INSIDE
By Laurie James
Come enjoy the fun and ring in the New Year at Sundance Square’s Largest In-Person 2025 New Year’s Eve Celebration in Texas. Free to the public, the festivities kick off at 6pm in Sundance Square Plaza. There will be live music throughout the evening featuring some of North Texas hottest bands: The Special Edition Band, Havana NRG, and DJ Danny West. Also, there will be street performers in the plaza, including jugglers, transformer stilt walkers, Western trick
ropers, aerialists, mimes, and disco ball dancers, plus plenty of food trucks and bar stations (all cashless). Then, at midnight, be awed by a spectacular Texas fireworks show shooting off the rooftops of the buildings around the plaza. Attendees are encouraged to come early and grab a place to join in the NYE fireworks countdown! Sundance Square is offering “flat rate” parking in its garages and surface lots. Plus, limited free parking is available in select garages through the Downtown TIF District Parking Program and in city meter street parking spaces.
Blood, Sucking
Coming
By Kristian Lin
Bullishness on Parade
The
By Steve Steward
What Are You Doing NYE Week?
By Weekly Staff
Anthony Mariani, Editor
Lee Newquist, Publisher
Bob Niehoff, General Manager
Michael Newquist, Regional Director
Ryan Burger, Art Director
Jennifer Bovee, Marketing Director
Clint “Ironman” Newquist, Brand Ambassador
Emmy Smith, Proofreader
Julie Strehl, Account Executive
Sarah Niehoff, Account Executive
Stacey Hammons, Senior Account Executive
Tony Diaz, District Manager
Wyatt Newquist, Account Executive
CONTRIBUTORS
Christina Berger, E.R. Bills, Jason Brimmer, Buck D. Elliott, Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, Laurie James, Kristian Lin, Cody Neathery, Wyatt Newquist, Steve Steward, Teri Webster, Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue, Elaine Wilder, Cole Williams
EDITORIAL BOARD
Laurie James, Anthony Mariani, Emmy Smith, Steve Steward
COPYRIGHT
The entire contents of Fort Worth Weekly are Copyright 2024 by Ft. Worth Weekly, LP. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without
TOASTY MITTENS TRINITY METRO
Song of Luby’s
Don’t
forget about our beloved cafeteria this holiday
season.
BY JUAN R. GOVEA
Along counter and the aroma of fresh beef, chicken, chicken-fried stuff, and fish — all together, all at the same time — mean only one thing around these parts.
The first Luby’s Cafeteria opened 70 years ago in San Antonio. By 1987, there were 100 locations across the country, and by 1996, that number had doubled. Unfortunately, declining sales coupled with the pandemic forced Luby’s to close most locations nationwide. There are 38 left in Texas — and one of them is in Fort Worth and still going strong.
Ask any native Fort Worthian about Luby’s, and you’re guaranteed a long story or two. Perhaps the most popular location was situated downstairs inside Hulen Mall. Sinking your teeth into some steak and
potatoes after a long day Christmas shopping hit like nothing else, and the fresh tobacco wafting from the Puff & Stuff next door somehow enhanced the overall experience, making it truly Luby’s-tastic, truly Fort Worthian. This Luby’s closed in the 1990s and reopened on South Hulen Street in 1998. After 25 years, it shuttered two years ago.
Fort Worth’s lone Luby’s is truly a nostalgia trip, especially for us native Fort Worthians. Located in Forest Hill, it hasn’t changed much since first opening 27 years ago. The most important part? The food is still top-notch and uber-comfy. Line up at the counter, point at, say, some chicken-fried steak, pick your two sides plus a freshly made dessert like the blue-ribbon pecan pie, and you’re well on your way to Flavortown.
Luby’s new owner, tech bro Calvin Gin, told Texas Monthly that he “has no intentions of tearing up the menu or replacing generous slatherings of mayo with delicately judged measurements. ‘Overall,’ he says, ‘food is not the problem.’ ”
Daily manager’s specials and large combo meals are also available, and there are holiday plates for pickup or delivery: roasted or fried turkey (whole or sliced), sliced ham, or tamales, plus several traditional sides (cornbread dressing, homemade mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls). Enough to feed a large family or two TCU offensive linemen,
Luby’s holiday feast will run you around 200 smackers.
And no matter what you order, the portions more than suffice. A large plate (entrée plus two sides) costs a little over $20 and comes with tea, soda, or coffee.
“In these times when a burger can run you $25, when dining rooms are giving
way to drive-thrus, and when your server may turn out to be a robot,” The New York Times said, “Luby’s remains more or less unchanged from its beginnings nearly a century ago — serving traditional and inexpensive dishes in a homey setting.”
Founder of the popular Facebook group I Ate This Food and Liked It and former Weekly food critic Eric Griffey says Luby’s is “America behind a sneeze guard. It’s the most democratic, blue-collar restaurant in the history of Western civilization. You don’t have to choose a style of restaurant or worry about picky eaters.”
Griffey’s “go-to” is “always the fried chicken, mash, collard greens, and lemon meringue pie. Then, just to fast-track my path to an insulin shot, I walk out with a cone of soft serve. I remember my grandparents would order fish, which I still think is risky, but they both lived into their 90s, so what do I know?”
These days, Griffey says, Luby’s is “basically God’s waiting room. The cafeteria’s most loyal patrons are dying off as modern diners are more interested in overpaying for Food Network-inspired fare with precious labels like ‘gluten-free,’ ‘grass-fed,’ or whatever. We lose a piece of our nation’s soul every time a Luby’s shutters. When they are all gone, the cafeteria era is something we’ll look back on and wish we’d found a way to preserve.” l
Customers wait to enter the Luby’s inside Hulen Mall. After closing in the 1990s, it reopened on South Hulen Street in 1998. After 25 years, it shuttered two years ago.
