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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Global tastes

New food truck in Carrollton puts a Venezuelan spin on empanadas

The central Venezuelan variation of empanadas is fried whole before being sliced open to hold additional fillings and toppings.

Photo courtesy of Empanada Factory.

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A unique new food truck serving authentic Venezuelan empanadas has parked in Carrollton. Called Empanada Factory, the trailer joins a pod of quick-service food trucks at 3490 Rosemeade Pkwy., at Marsh Ln.

The new initiative comes from Gloria Romero and her husband, Samuel Gómez. Originally from central Venezuela, the couple brings a regional variation to the local food scene known as empanadas operadas ("operated empanadas"). Unlike traditional empanadas, these are fried whole first and then sliced open to add additional fillings and toppings — the "surgery" that gives the dish its name.

Made with cornmeal dough rather than wheat flour, they are significantly larger than standard empanadas, holding up to 4 ounces of filling compared to the typical 1.5 ounces in traditional empanadas.

At Empanada Factory, customers can choose from six fillings: queso blanco, jamonada (cooked ham in cubes), chicken, shredded beef, cazón (dogfish), or a seafood mix. Base empanadas range from $4 to $6, with $1 add-on toppings including black beans, cheese, plantains, chorizo, sausage, melted Gouda, and avocado.

Beyond empanadas, the menu features $12 arepa bowls — crafted from arepa dough and served with a choice of one protein and three toppings — as well as quesillo venezolano ($4), a traditional Venezuelan dessert similar to flan but with a firmer texture.

The Arepa Bowl, featuring a crispy arepa dough base filled with shredded beef, black beans, avocado, and house sauces.Photo courtesy of Empanada Factory

Drink options include lattes, drip coffee, Venezuelan sodas, and fresh fruit shakes (served frappé or on the rocks) in flavors like mango, passion fruit, blackberry, and Caribbean native fruit guanábana (soursop).

After selling out during their first two weeks, Romero and Gómez feel confident in their new home.

“Carrollton is very established in Latin culture, and the location is accessible to everybody,” Romero says. “People know the area, so they know where to find us.”

Romero and Gómez describe themselves as "eternal entrepreneurs" who have owned several businesses, including Redy POS — an all-in-one ordering platform designed for food trucks and quick-service restaurants. In addition to sharing their cultural heritage, Empanada Factory serves as a real-world test kitchen and showcase for their software, which streamlines ordering and fulfillment to keep wait times minimal. Several neighboring food trucks in the area are already Redy POS clients, they say.

Alongside a streamlined ordering system, the owners emphasize that product quality remains their primary focus.

"What you see on social media is what you actually get; we focus heavily on maintaining the quality of our food, making sure it looks and tastes just as it is displayed in our photos," Romero says.

To deliver on that standard while maintaining fast service, the couple chose to start small with a food truck model and limited weekend-only hours (8 am-2 pm). Pre-ordering is available via their website, and they offer direct, home delivery within a 10-mile radius with no third-party app markup.

carrollton food truck