Zest 817 - June 2019

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JUNE 2019

E I G H T

GO

O N E

RAW

S E V E N

F E ATU R E

The raw food movement has subtly gained a foothold in Fort Worth.

BY ERIC GRIFFEY

F I R S T L OOK

Black Cat Pizza brings its upscale, unusual toppings to South Main Village.

BY ANDREW MARTON

YOUR LIST IS OUR COMMAND Everything you love from Central Market is now available online. Browse our catalog and choose delivery or pick up curbside. The finest foods are now at your fingertips.

SAVOR TIME WITH

CENTRALMARKET.COM/SHOP 2 ZEST EIGHT ONE SEVEN zest817.com

June 2019

Zest 817 Magazine is the premier culinary lifestyle authority for Fort Worth and surrounding areas. As the only food-andbeverage-focused print publication in Tarrant County, Zest pairs sophisticated, witty writing with stunning, styled photography, delivering the most relevant and interesting insights on local dining, beverages, home cooking, events, and entertainment.

WE CATER! TOP 10 QUESO IN TEXAS! FIRST PLACE – “BEST IN SHOW” ZestFest 13 RATED #2 RESTAURANT IN FW – TripAdvisor CRITIC’S CHOICE BEST QUESADILLA – FWW ‘13

901 North Sylvania Avenue Fort Worth, TX 76111 Phone: (817) 984.1360 | Email: info@enchiladasole.com Website: www.enchiladasole.com

June 2019

EIGHT

ONE

SEVEN

Contact

Lauren Lackey Marketing Director

lauren@zest817.com zest817.com ZEST EIGHT ONE SEVEN 3

on the

COVER EDITOR’S PICS 6 First Look

8

Night Life

12 FEATURE 16

Secret Sauce

25

Coming Soon

27 Zest Eight One Seven Editorial Editor-in-chief Eric Griffey Copy Editor Anthony Mariani Contributors: Ian Connally, Andrew Marton, and Robert Philpot Proofreader: Taylor Provost Contributing Photographers: Twig Capra, Madison Simmons, and Crystal Wise For editorial questions or pitches, contact Eric Griffey at eric@zest817.com.

Production Art Director Ryan Burger Read our critic’s thoughts on the Fang Pizza and the rest of the fare at Chef Jaime Fernandez’s soon-to-open relaxed, upscale pizzeria, Black Cat Pizza, on page 8. Photo by Crystal Wise

Advertising Marketing Director Lauren Lackey For advertising questions, please contact Lauren Lackey at Lauren@zest817.com.

Zest 817 is available free of charge in North Texas, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies of Zest Eight One Seven may be purchased for $1 each.

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Zest Eight One Seven may be distributed only by the paper’s independent contractors or authorized distributors. No person may, without written permission, take more than one copy of Zest Eight One Seven. If you’re interested in distributing Zest Eight One Seven, please contact Ryan Burger at ryan@zest817.com.

Copyright. - The entire contents of Zest Eight One Seven are Copyright 2019 by 817 Marketing LLC. No portion may be reproduced in part or in whole by any means without express written permission of the publishers.

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June 2019

6.16–9.15.2019

“Radiant inspiration to the very end” Wall Street Journal

Featuring more than 50 glorious paintings of Monet’s Giverny garden that reveal the radical artistic innovation of the painter’s last decade This exhibition is organized by the Kimbell Art Museum and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, with the exceptional collaboration of the Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris. It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities and by a grant from the Leo Potishman Foundation, JP Morgan Chase, Trustee.

Image: Claude Monet, The Water Lily Pond, 1917–19. Private collection. Courtesy of Sotheby’s

Promotional support provided by

June 2019

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editor’s pics the Ultimate

E

Picnic Photos by Crystal Wise

No picnic is complete without delicious bread, and Icon bread (2845 Exchange Blvd, Southlake, 817-501-9495) may serve the best in the whole 817. Made daily using the finest local ingredients available, this assortment of semolina sesame (left), cherry chocolate sourdough with espresso and cocoa (top), and einkorn whole wheat would complement any meal.

