Happy 2014, WacoFork friends.
It's the first Monday of the new year, which for me means the first WacoFork workday of the new year. For the record, my alter-ego sportswriter persona worked on Jan. 1 and 3, which prevented me from hitting the ground running last week. But even if Mr. Hyde hadn't taken over, there's a chance I would have viewed last Thursday through Sunday as holiday continuation. Kind of like when an NBA player gets fouled while crossing mid-court but somehow the layup still counts.
Anyway, last week I made a list of 13 fantastic things that happened in Waco in 2013. About half of the items on the list were things announced in 2013 that will arrive in 2014.
That's exciting.
Things like the new Hippodrome, Torchy's, other taco places, Longhorn Steakhouse and … what's that thing they're building along I-35 and the river? Oh yeah, McLane Family Stadium.
Since it's the first workday of 2014, I'm just getting started with emails and some drive-by recon. I have an email out to Torchy's for an update there. In recent days I've heard Portofino is planning a move to Austin Ave, so I'll be checking on that shortly. And on Monday I checked in at the site of The Rusty Taco at the Aldi shopping center. Not much to report, though it does appear that a patio area has been set apart on one end of the new complex that I take to be part of the Rusty set up.
As always, I do most of my work on tips from WacoFork land. So feel free to comment or email me directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any potential leads.
One more bite: The Waco Tribune-Herald reported on Saturday that Dubl-R was back in business as of New Year's Eve after a Nov. 15 grease fire forced the burger joint to close for a bit.
