Au Revoir Cafe des Artistes

Another restaurant bites the dust at One Arts Plaza

Say bon soir to Cafe des Artistes, the Lombardi Family Concepts bistro at One Arts Plaza in Dallas, which is shutting down following a final dinner on December 28.

Open just a year, the restaurant was unable to break what appears to be a bit of a jinx, both in that space and in the plaza overall. The space has already seen two iterations of Screen Door – the original Scott Jones version and then the mop-up version featuring chef David McMillan.

According to a release, the restaurant saw "acceptable business," but Lombardi president Alberto Lombardi has decided on a new strategic direction for his company: to focus on opening more branches of his two other concepts: Taverna and Toulouse. Lombardi plans to expand both concepts throughout Texas, including new locations in Fort Worth, Austin and Southlake.

Lombardi says he intends to maximize the "dual-restaurant synergy" that he's created on Knox Street in Dallas where Taverna and Toulouse are next door to each other.

In addition to Taverna and Toulouse, Lombardi's family of restaurants includes Bistro 31, Sangria, three branches of Penne Pomodoro (Lakewood, Preston and Forest, and Snider Plaza), and Lombardi's Romagna Mia in Las Vegas.

As for what is going into the Cafe des Artistes space, a staffer at the management office said, rather curtly, that no replacement had been announced.

Cafe des Artistes' departure leaves Fedora, The Greek, Jorge's and Tei An. John Tesar, we miss The Commissary!

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Recall News

USDA meat recall on salads, meals sold at groceries such as H-E-B

HEB

Southwest chicken salad at H-E-B

There's a major meat recall linked to possible listeria contamination, with hundreds of ready-to-eat meals and salads sold at supermarket and specialty store chains across the U.S., including H-E-B, Walmart, 7-Eleven, and Target.

The recall involves more than 9.9 million pounds of pre-cooked meat and poultry items produced from June 19-October 8.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released an updated list of products which include familiar names such as Dole, Boston Market, Great Value, and Michelina’s.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service found Listeria monocytogenes in poultry samples. They found the source of the bacteria in ready-to-eat chicken made by BrucePac.

They appeared in a variety of items including frozen dinners and pre-made salads sold at Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Target, 7-Eleven, Albertson’s, Aldi, Amazon Fresh, H-E-B, Kroger, Meijer, Publix, and Save Mart.

They've issued a list of all the products with packaging, many with "Best by" dates long past.

A few highlights include:

Product Name	Lot Code or Establishment Number	Best By Date
Michelina’s Cheesy Chicken & Rice Bake	J4239	8/26/2025
El Monterey Signature Chicken Enchilada Meals	24267	9/23/2025
H-E-B Caesar Pasta Salad with Chicken	34733	10/9/2024
H-E-B Southwest Style Chopped Salad Bowl	34733	10/10/2024
Boston Market Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese Casserole	J4207	7/25/2025
Trader Joe's Curried White Chicken Deli Salad	34834	10/8/2024
Trader Joe’s Green Goddess Salad with Blackened Chicken Thigh Meat	44818, 21794, 34013	10/6/2024 or prior
7-Eleven Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad	44818, 21794, 34013	10/6/2024 or prior
Good & Gather Chicken Ranch with Uncured Bacon Salad	21794, 34013, 34733	10/13/2024 or prior

No illnesses or adverse reactions have been reported but the USDA warned about the risks of eating food contaminated with listeria bacteria. Tip: One easy way to avoid getting listeria is to opt for plant-based chicken instead.

For more info, call the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov.

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