D

A Meyer & Sage (2621 Whitmore St, 817-386-5009) offers a vast array of beautifully arranged, vibrantly colored picnic fare, like this organic kale and quinoa tabouli with Israeli feta cheese (above) and spinach-artichoke hummus with crudités and crostini toast (below).

Mockingbird Food Co. (2845 Exchange Blvd, Southlake, 817-310-1000) is a boutique catering company that specializes in unique global cuisine. Chef Dena Peterson Shaskan’s menu offers a full range of choices, including specialty products such as sourdough bread from Icon, shrubs, soups, kimchi, and this gorgeous charcuterie board.

B C

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Selected straight from the deli case of Local Foods Kitchen (4548 Hartwood Dr, 817-238-3464), this arrangement of grilled salmon topped with a lemon gremolata sauce; classic chicken salad with mayonnaise, onion, and celery; roasted new potatoes, julienned carrots, and red onions; and fruit salad was all made using the freshest local and regional ingredients.

June 2019

CELEBRATING 12 YEARS!

(CLIMATE-CONTROLLED)

1310 W MAGNOLIA AVE. FORT WORTH June 2019

LILISBISTRO.COM zest817.com ZEST EIGHT ONE SEVEN 7

first look

Cool Cat

Chef Jaime Fernandez’s soon-to-open pizzeria brings new flavors to a classic dish.

BY ANDREW MARTON PHOTOS BY CRYSTAL WISE

When was the last time you enjoyed toasted fava beans tossed in the tickling heat of chile[chili] powder? And how about devouring those beans as a winning bar snack to accompany a swig of local craft beer?

Not recently? Thought so.

Well, consider those mildly fiery favas as merely the first salvo from the envelope-pushing kitchen of Black Cat Pizza, whose planned June opening will endow the burgeoning South Main Street quarter with one of its first full-service restaurants.

Jaime Fernandez, head chef and owner, decided the name of his first venture should riff off the city’s “Panther City” nickname.

“Since ‘Panther City Pizza’ might be too much of a –– pardon the pun –– mouthful,” Fernandez said, “Black Cat Pizza was our fun name showing we weren’t taking ourselves too seriously but still showing our love for the city.”

The 31-year-old Fernandez was born in Tulancingo, Mexico, but came with his parents to the United States at the tender age of two, growing up in San Antonio.

In his teens, Fernandez worked stints at several restaurants before enrolling at Austin’s Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. With diploma in hand, he embarked on a culinary odyssey that included working at a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Pamplona, Spain.

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Returning from Europe, Fernandez cultivated his restaurant roots from San Antonio to Austin before landing in Fort Worth, where he began experimenting with scratch-made pizza dough.

“The first couple of times, it was terrible tasting, like cardboard,” Fernandez recalled. “But I soon got better at it for sure.”

During the summer of 2018, while Fernandez was a line cook at the popular Near Southside institution Ellerbe Fine Foods, he began staging pop-up pizza trials at nearby Stir Crazy Baked Goods.

Selling well at Fernandez’s initial pop-ups were his classic pies of cheese, pepperoni, and pepperoni and mushroom, along with specials featuring such inspired ingredients as Chinese roasted duck.

Last fall, Fernandez couldn’t have been happier when he finally discovered the vacant building at 401 Bryan Ave. in the newly blossoming South Main District.

“What we like is that this part of town still has an industrial vibe to it –– not too developed,” he said.

Black Cat’s interior creates its own industrial

June 2019

aura thanks to a polished concrete floor and a 20-foot-high drop ceiling from which loft-worthy lamps hang. Along with such novel touches as nailing old church pews together to form a wall-hugging banquette, Black Cat features a long bar as the primary spectating area for the open kitchen, itself boasting a $13,000 brick pizza oven burning cords of oak at a steady 650-degree temperature.

