The Noteworthy Nosh: Grilled Pork Vermicelli @ Noodles at Boba Tea House

For this week’s nosh, we head to north Fort Worth outside Loop 820. Noodles at Boba Tea House, a Vietnamese fusion eatery at the intersection of Basswood Blvd. and Beach St., is a frequent haunt of mine. In fact, I have been known to visit once a week for lunch when I have an insatiable craving for pho or bun. And I never fail to find a packed dining room during lunch hours.

In addition to the namesake boba “bubble” tea, the restaurant offers several classic Vietnamese dishes, including pho, bun and spring rolls, as well as decent sushi selection. I have yet to try the sushi, but the chicken pho and classic spring rolls with peanut sauce are always a good choice.

However, their best dish in my opinion, and one I have had more than a dozen times, is the bun thit nuong, or Vietnamese grilled pork with vermicelli. Thin slices of tender marinated pork are served warm over chilled vermicelli rice noodles with a sprinkling of crushed peanuts. Fresh mint leaves, bean sprouts, matchstick cucumber, shredded carrots and lettuce, as well as a savory and delicious fish sauce, accompany the dish.

Mint, sprouts and sauce are added at the user’s discretion, but I never fail to add them all. The combination of hot and cold, the crunch of the fresh vegetables with silky noodles, the pop of mint, and the tender and garlicky chunks of pork make this dish unforgettable.

For over-the-top deliciousness, add the BTH egg roll to your bowl. I always let the egg rolls sit long enough to soak up the goodness at the bottom of the bowl before eating and save one eggroll for my last bite.

Noodles at Boba House may be a little out of the way for some, but worth a visit if you happen to find yourself on the north side of town. They offer classic dishes and consistently good quality. And if you’re not a boba tea fan, like me, don’t pass up their classic Jasmine tea served with a small pitcher of simple syrup.

Noodles at Boba Tea House (noodlesbth.com), 7355 N Beach St., Sun-Thurs 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Fri-Sat 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Do you have a favorite pho or bun place in the DFW area? Please feel free to share.

The Noteworthy Nosh: Coconut Kale Enchiladas @ Be Raw Food and Juice

This week’s noteworthy nosh comes from Dallas. I don’t get the chance to make it over to The Big D all that often, and I am totally fine with that. But this meal was definitely worth the trip.

If you find yourself in the University Park area and are an adventurous soul, you must try Dallas’ only raw vegan eatery. The menu is extensive, with several juice and smoothie options, but also soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, noodle bowls, pizzas, and desserts. The entrée selections include a raw lasagna, “bliss burger” and even a raw take on spaghetti and “meatballs.”

A friend and I stopped in recently for a leisurely lunch. The atmosphere was relaxed and not overly crowded (though parking is interesting), the waitstaff is friendly and eager to answer questions about the menu, and Chef Cesar Vallejo was more than happy to talk about customer’s favorite dishes and how they are made. I am not vegan, so I had plenty of questions.

In addition to trying a fresh juice blend and cup of pineapple cucumber gazpacho, I tried one of Be Raw’s most popular dishes, the coconut kale enchiladas. The tortillas are made from coconut, red bell peppers, dates and agave that are dehydrated into rollable shells. They are stuffed with marinated kale, and topped with pico, "nacho cheese" and a cashew “sour cream,” then served with red and green salsas on the side.

I was pleasantly surprised first by the cheesy flavor of the enchiladas. The shells had a slightly sweet flavor that was unexpected but not unpleasant. At first, the texture of the shells vaguely reminded of fruit rollups I ate as a child, but the spicy heat of the dish kept the sweetness from being at all cloying. Perhaps most impressive was the marinated kale filling, which was delicate but flavorful, and it didn’t have that stereotypically unpleasant texture that sometimes makes raw kale difficult to eat.

Although the difference between traditional enchiladas and raw enchiladas is vast, I think taken on its own merits, the dish is successful—offering traditionally Hispanic flavors of chilies and cheese, light but filling and a uniquely fun variation on the norm.

Be Raw Food and Juice (berawfoodandjuice.com), 6005 Berkshire Lane in Preston Center, M-Sat 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sun 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.