rachel Colman
Khao Noodle Shop Closes For Good, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Opens In Dallas And More.
Mardi Gras is officially underway as of March 1, and Dallas is ready to celebrate Fat Tuesday with delicious food! So, if you can’t make it out to New Orleans, Dallas restaurants have got you covered by supplying an abundance of booze and traditional Mardi Gras beads to commemorate the celebration.
The Les Bon Temps restaurant in Deep Ellum will be serving up Mardi Gras-themed food starting Feb. 15 through March 15 – you read that right. At Les Bon Temps, the celebration lasts an entire month! This eatery is about as close to a taste of Louisiana as you can get with items such as Parade Beignets (king cake-stuffed beignet), king cake ice cream, king cake coffee floats and more.
Hold on, the excitement doesn’t stop there. Uptown Mardi Gra Bar Crawl is joining in on the fun with discounted food and drinks for all those who register. Plus, Lake Dallas Mardi Gras is also hosting a by-the-pound crawfish eating contest in addition to the vendor market.
This holiday is not one you want to miss out on!
Sadly, not everything lately in Dallas is a celebration. That being said, the Khao Noodle Shop is closed down for good. The owner of Khao Noodle, Donny Sirisavath, announced its closure on Instagram last week. East Dallas may not be the same without the noodle shop, but at least it won’t be vacant for too long. It was announced that Darkoo’s Chicken Shop, an Asian fried chicken restaurant, will open in Khao Noodle’s place.
Additionally, the Khao Noodle closure does not mean this is the last we will see of Sirisavath. According to D Magazine, Sirisavath is happily teaming up with Darkoo’s Chicken Shop owner, Jimmy Niwa, to explore the fried chicken concept and ensure its success.
Speaking of ensured food success, have you heard of Jeni’s Ice Cream? If you have not, get to it now. The franchise is spread across Chicago, Illinois to Florida, and is now making its way to Greenville Avenue.
Jeni’s Ice Cream is an acclaimed brand out of Columbus, Ohio that is sold in various grocery stores, such as Whole Foods Market and Central Market. It’s now expanding with even more locations in Dallas in addition to the Deep Ellum and Addison shops.
Despite how impressive the accessibility of Jeni’s Ice Cream is, the real prize winner within the brand is what feels to be a never-ending list of unique flavors. Depending on the location, there is a total of 19 flavors such as Brown Butter Almond Brittle, Banana Cream Pudding, Maple Soaked Pancake.
On the opposite side of the sweet and spicy food spectrum, there will be a new Asian cuisine restaurant that will be serving both Thai and Laotian food, according to Culture Map. This new dining spot, The Padaek, is projected to open in mid-February and promises to truly bring the heat to Dallas foods.
The founders of the Padaek are a combination of two power couples: Pithananan “Pete” Saosud and Khonemany “KC” Chanthasone, and Art and Manee Suttisaragara. Both couples are from either authentic Thai or Laotian heritage, and cannot wait to bring their homeland recipes and spiciest dishes to the Heritage District in Irving.
Although the menu is a work in progress, it will be filled with Laotian foods with a mix of Thai offering dishes such as pad Thai, Leng Saeb (spicy soup with pork bone), and pad see eew (a stir-fried dish with wide flat noodles.)
Asian cuisine is not the only food to bring the heat, because according to the Dallas Morning News, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken will be opening in Deep Ellum on Feb. 23. Although this Nashville-based restaurant was originally set to open in 2021, it is now setting its foundation for an unforgettable launch.
The varying level of spicy chicken at Hattie B’s Hot Chicken mainly stems from one source: cayenne. From spicy chicken sandwiches to the hot Bloody Mary’s, the anticipation of spicy food lovers awaiting the Hattie B’s opening is finally coming to a close.