Three Stars for Teiichi Sakurai's Ten Ramen

Leslie Brenner reviewed Ten: Sylvan Thirty's standing-room-only ramen shop "has become the unofficial canteen for Dallas’ hospitality industry. Chefs, bartenders, restaurateurs, food bloggers and Instagramaniacs seem to make up a significant percentage of the noodle-slurpers on any given day." The signature tonkotsu ramen is "a generous bowl of lively, long, thin, firm noodles in a wonderfully deep-flavored, rich pork-and-chicken broth, milky with emulsified pork fat but never oily, just delicious." For something a bit lighter, try the shoyu ramen, made with "a clear broth that’s cleaner and brighter tasting." On a hot day, check out the refreshing cold ramen, which will run as a special until the end of June. Brenner gives it three stars. [Dallas Morning News]

Scott Reitz went to Mot Hai Ba: Anyone who was worried about Jeana Johnson and Colleen O’Hare turning their Lakewood Vietnamese gem over to a relative unknown need worry no longer: "Chef Peja Krstic wasn’t brought on to blindly execute an existing menu but to take charge and manage it moving forward." Menu favorites like shaking beef, banana flower salad, and fried egg rolls remain, bur Krstic has added some dazzling new dishes of his own like grilled duck hearts and braised whole leeks "rolled in mustard flowers so fresh they seem alive." Overall, Mot Hai Ba has "evolved into a dependable and interesting neighborhood restaurant." [Dallas Observer]

Daniel Vaughn checked out Eddie Deen's BBQ in Rockwall: The barbecue here is trucked in from Terrell rather than being smoked on-site, but nonetheless there's plenty worth eating. White meat chicken is "remarkably moist" thanks to brining; ribs are tender but pulled pork is "underwhelming." Best is the brisket, which is "moist, tender, and smoky" and "worth seeking out whether or not it came from a smoker a few miles down the road." Don't skip dessert, particularly a "dense, sweet, and fantastic" lemon mascarpone cake. In summary, "It may have been an off day for the ribs and pulled pork, but the brisket, smoked chicken, and really everything else makes this joint worth the trip from Dallas." [TMBBQ]

ELSEWHERE: Fort Worth Weekly raved about Cannon Chinese Kitchen; DFW.com praised Luscher's Red Hots and visited the new Pho Hung in Fort Worth; SideDish tasted weird sodas; City of Ate checked out the new Super Chix.