There's a lot going on at the moment when it comes to the Waco restaurant scene. Many of the goings on involve things that will be coming to town later this year or possibly even next year. But I want to direct your attention to something happening much sooner which you need to consider.
I mean like talk about it at work today and this weekend and next week. It's a chance to dine out at local restaurants and do something good for kids in our town.
The new shopping center on Valley Mills Drive is taking shape, to the extend that I discovered today that it has a parking lot. I guess that's probably been the case for a little while now, but because I knew SmashBurger and Mama Fu's will be arriving in the spring, I've put inspecting the progress over there on the back burner.
However, on Thursday, they came up to the front burner for a little bit as I stopped by and discovered, as stated, a parking lot. So there's that.
UPDATE: Al Miraj is open as of 5 p.m. Wednesday. They'll be open only in the evenings for a couple of weeks then begin opening for lunch around the end of this month. If you go by there this week, tell them you saw it here first.
A new Mediterranean grill and hookah bar is set to open as soon as Tuesday on Franklin Avenue, next door to Barnett's Pub.
The combination of the WacoFork wire and a Saturday evening trip to Barnett's for a drink led me to the discovery of Al Miraj, which wasn't open yet, but was hosting a party that night. The "now hiring all positions" sign caught my attention and then I noticed a comment on the blog alerting us to Al Miraj's presence.
I had a conversation on Wednesday night about something that is taking shape in our town. If this idea blossoms, it could bring significant credibility to Waco in the music and film circles generally associated with that huge spring event down in Austin.
A group called Waco Arts Media has times and places for the inaugural Waco Independent Media Expo. The two-day event will feature a film festival March 6 at The Dancing Bear Pub and a multiple-band concert March 7 at Common Grounds.
Wednesday is free sample day at Crav at Gourmet Gallery and I have to say they got me.
I stopped by to take some photos, sample a little and chat. I left with two containers of chicken salad and one container of piquillo pepper and lime hummus. Good business practice for them. Good lunch for me.
One of the new restaurants coming to town in 2013 wants our opinion about what it should be.
Right now, the website 1401speight.com is taking an online poll that lets viewers choose between three types of restaurants: gourmet tacos, upscale franks and sausages or a burger bar. Whichever choice is the most popular is the restaurant that will appear later this year.
You know at the beginning of the TV news when they say "Here's the stories we will be bringing you tonight," and then they show brief clips to get you to watch the rest of the broadcast? That's this entry in the One More Bite Blog as it relates to 2013.
First, here's what we know most certainly: SmashBurger and Mama Fu's will be arriving in the new Valley Mills Drive shopping center in the spring. Probably March or April. Also arriving of interest will be Dichotomy Coffee and Spirits, which is already operating out of The Croft Art Gallery. Dichotomy is moving forward with its own space, so we will be actively following that story.
We're ready to launch into a new year, one which prognosticators are prognosticating will be a great one for Waco's economy. Part of that, of course, is new businesses, especially new restaurants, coming to town and opening up. Later in the week, we will unpack some of the things ahead of us in 2013.
The first item of interest on the Waco restaurant calendar is Restaurant Week coming up in a couple of weeks. We're glad to be teaming up with this event as it will feature the same thing we feature — restaurants in our town — and benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters.
I've been following the Waco Trib's coverage of the plans to renovate, expand and reopen the Hippodrome. It's good news. The Hippodrome is a constant source of curiosity when people discus possibilities for downtown. It's one of our historic places and we don't want to let it slip away.
So the latest is that a group called Waco Hippodrome Inc., headed by brothers Shane and Cody Turner of Kunkel Construction, are working on a deal to buy the Hippodrome from Waco Performaing Arts Co. To that end, the area's Tax Increment Financing board recommended subsidizing 20 percent of the proposed $2.1 million project, according to the Trib's report. And part of the deal is that the Waco Performaing Arts Co., a nonprofit organization that couldn't afford to keep the historic-but-faltering structure open, would be able to lease the renovated Hippodrome for 15 nights a year.
Cafe Homestead will be hosting a special holiday evening on Thursday as the restaurant is partnering with The Ploughshare Institute for Sustainable Culture.
The event, A Holiday Evening at Homestead, will offer dining, shopping, live music and horse-drawn surrey rides from 6-9 p.m.
