Girls on Wheels satisfy our taste buds with a festival of flavors.
Vicki Baker
Huddled inside on a wet and dreary winter afternoon, we reminisced about the past fun-filled time spent outdoors on a warm, sunny day. Girls on Wheels (Nancy Burns, Vicki Baker, Cassie Richardson, Karen Dipietro, Susan Hebert, and Shirley Monge) dove into Dallas’s foodie scene and sampled the best of the city’s Tex-Mex cuisine on a two-hour walking and tasting tour in the West End neighborhood.
While exploring the West End Historic District, not only did we hear the backstory on the unique Texas food culture, we also learned the amazing history that brought Dallas to life. West End, now a vibrant and transformative neighborhood, was originally a trading post. The arrival of the railroads attracted manufacturing companies whose warehouses came to define the area’s architecture.
Strolling among the turn-of-the-century red brick buildings, our entertaining guide provided insights into Dallas’ culinary landscape, past and present. When it comes to consuming a culture, it’s hard to beat digesting it in the literal sense. The restaurants visited on the food crawl were reflective of the city’s diverse culture and local flavor.
The multiple-course meal was spread out not only over several hours, but at a number of locations. We tasted a selection of delicious dishes at four hot spots, one after the other, sampling that restaurant’s signature dish. Kokopelli Sweets for creamy chipotle sorbet and rich Mexican hot chocolate. RJ Mexican Cuisine for perfectly seasoned street tacos. Ellen’s for an array of deep-fried delicacies, comically named Joe’s Balls. And Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse for hearty beef chili. Served small-plate portions at each restaurant, the tastings added up to a full meal’s worth of food by tour’s end.
Girls on Wheels came away with a taste of the culture and the history that surrounded us in one of the most historically iconic neighborhoods in Dallas. We discovered hidden streets, local stories, trendy restaurants, and, of course, delicious food.