“I prefer hard woods like oak that burn hot and produce very good embers that last a long while,” Fernandez said.

With Black Cat boldly sticking “pizza” in its name, the kitchen must deliver the doughfilled goods. What immediately pleases on the first bite is how its blistered crust is caught in that blissful limbo between Neapolitan pillowy and New York-matzo cracker crisp.

And each pizza is a canvas for a bonanza of pepperoni coins or a garden’s worth of greenery (basil pesto, baby kale, arugula, dandelion greens, Brussels sprouts, and snow peas) for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or T.M.N.T., pizza. There are burnished chunks of Spanish chorizo, goat horn peppers (turbo-charged jalapeños), red onions, and Thai chile honey piled on the Red Fang pizza. And finally, a salsa verde underpins a layer of tiny chili-oil-fried Mexican-imported grasshoppers (packing an unexpected salt-vinegary kick) for the Chapulines pie.

If by some slim chance your appetite won’t

June 2019

The Red Fang pizza is loaded with Spanish chorizo, heirloom tomatoes, red onions, a spicy tomato sauce, Thai chilis, and honey.

zest817.com ZEST EIGHT ONE SEVEN 9

Fernandez: “I want to bring a certain level of sophistication but still keep it fun and approachable.” be sated by the pizza choices, there is always the bocadillo sandwich, where chorizo and salchichon (a sassier version of Genoa salami), slathered with tomato spread, all live under the toasted shade of a demi-baguette.

And if your desires run toward one of the ultimate Italian comfort pasta dishes, there is Black Cat’s cacio e pepe or “cheese and pepper,” celebrating the triumphant trio of homemade pappardelle, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and a generous shower of black pepper.

Assessing the quality goals of Black Cat, Fernandez strives to keep expectations low and standards high.

“I want to bring a certain level of sophistication but still keep it fun and approachable,” he said. “We won’t take ourselves too seriously, but we won’t just be throwing things together. At the end of the day, it is just pizza, but we will try to bring a fine-dining approach to the pizza’s quality without being snobby about it.”

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Where

401 Bryan Avenue, FW. 817-489-5150

Don’t Miss Dishes

Cheese, pepperoni, pepperoni-mushroom, Red Fang, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (T.M.N.T.) pizzas, Bocadillo sandwich, cacio e pepe pasta, Paleteria popsicles, flan

Vibe

Hip and casual, set to a vinyl album soundtrack playing world music from Cambodia to Ethiopia

Prices

Whole pizzas $15-$25, by the slice, $3.25-$5

When

11am-11pm Mon-Sat. Patio’s walk-up window offers a limited menu from 11pm-3am on Fri-Sat

June 2019

LITTLE RED WASP KITCHEN + BAR 808 Main St, Fort Worth, TX 76102 / (817) 877-3111 / littleredwasp.com

June 2019

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Not the Usual Sangria Updated versions of the wine punch are enjoying popularity all over Fort Worth.

BY ERIC GRIFFEY PHOTOS BY TWIG CAPRA

Famously hard-drinking British writer Kingsley Amis once described sangria as “cheap, easy to make up, and pretty harmless — so that you can drink a lot of it without falling down.”

But Sangria, the wine punch that Spaniards consume throughout the summer months and in

the tourist spots year-round, does not have to be over-sweetened with sugar and cheap liqueur or a repository for rotgut that is too stale to be served by the glass. It apparently doesn’t even have to conform to Spanish traditions.

Many modern high-IQ culinarians think of the drink instead as a template, an invitation to experiment with fresh, fruity wines and other fine ingredients.

Jason Pollard, head bartender of pioneering West Magnolia Avenue cocktail bar The Usual and vice president of the Fort Worth chapter of the United

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States Bartenders Guild, said the best sangria recipes are simple: Take a decent wine, seasonal fruit, a couple of flavorful flourishes, and stir over ice.

“As with just about everything else in the world of libations, the devil is in the details,” he said. “First and foremost, if you put crap in, you’re going to get crap out. Secondly, trust your tastebuds. Is it too sweet?