Bob Luby (1910-1998) worked many jobs in the cafeteria industry before founding his namesake eatery. By the time he was 40 years old, he had already gained enough success to retire. He passed down the business to his son.
The Forest Hill location is often busy but not cluttered.
Luby’s recipe for pecan pie has been handed down through generations of the Luby family.
The only remaining Luby’s Cafeteria in Fort Worth is in Forest Hill. Hours of operation are 11am-8pm daily but may vary during the
Juan R. Govea
In San Antonio in 1947, Bob Luby opened his first namesake restaurant with the goal of serving good, fresh food in a setting that felt like home.
A combo meal with a massive slab of chicken-fried steak covered in cream or brown gravy with homemade mashed potatoes and a side of corn plus a drink costs only a bit over
Standing in a long cafeteria line with a tray and some silverware in your hand is where the magic starts.
Fort
lone
is truly a nostalgia trip, especially for us native Fort Worthians. Located in Forest Hill, it hasn’t changed much since first opening 27 years ago.
Trinity Metro Bikes launches in January! Get ready to explore Fort Worth on two wheels with shiny new bikes and e-bikes, new docking stations, and the brand-new Trinity Metro Bikes app to make your ride easier than ever. Learn more at RIDE TRINITYMETRO .org/ BIKES .
$20.
Juan R. Govea
Coming with your choice of whole turkey (roasted or fried), sliced ham, or tamales, Luby’s holiday feast can run you around $200.
Juan R. Govea
Juan R. Govea
Worth’s
Luby’s
Juan R. Govea
Opened in 1998 in Forest Hill, Fort Worth’s lone Luby’s Cafeteria has stayed busy this holiday season with a drive-thru, inside dining, and large and small orders for delivery or pickup.
Juan R. Govea
SCREEN
Top 10 Films of ’24
Our critic counts down the year’s best cinematic achievements.
BY KRISTIAN LIN
Maybe we should start calling this feature the Top 10 Fiction Films. I don’t include documentaries in this list anymore because I give them their own separate listicle. That’s how I organize things so that I can inform you, dear reader, about more terrific movies in my end-of-year coverage. So, in no particular order, keep an eye out for my list of best documentaries of 2024 as well as performances, enjoy this summary of the best achievements in fiction, and Merry Christmas to you.
1.) I wish I knew what my professor of feminist film theory thought about Coralie Fargeat’s body-horror masterwork. He’s now a man, I just found out recently, and he would have a field day with this. Then again, so did I. The year’s most disgusting movie was a critique of unrealistic beauty standards, a memento mori meditation on aging, and the ultimate vehicle for Demi Moore. The Substance wasn’t subtle, but
then, this ain’t exactly the time for subtlety. Spewing 36,000 gallons of fake blood over an audience (and electorate) who thinks that “pretty girls should always smile” seems like an appropriate response.
2.) The discourse about Mohammad Rasoulof’s thriller has understandably been about how the Iranian director shot his movie in secret and had to flee his country
afterwards. You don’t have to know anything about that, though, to appreciate this epic yarn about a prominent judge who himself becomes a target of Iran’s theocracy and ends up re-creating the Islamic Republic in miniature in his own home. As our country threatens to slip into religious dictatorship, The Seed of the Sacred Fig offers some valuable pointers about how to survive one. continued on page 9
Margaret Qualley is entranced by a billboard’s reflection of her beauty in The Substance.
3.) I saw six films on transgender subjects this past year, and Jane Schoenbrun’s spooky, anti-nostalgia I Saw the TV Glow was the best. The director used a variety of cinematic techniques (including adolescent doodles in the margins of the frame) to infuse their movie about trans identity and TV fandom with a numinous unreality. A cisgender filmmaker could have made this film, but it wouldn’t have been so ineffably alienated. Schoenbrun also stopped the movie dead for a musical performance by Phoebe Bridgers, and I don’t mind one bit.
4.) Vulture recently ran a hilarious article on how to interpret any Oscar-contending film as having an anti-Trump message. That certainly applies here with Wicked, but I’m putting Jon M. Chu’s musical on this list for its brass tacks: the direction, the choreography, the performances, the production design, and the music. It all came together so beautifully that the dual cameos by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel served as a delightful finishing touch. Just when the popcorn crowd was thirsting for a really good musical, Hollywood delivered like only it can.
5.) After Blink Twice and the federal criminal charges came out, some fans speculated that this was actually about Sean Combs’ freak-offs. It isn’t, but Zoë Kravitz’s horror film applies to so many rich and powerful men and the way they use women as disposable (or, in this case, reusable) playthings. Delirious comedy and sharp scene transitions punctuate this tropical hellscape. Is there anything more rallying than the use of Beyoncé’s “I’m That Girl” on the soundtrack when the women finally take revenge?
6.) “Tiocfaidh ár lá, get the Brits out, lad!” Out of all the wearisomely conventional music biopics this year, Kneecap brilliantly showcases the Northern Irish rap group and what continues to make these Belfast boyos so dangerous and thrilling. The band members portray themselves and deliver some electrifying Irish-language hip-hop while director Rich Peppiatt accompanies them with foul-mouthed humor and DIY cinematic devices to show how much fun protest music can be.
7.) I’m not sure how the French-Canadian chiller Red Rooms slipped under everyone’s radar. Juliette Gariépy delivers a fascinating and largely wordless performance as a Montreal fashion model who cuts friends and relationships out of her life so that she can track down a child murderer who sells videos of his crimes on the dark web. Writerdirector Pascal Plante follows the e-trail through all its hairpin turns as our detective attends the accused man’s trial by day and tries to crack the case (and trades crypto and plays online poker) by night in her lonely apartment.
