Fort Worth Foodies Presents by Times Live Media Group

FORT FWORTH ORT WORTH Foodies Foodies I S S U E 5 S E P T E M B E R | 2 0 2 2 On The OCover n The Cover Fixture FW Chicken Fand ixture FW Chicken and Waffle So Good WThey'll affle So Good They'll Take You to TParts ake You to Parts Unknown Unknown FORT WORTH'S RESTAURANT FGUIDE ORT WORTH'S RESTAURANT GUIDE PRESENTS PRESENTS

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR 2

ConnieBally

As Fort Worth Foodies rounds the corner and gallops toward the staggering number of 100,000 members, I find myself filled with excitement and humility. I try to envision what the future holds but I think it’s going to be a more robust version of the present as the admins and I have brought in exciting new features and programs that give the group its momentum. The new features such as the map, the directory, podcasts and the digital magazine feel permanent. They’re presently in their infancy and it’s apparent there is so much room to grow which is the exciting part. Facebook is fluid and with 100,000 members the chances of someone coming up with an idea that gives us a spark of creativity is highly possible and since we are constantly looking for such sparks and are quick to incorporate them into our current platform, introducing more features is almost a certainty. We’ve laid the groundwork for the group to continue to grow and to support our culinary community. We’ve defined and created the infrastructure and given the community bones, around which we will continue to build our membership and programs. Much like a garden it needs tending to daily. We know what it takes to nurture it and to keep the unwanted elements weeded out so it can continue to flourish. The tools we use are now intuitive to us all and they have been challenged, sometimes harshly, and they’re time tested. We know what it takes to keep Fort Worth Foodies dialed into the needs of the restaurants, caterers, food trucks and purveyors while creating an entertaining and informative source for our members. We want to thank each and every chef, restaurant owner and entrepreneur for supporting us during that sometimes steep learning curve. At one point we were so new to all of this it’s a wonder we managed to blunder our way to this point, but we did. I attribute this to our entrepreneurial spirit and shared vision of the community we both knew was possible. We had the imagery to see what Fort Worth Foodies could become and on some level, so did you. For that we will be forever grateful. To my two lead admins, Celia and Penny, you have given me strength, clarity and a cherished friendship. I could not do this without either of you. Your commitment is sincere and you both are a source of inspiration and wisdom and for that I thank you from the depth of my soul. To my newer admins and moderators, the fun has just begun! We are quickly coming together as a well oiled machine and getting to know and work with you all is pure joy. So let's raise a virtual glass of bubbly and toast to our past accomplishments and look forward to the 200,000 member milestone we are sure to achieve...together! admins and I might personally deliver it to you! How much fun would that be?

Instagram saw it first! Follow @fortworthfoodiestx for all our foodie adventures. The perfect summertime refresher from Muy Frio Margaritas FTW

Thankyouforyourunderstanding,Connie

Little could I have ever imagined what a force for commerce in this city Fort Worth Foodies could become. We’ve connected over food, stories, photos and memories almost daily and it’s a celebration of our city in so many meaningful ways. We thank you once again for being a part of this amazing community. So lets raise a toast to the first 100,000 members and continue onto even greater numbers. So many businesses have survived and even thrived because of us. I salute you all for your consistent support of the culinary arts in this wonderful town of ours. Please stay safe in this blasted heat! Keep flipping until you get to the article with the live links on places to go that offer indoor entertainment and wonderful food. I hope to see you there.

An Italian Favorite in Fort AWorth! n Italian Favorite in Fort Worth! 817.922.9500 3548 S Hills Ave Suite 19, Fort Worth www.cafebellaftw.com CafeBella CafeBella 4 CATERING: We prepare homemade food for any type of event. Let Café Bella take the hassle out of your next event. Call 817-922-9500 for information on our packages.

