Over the past three years Canyon has been seeing a revitalization in their historic downtown and in the entire community from the optimism of new businesses and incoming people. Mickey’s Place, a new addition to the Shops on Fifth Avenue, is a modern twist on traditional Italian cuisine.

The new addition to Canyon is in the previous location of “Barrel and Pie”, a previous favorite of residents and West Texas A&M University students alike. The Shops on Fifth Avenue is a relatively new addition to Canyon with it being across the street from the old Randall County Courthouse and sandwiched between the Texas Outdoor Musical Theater office and The Cake Company of Canyon.

Founded by Mickey Foster, a U.S. Navy veteran, has a long history of providing quality food to customers since 1994. Before coming to Canyon, Foster had a restaurant in Chandler, AZ. However, since the opening of his previous location he married his wife and had three kids.

Mickey’s Place offers multiple different choices, whether that be pizza, pasta or Pendelton. The menu has a different selection of Italian, Not so Italian, salads, sandwiches, deserts or even catering for people visiting the restaurant.

Browsing the menu, the prices associated with the food and drinks is on the higher end, however it is still cheaper than if Mickey’s Place was located in a major metropolitan area. On the more affordable side of the menu there is an option to order from the Lunch menu, which runs from Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Another option for those wanting to try something new is the brunch menu which has Italian sausage & eggs, omelets, french toast, pancakes, salmon cake, eggs benedict and perfect frittata. This menu is only available on weekends from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

One way that the restaurant pulls new customers into the shop is by its dedication to “100% guest satisfaction”. Their space in the restaurant uses the previous side of “Barrel and Pie” and the backspace that held games. On cool summer or autumn nights there are patios on both the north and south side of the restaurant available for seating.

A recent addition to the location is their alcoholic special events that people can attend. A recent whiskey event was held at the location and they had 5 courses with their own alcoholic paired drink. However, this high-quality occasion did have a hefty price attached with it, >$100 a person. There is currently a plan underway for a similar event with wine.

In addition to this special event there are several different types of amenities found on their website such as delivery, wine tasting, live music, catering and a private dining room.

When I went to lunch the first week of October, I could tell that the new addition is going to be a valued place in the community. Tables were prepared for the coming rush of dinner. Waiters were running around providing answers diligently.

The food that I ate was manicotti with Italian sausage and it was superb. The cheese and sauce was not too heavy for me to have a productive afternoon. The proportions were just right to avoid feeling hazy through the afternoon. I left feeling contempt and excitement about the future of a new location in the community that I’ve spent the last 4 years in.

If you get the chance, visit the new restaurant and give it a chance and you might be surprised to find this high-quality place in small-town Texas.