Bread Winners Cafe coming to west Fort Worth ‘breakfast row’

Bread Winners Cafe is coming to University Park Village, joining a half-dozen bakery-cafes on what is becoming a Breakfast Row.

The 22-year Dallas breakfast, brunch and coffee favorite from McKinney Avenue will replace Blue Mesa Grill when that restaurant moves to a new location near Montgomery Plaza.

It’s the second westward expansion for Bread Winners, which also plans to open a new Trophy Club location this fall.

When that was announced, co-owner Cindy Hughes said she and her husband, Jim, had looked at a Ridglea location and remained interested in Fort Worth.

The new Bread Winners will look like the NorthPark Center location with brick walls, hardwood floors and patio dining, the company statement said.

Besides the 54-year-old Ol’ South Pancake House and an IHOP, that South University Drive strip also has McKinley’s Bakery, East Hampton Sandwich Co., a Panera Bread and a Starbucks Coffee, plus a forthcoming Ascension Coffee and an Eatzi’s Market & Bakery.

Watch for the cafe to open in spring 2017.

(Love the Sunday-night special: free dessert with an entree.)

Dining amid the lavender

Lavender Ridge Farms Cafe, the tiny, cute cafe on a screeened-in porch at a lavender farm east of Gainesville, is open this weekend as the farm celebrates its annual Lavender Festival.

The cafe offers lavender-honey chicken salad, ham sandwiches or wraps for about $8, with $3 salads and dessert choices of lavender cheesecake, lavender-lemon butter cake or a lavender brownie sundae.

There’s lavender lemonade and lavender tea, of course.

It’s open from 11 a.m. for lunch, Fridays through Sundays only; 2391 County Road 178, Gainesville, 940-665-6938, lavenderridgefarms.com.

Michaels at 25, Reata at 20

Southwestern “cowboy cuisine” came to town a quarter-century ago and landed at Michaels Cuisine and Reata.

Chef Michael Thomson brought “contemporary ranch cuisine” first, and his restaurant and Ancho Chile Bar are marking 25 years on West Seventh Street.

Through Monday, Reata will celebrate its 20th anniversary by offering dinner patrons a champagne toast.

It’s open for lunch and dinner daily at 310 Houston St.; 817-336-1009, reata.net.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Bread Winners Cafe coming to west Fort Worth ‘breakfast row’."