Vegan News

Calif's Mendocino Farms brings stacked sandwiches to West Village Dallas

Salad or sandwich, so hard to decide.

Mendocino Farms

UPDATE 7-11-2022: The West Village location will open July 12.

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A cool sandwich concept from California is expanding its Dallas presence: Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market is opening two new locations in the Dallas area, both in high-profile mixed-use centers.

According to a release, one will open in Uptown Dallas, the other in Plano, as follows:

West Village, at 3700 McKinney Ave., #110. Opening July 12.
Legacy West, at 7000 Windrose Ave. Opening July 26.

The West Village address was previously Lorna Jane, which sold workout wear in that space since 2014, but closed all of their stores due to the pandemic.

"Known for bringing people together, West Village embodies the spirit of hospitality at the heart of Mendocino Farms," says Mendocino Farms CEO Kevin Miles. "This vibrant community of foodies is a perfect fit for our next Dallas location. We're eager to raise the bar on what guests can expect from a fast casual culinary experience, welcoming the West Village community to our herd whether they are nearby residents, professionals, or regulars on the Katy Trail."

Mendocino Farms was founded by husband-and-wife duo Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen, and is known for bountiful versions of sandwiches like the pork belly banh mi and the "Not So Fried" Chicken, a shaved, roasted chicken breast sandwich on ciabatta bread. And while not a sandwich, the avocado-quinoa superfood salad is a top seller in Texas.

The company has been on the upswing since receiving an investment from Whole Foods in 2015; the chain has nearly 40 locations in California, and will have nine in Texas including downtown Dallas and Addison, plus five in Houston.

Mendocino Farms calls itself a fun, fast-paced, upbeat, gourmet sandwich shop.

They're extremely practical if you want good-quality food at an affordable price. They're friendly to many cuisines including vegan, which they embraced ahead of the curve with two regular options: a vegan banh mi with great tofu, and their Reuben sandwich made with Unreal Deli "corned beef," which made CultureMap's list of 5 best tastes for 2020. Served on rye bread, the sandwich has apple-celery root slaw, pickles, and smoky Thousand Island dressing.

They made their Dallas debut in March 2020, and opened their second DFW-area location in Addison in March 2021. West Village will be the third.

According to a representative, these two openings will likely coincide with the chain's new spring/summer menu offerings, so diners will see new dishes along with the core classics.

A spokesperson says that, with West Village set to undergo a major redevelopment and repositioning, they saw an opportunity to increase brand awareness in Dallas in a prime space for reaching millennials and Gen Z, a growing audience for Mendocino Farms.

The center has had some big changes including the departures of both Mi Cocina and Taco Diner, replaced by Hugos Invitados and Honest Taco.

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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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