TikTok Takeover

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Step into the vibrant world of DFW dining with famous TikTok food critic, Keith Lee. Keith Lee visited Dallas Region restaurants, known for their sweet and savory tastes. Part of his Dallas cuisine journey was not fulfilled as some restaurants were closed for the weekend or weekday, nevertheless, those restaurants are dropped down below for you to try out! With more than 15 million followers on TikTok, lines formed at each location within minutes of his posts dropping.  You are guaranteed a fantastic food journey by going to any of the restaurants Keith Lee reviewed; and leave your own opinions of each dish and restaurant!

Check out more of his other reviews for cities across the country by following his TikTok or Instagram page, @keith_lee125.

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DALLAS REGION CUISINES

BRUNCHAHOLICS – Desoto, TX

Newly opened Brunchaholics delivers to their table soul food and creole cuisine with breakfast and brunch options. Open from Wednesday-Saturday, this local restaurant offers delivery, catering, and got some of the most notable ratings from Keith Lee.

Keith Lee’s Eats:

  • Catfish Soul Food Burrito: 9/10
  • Chicken Soul Food Burrito: 8.8/10
  • Catfish and Fries: 8.3/10

THUNDERBIRD PIES  – Dallas, TX

This Detroit-style pizzeria is led by the same team who run Cane Rosso and Zoli’s Pizza. With perfect cheese crust edges, topped with Wisconsin cheese, and blended with delectable flavors, the Dallas Region is happy to be home to Thunderbird Pies.

Keith Lee’s Eats:

  • Buffalo Wings with banana pepper ranch: 7/10
  • Connie pizza with added bacon: 7/10
  • Lil’ Bastard (Fried brussels sprouts): 5/10
  • The Goat pizza: 3/10
  • Budd pizza: 3/10

TERRY BLACKS BBQ– Dallas, TX 

A classic Dallas barbecue spot, and with two other locations in Texas, Terry Blacks is one of the first barbecue restaurants anyone goes to when visiting Texas! With more than 10,000 votes on Keith Lee’s Instagram poll to visit, you should grab you friends and family and taste their incredible menu with your own reviews.

Keith Lee’s Eats:

  • Ribs: 8.7/10
  • Brisket: 8.5/10
  • Turkey: 7.9/10
  • Original Sausage: 7.5/10
  • Cornbread: 2.5/10
  • Mac and Cheese: 1/10
  • Jalapeno Cheese Sausage: 1/10

HALAL FUSIONZ– Farmers Branch, TX

This Pakistani-Tex Mex fusion restaurant, a first in North Texas, comes with a uniquely South Asian twist and halal certified ingredients to meet the standards of Islamic dietary laws. Make sure to try their fusion dishes and everything in between!

Keith Lee’s Eats:

  • Chipotle Kheema Taco 9.3/10
  • Birria Taco: 8.7/10
  • Paneer Tikka Taco: 8.7/10
  • Paneer Tikka Masal Chili Elote: 2/10

HUTCHINS BBQ– Frisco & McKinney, TX

Named as one of Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ spots in the state, Hutchins BBQ is one of the most popular barbecue spots in North Texas and has the ability to ship orders nationwide. With more than 17,000 votes on his Instagram poll, Lee was impressed with this barbecue spot.

Keith Lee’s Eats:

  • Pork Ribs: 9.5/10
  • Brisket: 9.3/10
  • Peach Cobbler: 9/10
  • Texas Twinkie: 8.5/10
  • Sauge: 6/10
  • Potato Salad: 5/10

ABSOLUTELY EDIBLE CAKES– Rowlett, TX

Home of the Sweet Potato Thang, Absolutely Edible Cakes snagged one of the highest ratings of all time for a dessert from Keith Lee. This small cake shop has been in the area for more than 20 years and is happy to serve anyone walking through their doors with their sweet treats!

Keith Lee’s Eats:

  • Sweet Potato Thang: 9.1/10
  • Red Velvet Cake: 9/10

TASTE PROJECT– Fort Worth, TX

The Taste Project did not receive any rating from Keith Lee and that is because of their mission. Keith Lee spread the message on his social platforms that the Taste Project is “one of the dopest restaurants” he’s ever seen. They believe everyone should have access to healthy nutritional food and base pay on the following forms of payment:

  • Pay what you can afford,
  • Pay what you would typically pay, or
  • Pay what you would typically pay, plus a little extra.