8.) There’s nothing wrong with playing things down the middle when a movie does
it as skillfully as Conclave. Edward Berger’s political thriller launched a thousand memes and pissed off the right people as it dealt with the ancient and rather corruptible process of choosing a new pope. The juicy gossip going down amid the carefully re-created interiors of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel made for irresistible drama. As highbrow as this drama is, its infusion of pulp made it into something vital.
9.) This piece of pure insanity (and the year’s most original comedy) was made by Mike Cheslik for around $150,000 and self-distributed. The nearly dialogue-free Hundreds of Beavers plays like a 1940s Looney Tunes comedy, except it’s in black and white and has a lot of people running around in animal costumes as they act out the story of a 19th-century applejack salesman in Wisconsin who becomes a fur trapper after beavers cause the destruction of his apple orchard. The special effects are so bad that they’re actually awesome, and who knew you needed to see beavers launching a spaceship this much?
10.) (tie) The final spot goes to two movies about the complications of family bonds. Titus Kaphar’s Exhibiting Forgiveness is about a Black artist dealing with the reappearance of his crack-addicted father, while Azazel Jacobs’ His Three Daughters is about the three white adult children who reunite to tend to their dying father. These movies didn’t traffic in big ideas or visual flourishes, although Exhibiting Forgiveness does have some great visuals via its artworks. Rather, they existed on their writing and ensemble acting, and these small-scale works used their craftsmanship and insight to achieve a treasurable grace.
Honorable mention: Luca Guadagnino’s libidinous tennis love triangle, Challengers … Megan Park’s appropriately awkward teen weeper, My Old Ass … Denis Villeneuve’s sequel that improved on its predecessor, Dune: Part Two … two raw, violent, unapologetically gay crime thrillers, Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping’s Femme and Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding … Nicole Riegel’s direct and powerful music drama, Dandelion … Sean Wang’s jewel-like drama of growing up AsianAmerican, Dìdi … Nora Fingscheidt’s alcoholism story in wind and stone, The Outrun … Richard Linklater’s shaggy and charming caper movie, Hit Man … Sean Baker’s unruly sex (worker) comedy, Anora … Jesse Eisenberg’s uproarious Holocaust road trip, A Real Pain … Monica Sorelle’s tale of Haitians in Florida building family traditions, Mountains … Jeremy Saulnier’s galvanizing racial profiling thriller, Rebel Ridge … RaMell Ross’ first-person look at institutional abuse, Nickel Boys … Brady Corbet’s epic about power and postwar American architecture, The Brutalist Malcolm Washington’s blazing disquisition on Black cultural legacies, The Piano Lesson … Osgood Perkins’ creepy bargain with the Devil, Longlegs … George Miller’s world-building prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga … Erica Tremblay’s murder mystery about Native American traditions and disappearances, Fancy Dance l
SCREEN
Walpurgisnacht
I’m out of vampire puns. Robert Eggers’ remake is faithful to a fault.
BY KRISTIAN LIN
Time once again for me to be a film-school nerd. May I direct your attention to the whiteboard. Like all other filmschool nerds, regardless of our interest in vampires, I was made to study the 1922 silent vampire classic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror: how it related to German Expressionism and how director F.W. Murnau’s creative use of shadows would influence Tod Browning’s 1931 film of Dracula and so many others. Speaking of which, Nosferatu took so much plot from Bram Stoker’s novel that Stoker’s estate sued the filmmakers and won. Despite this, Murnau’s film spawned a venerable heritage from Werner Herzog’s fitfully effective Nosferatu the Vampyre to E. Elias Merhige’s cheeky homage Shadow of the Vampire. Now comes Robert Eggers’ remake, and I’m afraid it falls short of what you’d expect from this modern horror master.
Like Murnau’s film, this one takes place in a fictitious city on the Prussian seacoast in 1838. Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is a real estate agent dispatched by his boss (Simon McBurney) to deepest Transylvania to negotiate the sale of a local castle to Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård). Too bad Thomas doesn’t stick around long enough to see his boss committed to an asylum, where he bites the heads off pigeons. Even so, Thomas notices the count’s strange behavior before falling ill and becoming Orlok’s prisoner. The count wishes to feed on the blood of Thomas’ new wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), who has been communing with the undead since her teen years.
The remoteness of Eggers’ settings usually keeps him from indulging in visual lushness, yet his evocation of the Germany of Goethe’s time has a lustrous beauty reminiscent of the movies of Luchino Visconti or Rainer Werner Fassbinder. His collaborating cinematographer Jarin Blaschke switches well between black-and-white and color stocks to show us both reality and Ellen’s nightmarish visions, and composer Robin Carolan contributes a properly
eerie score. The movie emphasizes the theme of Orlok as a bringer of plague, which we’re primed to appreciate four years removed from a murderous pandemic, and it’s undeniably striking when the filmmakers show us the wide, clean German streets suddenly littered with rats and dead people.
An underrated facet of Eggers’ filmmaking has been his superb writing — remember Dafoe’s imprecatory monologue in The Lighthouse, with its deft alliteration and striking imagery? Here, though, it seems to get in Eggers’ way. He devotes so much energy to crafting dialogue that might seem credible from 19th-century Germans that he forgets to move the story forward. Once Thomas escapes the Carpathians and returns home, he and a cadre of male friends (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Ineson, and Willem Dafoe) have to save Ellen before Orlok comes for her — on Christmas Day, no less — and as retrograde as this device borrowed from Stoker is, it should give the plot some momentum. Here it barely gives the movie an uptick, and if Eggers is trying to make a female tragedy about a woman failed by male experts in thrall to various superstitions, that comes across weakly.