By Melissa Smith Dean

Contents Contents September 12 Featured Chef: YOU! Central Market 20 Featured Entrepreneur: Lockwood Distilling Co 5 Featured Restaurant: Kitchen and Social Lounge 8 Falling for Trends:

Fort Worth Foodies is now offering weekly podcasts! We are just delighted to move into this space. The interactions we’ve had with our local chefs brings an added dimension to the community we are building and we are loving it! The podcasts are uploaded to our YouTube channel and the main group (Fort Worth Foodies https://www.facebook.com/groups/fortworthfoodies) where they remain. The podcasts are both audio and visual and it’s amazing how advanced the technology has become. Anyone can have a production studio in their backpack. It’s portable and affordable and the sound quality is about as good as it gets even with a budget friendly set up. When we meet one of our chefs in his/her restaurant, we always go in with talking points but quickly go off-script as there is so much to talk about. The central focus is always the food, but the background story of the restaurant and interesting bits of information are frequently talked about. I’m always amazed and delighted at how many stories there are out there and the 20 minutes that we give to each podcast is more of an introduction than a sum-up. After we wrap up the podcast, the audio and video files are sent to my producer where the magic happens. He will edit to ensure continuity of the subject and enhance the audio where needed. He’s also developed an intro and outro that will be a permanent part of our podcast brand. A monthly podcast is included in our “Elite” brand partnership package. However, if you are interested in inviting us into your establishment and spending time with us on a podcast, please reach out. I’m sure you’ll find the rate very reasonable. The process is seamless, the podcast itself is fun to create and the results will be a part of your brand for as long as you wish. You’ll have access to it to post on your social media platforms so it's another creative, interesting way to get in front of a sizable audience where 92% of the members are in the greater Fort Worth area. Contact me for scheduling. I hope to see you soon!

ProducedBy 6

By Magazine Voted "BEST "BEST PIZZA PIZZA" " 2022 3501 Hulen St. Fort Worth, TX 76107 PH: 817-402-0050 7

FFEATURED

ChefBenMerritt EATURED REASTURANT REASTURANT

Most photo credits go to Nancy Ferrar.

The cover and our featured Restaurant for September is Fixture Kitchen and Social Lounge, a chef driven American eatery on Magnolia Avenue owned by Chef Ben Merritt the 2019 Winner of Food Network's "Chopped". He’s also the recipient of Best New Restaurant, Best Brunch, Best Appetizers and Best Gluten Free Dishes and there are even more accolades. The ambiance of this restaurant that serves up New American cuisine and craft cocktails is one of an exposed brick bistro, and is located on the city’s near southside. It’s comfortable and transitions well from a favorite brunch spot (brunch served Wednesday Sunday) to a casual lunch or a business lunch, to an after work decompress spot while enjoying the delicious happy hour to a favorite dinner spot that even is perfect for date night. One of the special attributes of the restaurant is that it transitions easily from a casual eatery for the whole family to a restaurant that is ideal for a business meeting and every occasion in between. The spacious patio is also well thought out in that it is covered but open air and of course it is dog friendly. The casual ambiance of the restaurant spills out into that area where diners can enjoy the chef driven menu while people watching and comfortably letting the world go by. It’s the kind of place that you will want to settle into and spend some time enjoying your meal and the surroundings. It’s no wonder FixtureFW has gotten to be one of the near southside's favorite dining destinations. The New American cuisine menu reflects Chef Ben's global travels and his service in the US Navy. He’s taken his passion for the culinary arts seriously and is an American Culinary Federation Certified Culinarian and has worked alongside many notable chefs including Stephan Pyles. The restaurateur doesn’t just own a thriving eatery in the area he has a deep connection to the area and is an active supporter of various community events and continues to be involved with TCU and the Fairmount Community Library.

Chef Ben and his business partner Christopher Lynch have opened another concept called Fitzgeralds, located 6115 Camp Bowie Blvd. The Chef professes that the concept is simple! They serve exceptionally well prepared Gulf Coast inspired seafood and steaks, in comfortable, elegant surroundings. Fitzgeralds also offers a large covered, open air patio, an extensive wine list, loungy jazz music with a price point that makes it accessible to everybody. One thing is for certain, Chef Ben has made an important mark on the culinary horizons of Fort Worth and for that we are glad his restaurants are a permanent “Fixture” with the diners of our city.

For more information on FixtureFW: https://www.facebook.com/fixturefortworth http://www.fixturefw.com/

For more information on Fitzgeralds: https://www.facebook.com/eatatfitz/ http://Eatatfitz.com/ Most photo credits go to Nancy Ferrar.

