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Food

Best things we ate this week: Fried chicken, a cocktail beer, and a vegan chili oil

These were our very favorite bites this week.

I’m fascinated by other people’s food habits and live with the perpetual need to know if I’m missing out on some great culinary discovery. So every week I ask my colleagues about the best things they’ve eaten recently. Here are the meals we had that stood out:

Knox Burger at Knox Bistro

When chef Bruno Davaillon reconcepted Up on Knox into Knox Bistro, he upped the French elements on the menu and added new dishes like mussels in garlic-shallot sauce and a salmon carpaccio. But one dish that didn’t change is the Knox Burger, which I tried over the weekend during a particularly emergent burger craving. It sees a wagyu beef patty topped with cheddar cheese, Dijonnaise, tomato and pickles, and is served with a side of great fries.

I’m usually a thin-patty guy. Two thin patties is even better, a la the dearly departed Off Site Kitchen, which I still think about fondly and regularly. But Knox Bistro’s single, thicker-than-not patty is perfectly seasoned and cooked. I know there’s some debate around here about burger toppings, but I contend that a good burger requires vegetable-supplied crunch and acid to cut through the richness of the meat and cheese. Knox Bistro’s combo of meat, bread and toppings is the platonic ideal of a great bistro burger. – Kevin Gray, contributing writer

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Knox Bistro, 3230 Knox Street, #140, Dallas.

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The Knox Burger at Knox Bistro
The Knox Burger at Knox Bistro(Kevin Gray )

Polenta and Egg Cups at Cafe Duro

The polenta cups with savory toppings at Cafe Duro jostled me out of breakfast boredom. Morning fare in Dallas tends to be predictable, and this was new. The casual cafe offers three different polenta and poached egg “cups,” each embellished with the kind of sauces and made-from-scratch toppings that I’d crave any time of day. My favorite version covered creamy polenta with earthy, sautéed wild mushrooms, pickled sweet corn, a dollop of tangy goat cheese, and grated Parmesan cheese. Perched on top was a perfectly poached egg, with a runny yolk. It’s the kind of chef-y dish you’d expect from Sister, Cafe Duro’s sibling restaurant, next door. That’s because the same chef oversees both kitchens. My one complaint? The polenta-egg cups are only offered mornings, from 7 to 11; after that, there’s another menu until 10 p.m. — Tina Danze, contributing writer

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$8.50 at Cafe Duro, 2804 Greenville Ave., Dallas. cafe-duro.com.

The polenta and egg cups at Cafe Duro are served in the morning.
The polenta and egg cups at Cafe Duro are served in the morning.(Tina Danze)

Lahtt Sauce

If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I try a lot of condiments. My son also has food allergies (nuts and fish), so a lot of what I buy at home is to accommodate his allergies while still making our food as flavorful as possible. And California-based Lahtt Sauce offers a vegan all-purpose chili oil sauce that fits the bill. It’s similar to classic shacha sauce, but it’s made with shiitake mushrooms instead of dried shrimp. The mushrooms give it a wonderful depth of flavor. I used it to create a dipping sauce for dumplings, but noodles are next on my list. – Erin Booke, food editor

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$9.99 at Whole Foods. lahttsauce.com.

California-based Lahtt Sauce is a vegan all-purpose chili oil sauce
California-based Lahtt Sauce is a vegan all-purpose chili oil sauce(Erin Booke)

Green salad with fried chicken from The Market at Bonton Farms

When you order the green salad off the lunch menu at The Market at Bonton Farms, you’re given an option of fried chicken or grilled chicken. There’s one clear choice here. Sure, the fried chicken negates a bit of the health benefit of ordering a leafy salad, but life is short! On a recent visit to the South Dallas farm and market, I ordered the salad with fried chicken (which prompted words of affirmation from the cashier who told me I had made a great choice) and it was one of the most gratifying weekday lunches I’ve had in a while.

The chicken tenders at Bonton Farms, which are incredibly generous in quantity for a salad topping, are impeccably crispy and throw off a subtle heat from what I assume is a bit of cayenne in the breading. They’re served on top of a simple bed of mixed greens with red onions grown on the farm, a hard-boiled egg and cherry tomatoes. The other star of the show is the dressing — a creamy dill dressing that is good enough to deserve a call-out of its own. – Claire Ballor, food reporter

$13 at The Market at Bonton Farms, 6907 Bexar Street, Dallas. bontonfarms.shop.

The green salad with fried chicken from The Market Cafe at Bonton Farms
The green salad with fried chicken from The Market Cafe at Bonton Farms(Claire Ballor )
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Peticolas Cuba Libre

For the uninitiated, cocktail-inspired beers have been quite the rage around these parts for some time now. As is often the case, Peticolas Brewing in Dallas doesn’t look to hop onto the tail end of a trend as much as it turns the trendy notion into something completely new.

The new Cuba Libre is the latest in a series of cocktail beers from Peticolas, and it’s a dynamic, inventive addition indeed. To mimic the refreshing cola, rum and lime beverage, the brewery blended some spices they believe to be a part of the famously guarded Coca-Cola recipe, and aged it with rum-infused oak as well as a combination of lime, orange and lemon peel. Believe me, there’s a difference between a beer that is brewed with cocktail ingredients and a beer crafted to taste like something else entirely. And in the least shocking thing any local beer lover will read all week, Peticolas nailed it.

In all honesty, I would’ve loved a bit more of a tangy lime kick, but the effervescent carbonation, subtle rum hint and clean finish made the Cuba Libre a satisfyingly balanced sipper. – Kelly Dearmore, contributing writer

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Peticolas Brewing Company, 1301 Pace Street, Dallas. peticolasbrewing.com.

The Peticolas Cuba Libre
The Peticolas Cuba Libre(Shelly Dowlen)

Pork ribs from Heim Barbecue

The best thing I ate this week was a half rack of ribs and a cardboard boat full of charro beans at Heim Barbecue. When I walk into a new barbecue joint, my eyes hit the side dishes first, because to me, the sides to barbecue are what make the experience exceptional. Sides are where pit masters showcase their flair and provide a distinct barbecue story. Sides also show the ability to balance flavor with smoke, salt and fat.

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The pork ribs we ordered happen to be some of the best I’ve ever eaten: incredibly tender with a firm bite. The flavor was everything I want in a rib. Smokey and salty, with a hint of secret seasoning and sticky sweetness. The pinto beans made this lunch even better. It was evident they are designed to complement, not outshine, the smoke and meat. I bounced back and forth between the ribs and beans, exclaiming how good they were while simultaneously hoping no one would ask me to share. – Rebecca White, contributing writer

$9.50 per half pound at Heim Barbecue, 3130 W. Mockingbird Lane, Dallas. heimbbq.com