Mike Snider of AllGood Café is one nostalgic SOB. When he felt like his menu needed a little tweaking he called in Brian Hennington. Yow. Zah. Blast from the past: Hennington was the original “real” chef in Deep Ellum. He was the talent behind the first Deep Ellum Café (stories anyone?). Since DEC closed, Hennington has been working around the area consulting for Blue Mesa and The Bronx. He did a spell as at Inn of the Mountain of the Gods in Ruidosa, New Mexico and Hennington’s Texas Café in Granbury.
More importantly to Snider, Hennington played a big part in developing AllGood Café’s style and first menu which also included input from “Daddy Jack” Chaplin and AllGood’s execuchef Maximino Garcia. (This is starting to sound like the culinary version of The Traveling Wilburys). Recently the team reunited and put together some (hopefully) new hits. I’ve listed some of the “updated and refreshed” items below.
Snider told me he’s not the only one happy with the new menu. “The service staff is thrilled to have something new and different to eat,” Snider says. “It may seem like bragging but I have servers who work five or six days a week, many who have been here from five to nine years, and they eat usually each shift they work. Then they come back for dinner the same day or on their time.”
(BTW, Santa Fe-style is officially a trend in Dallas.)
1. Chicken Enchiladas Suisas – Chicken Enchiladas with a Chile Verde Sauce topped with melted cheese and Sour Cream, served with Black Beans.
2. Green Chile Pork-Stuffed Sopapillas – Slow Roast Pork in a delicious Chile Verde Sauce stuffed in a Sopapilla and topped with lettuce, pico de gallo and shredded cheddar cheese.
3. Chipotle Shrimp – Sweet Jumbo Gulf Shrimp in a spicy Chipotle Sauce, served with Parmesan Garlic Bread
4. Frito Pie – the old Family-favorite, a dish of Fritos topped with our Famous Terlingua Pride Texas Chili, melted Cheddar Cheese, chopped White Onion and a dollop of Sour Cream
5. Truck Stop Hot Beef Sandwich – Grilled Sourdough Bread topped with shaved Roast Beef, Mushroom-Onion Gravy and 3 cheeses melted on top, served with our Famous Killer Mashed Potatoes
6. Baja Fish Tacos – lightly dusted and deep fried White Fish Fillets in fresh corn tortillas with Asian Slaw and a creamy Garlic Avocado-Lime dressing served with Black Beans – this is our new Friday Blue Plate Special
7. Creamy Red Bell Pepper Soup – a longtime favorite of our regular customers whenever it appears as Soup-of-the-Day, we have added this delicious concoction to our Daily Menu – by request.
8. Roasted Garlic Avocado-Lime Vinaigrette – our New House Dressing is a taste-bud pleaser with layers of fresh flavor that enhances and enlivens anything it touches
