FREE
MARCH 2019
E IG H T
F E AT U R E
The Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival’s charitable arm is building a pipeline to local kitchens. BY ERIC GRIFFEY
SECRET SAUCE The Pearl in Mansfield might serve the best dim sum in the county. BY IAN CONNALLY
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Explore acres of freshness with more than 700 varieties of climatecontrolled produce from around the globe, including 150 varieties of seasonal organics. We work directly with our growers to stock our shelves with only the freshest fruits and veggies. Our expert buyers source as much local produce as possible. Daily deliveries ensure freshness, and, once tested by our dedicated inspectors, produce goes right out to the floor.
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TEXAS SOUNDS & CITIES CONFERENCE APRIL 26, 2019 FORT WORTH COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER
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.
A one-day conference filled with live music, conversation and collaboration to keep our great state’s music scene moving forward.
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Lauren Lackey Marketing Director lauren@zest817.com
March 2019
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FREE
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on the
COVER
EDITOR’S PICS 6 Review
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, Kristian Lin, Andrew Marton Proofreader: Taylor Provost Contributing Photographers: Twig Capra, Brian Hutson, Amanda Marie Lackey, Crystal Wise
At this year’s iteration of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival’s Desserts After Dark event, West Magnolia Avenue cocktail lounge Proper will be serving The Circus, a tasty blend of whiskey and fruit. Photo by Twig Capra
For editorial questions or pitches, contact Eric Griffey at eric@zest817.com. Production Art Director Ryan Burger Advertising Marketing Director Lauren Lackey For advertising questions, please contact Lauren Lackey at Lauren@zest817.com.
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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. 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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editor’s pics Photo by Brian Hutson
Photo by Kevin Marple, courtesy of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival
Two of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival’s most popular events celebrate two of Texas’ greatest culinary traditions: burgers and tacos. On Thursday, April 4, Tacos + Tequila will feature this carnitas taco from Taco Heads (bottom right) and a tender pork belly swaddled in a boa bun from Four Sisters: A Taste of Vietnam (topleft).
Photo by Brian Hutson
On Saturday, April 6, the Burgers, Brews + Blues event will feature 22 craft brews and 13 mini-burgers. One of the most heralded burgers in
Photo by Brian Hutson
the state will be included –– the Ozersky Burger by celebrity chef John Tesar’s Knife Burger (top-right) is filled with a Spartan arrangement of cheese, pickles, red onions, and 44 Farms beef. Hookers Grill’s burger (bottomleft) is crammed full of beef, bacon, cheese, and caramelized onions.
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UNPRETENTIOUS GLOBAL CUISINE
1310 W MAGNOLIA AVE. FORT WORTH March 2019
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review
A grill cook at Ashim’s Hibachi Grill adds oil to the flame as he cooks an onion at this nontraditional hibachi.
Ashim’s Dreams The new hibachi restaurant brings welcome variety to downtown. BY ANDREW MARTON PHOTOS BY CRYSTAL WISE
OK, let’s get one aspect of Ashim’s Hibachi Grill cleared up pronto: Yeah, it may say “Hibachi”
in its name, but the newish downtown eatery bears exactly zero resemblance to the spatula-clanging, shrimp-flipping, veggie-marauding that goes on at that world-famous hibachi chain.
In fact, it is the myriad ways that Ashim’s differs from Benihana that make it such a compelling place to frequent. Its history alone should convince most who frolic among the nearby fountains of Sundance Square to check it out. In a bow to Fort Worth’s growing diversity, Ashim’s, which opened last
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November in a long-vacant space catty-corner to The Tower, is the American dream come true for a family from Kazakhstan. Brothers and cofounders Medet and Assamad Ashim have brought their often-tasty, hibachi-fired Japanese-esque dishes to Fort Worth after leaving the land of Borat.
Enter Ashim’s, and there isn’t a scintilla of homogenous, corporatized design to the interior. That’s no coincidence as the Ashims took nine months to install and hand-build everything from a grease trap to every stick of furniture. The brothers carved and laminated old castoff wood into Caribbean-in-
March 2019
“The newish downtown eatery bears exactly no resemblance to the spatulaclanging, shrimp-flipping, veggie marauding that goes on at that world-famous hibachi chain.”
