Restaurant Talk

Food court fire

NorthPark Center was closed for more than an hour on a recent weekday after a grease fire in the Panda Express food court location overcame employees, traveled through a Vent-A-Hood and into the mall’s attic, and broke through the roof. This was discovered around 10:30 a.m., and after a quick evacuation and after firemen poked a hole in the roof over Panda Express, shoppers once again were invited back to resume spending money about 11:30 a.m.

—Rick Wamre

Coffee so good you’ll forget someone is selling cremation next door

It’s not the type of place that stands out immediately. You’re more likely to notice the large “Local Cremation” sign at the corner of Greenville and Royal than the quaint “Café Silva” or subsequent “Coffee Shop” one. And once you start thinking about the whole cremation thing, do you really still want coffee and a scone? I promise, once you taste the pastries, made with great care by wife-owner Suraiya Khan, and the coffee imported from various regions by husbandowner Masoom Khan, you will forget all about the good folks selling cremation at a reasonable

More restaurant tidbits:

—Christina Hughes Babb

price a couple doors down. CaféSilva is named for the littlest Khan, Nurah Silva, age 2. The location of the café, which also serves lunch, actually is perfect. It’s right on the White Rock Trail and directly across the street from Moss Haven Park. They even sell protein bars and gels for nutrition-craving runners and cyclists who drop in. They have a nice big window overlooking the trail and Royal Oaks golf course. Suraiya says she hopes to build a patio someday. While I was there for a June photo shoot, I ordered a dark coffee, remarking “I need all the caffeine I can get today!” That’s when these coffee experts filled me in on a secret that rocked my stimulant-dependent universe: Dark coffee typically has less caffeine than light coffee. What? Did a little research (Googling) and sure enough, they are right. Not that I doubted them. 8499 Greenville, Ste. #108, 214.267.9836

Every Tuesday now through September, drop by for half-priced glasses and bottles of wine at Grimaldi’s, the brick-oven pizzeria at The Shops at Park Lane.

Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub & Grill will host local band Time Machine and karaoke every Monday night. Live music throughout the month includes a July 4th performance by self-identified local “eclectic” musician Matt Barron.

Strut your own stuff. Tuesday nights at

THIS PAGE: A male, or drake, mallard’s vibrant plumage — its iridescent green head, bright yellow bill and trafficstopping orange feet — is instantly recognizable. This one is flying over the water near Sunset Bay, at the southeast side of White Rock Lake.