allandale quick bites: dog day, ling wu, and tzintzuntzan

Since I last wrote, Dog Day Coffee is now open at 8840 Burnet, featuring a full array of espresso drinks but also bites from Quack’s and the vegan anarchists Zucchini Kill. They specialize in nitro and even have a nitro flight if that’s your thing (it certainly is ours!). They’ve closed up their long-time pop-up in Nosh & Bevvy farther north on Burnet. The award-winning Ling Wu is now open for business in The Grove. Driving around the hood, I saw the Fusion Halal Kitchen trailer parked next to the Red Apple Smoke Shop at 5100 Burnet and the Veracruz Antojolitas Mexicanos at the Chevron at 2909 Anderson.

Area caff-addicts caught a spell of the shakes when they saw that Cheri Coffee & Flowers was gone from their location at 6722 Burnet, but Cheri was due for an inspection, and trailers are required to roll into the city for the deed. The brews are back! The auctioneers sold everything in our Foxtrot, so I don’t think our ‘trot will refox. Fonda San Miguel announced the name of its new breakfast-lunch joint next door in the Frida building, and it’s a doozy: Tzintzuntzan. The name is pronounced zin-zoon-zhan and means “place of hummingbirds” in Purépecha. We’re still waiting for Kesos Tacos at 3901 Spicewood Springs, Black Gold Craft Meats & Cocktails at 1521 West Anderson Lane, H-Mart at 5222 Burnet, and ChefSuite at 8023 Burnet to officially open.

I fondly remember my first trip to Torchy’s back when it was just a trailer on South First across from El Mercado South. As we stood in a long line, I squinted at the menu and saw a Democrat taco and a Republican taco. “I wonder what’s in them?” I said. “Red meat in one and bean sprouts in the other?” A young lady behind us growled, “I don’t know what’s in ’em, but I suspect they’re both full of [feces].” So it’s with great sadness to report that in the further corporate castration of Torchy’s, they’ve taken the Ace of Spades, the Republican, and the MoFaux off the menu, replacing the latter with the family-friendly Fo Sho. Maybe I understand why they retired the Dirty Sanchez (maybe…), but these changes cause concern. Furthermore, the Q-Anoners will have a field day of leaving the Democrat on the menu, but, on the other hand, they might like how that sounds.

Until next time, keep eatin’!

I wrote this review for the Allandale Neighbor.