Eggers typically creates horror with performances, atmosphere, and sheer weirdness
rather than editing, and there’s too little of all those things here. A mother (Emma Corrin) seeing Orlok standing over the drained bodies of her young daughters doesn’t register like it should. Too much of the cast fills their roles without distinction, although Depp creates a genuinely frightening scene during a domestic argument when Ellen starts experiencing full-body convulsions and somehow remains lucid as she accuses Thomas of prioritizing his career over her. The movie could have used more moments like this.
Nosferatu
Starring Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Bill Skarsgård. Written and directed by Robert Eggers, based on Henrik Galeen’s script and Bram Stoker’s novel. Rated R.
Maybe Eggers is just too much of a film-school nerd himself. His version of the story hews so closely to Murnau’s movie that it flaws his vision. We’ve had more than 100 years of vampire lore, revisions, parodies, pastiches, glosses, and such, and going back to the source doesn’t reveal much to us in 2024. Even those dopey Twilight movies treated its bloodsuckers with greater creativity. So did Shadow of the Vampire and Renfield, which Dafoe and Hoult, respectively, starred in. Here we have a new Nosferatu for Christmas, and I’m not even sure what it’s for. As nice as it looks, I think this is going in the garage with the other Christmas presents I’m not sure what to do with. l
Lily-Rose Depp has a vision of herself bleeding out in Nosferatu.
Photo by Aidan Monaghan
NIGHT & DAY
Now that it’s actually chilly outside, it might be time to revisit Fireside Films
Hosted by the Fort Worth chapter of the Rooftop Cinema Club, Fireside screens movies downtown on the roof of the Worthington Renaissance Hotel (235 Throckmorton St, Fort Worth, 817-870-1000). Loveseats are available for optimal snuggling, and tickets include a personal heater and complimentary gourmet warm drinks, like hot chocolate, cider, coffee, or tea. Today, see Pride & Prejudice (5:30pm) or White Chicks (8:30pm). Other selections this weekend include Friday on, well, Friday (10:30pm), The Princess Bride (Sat, 1:30pm), Ratatouille (Sun, 11:10am), and more. Tickets are $21-30
at RoofTopCinemaClub.com/fort-worth, where you can also find info about future events in the series.
Need a good laugh?
Hoppin’ Fort Worth (2616 Weisenberger St, 682-2240621) has you covered.
Caliente Comedy with host Esperanza will feature comedians Bryce Baker, Vinnie Corrales, Nick Hawk, Just John, Jake Roper, Shawn Lee, Jacob Marshall, and Cody Swindell. Lone Star pints are $2 all day, and pint beers on tap are 25% off during happy hour (4pm-7pm). Food will be available from Anejo Taqueria starting at 5pm, and then the show starts at 8pm. There is no cost to attend.
Not quite ready for the holidays to end? Will Rogers Memorial Center (3401 W Lancaster Av, Fort Worth, 817-392-7469) is the place for you. Cirque Musica presents its Holiday Wonderland, a fusion of circus artistry and acrobatics with beloved holiday melodies, at 7pm. For this, their 15th anniversary show, there are new costumes, songs, and storylines. Tickets start at $21 on Ticketmaster.com.
Now thru Sun, Feb 9, Dutch Art in a Global Age will be on view at the Kimbell Art Museum (3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-332-8451).
Featuring paintings by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Gerrit Dou, Jacob van Ruisdael, Maria Schalcken, and many other celebrated Nederlanders, the show comes to us from the renowned Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The Kimbell is open noon-5pm Sun and 10am-5pm Tue-Sat. Tickets are $18 at KimbellArt.org.
Rest up, my friends. Tomorrow is a big day. Stay home and stream something awesome. For example, the first Toadies Day show from 2018 is available for free as part of the shortlived Live from Billy Bob’s concert series, which is available on Roku and Tubi. Bonus footage: Witness Fort Worth’s beloved Sam Anderson presenting Vaden and company with their official city proclamation of today as Toadies Day forever in the Fort.
If you haven’t picked up my Christmas present yet, I wear a Size 2 tickets to a Dallas Stars game and would love to see them play the Buffalo Sabres tonight at American Airlines Center (2500 Victory Av, Dallas, 214-222-3687). Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.com, starting at $66 apiece.
By Jennifer Bovee
Burn one on the 30th for our hometown boys. Happy Toadies Day!
Cirque Musica’s Holiday Wonderland at Will Rogers affords you one last glimpse of Christmas on Saturday.
Friday screens on, well, Friday at Fireside Films atop the Worthington downtown.
Hot Deals At Cool Prices
Stock
EATS & drinks
B*tch, Please
A scrumptious mole and other family recipes rule at La Cabrona Cochina Mexicana.
La Cabrona Cochina Mexicana, 2933 Crockett St, 682-224-2560. 11am-4pm Sun, 11am-9pm MonThu, 11am-10pm Fri-Sat.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
LAURIE JAMES
Chef Rosario Ortega is a native of Monterrey, Mexico, and, according to her new restaurant’s website, is lovingly known as “the original Cabrona” –– a term that I believe implies a woman of valor and
strength and maybe not the colloquial “bitch.” La Cabrona occupies the space that formerly housed Tillman’s Roadhouse, back when the main purpose of Artisan Circle (formerly Crockett Row, formerly West 7th) was to dazzle most of us with delightful culinary options. Ortega also happens to be married to one of the area’s favorite restaurateurs. Adam Shanaa’s beloved Terra Mediterranean, which closed circa 2020, is back in Artisan Circle, not too far from La Cabrona.
But Ortega’s food stands on its own. House-made tortilla chips came out alongside a spicy-citrusy pureed salsa served in a molcajete, plus a tiny caldron of smooth, tasty refried beans topped with a little pork in a fiery sauce. That’s pretty much all the appetizer you’re going to need, although my dining companion and I sampled the
elotes as well. The version here is plain (not grilled) baby corn in a thin crema sauce with a healthy dose of red-orange spice on top. Without the caramelized grilled flavor, the elotes weren’t the worst but definitely not what we had pictured.
