A food truck from Rockwall has brought the barbecue to Dallas: Smokin' and Rollin', specializing in BBQ and soul food, just made its debut as a restaurant, opening in the Cedars at 2017 S. Riverfront Blvd.

The restaurant comes from Stacie and Sharon Walker, who share a deep background in restaurants, catering, and cafeterias. The experience runs in their family: Stacie’s grandfather owned a BBQ place in Crockett, Texas, where he used to hang out as a kid while Sharon’s stepdad owned a BBQ catering company.

The couple launched their food truck in 2019 with the dream of one day opening a restaurant. While they originally planned to stay in the Rockwall area, closer to home, Sharon spotted the location on Riverfront Boulevard at Corinth — advantageously situated across the street from the Longhorn Ballroom and around the corner from Orr-Reed Architectural Salvage, and says they could not pass up the opportunity to bring their delicious food to a high-traffic area in Dallas.

They offer sandwiches and meats by the pound including chopped or sliced brisket, chicken, sausage, and ribs, which are said to be perfectly tender, as well as the popular turkey legs.

But many come for their sides such as "Smacking Mac and Cheese," a creamy concoction with onion and tomato; honey-baked BBQ beans, smoky and sweet; and Italian green beans perked up with Rotel, a special recipe of Sharon's.

One talker is their Southern fried cabbage, an intensely soulful stir-fry featuring sliced sausage, shrimp, chopped onion, carrot, celery, chopped green cabbage, and bell pepper in three colors, green, red, and yellow. It all gets sauteed, then steamed until everything softens and melds.

"Every bite of our soul food is tender and juicy, with spices we use that give it just the right amount of zing," Sharon says. "We put a lot of love and hard work into our cooking."

For a twist on BBQ, they do nachos topped choice of single or double meat. Desserts are all housemade and include banana pudding studded with Nilla Wafers, Peach Cobbler, and Pound Cake.

They also offer affordable weekly lunch specials from 11:30 am-2:30 pm such as chopped chicken, smoked links, or fried catfish, with one side for $11.99.

The neighborhood reception has been warm.

"People stop when driving by, or else they've heard about us via word of mouth and reviews," Stacie says.

Customers rave online, saying that what sets them apart is their different take of BBQ, flavorful and tender, and they get high marks for their kind and attentive customer srvice.

The space is casual, with seating for about 50. But they're planning to double that with an extra door, per code. And key for Dallas, there is ample parking in front. They're open Thursdays-Saturday 11 am-7 pm, and Sunday from 11 am-5 pm.