things to do in dallas - chino chinatown.

If ya'll haven't made your way over to Trinity Groves yet, that needs to change -- like, now.

This space was created as a sort of "restaurant incubator" to test out new concepts that would be backed by the owners of Trinity Groves. From the website: "central to the Trinity Groves project is the Restaurant Concept Incubator program, which encourages chefs and restaurateurs to create and present unique restaurant concepts to a team of experienced restaurateurs who will then support them to bring their ideas to reality."

The space doesn't only house restaurants, but also retail and event spaces. It is a seriously cool area that is packed on the weekends. That many people can't be wrong! There are several different types of food to choose from, great patio seating, and great people watching. I have never been disappointed during a visit.

This past week, Peter took me on a date assigned by Merge. We went to Chino Chinatown, an Asian-Latin fusion restaurant run by Uno Immanivong -- a contestant on The Taste. You know I watched that show. I'll never deny my love for reality cooking shows. Also, Anthony Bourdain? Yes, please. We'd heard good things and were pleased with our dining experience!

To start, we got the Elotes which I highly recommend. I could've ordered 3 more and just made a meal out of this alone. So tasty. For the main course, I got the duck fat fried rice and adored it. It was so rich and flavorful -- the egg on top just sealed the deal for me. I will definitely come back to try more menu items.

Trinity Groves will be seeing more of me soon. There are several more places I want to try in the area. BBQ, hot dogs, sushi, Spanish tapas, gastropubs? You can't go wrong.
-e.