Coffee News

Elegant new coffee shop from Dallas influencer blooms in Garland

Lattes and pastries make the world go 'round.

Bloom Cafe

There's a cool new coffee shop in Garland, opened by a Dallas influencer and her family. Called Bloom Café, it's in a small center just north of George Bush Turnpike, at 1815 Campbell Rd., where it's doing coffees, breakfast goods, and desserts.

Bloom is owned and operated by Saria Almaktabi, famous for her Dallas Food Wanderer Instagram page, and her entire family.

A UTD graduate who now works in healthcare management, she and her family have lived in the area for more than 20 years, which is how she knew it was missing a boutique coffee shop.

"I was hoping that somebody would open something different beyond a chain coffee shop, it was always on my mind," she says. "It ended up being us."

They serve coffee from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters and have a selection of innovative signature drinks that include:

Bloom Latte: rose, vanilla, espresso, milk
Dreamy Latte: vanilla, espresso, milk, cream, and caramel drizzle
Judy Moody Latte: toffee crunch, caramel, espresso milk
Pistachio Latte: Pistachio, espresso, milk

They rotate in seasonal drinks such as peppermint hot chocolate and pumpkin latte. Almond and oat milk are available as alternative options for an extra charge.

They also offer baked goods including croissants, muffins, pumpkin bread, chocolate-chip cookies, cranberry & blueberry scones, Danishes, and cake pops from New York Bagel and Bakery, also family-owned.

Eventually, they'll expand the menu, adding specialty teas and chai, plus gluten-free and savory food items.

Everybody in Saria’s family is involved. Her dad and brother worked on the site construction, and her siblings are baristas. Her mom and sister worked on menu and design alongside Saria.

The atmosphere is warm, elegant, open, and airy. Colors are bright and luxurious, a mix of rose, gold, and black. Tables have marble tops. The cups, done in a tasteful black, have inspirational quotes.

Beyond meeting the coffee needs of their neighborhood, they hope to cater to the Arab and Muslim community in North Garland, with late-night hours during Ramadan, for example.

"We're getting requests to use the space for women groups, and I'm also thinking about hosting monthly events and pop-ups," Saria says. She wants to bring events that are typically found in Dallas right to her shop.

"The drive can be too long to Dallas. I want to bring the same experiences to Garland," she says.

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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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