Chef Ben has created a fabulous menu inspired by the art and science of cooking that is distinctively New American with a very personalized spin on the recipes. H once shared with me the story behind his Chicken and Waffles. Years ago he listened to Season 5 of CNN’s ‘Parts Unknown’ as Anthony Bourdain sat down with the musician Questlove and professed being perplexed by the whole “Chicken and Waffles thing”. In Chef Ben’s infinite wisdom and culinary brilliance, he knew what the dish was missing and from that show, kept the Chicken and Waffles dish on the menu in the off chance Anthony Bourdain came to his restaurant. It’s Anthony Bourdain good! Even though Chef Bourdain is sadly no longer with us, the dish remains on the menu for us all to enjoy.

Check Out CtheCover heck Out theCover

PARTNER @fortworthfoodiestx Times Live Media Group | Times Live Radio Studios | Rum Runnas Podcast TNetwork imes Live Media Group | Times Live Radio Studios Rum Runnas Podcast Network 25 S Main Street, Nazareth PA | 2wwwtimeslivemediagroupcom 5 S Main Street, Nazareth PA | wwwtimeslivemediagroupcom IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PRESIDENT Connie Bally PRODUCTION Times Live Media Group Rum Runnas Podcast Network CONTENT CREATORS Penny Bonkowski Celia Valadez Guerrero Mark X French CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Connie Bally PROOFREADER Rita Vinson MEET THE TEAM ISSUE 5 | SEPTEMBER 2022FORT FWORTH ORT WORTH Foodies PRESENTS PRESENTS 10

105 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth, TX 817-624-1246 11

Chef Chef Chef OftheMonth OftheMonth OftheMonth YOU! YOU! 12

You can even request a private event. How much fun would that be? Perhaps present it as a gift for the person who has everything? A girls night out? A family gathering? The aspiring gourmand? The classes are well taught, are accompanied by a glass of wine or two and the attendees go home with a recipe package of the recipes that are taught during your class. It’ll be the gift that keeps on giving.

If you’ve wanted to perfect your pairings, practice new techniques, expand your repertoire or improve your confidence in the kitchen, then these classes will make you feel like a culinary rock star! They’re fun for all ages, too. This month, September, our featured chef is YOU!

The cooking school kitchen is on the second floor of our store (Fort Worth) and it’s a spacious, well lit area that offers the student a clear view of the cooking action from any seat in the house. The classes are often taught by local celebrity chefs and internationally acclaimed chefs can be interacted with in the virtual classes. Central Market doesn’t hold back with the variety of classes offered which you review by clicking this link: https://www.centralmarket.com/cooking school

Central Market has a tagline that reads “Really Into Food”, which is any foodie's anthem, but they take it to levels never seen before. Every area of the store's operations are filled with partners who take ownership of the programs and the cooking school is a shining example of fabulous programming taught in comfortable surroundings.

There’s something for everyone and the class schedule changes month to month, so check back often. Themes that speak to the month long celebrations Central Market is known for include Hispanic American Heritage Month, which is from September 15th October 15th, and will be reflected in the classes offered.

Chef Chef Chef

OftheMonth OftheMonth OftheMonth YOU! YOU! 13

817.348.0633 817.348.0633 111 W 4th St, Ste 15 Fort 1Worth 11 W 4th St, Ste 15 Fort Worth simplyfonduefortworth.com simplyfonduefortworth.com For a dining experience that is Fbeautifully or a dining experience that is beautifully presented, perfectly curated and poffers resented, perfectly curated and offers exceptional flavors, plan on dining eat xceptional flavors, plan on dining at Simply SFondue. imply Fondue. 14

Here are the names and links of all of the groups we’ve spun off and still monitor for growth and appropriate content. All of the groups are a lot of fun and serve useful purposes so feel free to join one or all of them, as your interests dictate.

This group was formed to give the home cooks a space to showcase their kitchen creations.

Fort Worth Foodies Home Chef

Fort Worth Foodies Plant Based & Vegan

Fort Worth Foodies is more than just a foodies group! We have several groups you may or may not be aware of. Over time, we’ve discovered certain sub-groups were needed to keep the larger group running smoothly and to offer a more specific focus to other interests such as our Plant Based & Vegan group for example.

