SHOPPING LOCAL
Spice Up Your Holidays with Bel Air Ranch
Fort Worth-based brand is now available in all Central Market locations in Texas.
By Cynthia Smoot
Bringing a new depth of flavor to any dish or type of cuisine, Bel Air Ranch Herb & Spice Co. has just launched a full line of six NEW seasoning blends exclusively at Central Market. Fort Worth-based serial entrepreneur Justin Anderson introduced his brand in 2021, offering home cooks a way to elevate everyday meals with bold, distinctly Texan flavors. His signature sugar-free blend, crafted with a unique combination of purple shallots, green peppercorns, and smoky Korean red pepper, quickly gained popularity, becoming a top-selling item at Central Market.
Learn to Cook Prime Rib
Just in time for Christmas dinner planning, Bel Air Ranch has partnered with Hartley Ranch, a Texas producer of grass-fed, organic, and conventional Angus beef, to host holiday demonstrations and tastings in selected Central Market stores in Texas. Learn how to make a whole rack choice bone-in prime rib and enjoy tastings served with traditional sides of creamed spinach and mashed potatoes with prime rib au jus on 1pm-6pm Sun, Dec 22 in Fort Worth (4651 West Fwy, PHONE), or 2pm-6:30pm Mon, Dec 23 in Dallas (4349 W Northwest Hwy, PHONE).
Along with the Fort Worth and Dalas store hosting the special events, Bel Air Ranch Herb & Spice can be found in the meat department at all Texas Central Market stores, including Southlake (1425 E Southlake Blvd, 817-310-5600). All flavors are packaged in resealable 2 oz. bags retailing for only $5.99, making them great stocking stuffers for the grill master in your life or fodder for gift baskets.
Flavors include Bel Air Bird (13 Secret Herbs & Spices), Bel Air Blackening (Oriental Hot Mustard, Cayenne, Oregano), Bel Air Brisket BBQ, Bel Air Mediterranean (Greek herbs, Lemon, Red Pepper), Bel Air Smokey
(Chipotle, Coriander, Oregano, Cayenne), and Bel Air Steak & Prime Rib (Black Pepper, Thyme, Garlic, Rosemary). For more information and tips, visit EatBelAir.com.
Cherry Red is Christmas Red
Add a splash of color to your holiday side-dish game with Bel Air Ranch Tomatoes. When shopping for tomatoes in the winter, look for smaller varieties like cherry or grape tomatoes. Slice and sprinkle with Bel Air Ranch. Eat them as-is, add to your favorite salad or roast in the oven to make a tomato soup.
About Central Market
A division of H-E-B, Central Market opened its doors in 1994 and now has ten store locations across North Texas. A bountiful produce department with unmatched quality and variety, an 80-foot seafood case, hundreds of cheeses, 2,500 wine labels, and extensive specialty grocery aisles make the Central Market experience unique. For more information, follow us on Instagram (@central_market), Twitter (@centralmarket), or visit us at CentralMarket.com. #CentralMarket #ReallyIntoFood.
• 4th Annual Merry & Bright Drone Shows, Mondays, December 2 & 7
• 45th Annual Parade of Lights, Thursday, December 5
• Shop & Dine at Grapevine Mills & Historic Main Street
• Enormous Christmas Displays & Decorations
• Peace Plaza Ice Rink
Bel Air Ranch Herb & Spice Co. is debuting six new flavor profiles.
Gangway
Cherry red is Christmas red!
EATS & drinks
Masa Mas
Once
a scarce commodity regulated by aubuelas with family recipes, tamales
are not just everywhere but everything.
Tamal and Atole Festival, 6-9pm Sat at Magdalena’s (502 Grand Av, Fort Worth, 817-7498085). $25. Business.fwhcc.org.
BY LAURIE JAMES
A long time ago –– back in the late 1900s, kids –– we had two ways to get tamales. We could buy them as part of a combo platter at our favorite restaurant, or we could get the hookup from a co-worker’s aubuela or church
lady who was making a thousand dozen around this time of year, our waits rewarded with an armful of foil-wrapped packages stuffed full of meat and masa goodness. One of my favorite current co-worker’s Mexican mamas made me some last weekend, so we met in her Oak Cliff neighborhood for the tamale transaction. The only reason the full dozen made it to my house was because you can’t drive and unwrap a warm tamale at the same time.
These days, almost every grocery store (not just the Fiestas, Supermercados, and Michocanas) sells tamales, usually pork, maybe chicken or the bean version if you’re lucky. A couple of weeks ago when I was at the new H-E-B in Mansfield, an employee was wheeling a cooler on a cart with a jingly little bell, yelling, “Fresh tamales! Hot tamales!” That store is wall-to-wall people-y chaos on weekends, yet folks still stopped to grab some of those fresh, hot bad boys.