They are opening another location in Arlington, TX walking distance from the University of Texas at Arlington. A fundraising campaign is in progress with about 20% of their goal still needing to be reached to open the restaurant before summer.

CEEZOOS– Dallas, TX 

This Dallas bar and lounge is the perfect blend of city vibes and intimate lounging in the heart of the Dallas Region. Serving brunch and other options, CeeZoos offers live music and a one-of-a-kind experience for you and your friends to enjoy.

Keith Lee’s Eats:

  • Chicken and Waffles: 8/10
  • Lamb chops with sides: 3/10
  • Breakfast Patties with sides: 1/10

ROOTS SOUTHERN TABLE– Farmers Branch, TX 

Chef Tiffany Derry, two-time James Bear Award finalist in 2022 and TV personality, established Roots Southern Table in 2021 with menu items inspired by her upbringing. This fine dining restaurant features southern dishes with strong Louisiana influences and locally sources their ingredients for a fresh and authentic feel to each of their dishes!

Keith Lee’s Eats:

  • Short Ribs: 7/10
  • Cornbread Muffins: /10
  • Biscuits: 6.5/10
  • Duck Fried Chicken: 6/10
  • Gumbo: 4/10

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Keith Lee and his family looked forward to trying different restaurants his follower suggested all around the Dallas Region. Unfortunately, some restaurants were closed on weekdays and were not able to try out their foods. Here are those restaurants along with their Instagram handles:


















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Live Well, Be Well

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With the new year around the corner, new goals come along too. The Dallas rRegion offers a plethora of opportunities for anyone to start or expand on their wellness journey. With one-of-a-kind parks and outdoors, and several places for anyone to unwind and relax, we have some of the best locations to help you on your wellness journey. 

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DALLAS YOGA CENTER

Inspiring the community towards mindful, meaningful, and healthier lives, the Dallas Yoga Center brings an assortment of classes and teachers to help everyone’s wellness goals. This center also provides teacher training and mentorship programs to help provide education and support for your teaching practice while getting some experience under your belt teaching on the Dallas Yoga Center’s schedule. Whether you are starting off on your wellness journey, or trying something new, the Dallas Yoga Center is sure to help you on your journey. 

BLUE FEATHER

Ever heard of Aerial Yoga? Co-owned by sisters Deidre and Sonja, the Blue Feather studio guides you through yoga poses with the help of some silky hammocks for a yoga experience many guests love and enjoy. Being eco-conscious, the studio encourages you to bring your own water bottle or purchase boxed water on-site.

BREATHE MEDITATION AND WELLNESS

This wellness studio provides over 100 classes a week with easy and accessible meditation classes and others that help de-stress and be present. With different methods to de-stress and relax, Breathe Mediation and Wellness gives guests the confidence and assurance of intentional and meaningful meditation. 

THE NOW MASSAGE

Featuring different locations throughout the region, The Now Massage offers massages with different features. With its open and airy atmosphere, guests love to relax and recover, and you can too! Offering the same services across its locations in Lower Grenville, Preston Park Village, and across different states, The Now Massage continues to expand and help everyone on their wellness journey.

SOUND WAVES WELLNESS 

Since opening its doors in 2021, Sound Waves Wellness provides guests with audio therapy, visual therapy, salt yoga, salt massages, guided meditation and more. Sound Waves Wellness features a children’s room to also unwind with the kiddos. Want to unwind with your friends? You can! Have a movie night, guided mediation class, or share a charcuterie board in their group room.  

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Milton Sleep Company

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Milton Sleep Company teams with SM Wright Foundation to help southern Dallas children get their ZZZ’s

Sleep helps cognitive function and emotional regulation, but a good night’s rest is hard to come by.

Let’s face it. Few things have as big an impact on our overall wellbeing as a good night’s rest. But for many people, sleep is elusive. An always-on culture combined with individual stressors adds to many people complaining of insomnia. The CDC estimates that one-in-three people don’t get enough sleep. That translates into an estimated U.S. economic impact of more than $411 billion dollars each year.

