According to some of my blogger friends, I was missing out on a hidden gem at the Grapevine Antique Market that not many people knew about.

A small café, called Mason & Dixie, is located inside the Grapevine Antique Mall, which is located on Northwest Highway in Grapevine. I call it a café, because it’s NOT a tea room and not a restaurant, but in an attempt to keep with the antique theme, it’s a café, or if you will, a southern eatery.

When I visited their Facebook page, I fell in love with the menu. One of their most popular items is a version of a French sandwich called a “Croque Monsieur” which has Black forest ham, two cheeses – Havarti & Gruyere and Dijon mustard, all placed on Croissant roll, which is then covered mornay sauce (Gruyere cheese and egg yolk) and baked. Uhmmmm!

Their sandwich menu also has a Grown-Up Grilled Cheese, a Reuben Sandwich that’s piled high with sauerkraut and corned beef and a Fig Panini, among other choices.

After a sandwich (and sometimes before) comes the most important course of any meal – Dessert – I spell it with a capital “D” because it’s so crucial.  According to internet reviewsMason and Dixie does Dessert right, with one favorite being the Sea Salt Caramel Brownie.

My stomach was beginning to growl just looking at the menu and the deciding what to eat.

When I entered the Antique Market, I looked to the left and saw my destination, which was marked with a sign telling the hours “11 to 2:27”

“Why 11-2:27?” I asked, Beth, the owner and chef.

She told me, “Nobody will ever forget that time.” I chuckled, she’s right. Plus, with these hours, she’s able to do some catering in the evening.

Beth was blessed with a little good luck along her path to success. She started out being a caterer throwing parties and everybody loving her food (which is tasty!) and, since she has a natural flair for interior design, she was invited to do a few projects for clients. Word of mouth took over and she got more gigs for both interior design and catering.

Then, 2-years ago space came available at the Grapevine Antique Market and Beth left her catering card behind. They soon called her to come work at the restaurant inside the mall.

Using her skills for interior design she helped them redesign the restaurant and they started fresh. Her designs make for a cozy environment to “Gather. Sip. Eat.”

Each table has filtered water, the menu, a tin full of sweeteners and some flowers. It’s like going to visit your Great-aunt – if your Great-aunt is a Southern Belle.

The name, Mason & Dixie is a play on words and inspired by the Mason-Dixon Line, which is considered to be the cultural boundary between the north and south. This theme allows Beth to prepare a variety of southern recipes with that southern flare. Throughout my interview with Beth and time spent at Mason & Dixie the Southern Hospitality is very evident.

Beth has a loyal clientele. Her customers know where to get a good southern meal and she knows what they want.

There is usually a theme with her food varying from week to week and the week I visited it was kind of a New Orleans, French inspired menu.

I had the Croque-Monsieur Sandwich, that I described above. It was phenomenal! I had a mental image of strolling the French Quarter, listening to the Blues and eating my sandwich on a sidewalk café.

Then, she offered me “THE DESSERT” – “THE DESSERT” will become the benchmark by which I measure all future Desserts – Brown Sugar & Pecan, Bread Pudding with Butter Bourbon Sauce!

OMG! It took my breath away it was so good; I’m salivating as I write this.

If you want a cozy lunch or if you just want the Brown Sugar & Pecan, Bread Pudding with Butter Bourbon Sauce, go to Mason & Dixie, located inside the Grapevine Antique Market and when you see Beth tell her Deandra Wilson from Texas Air Doctors on LOCALNEWSONLY.COM said, “Howdy!” (That’s a Southern greeting for “Hello.”)