Casa Linda News

Highland Park Cafeteria space in East Dallas finally has a new tenant

Hint hint: It's a burger place.

Photo courtesy of Rodeo Goat

One of the hottest vacancies in Dallas has a new tenant: The space in East Dallas shopping center Casa Linda Plaza that was formerly home to dining institution Highland Park Cafeteria will soon be serving up burgers and craft beer.

The space will become the newest location of Rodeo Goat, the burger-and-beer chain from Dallas restaurateur Shannon Wynne.

According to a representative from the EDENS, the landlord at Casa Linda Plaza, the restaurant is scheduled to open in spring 2022.

Highland Park Cafeteria closed in May 2020 due to hardships caused by the pandemic. The iconic cafeteria had been operating at Casa Linda Plaza since 2007, but its roots dated back to 1925.

HPC was hit particularly hard because of its cafeteria model, a style that became completely non-viable in the height of the virus.

Rodeo Goat will not face those issues, and Wynne has planned a number of changes that will make the location friendly in the post-pandemic world, says EDENS spokesman Michael Hale.

The location's original footprint was 12,000 square feet, which EDENS has split into two. Rodeo Goat will occupy the outer space on the corner, facing the side street, Losa Drive.

"Shannon has some exciting plans that include the creation of an indoor-outdoor space with a big patio," Hale says. "He's going to put in trees so it's shaded, and will transform that spot — creating an outdoor hangout you can go to after a baseball game or a visit to the Arboretum."

It's Wynne's first foray into East Dallas (Rockwall doesn't count). "Going through this process, I think he started to get the funky east Dallas vibe," Hale says.

It's a great voucher for the shopping center, which has undergone a makeover and signed a number of interesting restaurant concepts including Ellen's, Chiloso, Zaap Kitchen, Maya's Modern Mediterranean, El Porton Coffee, and most recently, Baldo's Ice Cream.

EDENS received many inquiries about the space. "We did have a lot of interest, although surprisingly, a lot were not restaurant-related," Hale says. "But we really wanted to provide a restaurant in that space."

For those retailers who were knocking, there's hope: The other half of the original cafeteria space, which will be snuggled between Rodeo Goat and Albertsons, is still up for rent.

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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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