Coronavirus News

Dallas bakers are whipping up creative coronavirus-inspired treats

The good thing about these is there is no limit, buy as many as you want.

Photo courtesy of London Baker

Taking a page out of Marie Antoinette's book, Dallas-area bakers are helping residents deal with the toilet paper pandemic by turning it into cake.

The London Baker, a bakery in Lewisville's Castle Hills Village Shops known for its elaborate cake sculptures, has introduced two new Quarantine Cakes shaped like toilet paper rolls with nicknames like "#Surviving2020" and "Survival Kit."

A six-inch cake costs $45 for popular non-premium flavors including Wedding Cake, Strawberry Bliss, and Double Dutch Chocolate. Premium and boozy flavors cost a little extra.

Located at the Castle Hills Village Shops, at 2540 King Arthur Blvd., London Baker is from cake artist Elizabeth Rowe, originally of Essex, England, who opened her bakery in Fort Worth in 2016 before relocating to the Castle Hills Village Shops in 2018. She has appeared on national cooking shows like Food Network's Cake Wars.

"I think it's so important to find or create joy in a dark situation, that’s why I do what I do," Rowe says in a statement. "We always try to enhance happiness and make people's celebrations better through laughter – quarantine is no exception. All of us here at The Village Shops are doing what we can to continue serving the community we’re part of. Cakes and cookies make people happy, so like Marie Antoinette once said, Let them eat cake!"

Rowe is not alone: During these coronavirus times, toilet paper cakes have become a national phenomenon, saysFood & Wine magazine. The cylindrical shape of a cake is a ringer for a roll of toilet paper.

Other area bakers who've crafted cakes with a toilet paper theme include Loft22 Cakes in Fort Worth, who are doing a series of cakes including one with a convincing circular swirl on top that sure looks like the real thing. Their other cakes boast COVID-19 messages on top like "Don't Touch Your Face" and "Wash Your Hands."

They come in three flavors, white/funfetti, chocolate, and red velvet and are $50.

"The quarantine cakes have been a huge hit, and honestly have been our saving grace this past week," Loft22 owner Tareka Lofton says.

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Wine News

Dallas-based Cru Food and Wine Bar closes location in Allen

Cru - A Wine Bar

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A revered neighborhood wine bar in Allen has poured its last glass: Cru Food and Wine Bar closed its location at 842 Watters Creek Blvd. in Watters Creek Village after 16 years.

Cru is the cosmopolitan wine bar chain founded by Patrick Colombo, veteran Dallas restaurateur and CEO of Restaurant Works (Princi Italia, Nick & Sam’s). He opened the first location in the West Village shopping center in Dallas in 2002 with a formula of 30 wines by the glass and 300 bottles from around the world, with a casual menu of food inspired by the Napa Valley.

A second location opened in Plano in 2004. Allen opened in 2008, and a third opened in Fort Worth in 2017.

According to Colombo, their lease at Watters Creek ended in January.

"A new landlord took over, and we were unable to reach an agreement," he says.

The wine bar was a reliable destination, open for lunch, dinner, and brunch, with sharable plates, sandwiches, and wood-fired pizzas. They also hosted events such as wine tastings and live music nights.

The staff at Allen found jobs at other locations under Restaurant Works' portfolio, including Cru and Princi Italia, including chef Terry Vila, who is now executive chef at the Legacy West location.

After all their years in Allen, they built a strong following but are seeing some regulars at their Plano location, Colombo says.

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