Design District Brewery

Texas Ale Project turns Dallas Design District into bona fide brewery alley

There's more beer in the Design District thanks to Texas Ale Project.

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The Dallas Design District is shaping up to be the city's brewery district. The latest is Texas Ale Project, which has been in soft-opening mode, but a grand opening celebration is slated for April 25.

The brewery is the family project of husband and wife Brent Thompson and Kat Stevens, who began making beer in 2003. They're joined by brewmaster Jan Matysiak, who went to school in Germany and apprenticed at a brewery there before moving to the United States in 2008, and assistant brewer Michael Harper, who attended school at American Brewers Guild in Vermont.

Their beer, which is available in more than 40 bars and restaurants around Dallas, includes first four staples: Fire Ant Funeral Amber Ale, Naked Truth American Wheat, Somethin' Shady Porter and 50 FT Jackrabbit IPA.

They're calling Texas Ale Project, or T.A.P., the "first Dallas brewery to be completely built from the ground up since Prohibition." They can get away with that, because unlike other breweries, they built the location at 1001 N. Riverfront Blvd. rather than moving into an existing building. You gotta get your hooks where you can find them.

"The plot of land where we're located originally had another building," Harper says. "We had to raze it and build it new, and it's a great space with high ceilings and a spectacular set of windows on the front facade."

The brewery has already garnered a following for its beer, particularly the Fire Ant, which Harper calls a "great example of the amber-style ale," and the American wheat, which they "dry hop." The porter has the roasty, chocolate-caramel-coffee notes you'd expect; the newly introduced IPA has citrus notes offset by a crisp bitterness. "But you don't have to be a beer nerd to get into our stuff," Harper says.

One laudable trait: Nothing in the lineup is more than 7 percent ABV, meaning you won't get hammered after drinking a bottle or two.

Tickets for the grand opening event are available on Eventbrite, and details about the brewery and releases can be found on Facebook. Meanwhile, the tap room is open Thursdays and Fridays, from 5 to 9 pm, and Saturdays, from 1 to 9 pm.

Harper says they're proud to join a respectable brewers' league in the Design District. "You have Community Brewing, and then Peticolas, and Noble Rey are getting ready to open soon," he says. "Four Corners is over towards Bishop Arts but I can almost see them from here."

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Escargot News

New all-day French bistro in downtown Rockwall is all from scratch

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Belle View Bistro Rockwall

An all-day French bistro has made its debut in Rockwall: Called Belle Vie Bistro, it’s a new mom-and-pop in the charming historic downtown district, at 112 E. Rusk St., the former home of The Fatted Calf restaurant, where it opened its doors on November 12.

Belle Vie is from Luis and Iliana Marquez, a hard-working couple who also own Los Marquez, a popular taco--themed food-truck-turned-restaurant in Rockwall they first debuted in 2019. In May, the couple took over the former Fat Chicken space to open a brick and mortar location of Los Marquez, where they serve well-made Mexican food like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, but also burgers & fries. They open for breakfast with breakfast tacos, and run a daily lunch special, often creative, always popular, such as birria ramen with choice of beef or lamb for $11.

But the couple had a bigger vision of creating a place where chef Luis could stretch and showcase his skills.

"Luis has a lot of culinary experience, and it’s something that he’s been putting aside,” Iliana says. “We were just waiting on the perfect time to bring this to life.”

"This is something exciting and new for us, it’s something that we always wanted to make,” Luis says.

Like Los Marquez, Belle Vie is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, serving classics like French onion soup, moules frites, escargot, and duck confit. There are also comforting and American dishes like spinach-artichoke dip, crab cakes, and fish & chips.

Lunch features Cobb salad, a French dip, and chicken & Brie panini, while an extended breakfast -- which runs from 7 am to 4 pm — includes pancakes, waffles, eggs benedict, beignets French toast, and crepes, plus pastries and breads made from scratch.

Mural on the wall at Belle Vie Bistro RockwallFacebook

The bakery counter is a delight, with eclairs, croissants, scones, fruit tarts, and cake slices in flavors like carrot cake and white chocolate raspberry. There's also a serious coffee program with espresso drinks such as lattes.

"We pride ourselves on making everything from scratch," the duo says. "Our bread—whether for sandwiches, paninis, hamburgers or anything listed on our menu is made fresh just for us by our incredibly talented pastry chef and baker. The same care goes into our pastries and desserts ensuring every bite is special and crafted with love."

The dining room is warm and cozy with dark wood chairs and plush booths and a full-wall mural depicting a street in Paris. They also have a full bar, with cocktails and beer on tap. Prices are reasonable, ranging from $9 for a Belgian waffle during breakfast to $45 for prime ribeye at dinner.

For now, they're not taking reservations — it's first come, first serve.

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