Ten new eateries open, one closes

At least ten new eateries have opened locally within the past few months, three more are about to open and one restaurant actually closed — to the surprise and disappointment of many. There may be more outside of Rockwall which I just haven’t seen yet.

Which one closed? Carrabbas Italian Grill, next to Saltgrass Steakhouse. A Carrabbas manager that I spoke to said that they just weren’t making enough money and hoped to return within two years.

The ten new eateries include five at the Harbor, plus five in various locations across the County. Located at the Harbor are AGAVE Restaurant & Tequila Bar; Blue Canyon Kitchen, Tavern & Wine Bar; Celebrity Cafe & Bakery; El Potrillo de la Sandia; and Volare Italian Bistro. The additional five are Don Martin’s Tacqueria, located on Ridge Road near Cici’s Pizza; Chipotle and The Cotton Patch, both in the Shopping Center in front of Circuit City; the Bistro, on Goliad, just South of the Downtown Square; plus Alejandro’s Mexican Restaurant, located on Dalrock, just North of I-30.

 

Opening soon will be Kuons Thai & Sushi, located next to Joe Willy’s Restaurant, in the Shopping Center facing Hwy. 205 at I-30; plus Taco Cabana, now under construction next to Steak ‘N Shake, on the I-30 feeder road, just East of Ridge Rd. Chan’s Chinese Food has also just put up their sign on the old Cinemark Theatre building, just north of the intersection of Ridge and Horizon Roads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very tasty Vietnamese food at Pho Garden!

I almost forgot to write that my wife and I enjoyed a light dinner last Friday night at Pho Garden Vietnamese Noodle House, a clean, contemporary restaurant next to Office Depot in Rockwall. Roxana Roxana found her “small” (actually quite large) bowl of Vietnamese soup to be very tasty and filling. It included large portions of cabbage, carrots and other veggies, plus some slowly-simmered, tender strips of beef. She was very pleased!

I went for the simple chicken and rice plate, which I also found to be tasty and well worth trying. The thin breasts of chicken were covered with a sweet, Teriyaki-type sauce, which gave the boiled rice more flavor. It was probably more rice than I needed, but rice is the staple in Vietnam and people expect plenty of it.

Both dinners were reasonably-priced, about $7 each, and the service was exceptional. The waiter was very friendly, assisting plenty of customers to figure out what to order. Owners Ha and Quin are also very friendly and were visiting with their customers to be certain we were all pleased. Both are American citizens, having immigrated to the U.S. 14 years ago.

We recommend Pho Garden as a great little place to go for something a bit different!

That’s amore! Napoli’s chicken parmigiana…

My wife and I enjoyed eating the tasty chicken parmigiana the other night at Napoli’s quaint Italian Restaurant, located at 407 S.  Goliad, down the street from Rockwall City Hall.

The combination of the zesty tomato sauce, bubbly white cheese and golden brown coating covering the hefty pieces of real chicken breast made for one delicious dinner! I would have preferred thicker spaghetti to their very thin version, but there was plenty of it that I didn’t mind at all gobbling up. My wife also was pleased with her dinner salad. We were both disappointed with the doughy dinner rolls, which they served shortly after we placed our order. But the service was efficient, the mood was friendly – several other couples were laughing and enjoying themselves – and the ambiance was pleasant. The walls are all nicely painted to resemble sitting at a cafe on the canals in Venice. Dean Martin was singing in the background, although on a rather tinny-sounding music player.

If you’re in the mood to find tasty Italian food, in a quiet little cafe with red checkered tablecloths, we’d recommend you try Napoli’s Italian Restaurant. The eatery was previously called Bella, but was recently purchased and is now owned by the same owner who has successfully operated Napoli’s Italian Restaurant in Rowlett for years.

We’ll go back again! See you there!