Bread News

Dallas artisan bakery Village Baking Co. expands to hip Knox district

Croissant and coffee are all you need.

Courtesy of VBC

One of Dallas' most beloved artisan bakeries is opening a new location in the perfect neighborhood. Village Baking Co., known for its French pastries and breads, will open a shop in the Knox District, at 4539 Travis St.

It'll be at the intersection of Knox, in the small building next to the former 7-Eleven that was once a florist and most recently a Parachute store. According to a representative from the company, it'll open in mid-January.

They currently have a charming storefront in the thick of Lower Greenville at 1921 Greenville Ave., as well as a wholesale outlet located in the Design District.

Village Baking has been a longtime bread presence in Dallas, founded by husband-and-wife Clint and Kim Cooper in 2004, who started baking out of their home kitchen.

"Our mission has always been to share delicious bread and pastries — baked goods we truly love — with our neighbors," they say.

They opened their first wholesale bread bakery and boulangerie on University Boulevard in 2014. The space had a small storefront where they could sell breads and baked goods to the public, but no seating.

That led them to Greenville Avenue, where they debuted their quintessential French-style boulangerie in May 2015.

They do crusty sourdough breads and authentic patisserie including scones, palmiers, financiers, chocolate truffle cakes, fruit tarts, and coconut macaroons.

They make an amazing variety of croissants, from sweet to savory, from almond and chocolate to croissants brimming with meal-worthy fillings such as ham and cheese.

They were among the first in Dallas to offer trendy items like the canele, the small, moist cylindrical French pastry; and the kouign amann, the rich croissant-based Breton treat named for cake (kouign) and butter (amann). They've also become known for their laminated brioche, sort of a fancy version of a cruffin.

Since opening the shop on Greenville Avenue, they've added sandwiches such as jambon buerre, with ham, provolone, and French butter on a baguette; and packaged items such as granola and jams made in-house.

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Tex Mex News

New restaurant Mero Mero Tex Mex fixes Frisco up with fajitas

There's a new Mexican restaurant with fajitas and house-made tortillas now open in Frisco: Called Mero Mero Tex Mex, it's a fancy Tex-Mex place that debuted in mid-September at 9179 Dallas Pkwy. #170, in a former Rockfish Seafood & Grill.

It joins an area off the Tollway near Main Street that's rife with restaurants, including Tex Mex names such as Blue Goose Cantina, almost directly across the Tollway, as well as Salsa Tex Mex and Anaya's Seafood a few blocks west.

Mero Mero is from Sanjay Regmi, who previously worked for Big-Dill Hospitality (Muchacho Tex-Mex, Casa Brasa, Even Coast, Maroma). He describes Mero Mero as "not your average Tex-Mex spot," with a full bar and a more aspirational atmosphere than the concepts nearby.

Not unlike Muchacho, Mero Mero's menu offers fajitas in four varieties: chicken, shrimp, Wagyu sirloin flap, or mixed. They come with guacamole, grilled onions, bell peppers in all the colors, borracho beans, rice, and tortillas. Prices range from $25 to $36.

Tacos include ribeye, blackened sole, al pastor with pineapple, and still-trendy birria with consommé. A unique taco is their Gobernador, a taco invented in Mexico’s northwest state of Sinaloa in the '80s, filled with shrimp and cheese. There are also enchiladas in choice of chicken, cheese, or seafood with lobster, crab, and shrimp. Tacos and enchiladas are $18 to $24.

Their tortilla chips come with a fun trio of bowls: red salsa, black bean puree, and avocado salsa. They have queso, guacamole with fried chicharrons, and flautitas filled with chorizo mashed potatoes. Plus three seafood items: shrimp aguachile, hamachi, and tuna on tostadas.

Fancier entrees include branzino; lamb barbacoa; cochinita pibil (pork shank in banana leaf); airline chicken with mole oaxaqueño; chile relleno stuffed with beef picadillo; and Wagyu New York strip, their most expensive dish at $79, served with papas bravas.

Cocktails are $15 across the board and comprise an eclectic selection with margaritas, mai tais, and an espresso martini. The bar runs along one wall of the dining room, good for dining solo or a drink, with handsome padded stools and discreetly spaced TVs.

An outdoor patio, fringed by landscaping, has been installed to the right of the entrance with seating for about 65. Inside, the 4,568-square space reveals a makeover with circular booths upholstered in maroon velvet, chandelier-style lighting, and moody Western paintings. A de rigeur neon sign depicts a longhorn with a cowboy hat and this enigmatic piece of advice: "Tex your Mex, not your ex."

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