It feels to me like our town has gone a little quiet at the moment.
Maybe it's because all the schools are out now, Baylor is sleep walking through the first half of summer session, some of my buds have exited for other places, some are preparing to make moves and some folks have just skipped town for a little while. I'm a glass-half-full type of guy lately, though, so I'ma just be happy that parking spaces are easy to find.
Here's another glass-half-full statement: right now Waco is like a play that is between acts and undergoing a set change. Drive down Valley Mills and you will see buildings in various states of demolition/construction/preparing to open. The old First Federal building has been torn down, the old McDonald's has been torn down, Mama Fu's is about to start serving Asian-esque dishes, SmashBurger is about to start building out its space and there are a couple other restaurants gearing up to take places in that Aldi shopping center.
And that's in less than a two-block stretch.
The Tribune-Herald reported that Bank of America has plans for a new building at the Lake Air-Valley Mills site, but I heard something a little different Monday morning that has me on red alert. I can't reveal anything, but I'm checking, so stay close by for more info.
Meanwhile, closer to downtown, I keep hearing that Potbelly and Firehouse are looking for a Waco home. Firehouse I've been hearing about for more than six months. The Potbelly rumor is gaining momentum, though. And WiseGuys wants to be downtown.
At the moment, I can't reveal any sources on any of this or give you much that's definitive. But I think there's going to be a flood of new restaurant news in the near future.
One more bite: Not everyone has left town and in that category, I had the pleasure of dining at Bangkok Royal with a good WacoFork friend, Katie Wolfe, at lunch today. Check out her WacoSploring website.
