The Richardson-based Italian restaurant Aboca’s Italian Grill (10455 N. Central, 214.346.1700) has opened a second location at the northwest corner of Meadow and Central. The new location features Italian fare. “Everything is made fresh here, from the sauces to the crepes,” says co-general manager Chris Clark. “People love our homemade desserts — chocolate cake, tiramisu, strawberry cake, even our cheesecake is made in-house with an Oreo crust.” Menu highlights include Chicken Aboca, a pan-seared chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto, basil and provolone in a spinach cream sauce. Aboca’s is BYOB with a $1 glass fee.
The northwest corner of Preston and Forest recently welcomed the sixth location of the running store Run On! (11811 Preston, 214.416.9978). The new store will carry the same brands of running shoes and accessories as the other locations and will begin offering all levels of running classes in August.
Also calling Preston and Forest home, The Mercury (11909 Preston, 972.960.7774) is touting a new promotion called “The Art of Sushi”. Every Wednesday night, Chef Roger Mann creates a special menu within the theme. Nearby, Dough Pizzeria Napoletana (11909 Preston, doughpizzeria.com) will open at the end of July, according to Lori Horn, co-owner of the San-Antonio-based restaurant. The restaurant has been poised to move in for more than a year now. After much ado, the wood-burning oven was finally delivered from Italy, and now the focus is on finishing out and staffing. Then customers will be able to try authentic Neapolitan pizza made with fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, Italian plum tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
The North Texas Tollway Authority has officially closed the TollTag Store at 12300 Inwood, and much farther down the street, Le Creuset (5300 W Lovers) has opened a retail location at Inwood Village. The famous French cookware manufacturer will offer silicone tools, wine accessories and, of course, its much-adored bakeware and cookware.
A simple hop, skip and a jump away, Bread Winners (5560 W. Lovers, 214.351.3339) has introduced a “peachy” summer special. Every Thursday night, order a free-range chicken breast with peach BBQ sauce, potato salad, grilled corn on the cob and a slice of peach pie for $17.99.
Facelogic (4518 Lovers, 214.696.3223) has experienced some interesting changes recently. The spa is no longer part of its franchise, and owner Faryn Clark has been conducting a survey of her customers to better localize the services offered. The spa now offers a skincare product line at a lower price point, body waxing, body treatments, massages, body peels and sunless tanning.
The neighborhood dive bar Inwood Tavern (7717 Inwood, 214.353.2666) celebrated its 47th anniversary recently. Owners Lisa and Elia “Tom” Georgalis bought the place from the previous owners last year and have spruced it up quite a bit, adding new pool tables, shuffleboard, TVs and tables to the interior and a patio with misters and flat-screen TVs. The bar now hosts karaoke on Mondays, pool tournaments on Sundays, and regular live music and DJs.
Quite a few changes are taking place at The Plaza at Preston Center (8311 Preston Center Plaza). Both Matthew Trent and Occhiali Modern Optics will temporarily relocate within the center to make way for the construction of a parking garage and a five-story building that will house the new University Park Public Library on the second floor. “In order to get ready for changes that will expand our family of tenants and provide extra parking for our visitors, some of the stores will be relocating to new spots,” says Mike Geisler, partner at Venture Commercial Real Estate. “We are excited about the future of The Plaza.”
Matthew Trent and Occhiali Modern Optics will temporarily relocate to 8300 Preston. This month, Corner Bakery Café will move into 8420 Preston Center Plaza, replacing Tin Star which has now closed. American Express Travel recently opened at 4009 E. Northwest Pkwy., as did Montana Salon at 8407 Pickwick.
During construction, complimentary valet parking will be available for customers, and The Plaza is instituting a special “tipless valet” system, where the valet staff will not be accepting tips as they return cars to guests.
Do you know of a neighborhood business renovating, expanding, moving, launching, hosting an event, celebrating an anniversary, offering a special or something else noteworthy? Send the information to livelocal@advocatemag.com or call 214.292.0487.
