Roll Out The Ice Cream

Trendy ice cream concept rolls into ex-wine shop in downtown Grapevine

Grapevine, roll out the welcome mat.

Continuing its path towards world domination, ice cream shop Chills 360 will open a new location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area: this time, the city of Grapevine, where it will open in spring 2018 at 120 S. Main St., at the southwest corner of Northwest Highway.

The shop will take over the space being vacated by Su Vino Winery, the make-your-own wine shop which closed on December 17 after a decade.

Grapevine represents the fourth local branch for Chills 360, which has enjoyed tremendous success since its first shop opened in Deep Ellum in 2016.

They were among the first to introduce DFW to the concept of rolled ice cream, aka "Thai-style ice cream," like the modern-day version of Coldstone Creamery, where an ice cream mix is poured over an icy cold disc until it freezes, then gets rolled into eye-catching pinwheels and doused with toppings ranging from M&M's to fruit. Customers can choose their flavors and combinations, then watch it made before their eyes, which adds to its appeal.

Chills 360 owners Mohammad and Javeria Babar have followed up their Deep Ellum debut with locations in Rockwall, Fort Worth, and even Houston, with more Texas locations in the works. Finding the right address is key, Mohammad says.

"Part of our success is that we are in downtown areas: downtown Dallas, downtown Rockwall, and downtown Fort Worth," he says. "Downtown Grapevine, we love the culture, the atmosphere, and the character. We look for higher traffic, late night, restaurants, foot traffic, and busy areas. Grapevine was a natural fit. There is always something going on in Grapevine. During the holidays, it's always a destination for people from all over DFW and beyond."

DFW has since attracted more rolled ice cream places, including New York chains I•CE•NY and Hi Sweetie; a concept called 10° F Rolling Ice Cream at the at the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano; and 7 Degrees, rolling in Carrollton.

Chills 360 stays ahead of the pack by focusing on innovation. For example, they were among the first Dallas ice cream shop to jump on the coconut-flavored black ice cream trend.

"We are always adding more products and will continue to bring something new and innovative to the market," Babar says.

desserts

Breakfast News

White Rock Cafe in North Richland Hills is a breakfast & lunch gem

White Rock Cafe

A family-owned cafe is serving Mexican eats and coffee in North Richland Hills: Called White Rock Cafe, it's located at 7640 NE Loop 820 #110, in North Hills Village, in a former event space called Eventfully Yours, where it opened in May.

Not to be confused with White Rock Coffee or White Rock Lake, White Rock Cafe is named after a location in Oaxaca, Mexico — Rosa Blanca — and the ancestral hometown of sisters Jenny and Stephanie Pantoja, who own the restaurant with their cousin Kevin Nazario.

"It's where my father grew up," Jenny says. But she and her sister and her cousin all grew up in NRH.

“We decided to open in North Richland Hills because even though we live on the edge of Fort Worth, we kind of grew up here and are familiar with the people," Jenny says. “That’s why we decided this would be the perfect community to open a breakfast place.”

Their menu ranges from Mexican breakfast to comfort food to burgers and chicken-fried steak. There are all your bacon-and-egg-and-pancake combos with choice of potatoes or grits, but there are also crepes, topped with berries, and a Mexican Benedict, featuring an English muffin topped with grilled red onions, green peppers, seasoned chorizo, poached eggs, avocado, and Hollandaise sauce.

They also have a coffee program including brewed coffee, espresso, white coffee, hot chocolate, and hot teas.

White Rock CafeWhite Rock Cafe

Lunch has a homey home-cooking vibe, including a daily special with dishes like chicken fried steak and pot roast with two sides and Texas toast for only $8. There's a perfect California club with crisp bacon, red tomato slices, and fresh Romaine on toast, neatly trimmed, for $10; and that DFW classic combo of grilled cheese sandwich served with tomato-basil soup.

Prices are low, topping out at $14 for chilaquiles. They're open every day from 7 am-3 pm.

Jenny works in a surgery program most days when she’s not at the restaurant. She got her start working at a breakfast restaurant and grew to appreciate the hours and the culture, inspiring her and her family to open this breakfast cafe of their own.

It's a friendly, tidy place, with black vinyl booths and a lovely mural on the wall that summons the Mexican area for which it is named.

“My father used to work at a Cracker Barrel and other breakfast places, then he had the dream of opening his own place,” Jenny says. “That was the same for me too."

breakfast openings