Add some lemon juice. Too tart? Add a bit of sugar or maybe some sweet fruit. There’s no perfect recipe for sangria, until you land on the perfect one for you and your guests.”

June 2019

For his version, he starts with a bottle of red wine. “Think Rioja or something big that’s going to hold up to everything else we’re about to throw at it,” he said. “Don’t cheapout here. Wine is the base of your sangria. Don’t break the bank, either –– $15 to $20 should do if it’s something you know and like.”

To take your punch to another level, he said, add Grand Marnier, freshsqueezed orange and lemon juices, and a dash of bitters.

“You can substitute some whole cloves and cinnamon sticks [for bitters] if you’re making this ahead of time and have time for them to steep and/or want a lighter For sangria, The Usual’s Jason Pollard recommends Rioja or another wine that will stand up to spice component,” he said. the other ingredients.

Add simple syrup to taste, he continued. “I start at about 15 milliliters and keep that you refrigerate the whole pitcher. adding until it tastes right. This is going to depend on your wine, “I like to top mine off with a splash of Topo Chico as I’m oranges, lemons, and preference.” serving it for a little added zip,” he said. “Serve in a goblet if For the fruit, he said, that depends on your taste. Whatever you’re feeling fancy.” you like is going to taste best to you. Once all the ingredients Made with care and good ingredients, sangria can be a deare combined in a pitcher, let everything sit for anywhere licious, inexpensive way to serve your guests something creative between 15 minutes and overnight –– the latter option requires and cooling.

Ingredients 1 750ml bottle of red wine 175ml Grand Marnier 120ml fresh-squeezed orange juice

120ml fresh-squeezed lemon juice

4ml Angostura bitters

Simple syrup to taste.

Seasonal fruit.

Instructions Combine ingredients in a pitcher.

Let everything sit for anywhere from 15 minutes to overnight.

Serve in a large glass over ice.

Top with a splash of Topo Chico or soda.

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The Full SPREAD A

B

C

Perfect

Photo by Cr

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June 2019

For a full description, check out Editor’s Pics on page 6.

A: Meyer & Sage’s spinach-artichoke hummus with crudités and crostini toast B. Meyer & Sage’s organic kale and quinoa tabouli with Israeli feta cheese C. Local Foods Kitchen’s grilled salmon topped with a lemon gremolata sauce; classic chicken salad with mayonnaise, onion, and celery; roasted new potatoes, julienned carrots, and red onions; and fruit salad D. Mockingbird Food Co.’s charcuterie board

D

E. Icon Bread’s semolina sesame (left), cherry chocolate sourdough with espresso and cocoa (top), and einkorn whole wheat F. Local Foods Kitchen’s almond crescent (left), snickerdoodle bar (right), and praline cracker (bottom)

E

F

Picnic

rystal Wise

June 2019

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The steak tartare at Saint-Emilion Restaurant (3617 W 7th St, 817-737-2781) is made with hand-cut tenderloin, accompanied by housemade potato chips, and topped with a raw farm-fresh egg.

E IG H T ONE SE V E N

Uncooked The raw food movement has subtly worked its way onto local menus.

BY ERIC GRIFFEY

Hatsuyuki Handroll Bar might be the calmest dining room in Fort Worth. At dinnertime recently, serene men busily working behind the horseshoe-shaped bar, quietly patting rice with reverence, molding it into form, served single

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PHOTOS BY TWIG CAPRA

rolls (one a time) to gawking crowds of hushed patrons. The exchange felt more like a religious ceremony than a meal.

Besides the rice, nothing on the menu of Hatsuyuki sees an oven or any other form of heat. Beautifully supple, precisely cut

June 2019

pieces fish are loosely swaddled in frail panes of seaweed.

The nori is lustrous and nearly black, chewy and crackly at once, with a delicate flavor, like the saline imprint after downing an oyster. It’s toasted just enough to be malleable without losing crispness, and it doesn’t wilt, despite the warmth of the rice. Hatsuyuki’s bill of raw fare is multifarious, as playful as it is precise.

