Deep Ellum News

New restaurant debuting in Dallas' Deep Ellum will hawk Asian street food

Wow, that is some bao.

Photo courtesy of Hawkers

A cool Asian restaurant concept that's all about street foods is coming to Texas. Called Hawkers Asian Street Fare, it will open its first Texas location in Dallas, at 2800 Main St., aka the former Curtain Club space.

According to a spokesperson, the restaurant will open in November.

Hawkers was founded in Florida in 2011 by four friends who were inspired by their family roots in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Vietnam to open a restaurant inspired by street food vendors across Asia who "hawk" their food to passers-by.

They opened their first location in Orlando, and now have 11 locations across the southeast including Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.

The menu features small plates, with signature dishes that include:

Pad Thai, the prototypical noodle dish
Roti Canai, a thin flaky pancake served with curry sauce
Korean Twice Fried Wings
Seoul Hot Chicken Bao
Curry Laksa

Other popular items include meatballs in curry sauce, spring rolls, wok-seared tofu, and skewers of bulgogi chicken or satay chicken, cooked on a traditional hibachi grill.

Brand chef Allen Lo says that the menu reflects his heritage. "So many of the dishes on our menu are my own family recipes that have been passed down generation to generation, so it’s important to me that we are sharing this food with a community that will not only appreciate it, but also celebrate it," he says.

Cocktails have an Asian spin, and they often position the bar at the front of the restaurant to make it feel energetic as soon as you enter. An open kitchen lets you see and interact with the chefs.

Decor-wise, they go for a rustic, industrial feel, with elements you might find in an Asian market or hawkers stall, IE raw materials, unpainted and unfinished wood and metal - a good fit for the neighborhood, says co-founder Kaleb Harrell in a statement.

"We are so excited to be joining the Deep Ellum community, especially because Dallas has become such an epicenter for culinary innovation and artistic advancement," Harrell says. "The sheer amount of creativity and art within the community is what inspired us to explore Dallas in the first place, and the Deep Ellum neighborhood feels like the perfect fit for our restaurant."

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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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