For children ages 9 or 10, researchers at the National Institute of Health have found those children who got an insufficient amount of sleep (defined as less than nine hours per day) showed more mental health and behavioral problems like impulsivity, working memory, and conflict resolution – all of which persisted at a two-year follow-up.

In southern Dallas, the SM Wright Foundation is trying to address that problem through its Beds for Kids program, with the help of partners like Milton Sleep Company – a local manufacturer with a history of giving back.

“Not all families can afford beds for everyone, so some kids sleep on sofas or even the floor,” said SM Wright, II, president, CEO, and cofounder of the SM Wright Foundation. “But we know that when kids get good sleep, they learn better. Their behavior is better, that’s why we started Beds for Kids.” He says since starting in 2010, the program has given away more than 20,000 mattresses.

With a factory in Dallas, more than 70 years of experience, and the convenience of a ‘mattress in a box,’ Milton Sleep Co. saw an obvious connection.

“My grandparents had a history of philanthropy,” said CEO Michael Karotkin. “We’re trying to carry that forward … everybody deserves a great night’s sleep, especially children.”

That’s why on October 19, the company donated 10 mattresses and bed frames to S.M. Wright – a value of about $10 thousand dollars.

“On behalf of our 135 employees in our factory in Dallas, Milton is delighted to make life a little easier for some children through Beds for Kids,” said Karotkin.

The company started doing business in Austin in the 1930s and grew to become the largest furniture manufacturer west of the Mississippi River.

Back in 1959, the company signed a licensing agreement with Serta Mattresses, and ran both the furniture manufacturing and mattress businesses successfully for several decades. In 2003, they stopped manufacturing furniture to focus solely on the mattress business, which has seen several innovations in the recent past.

“We acquired compression technology and put it to work,” said Karotkin. It flattens, rolls, and shrink-wraps mattresses to a size that will fit inside most SUVs. This “mattress in a box” hit the market in 2021, as a direct-to-consumer product and, along with Milton Sleep Company’s traditional product, helped the overall business grow by 25% in 2022.

Between distribution through a variety of Texas retailers, as well as the ability to ship anywhere domestically, Milton is on track for 15% growth in 2023. True to its roots, the company has a longtime strategic partnership with the Austin FC Soccer Club and Foster Angels of Central Texas. And now, after being in business for nearly 90 years, and helping millions of Texans get a good night’s rest, the company has found a new way to provide value – helping Southern Dallas children get to sleep.



Rose Johnson

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“When you look at traditional education now, it kind of ends at the ‘learn,’ right? You’re in school and you learn but where do you get that ‘experience‘, and where do you ‘do’?”

Rose Johnson, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Esposure, has sought the answer to that question more than once. Now she’s in a position to help answer it and put young women on the path to a career in STEM.

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Growing up in Dallas, Johnson said she remembers always asking her mother how things worked. It was Johnson’s natural curiosity that led her to the University of Missouri, and then into a career in technology where she worked in logistics as an analyst and eventually the energy industry as a management consultant. Johnson’s career took her to a few different states, but she always knew she would return to Dallas someday.

Johnson’s son, Danny Martin, taught her about gaming, and together, they founded Esposure in 2021 in Duncanville. They recognized that it could both give Southern Dallas County another entertainment venue and provide transformational experiences for young people. The esports industry is expected to swell to $1.87 billion by 2025, from just over $1.38 billion in 2022, according to Statista, and Esposure wants to play a part in helping young people learn how they can get a piece of that.

For example, on a tour of the facility, students from Frisco ISD learned about the number of careers that exist within the esports industry. The production of one event represents about 50 career tracks including graphic design, videography, and marketing. Being on a team and holding a controller is just the part people see.

But Johnson said esports is much more than an extra-curricular activity, and Esposure is more than just showing students what’s possible. With its STEM accreditation, students can create full-service tournaments, design a microsite, and make social media posts—all while earning school credit. Johnson said Martin is working with the Texas Education Association to create an esports curriculum, but it will likely take a few years before it is in schools in the Dallas Region. Johnson noted that when Esposure visits schools and ask the students if they game, about 90% say yes, and it’s equal between genders. Unfortunately, at the professional level, 90% of the gamers are men.

