Coffee News

Starbucks opens its second charitable-ish Community Store in Dallas

Starbucks at the Casa View Shopping Center.

Courtesy photo

Everyone's favorite coffee chain Starbucks has opened one of its rare Community Stores in Dallas, in a neighborhood that is absolutely thrilled to have it: the cool, up-and-coming Casa View area, on the very east side of town, if you go any further east, you're in Mesquite.

The store is located at 10305 Ferguson Rd., in the Casa View Shopping Center in a very prominent location on the corner of Gus Thomasson Road, in what used to be a Payless shoe store, which closed in 2018.

The shopping center has been executing an ongoing facelift/renovation, and that particular storefront has been a major focus for the neighborhood, with many hopes and dreams about what might go there. Obviously, getting a Starbucks is a dream come true.

Starbucks Community Stores focus on local hiring, partnerships with local nonprofits, and working with diverse contractors and subcontractors. They feature local artists and provide a unique in-store space for local events and programs.

According to a release, this is their 25th Community Store nationwide, and the second Community Store in the Dallas area. The first opened in 2018 in Red Bird, where it's been welcomed by the community. The store has strong partnerships with local organizations and has played a role in many key community events, such as working with Kimball High School on a business pitch competition and hosting a COVID-19 vaccine pop-up.

The Casa View location has 32 employees and includes a community gathering space for local events.

It also has a custom mural by local East Dallas artist, Alec de Jesus, which illustrates community growth, transformation, generational ties and the way coffee often plays a role in these connections.

To celebrate the store's dedication, Starbucks is donating $2,500 to each of the following non-profits:

Wilkinson Center - supporting Dallas families that face challenges such as food insecurity, lack of education, economic instability, unemployment & underemployment.
Owenwood Farm and Neighbor Space - tackling hunger in East Dallas through its community garden programming.

Starbucks' goal is to open 100 Community Stores across the U.S. by 2025. Most seem to be in less-gentrified neighborhoods than Starbucks' usual locations. (In Dallas, that would mean "Not On Preston Road.")

Following the 2020 Census, the Casa View neighborhood was determined to be primarily Hispanic, which is why the neighborhood was wedged into District 2 by the city of Dallas Redistricting Commission, in order to guarantee a solidly Hispanic district on the Dallas City Council.

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Taco News

Mexican American restaurant in Grand Prairie does crazy street snacks

Asiago Grill

Tacos from Asiago Grill

There’s a darling new family-owned restaurant in Grand Prairie doing a different twist on Mexican: Called Asiago Mexican American Grill, it just opened in a little corporate park off SH 360, in what used to be an African food buffet restaurant at 2100 N. SH 360 #2004-2005 Bldg 20.

Asiago is worth seeking out because owners Erik Escobedo and Yamile Cambron, who previously spent 17 years in catering, are pouring their heart and soul into the venture.

The restaurant serves a crowd-pleasing mix of Mexican and American classics, featuring family recipes and popular dishes from their catering days: street tacos, carne asada fries, and a burrito chile relleno, featuring a poblano pepper stuffed with mozzarella and carne asada, folded inside a tortilla.

There are tortas on hoagie-like bolilo bread with options such as birriera and beef asadera, mayo, cilantro, mozzarella, and grilled onions.

On the American side, they offer burgers, chicken tenders, and wings in four flavors: lemon pepper, buffalo, garlic parmesan, and orange pepper.

“A lot of people in Texas are used to Tex-Mex restaurants, but this is more Mexican and traditional American,” Escobedo says.

Part of their goal is also to introduce dishes you don't find everywhere else. For example, a sincronizada — similar to a quesadilla, except that a quesadilla is a single tortilla, filled and folded, while a sincronizada is more like a sandwich, with the tortillas standing in for the bread. Asiago fills theirs with cheese, chorizo, ham, and avocado.

Tostilocos are another Mexican street snack you won't find on many Dallas streets. It consists of Tostitos tortilla chips topped jicama, cucumber, Japanese peanuts, and pickled pork rinds. lime juice, hot sauce, and chamoy. (The name "Tostilocos" literally translates to "crazy Tostitos".)

For the workers nearby, they do breakfast every morning, with breakfast sandwiches, chilaquiles, and burritos.

“I have some customers who come at night, and if they say they want an egg burrito, I make them,” Escobedo says. “I don’t have a limit on the items.”

The restaurant occupies a 2,800-square-foot space with seating for 80 people. In addition to the restaurant, it's also home to a fruiteria with snacks and desserts such as churros, both regular cinnamon sugar as well as stuffed churros filled with cajeta caramel sauce. There are also fruit cups, mangonadas, and milkshakes with a dairy-free option.

There’s no alcohol although Escobedo says they may add beer plus karaoke nights on certain Fridays.

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