Lunch Is Served

Veteran chef whips up wholesome lunches for North Dallas office workers

If you like to seek out chef-driven gourmet food in offbeat places, head to Carverpark, an office building canteen from two well-known names in Dallas' dining scene.

Carver 150 comes from James Rowland and Fana Yohannes. He's the well-regarded veteran chef who worked at the Crescent Court (Beau Nash), Bistro Nous and Greenville Avenue Bar & Grill, among other places. She's the front-of-the-house pro from York Street and Lucia Dallas.

Carver 150 is located at the Two Forest Plaza complex at 12201 Merit Dr., near Forest Lane west of 75, and it's open for breakfast and lunch to occupants of the office building, or to anyone else who wants to dine in. Although many office buildings feature in-house delis, their menus are too often a greasy collection of low-quality fare. Carver 150 represents an unusual level of creativity and affordability for the office-bound worker bee.

"The menu changes every single day," Rowland says. "I have a big commitment to inexpensive, healthy, wholesome food. The menu is priced from $5 to $9. There's nothing more than $9 on this menu.

"But it's creative. I have no pre-set menu. We celebrate the season and what we get in. That's what I work off: I go to the market and use whatever I get."

Menus are frequently posted on their Facebook page, and at lunch hour, there's always a line. Options have included tortilla soup, almond chicken salad, penne pasta Bolognese, turkey spinach Cobb salad, Buffalo chicken wrap, or a brisket hoagie sandwich with griddled onions and potatoes.

A regular feature is house-made potato chips, which they sell in a bag. "Two days a week, we're cooking fresh potato chips and after two hours, they're all gone," Rowland says.

Carver 150 opened in 2013, but the Carver empire is expanding: The couple just opened a spinoff called Carver Park, located in a 14-story office building at 7557 Rambler Rd., near 75 and Walnut Hill Lane.

At this outlet, they've ramped up the menu with the addition of sushi, featuring the chops of a former sushi chef from Steel. Carver Park also has a larger kitchen which will likely be used as the base for a catering operation, for which Rowland has seen a great demand.

And then there are always other office buildings with tenants seeking a healthy, affordable lunch. "I think we're going to grow," he says.

Quesadillas might show up on the creative menu at Carver 150.

Photo via Yelp

Quesadillas might show up on the creative menu at Carver 150.

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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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