Banh Mi News

Restaurant dedicated to banh mi and French bread opens in Arlington

Behold the banh mi, propped on a stand.

Lo Banh Mi Bakery

A new restaurant dedicated to the banh mi, the delectable Vietnamese sandwich, has opened in Arlington. Called Lo Banh Mi French Bakery, it's a family-owned restaurant featuring a variety of banh mi sandwiches, as well as the unique French baguettes that are a key banh mi ingredient.

Lo Banh opened in early August at 6516 New York Ave., in a space that was most recently Pho Son Nam Vietnamese Restaurant but was previously an Italian restaurant called Little Italy.

The menu includes appetizers, sandwiches, and coffee, including the much-sought-after authentic Vietnamese coffee.

There are seven kinds of banh mi, the sub-style sandwich that combines flavorful meats with "do chua" — pickled daikon and carrots — brought together with a rich mayonnaise spread.

Their sandwich options include:

Đặc biệt. Special sandwich with grilled pork and pork meatball, along with the trademark spread of liver pate, mayonnaise, and pickled veggies
Xiu Mai. Vietnamese pork meatballs in a tomato sauce
Thit Nuong. Grilled pork with lemongrass
Cha lua. Pork sausage with pate
Thit Xa Xiu. Barbecued pork
Ham, goi thu, pate. Goi thu is head cheese.
Ga. Grilled chicken thighs, shredded

They also have a cool selection of sides that include egg rolls, spring rolls, pork buns, and pâté chaud — like a Vietnamese version of a meat pie, consisting of a flaky, savory puff pastry filled with spicy ground meat.

The restaurant is owned by the Cao family, who previously owned the well-liked ABC Bakery. "We closed it a few years ago, but people still remember our bread," a spokesperson says.

That's because they made the very specific kind of French bread required for a good banh mi: a baguette with a shatter-crisp exterior and an almost feather-light crumb inside, lighter and more fragile than a traditional French baguette.

Their prices are low — banh mi run about $4 to $5 — and they offer specials such as the option to buy three sandwiches and they'll throw in a free order of spring rolls or a sandwich of your choice, and baguettes are $1.75.

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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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