A cup of tortilla soup was a luscious, well-simmered blend of seasonal veggies, black beans, and a good amount of chicken. A healthy dose of melty cheese, avocado, and ample tortilla shreds topped the cup to overflowing. I am not saying this tortilla soup will cure the flu or RSV, but if you start feeling under the weather, Ortega’s delicacy might help.
Mole is a time-consuming sauce. It can take days to cook and marinate, and depending on how detailed your abuela was, it could take dozens of ingredients. Everyone’s
continued on page 17
Stunning murals celebrate Chef Rosario Ortega’s Monterrey heritage.
Good mole is hard to come by, and La Cabrona’s hits all the right notes.
The perfect appetizer is free at La Cabrona — a thick, citrusy salsa with house-made chips and refried beans with pork in a simmered stew.
––
family’s recipe is a little different, but the main components are bittersweet chocolate and a good amount of earthy, smoky spices. The mole Norteno at La Cabrona is a rich, savory, velvety blanket of goodness over a dark-meat quarter chicken. First, the leg and thigh were cooked perfectly — no red bone to scare you. And the mole is on the spicy side, but it’s well-balanced and complex and served with house-made corn tortillas. A word about the tortillas
they’re super-pretty, half plain corn and half colored, so they’re almost pink, and they’re tasty. Enjoy the sauce warm, as it’s meant to be eaten, but if you have a little to take home, savor a spoon cold before you reheat it: The flavors bloomed beautifully the next day.
I had no problem paying $20 for the mole entrée –– someone spent time on that sauce. The shrimp tacos were also priced at $20, and there was some sticker shock. That dissipated as soon as my dining companion’s plate of three giant soft tacos appeared in front of him. The handhelds hit all the tastebuds with a generous amount of plump, flavorful grilled shrimp,
crunchy cabbage, pico, and a creamy green crema sauce. The plate was rounded out with ranchero beans and some of the best Mexican rice I’ve ever had.
La Cabrona is more Mex than TexMex, which is only important to note if you aren’t expecting the well-seasoned, heavily spiced cuisine of Monterrey. The
inside of the building is predominantly pink — extra pink now with the Christmas tree and décor. The murals on two walls are gorgeous, and there’s a little private dining area that feels special and secluded if you want to be a little apart from the bar. Parking in Artisan Circle is still a challenge since the garages are now equipped with a machine that requires some data entry — your license plate info will be logged, and all the merchants, including La Cabrona, have a QR code to validate parking. Street parking courtesy of the City of Fort Worth is free for the first two hours. But don’t let the parking chaos scare you. Two hours at La Cabrona is totally worth it. l
Eats & Drinks
continued from page 15
The plump, zesty shrimp tacos are well worth the large price tag at La Cabrona.
La Cabrona is delightfully festive all year round but especially now.
La Cabrona’s loaded tortilla soup might cure what ails you.
MUSIC
Staying Alive
Since the local scene hasn’t gone anywhere, now’s a great time to start making a racket.
BY STEVE STEWARD
A little over a year ago, when three local music venues — Lola’s, Twilite Lounge, and the Post — shut down seemingly all at once, I really felt like Fort Worth’s music scene had reached the end of an era. In particular, Lola’s was a major, load-bearing pillar of the live, original music community, and while Twilite and the Post weren’t around as long (17 years), their calendars offered fans a lot of really great shows built on both local and touring acts. In the case of Twilite, it was home to a solidly growing local standup-comic scene promoted by Claws Out Comedy, and the
Post’s singer-songwriter-centric shows drew packed crowds for people looking for an intimate concert experience. Without those spaces, I wondered, would people’s interest in live music wither away completely?
The answer was resoundingly no. My perception, certainly frosted by a number of personal variables — advanced age, shifts in listening habits, diminished capacity for going out, and more — was that in addition to the separate closures of three venues, the other problem was that the people who keep music scenes vibrant and fresh, i.e., musicians and live music fans old enough to drink at a bar but not yet at the age where hangovers become exponentially worse, were just not interested in playing or watching live music. Turns out I was very much wrong. Just because some clubs closed doesn’t mean that all clubs closed. The Cicada and Tulips FTW are very much alive and well, for example, and the DIY shows put on by the folks behind Horus Hall in the Stockyards have breathed a lot of life into a scene that seemed to have gotten kind of stale. Same for Southside Preservation Hall. Plus, young people form new bands all the time, and nowhere in town seems to have their finger on that pulse better than Doc’s Records & Vintage, where regular events like Record Store Day in April, Doctober Fest, and November’s Thanks-Mas party feature a lot of new acts from across North Texas.
Doc’s is certainly an epicenter for local music fans, and as a nontraditional venue, it’s one of the rare spots to host all-ages shows. Offering a space for all-ages shows, I think, is something more retailers ought to try, which seems to be part of the Near Southside’s Lost in Sound
concert series, in which businesses along South Main Street throw their own DIY events in April, May, June, September, and October. Overall, these monthly concerts give a lot of local musicians — many who have never played a place like The Cicada or Tulips — a chance to perform in front of new faces. The events also show businesses that showcasing local talent brings people through their doors. While some of these venues happen to be bars, a lot of new artists can finally get some exposure to people who might not be old enough to see them play otherwise.
