The Why: The How

Our goal is simple:  to explore every type of ethnic food restaurant in Dallas/Ft. Worth and promote the good ones who are often overlooked because they don’t fit our standard mold.

Why? 

Well, I love food.  I love exploring.  And, this is about as close as I’ll get to my own version of Bourdain’s “Part’s Unknown”.

Here are a few other reasons:

  1. Lunch got really, really boring.
  2. Tyler Cowen inspires me.
  3. Exploring beats not exploring.  Interesting beats not interesting.
  4. I want to support the “little guy”.
  5. Yelp and the like don’t reflect what I look for in restaurants – interesting, fresh and good food.  They penalize anything different because certain reviewers don’t like different, so it isn’t a good guide to most the restaurants you’ll find here

HOW WE CHOOSE:

Here’s what we do different.  Obviously we look at Yelp and the like, but like I mentioned they can be ridiculously misleading for our purpose.  While I see an inability to speak fluent English as a sign of authenticity, someone else might knock it down a few stars.  While we deem unusual menu items a plus, others might complain there aren’t chicken tenders on the menu for their kids.  While an obscure location in a neighborhood sopping center full of signs in a foreign language might unsettle some diners, we get a rush of excitement that we are entering into what might be a novel dining experience.  So, reviews must be carefully vetted and overall ratings must be discounted significantly as a valid tool.

We ask around, a lot.  We find ourselves asking anyone with an accent where they are from and where they go to eat traditional food.   And, any ethnic neighborhood presents a great opportunity.

Where we are Headed:  I don’t know.  How many cuisines are there?  How many interesting small restaurant owners are there with a story to tell?  A cuisine they are proud of?  I guess we’ll see.