Closure News

Upscale Mexican restaurant in former El Fenix in Addison closes after 4 years

Photo courtesy of Meso Maya

In surprising news, an upscale Mexican restaurant in Addison has closed: Meso Maya, which had been open at 5280 Belt Line Rd. since 2018, has closed.

David Romano, president of Local Favorite Restaurants, Meso Maya's parent company, said in a statement that they closed on June 12.

Despite our best efforts to continue operations, the landlord has other plans for the property," Romano said. "It was our pleasure serving the community and we look forward to seeing our guests at other nearby locations."

Part of Local Favorite Restaurants which also includes El Fenix, Taqueria La Ventana, and Snuffer's, Meso Maya is known for high-end Mexican food with dishes ranging from traditional tacos with skirt steak, to entrees such as short rib relleno and tamarind-glazed salmon, but at reasonable prices, with entrees topping out at $23.

They make their own tortillas on site and they also have a pretty incredible bar program that includes eight margarita options such as avocado and a mango sangrita, featuring a house-made mango sangrita swirl in a frozen house margarita.

The space was previously an El Fenix, but Meso Maya was deemed a better fit with the surrounding businesses and other restaurants in the area. Of course, that was pre-pandemic, but Local Favorites founder Mike Karns says the restaurant was doing quite well, and it wasn't their choice to leave.

"We wanted to stay in the location and had a big investment in the space," Karns says. "Unfortunately, we missed a lease renewal date, very far out. Northwood Retail, which owns the property, took advantage of that and would not allow us to renew even though we were willing to renew until full lease terms. We begged and pleaded and offered to make any kind of compromise."

"We appreciate our loyal guests over the last five years, and hope they join us at our Preston Forest location nearby," Karn says.

Located at the intersection of Montfort, the restaurant was situated in a visible spot.

That section of Belt Line Road has seen turnover, including the closure of the longtime Houston's in 2020. Restaurants that have opened in that area since include Mendocino Farms, Flower Child, and Shake Shack.

There are currently five Meso Maya locations, including downtown Dallas, plus Preston-Forest, Lakewood, West Plano, and Fort Worth.

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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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