Fried Chicken News

Fat Chicken restaurant in Rockwall rules and there's a good reason why

Here's the reason why.

Photo courtesy of Fat Chicken

The list of casualties from Trinity Groves, the West Dallas restaurant incubator founded by Phil Romano in 2013, surpasses the success stories, but one tasty exception is Fat Chicken, the homey mom-and-pop serving excellent Texas comfort food, with fried chicken as a centerpiece.

The restaurant has had a more complicated journey than most, to get where it is today: a friendly neighborhood spot in Rockwall, in a small shopping center at 3045 N. Goliad St., where it draws locals for its signature fried chicken and homey desserts.

Credit the determination of husband-and-wife owners Linda Mazzei and DJ Quintanilla, not to mention the holy trinity of great food, service, and atmosphere.

The couple were part of the first crop of incubated concepts to launch at Trinity Groves, first with a global-cuisine spot called Resto Gastro Bistro, then rebooting as Fat Chicken in 2017, which they relocated to Rockwall in 2018.

In an unprecedented move, Fat Chicken briefly closed in July when Mazzei discovered she had pneumonia, requiring an eight-day stay at Parkland Hospital. Her family had to step in so that Mazzei would take time to recover.

"She's just go-go-go-go and she doesn't know when to stop," DJ says.

"My mother said, 'If you die, you’ll never get to open again,'" Mazzei says, laughing. "They convinced me that it's better to take care of yourself, even if that meant opening later than I wanted."

Walking into this cozy restaurant feels like being back in your grandma's dining-room. Mazzei, whose experience includes working with the Lombardi restaurant group as well as chefs such as Stephan Pyles, lovingly created this space with her childhood memories in mind.

She drew from memories of her great-grandmother's home, from the yellow paint on the walls, to the gingham curtains and country-style furniture. Much of the decoration came from her sister's garage, and from customers and friends that gifted her several chicken ornaments.

Regulars make up most of their clientele. Mazzei is there every day from open to close; if you visit, you see her greeting customers by name.

The decor matches the food, which is like a chef's version of homemade. There are funky dishes like fried pickles but also gourmet offerings such as an arugula salad with fennel and shaved manchego cheese.

Mazzei is also a masterful baker, turning out better-than-homemade cakes, cookies, and other desserts that have their own dedicated following.

Menu highlights include:

deviled eggs
jalapeno pimento cheese fritters
Asian chicken salad
chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and house-made cream gravy
a burger topped with bacon and a fried egg

They cover chicken in all sorts of ways: chicken tacos, chicken pot pie, Korean fried chicken, and chicken & donuts, a decadent spin on the usual chicken & waffles.

Their signature fried chicken comes in combos with house-made biscuits and coleslaw, or in a variety of sandwiches with toppings such as pickles or blue cheese dressing.

They make their own buttermilk brine, and the breaded coating is from a recipe by DJ that uses garlic and fresh thyme, the perfect herb for chicken.

They pay close attention to the marinating time. "If you leave it in the marinade too long, the chicken loses its body," Mazzei says.

In a world of chains, it's a treasure to find something this personal.

The result: Whether a chicken tender or a fat chicken wing, the chicken was moist, with a pleasant buttermilk tang, enclosed in a crust that was nicely spiced but not spicy, and crisp. Probably crisp enough to survive the drive back to Dallas — although I can't say for sure, since mine didn't make it that far.

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West Dallas gets new Spanish-Peruvian restaurant with big-name chef

Photo courtesy of Ulloa's

Paella will be on the menu.

A new restaurant with a high-profile culinary director will bring Spanish and Peruvian flavors to West Dallas: Called Ulloa’s, it is coming to 727 Fort Worth Ave., with a projected opening in March 2027.

The concept is from philanthropists Susan and Woodrow Gandy, who were previously investors in the historic Belmont Hotel just around the corner. They've teamed up with Dallas celebrity chef Kent Rathbun as culinary director, along with Christopher Tunnell as general manager to lead the front of the house.

Rathbun is a name Dallas diners know well, with a resume that includes The Mansion on Turtle Creek, the Landmark Restaurant at the historic Melrose Hotel, Seventeen Seventeen at the Dallas Museum of Art, Abacus, Jasper's, Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen, and more. He's won numerous awards and made multiple appearances on Food Network. He was most recently behind the launch of On The Rocks, an Italian bistro in Burleson.

Chef Kent Rathbun will be the culinary director of Ulloa's. Photo courtesy of Kent Rathbun

Tunnell’s background spans both culinary direction and front-of-house operations. He worked at Los Angeles hot spots Ketchup, Geisha House, and Les Deux, as well as the Mandalay Bay and The Mirage in Las Vegas, before moving to Dallas to open The Mexican, the upscale restaurant in the Design District.

“I am truly excited to partner with Chef Kent Rathbun, whose reputation is amazing — not only in the DFW Metroplex, but in the culinary world,” Tunnell says. “He has been with this project since the beginning, helping develop it; this will be a very chef-driven, culinary-forward restaurant.”

The team's vision for Ulloa’s is both culinary and urban, with hopes of anchoring the corridor and attracting other businesses to Fort Worth Avenue — a stretch connecting downtown Dallas with Oak Cliff that remains somewhat underdeveloped despite its panoramic skyline views.

The restaurant is named for Spanish explorer, astronomer, and scientist Antonio de Ulloa, who spent extensive time in the Mexican peninsula before becoming Louisiana’s first governor. During his travels, Ulloa documented a fogbow — a circular rainbow formed when sunlight meets mist that causes silhouettes standing between the sun and fog to appear ringed in light, a phenomenon known today as “Ulloa’s Rings.”

That vibrant phenomenon inspired both the restaurant's identity and logo. The concept promises "bold, worldly flavors in a welcoming neighborhood setting inspired by exploration and discovery,” the owners say.

Ulloa's Rendering of Ulloa's.Rendering courtesy of Ulloa's

While the menu remains in development, Tunnell describes the culinary direction as “Spanish soul with a Peruvian heart.” The kitchen will merge the coastal flavors of both traditions — ranging from paellas and ceviches to crafted cocktails and signature adaptations by Rathbun.

The 200-seat, two-story space will feature a downstairs dining room, a large bar, and an outdoor patio. Upstairs, plans call for a secondary bar, a private dining room, a patio, and an expansive balcony patio, offering views of the city's skyline and of the Margaret Hunt Hill and Margaret McDermott bridges.

While the upstairs space will be available for private events, the owners intend for it to operate primarily as an organic extension of the main restaurant. The buildout will include a guest elevator along with ample parking, including both self-parking and valet options.

The team says the restaurant will have have an aesthetic that's “warm, theatrical, generous, elegant but alive, with the energy of a great Spanish tapas bar and the soul of Peruvian hospitality.”

Ulloa’s plans to launch with dinner service first, followed by lunch and weekend brunch.

restaurants bars peruvian flavors west dallas oak cliff kent rathbun