Ice Cream News

Ice cream shop noted for its clever 'waffle bowls' to open in Forney

Waffle ice cream bowl from Mix It Up.

dallas.culturemap.com

A popular ice-cream food truck in Forney is expanding to a storefront and just in time for Christmas: Called Mix It Up Creamery, it'll open at 301 Marketplace Blvd. #311, a few miles from where the food truck has held court at 18222 FM 740 since summer 2022.

Mix It Up has built a following for the superb creaminess of its ice cream and for its signature waffle bowls: like a waffle cone but molded into a bowl shape, the mold for which owner Bruce Moore fashioned himself.

Taking a cone and transforming it into a bowl allows it to hold a generous serving of ice cream - what Moore calls "three healthy scoops" - plus toppings ranging from hot fudge to brownies, nuts, and candies.

Moore relocated to Texas with his family during the pandemic, taking the money they made from selling their home in Oregon to launch Mix It Up. He previously worked in food manufacturing for Tillamook, the Oregon-based dairy company, and that's what he uses for his ice cream.

"They don’t use any whey crème – it’s all sweet crème, and the creaminess of the ice cream is really unmatched," he says.

Ice cream flavors include Dutch chocolate, chocolate chip cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, rocky road, caramel butter pecan, cookies n cream, strawberry, and vanilla.

Don’t let the name fool you: Mix It Up is not a Cold Stone-style creamery, where servers pound and combine toppings into a ball. The presentation at Mix It Up is that of a traditional ice-cream parlor with cones and their waffle bowls, which can be build-your-own or in 11 suggested combinations such as:

Birthday Cake, with vanilla ice cream, rainbow sprinkles, brownie bits, and chocolate sauce
J-Dub, with Dutch chocolate ice-cream, Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups, and peanut butter and chocolate sauce
Sass-A-Frass, with strawberry ice cream, cheesecake bites, and white chocolate sauce

Prices range from $4 to $8 and are based solely on cup size, not on the number of the toppings.

“One of my least favorite things about eating out is having to pay more for various ingredients," Moore says. "Our toppings are only limited by how many can fit inside the cup."

The shop is a new build, which has created some construction delays. But while they eagerly anticipate their opening, they're trying out new items such as their hot cocoa float - hot cocoa with a scoop of ice cream, good for cooler months. Whatever's a hit will be added to an expanded menu once the shop opens.

ice-cream desserts openings

Skewer News

Vila Brazil to bring affordable Brazilian steakhouse to Cedar Hill

Photo courtesy of Vila Brazil

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A Brazilian steakhouse known for its low-for-steak prices is coming to Garland: Called Vila Brazil, it's part of a small local chain and will open in Cedar Hill, at 305 W. RM Rd. 1382 #316, in the former Crab & Bar space, in late 2025.

Vila Brazil was founded by restaurateur Roberto de Sa, who opened the first location in Irving in 2011, as a home-grown rendition of churrascaria-type restaurants such as Fogo de Chao. A second location opened in Garland in 2024.

According to co-owner Gabriel de Sa, the Cedar Hill location will feature the same menu, including rotating chef specials at the buffet.

Vila Brazil features a lower-cost version of churrascaria, a Brazilian style of serving cuts of grilled meat from giant skewers onto diners’ plates. They offer eight cuts of meat including picanha steak, sirloin, chicken, lamb, and pork.

There’s also a salad bar buffet featuring rice, salads, vegetables, and Brazilian-inspired dishes such as cheese bread rolls and cinnamon-grilled pineapple.

Weekday lunch is $25 and dinner is $40 daily. For the buffet only, it’s $18-$21.

They own other restaurants including VB's steakhouse in Arlington and Casa Pollastro, a Brazilian-Italian concept in North Dallas. But Gabriel says they take a different approach with Vila Brazil than some of the other more expensive churrascaria restaurants in town.

"Instead we offer homemade food at an affordable price with great quality and flavor,” he says. "Our guests on average visit our store three times a month — much more frequently than your typical churrascaria."

The Cedar Hill location will be fairly large, in a 6,528 square-foot space, with an approachable casual dining atmosphere.

“We choose the Cedar Hill community for the same reason we opened in Garland, to serve an underserved community,” Gabriel says. “A fusion between a fast casual buffet and a Brazilian Churrascaria Vila Brazil is accessible to all members of the community with high value.”

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