Sober findings

Plano ranks among America's booziest cities, sobering new study says

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Plano ranks high on this list of U.S. cities with the most drinkers.

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At this point, locals are pretty accustomed to seeing Plano nab spots on top 10 lists. Not only is it the happiest cities in America, it's home to one of the best neighborhoods to live in Texas, boasts some of the country's hardest-working residents, and is one of the best cities for job seekers.

But this new ranking is unlikely to make it to a convention and visitors bureau pamphlet. According to a June stud y released by alcohol abuse resource site Alcohol.org, Plano has the 10th highest percentage of drinkers in the country.

The rankings, which compared census figures with data culled from public information trove City-Data, actually highlight cities with the highest percentage of non-drinkers. But Plano — and the rest of Texas — failed to crack the top 50 on the list of non-imbibers.

Instead, the state nabbed 12 out of the 50 cities with the lowest percent of non-drinkers, led by Laredo at No. 4, Austin at No. 5, and Plano at No. 10.

According to the study, only 9.9 percent of Plano residents choose not to imbibe, which means 90.1 percent do. It’s important to note, though, that the list does not reveal the volume of drinking in each city. All adults who drink alcohol — from problem drinkers to those who only crack open a bottle on special occasions — were included in the data set.

One reason why some cities are boozier than others may have something to do with geography. The Alcohol.org analysis noted that the cities with the most teetotalers tended to be clustered around beaches or large bodies of water (Honolulu has the most non-drinkers at 21.2 percent). Conversely, the majority of cities with the least non-drinkers were located on the arid Southwest. Arizona has the most slots on that top 10 list, with Gilbert coming in at No. 1.

Municipalities in the Metroplex and Lone Star State were scattered across the most drinking cities list.

Laredo, No. 4
Austin, No. 5
Plano, No. 10
Dallas, No. 14
Irving, No. 15
El Paso, No. 16
San Antonio, No. 22
Houston, No. 24
Fort Worth, No. 29
Corpus Christi, No. 31
Garland, No. 35
Lubbock, No. 37

Of the state’s 10 most populous cities, only Arlington was not named. Overall, Texas outdrank the nation with the most slots on the list.

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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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