Originating in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, tamales (tamal) were offered as sacrifices to the gods. When the Spaniards arrived on the continent bringing their monks and their Jesus, the padres forced some modification to the traditions, and the festive offerings began to adorn Catholic altars. If tamales aren’t already a protected foodway, they should be: Recipes are guarded, and although the cost of the materials isn’t high — masa and corn husks are fairly cheap — the labor expense is exorbitant.
Tamale-making season runs from the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12 until the Epiphany on January 6. This Saturday, the Fort Worth Hispanic
If you’re not lucky enough to know a co-worker with a Mexican mama and a spicy chicken tamale recipe, don’t worry. Store-bought is fine.
Chamber of Commerce and Northside Posadas celebrate their inaugural Tamal and Atole Festival at Magdalena’s (502 Grand Av, Fort Worth, 817-749-8085). The chef collab features Magdalena’s Juan Rodriguez with Kevin Martinez (Tokyo Café), Jacqueline Anaya (Calisience), Francisco Islas (Paco’s), and Angel Fuentes (Guapo Taco). Your $25 ticket gets you samples, drinks, and
the option to grab a half dozen tamales for home.
If you don’t have a co-worker with connections or an aubuela’s secret recipe, here are eight other options to get your tamale fix, in alphabetical order. I’m not trying to be comprehensive here, just shine a light on some tamale places I’ve come to love.
continued on page 17
Laurie James
Crystal’s Homemade Tamales y Mas (2726 Lipscomb, Ste 101, Fort Worth, 682381-9020) is a newcomer to the tamale market, and the selection is outstanding: Vegan with black beans, bell pepper and potatoes, and slow-cooked brisket are on the menu, plus the more traditional pork, chicken, and jalapeño and cheese. The tamales are all free of pork lard and cost $18-30 per dozen.
Hot Damn Tamales! (per appointment inside The Pantry, 713 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-523-1836) is the once and always local champion for year-round tamales, and at one point, Hot Damn boasted 18 varieties. Unfortunately, since the pandemic, our access to unlimited masa flavorings has been curtailed to online ordering and frozen tamale storefront pickup. Ancho pork, beef, chicken and Hatch chile, queso blanco and jalapeño, and vegan black bean tamales will all run you $14-15 per dozen.
Hurtado Barbecue (multiple locations, HurtadoBBQ.com) has expanded from a single storefront in Arlington to locations in Fort Worth, Mansfield, with *clutching pearls* a Dallas location coming soon. Brandon Hurtado doesn’t do anything by half measures, and the Hurtado Christmas tamales are stuffed with prime Hurtado brisket — this explains the $48-per-dozen price.
Ibarra’s Tortilleria (1109 NW 25th St, Fort Worth, 817-625-6391) has a three-tamale plate on their dine-in menu year-round, and
on Tamale Thursdays, it’s $10.95. A dozen pork tamales with red sauce runs $20.50. If you’re feeling brave and have a good recipe, you can buy your masa here, too.
La Cabrona (2933 Crockett St, Fort Worth, 682-224-2560) also represents a new entry into the tamale market this year with their Abuela Rosario’s secret-recipe tamales (chicken, pork, cheese and jalapeño, and bean) at $25 per dozen.
Magdalena’s (502 Grand Av, Fort Worth, 817-749-8085) has offered holiday tamales for the last several years. Rodriguez and crew have an interesting variety, including braised pork in a verde sauce, black bean and Oaxaca cheese, guajillo chile and chicken, and jalapeño and cheese. This year, they’ve added Pulido’s jalapeño and cheese and red pork tamales to the mix ($24-36 per dozen, including two salsas).
In
Marquez Bakery (1730 E Division St, Arlington, 817-265-8858) only has pork tamales, and at $13.99 per dozen, they may be the county bargain. Pair them with some of Marquez’s salsa and a mini-empanada or some delectable pan dulce. Tommy Tamale (multiple locations, TommyTamale.com) is the best go-to for non-pork options. Apple cinnamon, vegan black bean, and vegetarian black bean and cheese tamales all run $17 per dozen. l
In the good old days before COVID, Hot Damn Tamales! offered over a dozen options. They’re now down to a half-dozen.
flavors like braised pork in a verde sauce and guajillo chile and chicken, Magdalena’s tamales are sure to be a hit.
EATS & drinks
ATE DAY8 of New Year’s Eve
BY ELAINE WILDER
There are too-many-to-list entertainment options on New Year’s Eve (Tue, Dec 31), so I’ve lined up some food-oriented ones for those looking for a nice dinner. As for NYE shows up in #ThaClub, meet us back here next week to check out Crosstown Sounds and see which local bands are playing where.