And since I’m on the subject of new artists, there probably isn’t a better time than the current moment to pick up an instrument or whatever else one might make music with and just figure out how to do it. We already exist in a politically charged environment, and as American life hurtles forth into the unknown brought upon by the first Musk administration, I expect there will be a lot of inspiration for protest music, probably on a minute-by-minute basis. I’m not saying the next Bob Dylan, Kendrick Lamar, or Bikini Kill is working on songs within the county limits even as we speak, but anything is possible, and if you fancy yourself as having something trenchant and impactful to say over some barre chords or backing tracks, please keep at it and tell your friends to show up when you play onstage. A year ago, I may have been half-baked when I thought local music was in decline, but it’s up to local musicians to keep making their art happen, and it’s up to the rest of us to be there and support what they’re doing. I feel like a supportive music community is something that can help get us all through the next four years. Please play your shit loud and often. l
WEEKLY LISTINGS
The List
Top resources for everything. Okay, almost everything.
By Fort Worth Weekly
Below are some resources for your consideration, including Free Will Astrology and info from faith-based organizations, health and wellness providers, mind-body-spirit businesses, home resources, and more. Welcome to Fort Worth Weekly Classifieds.
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (Mar 21-Apr 19)
Be on the lookout for things of unexpected worth that would require you to expand your expectations or stretch your capacities.
TAURUS (Apr 20-May 20)
Keep working diligently on your skills so that when lightning strikes and inspiration comes calling, you have a highly developed ability to capture it in a useful form. The coming weeks will bring you a slew of lightning bolts.
GEMINI (May 21-Jun 20)
The literary genre known as magical realism is replete with talking animals, helpful spirits, and nightly dreams that provide radical healing that is practical and dreamy, earthy and wildly imaginative, and well-grounded but alert for miracles. Be like that. You are primed to be both robustly pragmatic and primed for fairy-tale-style adventures.
CANCERIAN (Jun 21-Jul 22)
You’re at an evolutionary stage of your own innovation. Don’t minimize your smaller accomplishments. Keep the faith. It may take a while, but your efforts will ultimately lead to a meaningful advancement.
LEO (Jul 23-Aug 22)
During the rest of 2024, life’s generosity will stream your way more than usual. Share the inflowing wealth with cheerful creativity. Assume that the more you give, the more you will get and the more you will have. The spiritual realms might have extra goodies to bestow on you.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sep 22)
Cognitive dissonance doesn’t have to be a bad or debilitating thing. The ability to harbor conflicting ideas with poise and equanimity is a sign of high intelligence. This will be one of your superpowers in the coming weeks.
LIBRA (Sep 23-Oct 22)
Be open to conversion experiences that awaken you to higher truths and more expansive perspectives. You will have at least three of those transformative illuminations in the coming months. One is available now if you want it.
SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21)
“Thinking outside the box” is an American idiom. While it’s an excellent practice, you can also accomplish marvels by staying inside the box and reshaping it from the inside — accept some of the standard perspectives, but play and experiment with others in 2025.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21)
In the coming months, you will be wise to search for metaphorical fuel and resources that provide you with the most efficient and potent energy.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19)
Your plodding metaphorical travels will be finished sooner than you imagine. The light at the end of the tunnel will be visible any day now. The slow journey through the semi-darkness will ultimately yield rich benefits soon.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20- Feb 18)
During the coming weeks, give your best and brightest gifts and express your wildest and most beautiful truths. In the new year, you will need some downtime to recharge and revitalize.
PISCES (Feb19-Mar 20)
Avoid abusive self-criticism. It rarely works as a motivational ploy. Instead, engage in a focused campaign of inspiring yourself through self-praise and self-love.
EXPANDED HOROSCOPES
For unabridged versions of the horoscopes above by Rob Brezsny, go to FreeWillAstrology.com
Enjoy your birthday month, Capricorns!
CrossTown Sounds
Tuesday Night Music Club
New Year’s Eve falls on a Tuesday this year. Don’t let that stop you!
BY FORT WORTH WEEKLY
With Christmas (almost) over, it’s time to plan your New Year’s Eve. Along with a ton of shows to choose from on the big (Tuesday) night, live music abounds every other upcoming evening as well. Here are some local shows for your consideration. Or just stay home. That sounds nice, too!
Along with the Fort Worth Christmas tree, the Americana sounds of The Vintage Yell will light up Sundance Square (425 Houston St, Fort Worth, 817-222-1111) from 6pm to 9pm. There is no cost to attend.
Fort Worth’s heaviest psychedelic bluesmen Royal Sons will rock The Cicada (1002 S Main St, Fort Worth, @The_Cicada_FTW) at 8pm with Bull by the Horn and The Infamists. Cover is $10.
You can make all three of these next shows in one whirlwind road trip. First, if you find yourself in Dallas around lunchtime, catch local pop maven Simone Nicole at Villa Azur (2440 Victory Park Ln, Dallas, 214-389-2602) from noon to 3pm and treat yourself to some French/ Mediterranean cuisine while you’re at it.
Then, head to Fort Worth’s newest beer joint, Hoppin’ FW (2616 Weisenberger St, Fort Worth, 682-224-0621), for a wide variety of self-pour taps plus a full cocktail menu
Hotel Satellite will open. The fun gets going at 10pm.
and, from 2pm to 5pm, a free acoustic set by members of The Jaybirds
Finally, doors to The Toadies’ annual shindig at Billy Bob’s Texas (2520 Rodeo Plz, Fort Worth, 817-624-7117) open at 6pm. Pit tickets are $40 and GA tickets $20 at BillyBobsTexas.com.
Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall (122 E Exchange Av, Ste 200, Fort Worth, 817-900-9300) hosts Billy F. Gibbons & The BFGs featuring Mike Flanigin and Christ Layton with special guest Jimmie Vaughan. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets start at $37 on Ticketmaster.com.
Tonight is also the final performance of one of North Texas’ longest-running tribute outfits. Glam up the Granada Theater (3524 Greenville Av, Dallas, 214-841-4900) when Queen for a Day calls it a day. Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 8:30pm. Tickets are $15 and up on Prekindle.com.