Fort Worth Foodies

This is where most of our members congregate, comment and contribute.

Fort Worth Foodies Buy/Sell

This site is to exchange information on restaurants that carry plant forward menu items.

This is our selling group. If you have dishes, kitchen appliances, etc you’d like to re-home, this site might be a good place for you to post. Fort Worth Foodies Local Purveyors was intended to allow the bakers, caterers and small batch cottage industry folks a space where they can showcase what they’re making and how they can be contacted.

817.887.9995 1600 S University Dr #601, Fort Worth 17 SeafoodCuisine

RoadsideRepublic

By Connie Bally

Members Members Members Celebration

I think the admins and mods already have champagne chilling but we want to do something special for the members, sooo we’ve decided to have the grand champ of gift basket give-aways. The goal is to have 3 baskets, filled with gift cards and small batch created cookies, etc., from local purveyors valued at about $500 each. We’re also entertaining the idea of presenting the baskets personally to each winner. That will be a day to remember for us all! If you are a restaurant, caterer, food truck or purveyor and would like to donate a gift card we’d love to hear from you. The baskets won’t be identical so if donating one gift card fits your budget then we would be delighted to include it in one of the baskets. For each of our donors, we will give a series of shout-outs to the group making sure they are aware of your generosity. We will be forever grateful for the support and contributions from each of you. Many of our members use the group as a source where they often look for ideas of where to dine out by using the search bar (and now the map), while other members engage with photos and text. Others are a combination of both. However you choose to interact with Fort Worth Foodies, we are so happy you’ve found us and you value the community we’ve built together. Here’s to our future together! May it be abundant and filled with wonderful surprises, much like the gift baskets.

AsIwritethis,FortWorthFoodieshas97,500members.Weare growingatarateof76-132membersadaywhichmeanswewill probablyreachthatamazingmilestoneof100,000sometimein September.Wehavetocelebrateandcelebrateweshall!

100,000 100,000 100,000

. Each place has similarities but each has also been allowed to develop its own “personality” in staffing, menu and events. However, the two operations share ideas and mutual admiration and feel they are one big family. The quality of each adult beverage, piece of art and menu item speaks to a high level of expectation the Lockwood family imposes on themselves. The Fort Worth location is an open, brightly lit concept that offers an outstanding selection of cocktails, crafted from the liquors created in house. The adult beverages offered are often concoctions created in house. The enticing drink menu is attached. As stated on their web site “Lockwood Distilling Co. loves serving fun cocktails and good food to friendly customers! We’re a small distillery with restaurant tables inside as well as on the patio. Local musicians play Thursday Sunday and we love hosting different events like pop ups wine tastings and chef dinners. If you’re looking for a more low key experience, visit us for lunch. Check our Instagram for the latest details and happenings.

ntrepreneurs Lockwood Distilling Co. isn’t a typical distilling company on many levels. To begin with, most distilling companies are sipping rooms but Lockwood also offers a food menu and has created the ambiance of a restaurant that is also a distilling company When owners Sally and Evan Batt built their first distilling company (located at 506 Lockwood Dr. Richardson, TX. 75080. 469.399.1599) they quickly eyed Fort Worth for their next operation (1411 W. Magnolia Ave. 76104. 682.499.6270)

EFeatured

The food menu is also carefully curated using locally sourced ingredients when possible. Attention is given to the customer experience down to the in house made pickles often served with their sandwich line up. A daily special of only $10 is available Monday thru Friday and that, incredibly enough, includes a choice of several sandwiches from the regular menu, chips, those delicious pickles and an in house made cookie which will finish off that sumptuous feast in style. Oh! A non alcoholic beverage is part of the lunch special too.

