Time To Eat!

Texans brag that everything is bigger here. We definately enjoy dining out. The National Restaurant Association says there are more than 33,000 restaurants or eateries in the Lone Star State. Altogether, they employ more than 939,000 Texans!

This Sunday, October 28 at Noon we’re shining the Spotlight on various local restaurants in a half hour special. There is a story behind every kitchen door. Just like any other businesses, every eatery has a unique story behind their origin.

Our show includes La Duni: You’ve heard the saying: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” The owners of this Dallas restaurant has example after example of failing before finding success. See how perserverance and some star power helped turn life around.

Love And War in Texas: Did you know the Hill Country is alive and well in Plano and Grapevine? That’s the case with this restaurant which blends Texas music and meals. Our story is a delicious treat for the ears and eyes.

Sonny’s Diner: We’re giving you an encore presentation of this Asian Bistro that people in Fort Worth cannot get enough of. See how every meal benefits children around the globe.

Community Kitchen: This is the touching story of a North Texas program giving some of our less fortunate or low income neighbors a “fresh start” in life in the kitchen.

House of Blues Gospel Brunch: Waffles, sausage, biscuits and gravy are made even better when local gospel groups take to the stage! We’re following a small choir from Southeast Dallas with huge voices as they make their debut on the big stage.

We have a sweet ending for our show. It involves chocolate, of course and a North Texas businesswoman who is making her dreams come true!

These are just a handful of the restaurants that we are featuring. Click on our Spotlight Resources area to link to all of the restaurants and eateries featured in our show. Please join Kristi Nelson Sunday at Noon right here on NBC 5.

Taste of Vietnam in Texas

Texas is home to great Vietnamese restaurants. How do I know this? I am half Vietnamese as well as half African-American. I also know that after the Vietnam War ended in the 1970’s, thousands of people fled Communist Vietnam and settled in Texas cities like Houston, Garland, Fort Worth and Arlington.

Food is one of the many benefits of having such a rich, cultural group in our backyard! Sonny’s Diner at 6220 Camp Bowie Blvd. in Fort Worth is an example. The Voung family fled Vietnam, studied and became engineers here in the U.S. before deciding to open this restaurant.

If you saw Kristi Nelson’s story (Thursday at 4:00 and repeating Sunday at 8:00 a.m.), your mouth may have watered before it finished. The restaurant features the staple of the Vietnamese diet.. pho (you will have to watch the story to see how that word is pronounced). Many Americans eat the noodle soup for lunch or dinner. In Vietnam, it usually eaten during breakfast. It gives you the strength and spice to last you all day. There are other homeland favorites like Vietnamese coffee, Avocado Smoothies and special flavored fruit Iced Teas. This is a restaurant for adventuresome tastes but you won’t regret it!

The other thing that makes this restaurant special is that the family donates some of their profits in the form of gifts to families in Southeast Asia. As I learned during my own journey to Vietnam last year, people in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) make $120 a month.. that’s it! People in rural areas make even less. Any gift from U.S. immigrants is appreciated.

Take a look at Sonny’s Diner at nbc5i.com/Spotlight. If you drop by for a meal, please tell them you learned about it from NBC 5. Please tell me what you think!

Also, look for more stories about local restaurants in the coming weeks.