Feeble Little Horse, self-described as making “thrilling and wildly unpredictable songs that are a reflection of the joys that come with making music with your best friends,” is playing Tulips FTW (112 St. Louis Av, Fort Worth, 817-367-9798) with Sword II and Tex Patrello at 7pm. Tickets are $22 at SeeTickets.us.
… three, two, one, Happy New Year!
Where will you be for the countdown this New Year’s Eve? There are oodles of shows to choose from.
The Boiled Owl Tavern (909 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-920-9616) is hosting a free event: Mean Motor Scooter’s 10th anniversary show. Celebrate with the local mod-punks and hear a preview of three new singles coming out in early 2025.
The Chat Room Pub (1263 W Magnolia Av) is bringing in partytastic B-52s tribute band the Bikini Whales. F-dub indie-rockers
The Crazy Water Hotel (401 N Oak Av, Mineral Wells, 940-325-4605) offers a casino night with The Tejas Brothers. Tickets are $175 on Eventbrite.com and include the performance, casino games, a photo booth, and a dinner buffet featuring food from Second Bar + Kitchen. On the top floor of Choctaw Stadium, Hearsay Arlington (1711 East Randol Mill Rd, 817-591-1700) is throwing a Prohibition-style party with local R&B group 4 Ya Soul. There’ll be themed cocktails, a buffet dinner, photo ops, and a Champagne toast at midnight. Tickets for The Roaring ’20s NYE Soiree start at $65 on Eventbrite.com.
The shindig at Magnolia Motor Lounge (3803 Southwest Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-3323344) sounds pretty cool. Texarkana-born troubadour David Tribble is hosting a songwriters’ night, and, better yet, there’s no cover.
Meow Wolf Grapevine (3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy, Ste 253, 866-636-9969), the art-installation-meets-theme park that opened last year, often offers adults-only
Adultiverse nights, and tonight is no exception. Join them for a night of sexy entertainment starring Night Shade Burlesque’s performance of their Cosmic Cabaret show from 8pm to 12:30am. Tickets are $50 at Tickets.MeowWolf.com.
Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar (621 Houston St, Fort Worth, 817-335-7383) will be the place for a sing-along party at 8pm with four piano players, assorted party favors, and Pete’s signature bathtub cocktails — essentially, shareables served in tiny glass bathtubs. Tickets are $25 per person, and if you book a whole table, you’ll also receive a bottle of Champagne for your midnight toast. Visit PetesDuelingPianoBar.com.
There are some Rumours that Southside Preservation Hall (1519 Lipscomb St, Fort Worth, 817-926-2800) will ring in the New Year with a bevy of Fleetwood Mac tunes. Well, it’s all true. It’s also a costume ball, so dress up in your fanciest attire. The incomparable Ginny Mac will perform at midnight, preceded by DJs IAMYU, Stephen Carmona, and Bruisey. Tickets are $40 on Eventbrite.com.
Sundance Square (425 Houston St, Fort Worth, 817-222-1111) has an evening of fun that ends with a fireworks display. Before that happens at midnight, enjoy all the bars along the plaza, plus food trucks and street performers from 6pm to 12:30am. Havana NRG, The Special Edition Band, and DJ Danny West will perform. There is no cost to attend. For more about the festivities on the square, read Big Ticket at FWWeekly.com.
With their country-leaning rock songs and rock-leaning country tunes, The Wilder Blue headline Tannahill’s (122 E Exchange Av, Fort Worth, 817-900-9300). Their signature five-part harmonies will remind you of the Eagles, and they’ll send you into 2025 with a peaceful, easy feeling.
Trees Dallas (2709 Elm St, 214-741-1122) has Tripping Daisy, which makes my ’90s heart very happy! Tickets are $100 on Prekindle.com and include a souvenir T-shirt you can pick up at the event. l
Or just stay home. Sounds nice!
Night Shade Burlesque’s Cosmic Cabaret will thrill Meow Wolf on NYE.
The incomparable Ginny Mac will welcome 2025 in style by performing some Rumoursera Fleetwood Mac tunes at Southside Preservation Hall’s costume party. John Erwin
Ring in the New Year proper with a massive sing-along at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar.
CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIEDS
MIND-BODY-SPIRIT
THE AURA CLINIC
Full-service wellness, holistic, metaphysical, and psychic sanctuary at 6233 Oakmont Blvd, FWTX (817-200-7662). MyAuraClinic.com
HIGHER PURPOSE EMPORIUM
Everyone has a higher purpose. Find yours. Visit us at 505 W Northside Dr, FWTX (HigherPurposeEmporium.com, 682-207-5351).
MASSAGE
Hannah in Hurst
Take a break from the rat race and feel better fast! 30+yrs pro massage exp (MT4797). No outcalls. 817-590-2257
HAVE FAITH
CELEBRATION COMMUNITY CHURCH
Located at 908 Pennsylvania Av (817-335-3222), CCC has services on Sundays at 10am. Want to check out a nonjudgmental, inclusive church at home before attending in person? All services can also be viewed on YouTube (@CelebrationCommunityChurch130).
POTTER’S HOUSE
Join the Potter’s House of Fort Worth (1270 Woodhaven Blvd, 817446-1999) for Sunday Service at 8am and Wednesday Bible Study at 7pm. For more info, visit us online: www.TPHFW.org
HEALTH & WELLNESS
DENTAL INSURANCE
Physicians Mutual Insurance Company covers 350+ procedures. Get your FREE Dental
Information Kit with all the details! Use code 6258 when you call or visit online.