Sally and Even set out to create a place where guests gather to enjoy crafted food and beverages with local flare and to embrace the communities they love so much. They’ve stayed true to their passion and that can be experienced in every sumptuous sip of your cocktail and beautiful bite of your menu item. If you’d like to stock up on their line of liquor for your home bar, bottles are available for purchase from the distillery as well as other liquor outlets around town. Drinks already mixed and bottled are also available for purchase from the distillery. Keep your eye on their Instagram account and Facebook page for upcoming events. They’ve become a favorite site for pop up markets and with the holidays around the corner, you’ll want to know about this ntrepreneurs

817. 738.4761 4700 Camp Bowie Blvd Fort Worth, 22 AmericanFoodClassics

682.224.5194 3010 S Hulan Street Come for the food, Stay for the experience. 23

Towne Grille 817. 916.0390 9365 Rain Lily Trail Fort Worth 24 Chefinspiredentrees

817.984.1360 catering@enchiladasole.com 2418 Forest Park Blvd Fort Worth www.enchiladasole.com Enchiladas ¡Olé! Is Proud to Serve DFW With Some of The Best Rated ETex-Mex nchiladas ¡Olé! Is Proud to Serve DFW With Some of The Best Rated Tex-Mex Cuisine, from our Classic Enchiladas to our Stuffed CQuesadillas. uisine, from our Classic Enchiladas to our Stuffed Quesadillas. 25

BlueZonesProject®bySharecareisa

www.bluezonesproject.com communitywell-beingimprovement initiativedesignedtomakehealthy choiceseasierthroughpermanent changestoenvironment,policy,and socialnetworks. Where you live can make for better living. What if you had the opportunity to create a city where the healthiest choices were also the easiest ones to make? Imagine a place where it’s easy to buy fresh produce from grocery stores and farmers’ markets, not only because it’s more affordable, but also because it’s more accessible than a fast food Hererestaurant.it’seasier to bike than drive thanks to better bike lanes providing safe and direct access to work, shopping centers, and parks, all without the hassle of public parking. This community designed for health and well-being also makes it easier for your kids to play outside with safe school playgrounds available to the public during non-school hours. This is a city built for active living. It’s an environment where public policies provide people with healthy opportunities, giving them a supportive nudge toward eating better and moving more naturally. This is a Blue Zones Community™. You’re probably asking yourself if such a community exists? The answer is YES, through the Blue Zones Project®. The Blue Zones Project is a community wellbeing improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to environment, policy, and social networks. Its mission is to lead and ignite community-bycommunity well-being transformation, where people live and work together in Blue Zones Communities™ for a better life. By taking an environmental approach to well-being improvement, we have an opportunity to create real change in communities. This kind of change sparks people’s deepest desires to live well while giving them the tools to do so. 26

Frezko Taco Spot 972.294.5620 5101 TX-121 DELICOUS & DFRESH ELICOUS & FRESH 27

. This special traditional dish will be featured from September 1st to October 16th, 2022, which also coincides with National Hispanic Heritage Month. his revered dish is created from poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo topped with a walnut based cream sauce called nogada, pomegranate seeds and parsley, and it is typically served at room temperature. The picadillo usually contains panochera apple, sweet-milk pear and criollo peach. As a bit of historical background with a tie in to Don Artemio, * On August 28th, 1821, Agustin De Iturbide visited Puebla after having signed the treaties of Córdoba with the new and last Viceroy of the New Spain, Juan O’Donjú. As part of the celebrations coinciding with the Saint of Iturbide, the day of Saint Augustine, a banquet was offered in his honor. Several dishes were presented in which he did not deign to try, arguing an upset stomach. The reality was that he feared being poisoned by the fanatics of Spanish hegemony who considered him a traitor, or by the insurgents themselves. Despite this, when the chiles en nogada were presented to him in his honor by the nuns of the Santa Monica convent, Iturbide could not resist the temptation and ate his fill. From then on Chiles en Nogada would become his favorite dish.