Less than a decade ago, Fort Worth diners were still acclimatizing to the idea of sushi and other uncooked delicacies. Just a decade later, a bounty of raw fish, oysters, steak, and many other choices appear in kitchen windows as wide-ranging as sushi joints and upscale French bistros.

The raw food movement swept the coasts a few years ago, and it has finally found a home at a few local places.

If you want a true gauge of just how far the raw food movement has come locally, consider the oyster –– a

The Uni Plus at Hatsuyuki Handroll Bar (907 Foch St, 817-720-5330) is a masterpiece of uni (sea urchin), salmon roe, and a raw quail egg swaddled in a thin nori wrap.

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June 2019

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June 2019

territory once owned by the Gulf version of the mollusk now shares space with, and in some cases has been overtaken by, East- and West-Coast varieties.

Oysters have quietly enjoyed their own mini-craze, subtly encroaching on menus all over the 817. Public demand is clearly apparent as the palate of local diners has become more refined.

Countless chefs across the area have come to a similar conclusion, and the result is a crop of ambitious new restaurants that start with the humble oyster bar and take it in fresh directions, applying all the precepts of the modern culinary canon: a focus on seasonality, an eagerness to surprise, and a commitment to preparation styles that maintain regional identities even as they breach national borders.

On the forefront of the local raw food movement, Waters: Bonnell’s Coastal Cuisine offers a vast array of local ingredients, as well as other exotic, far-flung seafood. The downtown institution was the first non-sushi eatery in town to offer such a variety of raw dishes. Chef Jon Bonnell goes out of his way to seek out his own suppliers –– mining the shores of Texas and beyond for the very best seafood, and he reveres his oysters with the same meticulous passion as a NICU nurse treating a patient.

If Waters was the innovator of local uncooked food, Pacific Table represents the next wave, offering an assortment of sushi, tartare, and East- and WestCoast oysters among a menu of modern takes on Pacific Northwest classics. In its relaxed, chic setting on University Drive, Chef Felipe Armenta makes the

This shrimp ceviche at Magdalena’s –– Catering and Events, Fort Worth (502 Grand Av, Ste A, 817-740-8085) is loaded with Texas peaches, Fresno peppers, English cucumbers, prickly pear, and pickled onions.

June 2019

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once-unusual-sounding raw dishes more accessible to a new generation of diners.

Though some might see venerable French bistro Saint-Emilion as an unlikely frontline in the uncooked movement, similar recipes to its classic rendering of steak tartare date back more than a hundred years. The dish, once known as “beefsteack à l’Américaine,” has appeared in literature as far back as Alexandre Dumas’ 1846 novel The Count of Monte Cristo. As you dine on the dish of raw beef at the quaint, upscale West 7th dining room, someone in a posh Parisian bistro is probably enjoying the same thing.

One of the hallmarks of Chef Juan Rodriguez’s standout catering/ events/dinner club eatery Magdalena’s is respect for his ingredients. His inventive

There’s no shortage of raw dining options at Pacific Table (1600 S University Dr, Ste 601, 817-8879995), including this array of nigiri sushi, tuna tartare, and West- and East-Coast oysters.

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June 2019

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Chef Jon Bonnell’s Waters: Bonnell’s Coastal Cuisine (301 Main St, 817984-1110) was on the forefront of the local raw foods movement, serving, among many other options, these Summerside oysters from Maine.

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interpretations of classic dishes like shrimp ceviche maintain the integrity of the original recipe while infusing his own original twists, careful to allow the components of the dish to shine. His version of ceviche (and almost everything else he touches) could be the best in town.

At his well-appointed Northside dining room and catering kitchen, diners are likely to sample the sort of fare you might see a posh restaurant in the West Village.

