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Tommycat76, anonymous:

Being a fan of Zanata, I was excited to learn that the owners had opened a new establishment where Old Timers used to be on the square in Rockwall. I was in the mood for breakfast, and I was also happy to see another restaurant that serves it in the area.

Upon getting there, we had to put our name on a list and we waited for about 15 minutes. We were seated at about 10:45 and not realizing that we had a firm deadline to contend with, we ordered our drinks and my wife and two sons carefully perused the menu. We were looking forward to breakfast and ordered breakfast-centric drinks (orange juice, chocolate milk, et al). By the time our drink orders were delivered and our breakfast selections were made, it was 11:02. Breakfast is served until 11. Firmly.

The waitress asked the gentleman who was taking names and seating people whether we could be served breakfast. He said it was after 11 and that we could not. I'm assuming that this gentleman was the manager to make this sort of call, but I could be wrong.

While somewhat put off at this rather unfriendly gesture, we decided to respect the rules of the kitchen and try their substantially more expensive lunch fare. I opted for the chicken fried steak, son #1 the mac & cheese, son #2 the Reuben sandwich and wife the grilled chicken sandwich.

The food was DISMAL. It was tasteless and unworthy of a school cafeteria. My chicken fried steak didn't have ANY seasoning on it and was horribly bland, as were the side dishes, the reuben sandwich barely had any meat on it and the accompanying fries bland and even salt-less. I will forever ponder whether macaroni and cheese actually had any cheese in it. The consistency was acceptable but it had absolutely NO taste. My wife's chicken sandwich was the most acceptable entree, but the chef apparently didn't learn portion control or how to create a simple sandwich. The chicken breast was so big that there was not a possible way to fit it in her mouth without breaking her jaw. She had to use a knife and fork, which is not a big deal except for the fact that she ordered a sandwich sans the "open faced" designation.

After seeing the less-than-stellar reviews on Foursquare (mainly about shoddy breakfast offerings) I was bound and determined to go in with an open mind - this IS a place owned by the same folks as Zanata. But instead the Fatted Calf left NO taste in my mouth except the salt I had to put on my bland food, and my wallet much lighter than what it should have been.

I strongly discourage wasting time or money here. Those loyal to the folks who brought us Zanata should stick with Zanata.