There’s no disputing it: Italians no longer have a corner on the meatball market.
Sure, the lumps of beefy, porky, lamby goodness are staples of many a country’s native cuisine, but at the white-hot new Lakewood Vietnamese spot, Mot Hai Ba (1,2,3), they deserve celebrity status.
TMZ should be stalking these suckers.
Lunch is our favorite time to sneak in for a great quick meal without the big crowds. Besides, the quaint-but-uncomfortable squatty backless stools will ensure that you won’t linger too long and get back to work on time. But the seating does such wonders for bringing attention to any manifestation of slouchy posture, chiropractors should be on call outside the exit.
But who cares. Good food can do wonders to distract from bony butt aches.
The green papaya salad with beef is a fab way to eat light. Or opt for one of the extremely affordable and satisfying Banh Mi sandwiches, filled with traditional options of omelette, paté and pork, beef or tofu.
But on a rainy summer day like we’ve been enjoying, order up the chargrilled pork belly and pork meatball with vermicelli, a garden-size plate of herbs and quite possibly the best Imperial Roll in the city. Make it spicy with some of the liquid fire on the table. Or toss in a fresh jalapeño slice or two.
Filled with layers and layers of nuanced and complex flavors, it’s difficult to not pick up the bowl and guzzle the broth like so many beers on a patio during happy hour. This one dish has haunted our dreams ever since we ate it and we long for the chance to savor it again.
Perhaps they’d give us gallons of the broth to go. Because we sure wouldn’t mind bathing in the stuff.
Mot Hai Ba
6047 Lewis Street, Dallas
972-638-7468
www.facebook.com/mothaibadallas
