Vapiano provides diners with an open dining atmosphere with comfy booths and large, open tables. MICHAEL DANSER/The Daily Campus
Vapiano, Mockingbird Station’s newest addition to the Dallas dining scene, offers fast and fresh Italian food in a casual atmosphere. The restaurant pushes the concept of quick, quality cuisine a step further than its neighbor, Café Express, by implicating an entirely new system of eating out.
Upon entering the door, a hostess provides diners with a “chip card.” Patrons then approach the bar-style kitchen, fully viewable through clear glass and organized into pizza, pasta and salad stations. Once restaurant-goers decide which dishes they want, orders are placed by dictating the request to a chef at the corresponding station, and handing him or her the “chip card” received upon arrival. The chef then swipes the card to record the order and prepares the dish while diners wait at the bar or nearby tables. After collecting their appetizer, salad, pizza or pasta, diners choose one of the venue’s tables, all of which are laced with potted fresh herbs.
Upon my visit to the venue, the chef recommended the Beef Carpaccio appetizer, which we promptly ordered (for all the non-foodies out there, Carpaccio is thinly sliced or pounded raw meat or fish). Because we initially had trouble grasping the restaurant’s concept, our hostess graciously delivered the dishes to our table and even offered to refill our sodas from the self-serve machine.
After declining the generous offer, we tackled the enormous round plate completely covered by thinly-sliced beef filet. Arugula, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese and cipriani sauce concealed the meat, giving the dish a salad-like appearance. We took a cue from the appetizer’s presentation and ate the Carpaccio in a similar manner as we would have a salad topped with chicken; forking a few leaves of crunchy arugula and flavorful Parmesan, then adding some beef to the bite and making sure to top it all off with a light swipe of the punchy sauce.
Next, we dived into our chicken pesto pizza and ravioli pasta. When we took a bite of the ravioli con carne (pasta with Bolognese filling), we were surprised to find a cheesy filling inside the pasta squares. After consulting the menu, we realized that we actually received ravioli ricotta e spinacci. However, we decided not to mention the mix-up and finished the spinach and ricotta stuffed squares topped with tomato sauce.
Flavorful but light, the thin crust pizza featured basil pesto topped with diced tomatoes and chicken, finished off with fresh basil and garlic. We devoured about half of the green pie and took the rest home for later.
We skipped the hassle of splitting the check and each simply turned in our cards on the way out the door to pay for our meal. Vapiano’s smart-dining concept makes us wonder why we didn’t think of it before now.
Whether picking-up or dining-in, guests can enjoy a lengthy meal without being pestered by waiters, or wolf down a quick lunch without having to wait for the check. Although we can’t complain about the food and enjoyed the comfortable yet casual urban atmosphere, this convenient feature really made the trip worthwhile.