Thanks to Hatsuyuki Handroll Bar, Magdalena’s, Pacific Table, Saint-Emilion, and Waters: Bonnell’s Coastal Cuisine for giving our readers a look at the skill and precision it takes to serve the very best raw food in Fort Worth.

June 2019

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June 2019

Who

Namaste

Where

923 E. Seminary Dr, FW, 817-3499350

Vibe Clean, minimalist, former-Sonic chic

Namaste A While

This East Seminary Nepalese-Indian gem is heavy on the spice.

BY IAN CONNALLY PHOTOS BY MADISON SIMMONS

Have you ever been mid chile-sweat, your head itching like your scalp wants to get as far from your mouth as possible, your palate

confused by unexpected flavors cutting through the inferno (is that thyme?), angrily choking because your dining companion just made his third “Namaste” pun of the evening, and had the chef of the restaurant walk Flavors of thyme shine through the piquant spice of Namaste’s chicken chili momo. out to your table apparently just to laugh at you?

I have.

“Spicy?” he chuckled. diner: the opportunity to try a little of everything. I ly, two different menus that cover some of the same They were. I nodded and defiantly plucked ordered the mutton variety, dismissing the chicken or territory but are non-identical enough to make agreeanother chilli-chicken momo from the bowl and vegetable offerings as too pedestrian. ing on a spread challenging. The menus offer many crammed it in my mouth. I gave the universally Here was channa masala, the ever-present Indian familiar Indian standards, among them biryani, naan, understood “everything is fine here” thumbs-up staple of curried chickpeas, but bolstered with thyme, samosa, and tikka masala.

In a town where well-made, and followed the gyoza-like mustard seed, and green cardamom. Tucked beside it, traditional Indian can be hard dumpling with a gulp of mutton and cauliflower curry, bright and acidic with to come by, these are likely to sweet black tea. It didn’t help.

Don’t-Miss Dishes tomatoes and coriander balancing the fatty richness of be a welcome sight to those By the third dumpling, I Momo, thali, saag paneer the meat.

Dal, the earthy yellow lentil soup that has seeking such things.

But we had neutralized my capsaicin Entrée Prices for many years been a staple of all of my late-night were in search of the Himareceptors to the point that I $7.99 to $11.99 curry adventures, was also somehow unfamiliar, somelayan side of the sub-concould finally taste the pillowy, When how better than I have had it before. The lentils were tinent, a food landscape herb-laden ball of ground 11am-10pm, Tue-Sun cooked al dente and carried a nuttiness reminiscent informed by the convergence chicken filling it. Yep. That’s of brown butter. Cinnamon, hanging in the backof India, Tibet, and China. At thyme. It was an unexpected ground, more scent than taste, played counterpoint to Namaste, surrounded by the though not unwelcome chalthe spice of green chile and cumin in the light broth, diagonals of carhop service lenge to my palate, which, bright with turmeric. Rounding out the plate were parking, we found it. through years of training in mango lassi and rice pudding, dairy offerings both To explore Nepalese Chinese restaurants, has come sweet and salty, cleansing and soothing. flavors, I recommend ordering to expect steamed dumplings Lamb curry, rich, vegetal, and savory, arrived at least one of the Himalayan to taste a certain way. alongside beautifully buttery, brown-sugar-sweetened thali. A complete meal served In fact, at Namaste, the saag paneer that made me wonder what would happen in katori, which are small tiny red-booth-filled Nepalif the chef here turned his hand to collard greens. stainless-steel bowls surroundese-Indian restaurant occuSopping up the last of the creamy greens with a hunk ing a mound of perfectly pying a former Sonic on East of house-made cheese, I asked my guest if he was Seminary Drive, not much fluffy basmati rice, a thali Namaste’s lamb curry was “rich, vegetal, and is as you’ve been trained to ready to go. offers that most sought-after savory.” expect. There are, confusing“Go?” he laughed. “Namaste right here.” experience for a first-time

June 2019

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Coming Soon Here is this month’s crop of soon-to-open and recently opened eateries.