If you’re hosting your own NYE party, a festive dessert is a must. SusieCakes (1621 River Run, Ste 151, Fort Worth, 817-8132253) is whipping up New Year’s Eve desserts such as a Cheers to 2025 cake, New Year’s sprinkles-decorated cakes, mimosa cupcakes, champagne cupcakes, New Year’s frosted sugar cookies, and more from Sat, Dec 28, thru Tue, Dec 31. Prices vary. Call to order. For more info, visit SusieCakes.com.
There are several local hotel experiences if you want to make a night of it. At the Blue Room at The Crescent Hotel (3300 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-661-1788), Executive Chef Preston Paine is offering a five-course prix fixe menu at your choice of two seating times (6pm or 9pm). Along with live music, highlights include the shiso-cured black bass paired with uni and fermented gooseberries or the filet or butter-poached lobster tail with coal-roasted squash and black truffle, plus a glass of Krug Champagne to toast to 2025. The price is $250 per person, and reservations can be made at Resy.com.
As the Worthington Renaissance Downtown Hotel (200 Main St, Fort Worth, 817-870-1000) is located in the center of town, all of Fort Worth is visible in every direction from the roof, so special packages include a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine to enjoy while watching the fireworks display light up the night sky. With the promotional code EVE, you can take advantage of a late (2pm) checkout and receive $50 credit toward breakfast on-site at Hacienda, ensuring you start the New Year refreshed and relaxed. This promotion is valid for stay dates from Sat, Dec 28, thru Thu, Jan 2 — book now at bit.ly/ WorthingtonFWNYE.
Feeling less party and more mystery? From 7:30pm to 10:30pm, Keith & Margo’s Killer New Year’s Eve is dinner and a 360-degree theatrical experience at Aloft Hotel (334 W 3rd St, Fort Worth, 817-885-7999). Incognito pro actors will surround you as imposters, making you part of the action both as an investigator and as a homicide suspect. The cost of $95 per person includes appetizers, a three-course dinner, Champagne toast, NYE party favors, and dinner gratuities. (Please tip the actors separately.) A
SusieCakes has NYE desserts, like this Cheers to 2025 cake, available Dec 28-31.
cash bar will be available for alcoholic beverages. To see the full menu and purchase tickets, visit MurderMysteryTexas.com.
For dinner plans, Malai Kitchen serves Vietnamese and Thai cuisine at four North Texas spots, including Fort Worth (5289 Monahans Av, 682-707-3959) and Southlake (161 E Southlake Blvd, Ste 220, 817-251-9141).
The Dallas location is offering specialty dishes for New Year’s Eve in addition to the regular menu. Limited-time items include crispy lamb “money bag” dumplings, chicken murtabak, golden lobster, Burmese beef short ribs, and more. Malai also has special drinks for the occasion, like an apricot Old Fashioned and a passionfruit fizz. You can also join them on New Year’s Day for a special brunch featuring their usual favorites, plus banh mi French toast, Thai chicken and waffles, congee with chicken and egg, and egg banh mi with ham. For more info or reservations, visit MalaiKitchen.com. Or celebrate New Year’s Eve at Toro Toro (200 Main St, Fort Worth, 817-975-9895) with a five-course dinner. A first course of mango-and-papaya salad (jicama, peanut, aguaymanto, shiso, guajillo, tamarind dressing) will be followed by a second course of lobster tacos (lobster tail bites, black bean purée, chile de árbol sauce, avocado, lime), a third course of hamachi maracuya tiradito (fresh hamachi, passionfruit leche de tigre, cancha corn, red onion pico de gallo, cilantro-infused oil, black salt), and, for the main course, your choice of mignon steak or wood-grilled halibut. The cost is $150 per guest. Wine pairing add-ons are $40 per guest. Seatings are available from 5pm to 10:30pm. Reservations are recommended at OpenTable.com.
For drinks, dining, and gaming, Monaco Restaurant (5238 N O’Connor Blvd, Ste 134, Las Colinas) presents a Monte Carlo-themed NYE party. Starting at 9pm, this “night of sophistication, glamour, and casino thrills” showcases an open bar, passed hors d’oeuvres, and a Champagne toast at midnight, all while you test your luck at the casino tables with complimentary blackjack, craps, and roulette. Dress to impress. Tickets are $149.77-$277.14 per person on EventBrite.com.
Whatever you do for NYE, start the first day of the year with great food the next day.
Blue Mesa (612 Carroll St, Fort Worth, 817332-6372) is hosting a New Year’s Day Buffet Brunch from 9am to 4pm with prime rib, smoked brisket, red chile salmon, shrimp and grits, black-eyed peas, and greens, plus other favorites from the restaurant’s usual signature buffet. The price is $40 for adults, $12 for kids 6-11, and no cost for children 5 and under. For reservations, call the restaurant or book a time slot on OpenTable.com. l
