Uptown Bar News

New Dallas bar with cocktail cred wants to be Uptown’s living room

Craft cocktails and a dog-friendly patio will be tops at Eastwood's Bar.

Photo by Haley Dawson

A new bar-restaurant dubbing itself the "Living Room of Uptown" is moving into a familiar address on McKinney Avenue. Called Eastwood's Bar, it'll open in mid-March in the former Belly & Trumpet space at 3407 McKinney Ave. It will offer a simple menu, craft cocktails, brunch, live music, and a patio that welcomes people and dogs alike.

Owners include Pablo Ramirez and a silent partner; general manager is Chris Henley, who brings her mixology skills from her previous stint at Bowen House.

Spokesman Dan Hunt says that they want the place to be a comfortable neighborhood bar that feels like an extension of your living room. There'll be a simple menu of about 15 items and a few desserts, and of course, brunch. There must be brunch.

"It'll be elevated but straightforward, nothing too over-the-top, but enough to get people interested," Hunt says.

Ramirez says that they're going for a slightly healthier vibe than the usual bar food. "No wings," he says. "It'll be better than the stereotypical bar food, with hummus, wraps, and a fun chicken waffle sandwich."

The bar honors a certain macho actor, Ramirez says. "I used to own a dog who would jump around and bark when I used to put on his movies," he says.

The dog thing is big. Henley is also a dog person, and one of their first philanthropy events will be a Paws in the City benefit on April 2.

"We do want to emphasize our dog-friendly patio," Hunt says. "We'll have a little fountain, and dog bones. Mutt's Cantina is eventually going to be destroyed, they're building an apartment complex. We won't have as much space, but we will have a fenced-in area that can fit 10 to 15 dogs." [Note: Mutt's Cantina owner Kyle Noonan clarifies that there are still eight years left on their lease.]

The space was most recently a short-lived bar called Uptown Pawn, whose distinctive pawn-shop theme included the option to buy antiques right off the wall. The Eastwood's group is uncowed by the fact that the location has seen other concepts come and go.

"Belly & Trumpet used to be a fun spot for double dates," Hunt says. "But we've got a great team together, and we're doing something new."

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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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