🌟 Dallas, How Are You This Delicious?! A Bostonian’s Tasty Meltdown

Just spent a dreamy weekend in Dallas visiting a close friend — with a side trip to Houston for my very first NBA game 🏀: Rockets vs. Thunder! Watching the home team lead all the way was totally worth it, though Houston fans were… surprisingly chill 😌. But let’s get to the real highlight: four straight days of eating through Houston and Dallas. As a Boston foodie, I’m officially green with envy — y’all in Texas eat like royalty! 👑 And I’m not suffering alone — sharing this so all of Boston can cry with me. 🦆 Bamboo House Peking duck that’s levels above Boston’s Jiangnan — crispy skin, rich but not greasy. My friend said it’s not quite as good as Juqi in NYC, but hey, it’s half the price! 🦆💸 Their soups are soul-warming — especially the bamboo shoot soup and the complimentary duck bone broth. I had six bowls. No shame. 💵 ~$30 per person 🍢 Tei Tei Robata Bar Atmospheric Japanese grill with an authentic tatami seating area (perfect for groups!). Must-tries: Karaage chicken, grilled shrimp, miso-marinated cod, pork jowl, and sweet grilled sweet potato. 🍠 Skip the quail — not their best. 💵 ~$50 per person 🍚 Shanghai Alley Cozy new spot for Shanghainese snacks. Their pan-fried buns rival Boston’s Spring — but Spring still wins by a bite! 😉 Soup dumplings and Shanghai-style rice with greens are also delicious. Scallion oil chicken and tofu rolls? Just okay. 💵 ~$20+ per person 🍦 Botolino Gelato Artigianale DO NOT MISS the pistachio cake here. Creamy pistachio gelato, raspberry sauce, rose sponge cake — I’m still dreaming about it back in Boston. 💚 🍖 Rudy’s 'Country Store' and Bar-B-Q My friend’s Texas BBQ must-do — we went straight from the airport! Compared to other smokehouses, Rudy’s is more Asian-palate-friendly: well-seasoned, less overwhelming smoke. Color me impressed! 🤠 🏙️ Honorable Houston Mentions Ming’s Rice Roll 🥣: Went twice — seafood congee, marinated raw crab, braised platter, and pork stomach chicken hot pot. Everything slapped. I’d return to Houston just for this! Jinchuan Li 🔥: Solid new Sichuan spot — authentic and bold. Magnol French Baking 🥐: Canelés were meh, but pastries and croissants? Boston-level good. Writing this helped me process my Dallas food tears… till next time, Texas! ✨ #100PlacesToTry #DallasEats #DallasLife #DFWFood #BostonEatsEnvy #TravelEats #FoodReview