BY ROBERT PHILPOT

June promises a lot of returns in the North Texas restaurant scene –– of local chefs, burger joints, seafood joints that have become burger joints, and more. We’ve also dug up news on some long-awaited restaurants that have opened in the past few weeks.

Bistro 1031

109 Front St, Aledo Chef Steve Mitchell has a long history in Fort Worth and North Texas, with stops at Lucile’s Stateside Bistro, Fuzzy’s, Yucatan Taco Stand, his own M Bistro, and more. He’s the owner and executive chef at this Aledo spot, which he’s been working on for a while. A menu posted on Facebook includes salads, sandwiches, and such dinner entrees as chicken-fried rib-eye, chicken chardonnay, and “angry lobster & pasta.” Beer, wine, and cocktails will be available. An early June opening is likely.

Dive Burger Bar

3520 Alta Mere Dr, 817-560-3483 When Dive Oyster Bar was open, one of its most critically lauded menu items was the burger.

Then Dive closed back in November. The burgers are coming back, with an expanded menu that makes room for such items as a “taco burger” (served on a flour tortilla) as well as some more traditional offerings, including a Western version (with barbecue sauce), a California burger (topped with guacamole), and a mushroom burger.

Funky Picnic Brewery & Café

401 Bryan Av, Ste 107, 817-708-2739 South Main Village is already home to HopFusion Ale Works and The Collective Brewing Project. Funky Picnic Brewery & Café expects to join them with a June 26 opening, followed by a grand opening in July. Cofounders Samantha Glenn, Jerri Hanley, John Koch, and Collin Zreet all come from home-brewing backgrounds. The “Café” part of the name is key –– in addition to being a brewery, this will be a restaurant, with appetizers and “artisan” sandwiches and desserts, as well as some beer-infused items, such as beer-bacon jam. Josh Rangel, whose resume includes the aforementioned Dive Oyster Bar as well as Cru Food & Wine Bar, HG Sply Co., and more, will be chef/manager. As for the beers, head brewer Michael Harper, who has worked at numerous North Texas breweries, including Fort Worth’s Panther Island Brewing, said Funky Picnic

Derek Allan’s Texas BBQ is up and running, serving its signature wagyu brisket. will boast 15 taps, with all but three reserved for the brewery’s originals. Example: a saison-triple hybrid with prickly pear, agave nectar, and pink peppercorns. But if you just want a simple pilsner, you can order that, too. Wine, coffee, and kombucha will also be available.

Monkey King Noodle Co.

3000 Crockett St, 817-885-7331 The good news is that this Deep Ellum Chinese food favorite is adding a Fort Worth location, replacing the departed Rollin’ n Bowlin’ smoothie/ bowl bar at the Food Hall at Crockett Row. The bad news is that, because of space limitations, Monkey King won’t be doing the hand-pulled noodles that helped give [it] its name. The stall will put the emphasis on dumplings, which are also good, with some soups and sides as well.

The Original Chop House Burgers

2502 Little Rd, Arl, 817-253-8228 For a while there, local food writers didn’t have to emphasize that there’s a difference between Chop House Burger, the Dallas-based chain, and Chop House Burgers, Kenny Mills’ note-theplural indie in Arlington. When Mills was at the

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helm, the burger joint earned a spot on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. He was no longer associated with the place when it closed in July 2018, but he is bringing it back with a June 3 opening in a new location, adding Original to the name to help alleviate some confusion. Some Googling reveals that it will be in the former home of the underappreciated burger spot Herbie’s and, before that, a location of Jambo’s BBQ Shack.

Saigon Fusion Vietnamese Street Food

242 Rufe Snow Dr, Keller Expected to open in early June, Saigon Fusion’s full name is semi-self-explanatory, but some items on a preliminary menu look like they go a little beyond street food, with items like seafood crispy noodles and prawn with lotus seeds and fried rice. The restaurant looks relatively small, but its menu of soups, noodle[s], and rice dishes looks inventive and ambitious. It will anchor the north end of a strip shopping center near Keller Town Center that is already home to locations of Sunny Street Café, Nestle’s Toll House by Chip, Rush Bowls, and Frio’s Gourmet Pops –– all of which opened during the past several months.