ChilesenNogada

Most of the text below has been taken, sometimes verbatim, from the script eloquently presented at Don Artemio, on August 19th by Adriane Burciaga. 28

*Bibliography: Chiles Rellenos in Mexico. Anthology of Recipes. Editorial UNAM Author: Ricardo Muñoz Zurita Don Artemio Legend

Chiles en nogada dates back 200 years to August 28, 1821 in Mexican history, with the confirmation of the independence of the Republic. In honor of this historic event, Don Artemio Restaurant Presents Festival del Chile en Nogada

Sala De Tapices is a book written by Don Artemio Del Valle Arizpe, for whom the restaurant is named after. He was an esteemed and prolific cookbook author and epicurean. His legacy lives on. In some of the stories told in this book he refers to the Chiles en Nogada that were cooked for the first time in August 1821 by three ladies of the Angelopolitan society to please their respective boyfriends, officials who served in the Triguarante Army of agustin de Iturbide. Wanting to emulate the three colors of the Mexican flag that sheltered them, they created a dish prepared with stuffed poblano peppers of minced pork loin, ground beef, seasoned with pieces of peach, pineapple, apple, plantains, pear, acitrón, raisins and almonds, topped with a rich sauce made with walnuts from Castilla, Sherry, fresh cheese and milk, on which they put seeds of pomegranate, which shone like garnets or rubies. Also used as a topping to bring in the colors of the Mexican flag are parsley and sometimes walnuts. Spices such as clove and cinnamon are commonly incorporated into the layers of flavor of this dish that so beautifully brings the past into the present. Wine pairing: Chiles en Nogada and white wine are the best to accompany Chiles en Nogada, due to the balance it provides to the sweet flavor of the chili's filling, and it comes out to be ideal to the milk flavor of the nogada (sauce made of nuts and various spices) and the cover of fried, whipped egg yolk. As an added bonus, I’ve included the remarkable YouTube presentation of Chef Juan Ramón Cárdenas for your viewing pleasure. The chefs’ son is now in the kitchen of Don Artemio. The restaurant prepared for this festival for an entire month leading up to the festival by practicing the creation of the dish, plating and serving. All were performed exquisitely and seamlessly during our intimate luncheon.

817.238.3386 3613 W. Vickery Blvd #109 Fort Worth www.muyfriomargaritas.com info@muyfriomargaritas.com Enjoy one of our 9 Signature Flavors 30

4651 West Fwy, Fort Worth TX 76107 (817) 989-4700 Store Hours: Mon-Sun, 8am-10pm CAFE: Mon Sun, 8am 10pm COOKING SCHOOL: Register For Classes CATERING: (817) 377 9307 Mon Sat, 8am 6pm CURBSIDE & DELIVERY: Mon Sun, 8am 8pm CURBSIDE & DELIVERY SUPPORT: (214) 241-1107 Mon-Sun, 8am-6pm support@centralmarkethelp.zendesk.com31

Fort Worth Foodies Plant based and Vegan Follow FOn ollow On 32

1 2 2 9 8 t h A v e n u e , S u i t e 2 2 7 , F o r t W o r t h , T X , U n i t e d S t a t e s , ( 8 1 7 ) 7 2 03 0 9 9 33

Falling for Trends By

ItNo?seems

But just like any other season of the year, the seasonal magic that is brought on by the coziest time of the year, brings with it its own trends in food. Did you know It’sthat?much like trends in fashion. They come and go, but some of them stick around forever and some of them seem to sneak back into the mainstream, even after we swore we would NEVER wear them again! For instance, loafers are back. All kinds of loafers. Animal print, leather, and yes, even the ones adorned with shiny pennies. They are back! Trucker hats. I didn’t know trucker hats had left the scene. I mean, I wore one just the other day! But trends in food are a little more nuanced than those in the rag Heretrade.area few that I am finding very intriguing, not to mention exciting, coming to a table near you!

And not even right around the corner. It is literally walking up the sidewalk about to knock on the door! While I love everything about the autumnal season – the scents, the food, the colors, the changes in the weather – it doesn’t mean I am ready for all of the things that come right along with it.

just like yesterday it was January 1st and I was diligently making a list of resolutions that I had absolutely no intention of keeping! Now, you are telling me that fall is right around the corner?

The first trend to walk our fall culinary runway is Mezcal. For those of you who don’t know, Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from agave. The word mezcal means “oven-cooked agave” and while it is presumed by most to be just like tequila, the two are distilled in very different ways. Mezcal has a sweet, fruity, smoky, earthy flavor and is match made in heaven for these amazing autumnal cocktails. How about a Mezcal Autumn Harvest? Well, don’t mind if I do. A blend of lime juice, lemon juice, apple cider and real maple syrup, I can’t imagine sipping on anything else next to a firepit, can you? Or start your countdown to a cozy happy hour with a Rosemary Mezcal Fizz. With the blending of rosemary leaves and smoky mezcal, this drink screams “Happy Fall, Y’all”! Melissa Smith Dean

“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” – Oscar Wilde Did someone say fall? Fall down, fall out, fall in love?