Dental50plus.com/ FortWorth 1-888-361-7095
LIFELINE SCREENINGS
According to the American Heart Association, stroke and Cardiovascular disease are leading causes of death. Screenings can provide peace of mind or early detection! Contact Life Line Screening to schedule your screening. Special offer: 5 screenings for just $149. Call today! 1-833-636-1757
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
Not going anywhere. PPGreaterTX.org
HOME RESOURCES
BATHROOMS
The bathroom of your dreams in as little as one day. Call BCI Bath & Shower today! 1-866-913-0581
GENERATORS
Prepare for power outages today with a home standby generator. No money down. Low monthly payments. Call for a FREE quote. 1-844-887-3143
LEAF FILTER
Eliminate gutter cleaning forever. Schedule a FREE estimate today. Ask about 20% off the entire purchase. 1-877-689-1687
NEXTHOME
Open The Door
To Yours Today! SarahNiehoff PropertyLinkTX.com
Sarah Niehoff, Realtor 817-714-7956
PET SERVICES
DON’T FORGET TO FEED ME!
DF2FM is a 501c3 and the only pet food bank in North Texas. Feeding pets in difficult times. More info on FB @DFTFM.
FREE SPAY/NEUTER
Need a FREE Spay/ Neuter? Texas Coalition for Animal Protection has clinics near you. Schedule an appointment today.
TexasForThem.org Call 1-833-636-1757
PUBLIC NOTICES
TDLR Complaints
Any Texans who may be concerned that an unlicensed massage business may be in operation near them, or believe nail salon employees may be human trafficking victims, may now report those concerns directly to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) by emailing ReportHT@ TDLR.Texas.gov.
SUBMISSIONS
Do you have thoughts and feelings, or questions, comments, or concerns about something you read in the Weekly? Please email Question@ fwweekly.com. Do you have an upcoming event? For potential coverage in our listing sections, email the details to Marketing@fwweekly.com
WANT ADVERTISING? START HERE!
BULLETIN BOARD
ADVERTISE HERE
Email stacey@fwweekly.com today!
Are Your Road-Trip Ready?
CALL COWTOWN ROVER!
With our handy pick-up and drop-off services, having your car checked out could not be easier. www.CowtownRover.com 3958 Vickery | 817.731.3223
DENTAL INSURANCE
Get coverage from Physicians Mutual Insurance for 350+ procedures. Real dental insurance, NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call 1-888-361-7095 or go online now for a FREE Dental Info Kit. Dental50plus.com/fortworth #6258. (MB)
ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING
Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off Entire Purchase. Plus 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-877-689-1687 today! (MB)
EMPLOYMENT
IT Professionals for Star Software Solutions, LLC. Ent. Lvl to Sr. Lvl (Mltpl pos’s) of Sftwr Dvlprs & Sftwr QA Eng, needed in Bedford, TX to anal., des., dvlp & implmt techs incl AWS, Java, .NET, REST, JavaScript, Oracle BI, Selenium. Reqs Bach’s w/ 0, 24, or 60 mos exp or Mast’s w/ 0 exp. Must trvl to var client sites at unanticipated locations. Pls send resume, cvr ltr, & sal req to 1901 Central Dr, Suite 610, Bedford, TX 76021.
HANNAH in HURST
Take a break from the rat race & feel better fast! 30+yrs Pro Massage (mt4797). No outcalls. 817-590-2257
HISTORIC RIDGLEA THEATER
THE RIDGLEA is three great venues within one historic Fort Worth landmark. RIDGLEA THEATER has been restored to its authentic allure, recovering unique SpanishMediterranean elements. It is ideal for large audiences and special events. RIDGLEA ROOM and RIDGLEA LOUNGE have been making some of their own history, as connected adjuncts to RIDGLEA THEATER, or hosting their own smaller shows and gatherings. More at theRidglea.com
HORROR FILM FUNDING
Fort Worth young adult seeks funding for an independent horror project. For more information or to donate, visit IndieGoGo.com/projects/ the-mastermind-the-movie#/
KNOW YOUR HEALTHCARE RIGHTS
Did you know that hospitals in Texas are now required to ask patients seeking care about their citizenship status? You are NOT required to answer. Instead, you can simply say: “I prefer not to answer.” Hospitals CANNOT deny you care due to your citizenship status.
LIFE INSURANCE
Up to $15K of GUARANTEED Life Insurance! No medical exam or health questions. Cash to help pay for funeral and other final expenses. Visit Life55Plus.info/ FTWorth or call today!
844-782-2870
More books than, WOW!
The Published Page Bookstop (10 E Chambers St, Cleburne, 817-349-6366) is open 10am-6pm Wed-Sat and 1pm-6pm Sun. An authentic “Old School” bookstore on the courthouse square of Historic Downtown Cleburne, TX, just 20 minutes south of FW, it’s a true Texas treasure. For more info, visit PublishedPage.com or find us on Facebook (@BiblioTreasures).
NEED A FRIEND?
Ronnie D. Long Bail Bonds
Immediate Jail Release 24 Hour Service. City, County, State and Federal Bonds. Located Minutes from Courts. 6004 Airport Freeway.
817-834-9894
RonnieDLongBailBonds.com
Prepare for Power Outages with Briggs & Stratton®
PowerProtect™ standby generators - the most powerful home standby generators available. Industry-leading comprehensive warranty - 7 years ($849 value.) Proudly made in the U.S.A. Call Briggs & Stratton 1-855-988-6789.
SAFE STEP: THE #1 WALK-IN TUB
North America’s #1 Wal-In Tub is Safe Step.
Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our FREE shower package and $1600 Off for a limited time! Financing available. Call today: 1-855-868-0192. (MB)
THE WILD HARE HOLISTIC FAIR
Every 4th Saturday of the Month at 1959 Sandy Lane in Fort Worth. Next Event is this Saturday, December 28th ADMISSION IS FREE!!!
WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
We work with guest contributors to publish SEO articls and press release purpuses. Email today! Marketing@fwweekly.com
