Writing was on the wall

Shuttered: Vegan restaurant V Spot gets locked out of Henderson Avenue space

Owner Delia Pisarro claims she sold V Spot to buyers in Destin, Florida.
Lockout letter posted on V Spot's door.

V Spot Cafe, the vegan restaurant on Henderson Avenue, has been shut down by its landlord for nonpayment of rent to the tune of $56,686, with no plans for reopening on the horizon.

The management company posted a notice on V Spot's front door on the night of September 10, at the same time that owner Delia Pisarro insisted that she sold the restaurant to a buyer named Bill Vance.

"I sold it to Bill and Gloria Vance, from Destin, Florida," she said. "My mother has a place there."

Over the course of three days, Pisarro promised that she would share Vance's contact phone number, then claimed she had spoken to him and that he would call "tomorrow" and describe his plans for the restaurant. We sat by the phone and held our breath, but Mystery Man Vance never called. Fooled again!

V Spot opened in November 2011 as Dallas' first serious, high-end vegan restaurant, starring noted vegan chef Tori Villarreal, who'd worked at Spiral Diner. Featuring carefully constructed dishes such as tempura eggplant stacked over layers of rice and vegetables, it earned positive reviews and represented a culinary step up from Bliss, Pisarro's raw-themed restaurant in Preston Center. With virtually no competition, the restaurant enjoyed a brisk business and became a destination for out-of-towners and celebrities such as Sharon Stone.

But Pisarro and Villarreal had a falling out in the spring. In late August, Pisarro called to say that Villareal was no longer involved with the restaurant. Other V Spot staffers say that Villarreal was sick; she did not respond to calls. Pisarro, an enthusiastic meat eater, took control of the restaurant. She sold Bliss in Preston Center to former manager Paula Sepulvado and John Vandelicht, then took over its Facebook page and announced that Bliss had "moved" to Henderson Avenue.

On September 3, she commented on the Bliss page, "I sold Bliss and closed it down. ... I merged it with V Spot but as of a week ago sold it as well."

Sepulvado has since opened Be Raw Food and Juice in the Bliss space, serving vegan food, with no drama on the side.

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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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