Halloween, Thanksgiving and then right after that, it seems, Christmas! Yes, the countdowns have begun. And while I feel it to be a little overwhelming for my particular profession, catering, mainly because I know it’s going to get super busy, I welcome the thought of the changes that come with the most welcome season of the year for a Texan. Fall brings with it numerous things. Not just the knowing fall traditions of pumpkin everything, pies baking in the oven, the tell-tale scents of cinnamon mixed with nutmeg, as well as Thanksgiving and all of the memories that it brings. But hey, what about cozy sweaters, Uggs, and those other fall fashion staples?

Although I am not really sure why the foodie trend forecast for Fall is highlighting vegans and vegetarians, I am down for it for sure! And while I love meat and do love a good steak, the truth is that buying and eating vegetables at this point in our lives will most assuredly reduce your grocery bill significantly. It’s just a fact. Meat is just expensive and meatless main dishes, such as pasta and the like, can go a long way in feeding a large family or procuring a couple of days’ worth of leftovers for a smaller family, for sure. And let’s face it, veggies are fabulous during the season known for pumpkins, bonfires, apples, and hayrides! I mean, all of the varieties of squash alone make me happy for this harvest-time craze. So, joke time! Why couldn’t the fungus have people over? Because she didn’t have mushroom! Yeah, I went there. Did that shed some light on the next en vogue item of the season? You guessed it! Mushrooms! All of the mushrooms! From chanterelles to porcinis and in between, the fungi are about to be all the rage! Now, as I am more than sure, some people will not be a fan of this one, but if you give them a try, I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised. With their earthy, and slightly woodsy, meaty flavor, edible mushrooms are one of the foods that contain umami, the fifth primary taste and something that chefs and cooks alike work to achieve with their culinary creations. Get ready because mushroom mania is here to stay for the season! “Swicy” flavors – meaning sweet combined with spicy –is not only taking over the condiment aisle in the grocery stores, but it is also going to be highly prominent on the restaurant scene for sure. And can I just say, I am here for it! I love it! Seeing as it is apple picking season in some states, could you imagine the flavor pairing of that sweet fruit, with say, poblano peppers? A match made in heaven if you ask me. And let’s not forget that Thanksgiving dinner staple –cranberry sauce. Why not elevate those cranberries with the addition of jalapenos? Makes me the happiest little pumpkin in the patch just thinking about it! These food forward showstoppers are sure to make a huge dent in the culinary world this season. Make sure to explore any and all of the exciting offerings that will be making their debuts as we move forward through the coming months. The food world is a constantly changing, live-giving entity that is constantly being turned on its ear, so don’t be afraid to jump in and try something new and exciting! Jim Bishop said, “Autumn carries more gold in its pockets than all the other seasons.” I invite you to find the gold.

R E C I P E S

1. In a bowl, combine onion, parsley, chives, shrimp, lemon zest, cayenne, and flour. Stir in 2 cups of water to make a batter. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

2. In a large heavy skillet, heat 1/2 inch olive oil over medium heat until almost smoking. Drop in 1 tablespoon of mixture and flatten. Cook turning once, until browned, 1 1/2 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately with your favorite aioli, red sauce or lemon wedges.

DIRECTION 1 onion, finely chopped 6 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian leaf parsley 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives 2/3 lb. shrimp peeled, deveined and chopped grated zest of 1 lemon pinch of cayenne pepper 2 cups all-purpose flour salt and pepper

INGREDIENTS By: Michael Paul Haltom

Shrimp Fritters Tapas

Become a Sponsor! connie@fortworthfoodiestx.com Feature your restaurant in Fort Worth Foodies Magazine and help us on our mission to keep our region up to date with the latest and greatest food and drink destinations. Reach a whole new market and help support a small business. Message Chris to get started today!