June 2019

Uncle Daddy’s B&B (Barbecue & Burgers)

4608 Bryant Irvin Rd, Ste 440 Rodney Lambert, whose resume includes Fred’s Texas Café and Honey Smoke Pit (one of the many shortlived restaurants at that haunted corner of Montgomery Plaza), will offer up two of Fort Worth’s major food groups at this new spot in Cityview Centre in southwest Fort Worth. Lambert wants to wait until opening before divulging too many details about the menu, but that shouldn’t take too long, as the restaurant is expected to open in early June.

Already here Derek Allan’s Texas BBQ,

mentioned in a “Coming Soon” a few months ago, finally opened in late May in the former Paco & John’s space at 1116 8th Av in the Hospital District/Near Southside.

Allan, who documented his journey toward opening in a series of YouTube videos, will offer smoked wagyu brisket, sausages, and more.

F2 –– Fusion Flavors,

an Indian restaurant in Southlake, takes the place of another Indian restaurant, the short-lived Om Indi-

First drink is on us when you order your ticket in advance!

an Grill, at 2001 W Southlake Blvd, Ste 119. Along with the expected curry, masala, biryani, and vindaloo dishes, Fusion Flavors’ wide-ranging menu includes a number of breakfast items as well as other eggbased dishes.

Fat Shack,

a Colorado-based chain that opened a Denton location a few years ago, is now open at 2858 W Berry St near TCU, so now Fort Worth can try the lineup of “Fat Sandwiches” that includes such items as the Fat Donkey Lips (chicken fingers and French fries –– on the

GENERAL ADMISSION: $20, 7-10 pm VIP ADMISSION: $30, 6-7 pm

*Wine, beer, soda and water.

Early social hour admission, shortened lines and other surprises.

2019

JUNE 21

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Gemelle,

Fort Worth chef Tim Love’s latest restaurant named in honor of his daughters (“Gemelle” is Italian for “twin girls”), opened May 29 in the former Thurber Mingus spot at 4400 White Settlement Rd. The kitchen will offer a menu of handmade pastas, sandwiches, Detroit-style pizza (rectangular, with a thick crust but not deep-dish), and, according to a press release, “an assortment of peak-season snacks.” Also: seasonal cocktails and lots of patio –– er, “backyard” space, complete with cabanas.

Gypsy Scoops,

which started as an ice-cream truck, then added a brick-andmortar in a cool old house on Race Street, now has a second location, which opened in late May at 321 S Main St on the Near Southside, an area already home to frozen-treat shop Alchemy Pops and Melt Ice Creams. As far as we’re concerned, there’s always room for more ice cream, and there’s enough difference among these three that we can stop at them all in one afternoon. Kidding. But we can dream.

N C E O N TA P

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sandwich), Fat Doobie, Fat Hangover, and more, including the Fort Worth-exclusive Fat Frog (fried eggs, American cheese, chicken fingers, French fries, ketchup, and mayo).

Burgers, Philly cheesesteaks, and wings are also available, and, if by some miracle[,] you have room for dessert, you can order a number of State Fair-esque deep-fried items.

The Shack stays open ’til 1am SunThu and 3am Fri-Sat to help sate those late-night cravings. If you’re still hungry, Insomnia Cookies in the same strip is also open late.

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Also …

GROWN-UP SUMMER CAMP It’s time for some grown up fun at the Museum!

June 2019

Another location of popular breakfast-lunch chain First Watch is due to open June 10 at Parkside at Alliance, the small far North Fort Worth shopping strip at 3101 Heritage Trace Pkwy that’s already home to a Grub Burger Bar and a Shell Shack. Mod Pizza, a fast-casual chain that already has locations in Burleson and Saginaw, is expected to open a location in the same strip during the next few months.

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