That’s why, as CTO, Johnson enjoys being a role model and mentor for young women.

“I think women are actually very good at science and math, but there’s a translation there where they’re not really translating it properly,” Johnson said. “So having a mentor that helps you realize your power in technology is very important.”

Johnson still recalls advice from one of her mentors. While holding a pager, her mentor said, “Don’t ever focus on this, focus on what makes this beep.” Now she’s helping students figure out the modern equivalent of making a pager beep – and they’re gaining real skills they can add to their digital resume.

Outside of work, Johnson likes to walk the Southern Dallas County trails, frequenting Cedar Hill State Park. She also looks forward to the completion of the Southern Gateway Park project, which will connect both sides of Dallas. Connectedness is something she values about the Dallas Region, and one of the reasons she keeps saying “yes.” Geographically, it’s very spread out, but if you have an idea, if you need help creating something, this is the place you want to be. She said people here have “true grit and heart,” making the Dallas Region inclusive, accessible, genuine, and helpful.



Dylan Green

Name: Dylan Santos Green

City/ Neighborhood: South Dallas

Company/Title: Creative Director (Dylan S. Green Design) / Marketing & Brand Director (Brist MFG) / Realtor (Rogers Healy and Associates)

When did you move here? Where from? I moved to Dallas August 27, 2021 from Portland, OR

What made you Say Yes to Dallas? Once I learned more about Dallas and visited a few times it was a very easy yes. If a city isn’t growing it’s dying, and Dallas is the polar opposite of that, which was a very welcome change from what I experienced on the West Coast.

How has your opinion of the Dallas Region changed since moving here? If anything, my positive opinions have been reinforced into positive beliefs since moving here. I’d say that the quality of people, economic viability, and abundance mentality are the top three things that excite me about Dallas. Oh wait – the restaurants and bars are #1.

Tell us about your city/neighborhood. What do you like best? What makes it different? South Dallas is a part of Dallas that folks prefer not to talk about, but for that reason it’s one of the last affordable places for folks to buy a home while being under 10 minutes from the city. To me, that represents a narrow window of incredible opportunity. There’s also a lot of history that comes with the territory, which is something that I feel should be discussed more as well.

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off? I have a 24-hour day of Dallas that I created for visitors. It’s highly aggressive and one of the best ways to experience the city. The abridged version, and maybe my favorite pieces: grab a bottle of wine and snacks at Central Market, picnic at White Rock Lake, and then head to a concert in the city.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to move here? Get to know your neighborhood but explore every corner of DFW. From Denton to Tyler to Oak Cliff to Flower Mound every community feels like its own world, offering a variety of unique experiences and lifestyle opportunities.

What would you miss most about the area if you had to leave? The diversity, variety, kindness, and sun.

Tell us about the work environment here. Prior to getting my real estate license I was working from home 14+ hours a day, which was severely unpleasant. Since I earned my real estate license, I now spend more time working with and amongst other Dallasites and it’s absolutely phenomenal.

What is your favorite restaurant in your neighborhood? Local by Tracy Miller in Deep Ellum, Ichigoh in Deep Ellum, Niwa in Deep Ellum, Ngon in Lower Greenville

Where do you go to experience culture? Why do you like it? Carrollton HMart is where I can confidently find every ingredient to any Filipino dish, I try to recreate from my memories of family dinners.

Who is your local hero? Why? Rogers Healy. Honored to work alongside someone with such vision, attitude, and tenacity. It resonates deeply with the simple approach of “if you want it make it happen”. I’ve never had a mentor and being around someone like Rogers shows me the impact a mentor can have.

Where do you feel you are nearest to your “tribe” in the Dallas Region? When I’m watching my friends win, whether it’s playing live music (shout out to Kevin Arellano), running their bars (shout out to Iluggy Recinos), or closing deals (the whole RHA team, y’all are killers).

How do you interact with your community? With gratitude. I’m so grateful to be here and don’t take for granted the incredible moments I get every time I step outside my door.

Anything else you want to add? Dallas is a hidden secret and part of me wants to keep it that way. But for anyone with a good heart, a sense of adventure, and a desire to be a part of something, it’s home.