The Philadelphia Roll’s “intrinsic richness was offset by the citrus tinge of its sticky sushi rice.”
spired low-slung tables, stools (done in beachy tints of turquoise, yellow, and red), and pendant lamps –– with one housing a disco ball all but screaming
March 2019
the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. That same no frills, D.I.Y. aesthetic inspires the cooking at Ashim’s, which has fully embraced the fast-casual
routine of quick ordering and quicker delivery of food to your table. To be sure, Michelin-star-seeking foodies won’t be making a detour to
sample Ashim’s menu. But its food isn’t designed for culinary snobs. Rather, its quality relies on a handmade authenticity and the chefs’ firm command of the
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Friday Nights at the Modern
Friday Night Dinner at Café Modern Seating from 5 to 8:30 pm
Galleries are open until 8 pm. Gallery admission is free on Fridays. Films at 4, 6, and 8 pm.
Our critic found the Thai-rolled ice cream to be “one of the most artisanal dishes of the entire meal.” classic hibachi flattop grill –– and on their mastery of the bamboo sushi roller. Among my three starters, it was the two sushi numbers that outshone the
April 3, 6 pm You are invited to join five winemakers from Lodi, California for a delicious evening of terroir-driven wines and fresh, local food by guest Chef Nick Kubitz of Range, Lodi, and Denise Shavandy, Executive Chef of Café Modern. $199 non members
$189 Modern members
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 3200 Darnell Street Fort Worth, Texas 76107 817.738.9215
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third appetizer of perfectly greaseless, if forgettable, Panko-breaded shrimp-andveggie tempura. But back to that sushi: Honestly, I hadn’t tasted such a beguiling spider roll in about a decade. The little rounds of seaweed encased a trove of sticky rice, thin batons of cucumber, avocado, and the true prize of shards of deep-fried softshell crab that propelled the entire roll into a sushi stratosphere. The Philadelphia roll profited from its luscious cream cheese filling. In fact, the cheese, sequestered under a translucent layer Ashim’s chicken boasted a spicy teriyaki glaze.
March 2019
Ashim’s floor-to-ceiling windows flood the dining room with natural light. of seaweed paper, all but dominated the roll’s other ingredients of smoked salmon, cucumber, crabstick, and avocado. The roll’s intrinsic richness was offset by the citrus tinge of its sticky sushi rice. Both rolls mingled beautifully with the wasabi paste-soy mixture I concocted in a shallow bowl. The hibachi grilling temperature of at least 450 degrees imparted all the desired burnished skin, smokiness, if the occasional dryness, to both my chicken and shrimp dishes. While the chicken boasted a spicy teriyaki glaze, the shrimp brought more intriguing taste thanks to its garlic butter and soy coating. And whenever a hibachi pick-meup was in order, that’s when the house’s “Yum Yum” sauce rode in like a culinary white knight to enliven the dish. The secret house sauce, a meld of mayonnaise, carrots, onions, garlic, and parsley flakes –– the only ingredients I could pry loose from the discreet kitchen staff –– perked up any of the hibachi-fired offerings. The veggie sides (broccoli, carrots, onions, zucchini, and mushrooms), along with Japanese yakisoba stir-fry noodles –– each angel-hair strand painted in a savory-sweet Worcestershire-tinted sauce –– also did the kitchen proud. The Thai-rolled ice cream was one of the most artisanal dishes of the entire meal. Using a reverse flattop, where instead of heat, the surface attained a well-below-freezing temperature, co-owner Medet gently froze a combination of milk, condensed milk, and syrup before forming the confection into rose petal-shaped strawberry-flavored ice cream studded with bits of fresh strawberry.
March 2019
LITTLE RED WASP KITCHEN + BAR 808 Main St, Fort Worth, TX 76102 / (817) 877-3111 / littleredwasp.com
I can’t recall the last time I was so entertained by the hand-crafting of a dessert, which imparted the pleasing texture of soft-serve ice cream and was tinted a shade of Bazooka bubblegum pink. The brothers Ashim are not content to stop with hibachi. They have plans to open an Asian-themed convenience store next door. Its tentative name is 717, for the seven days a week, 17 hours a day that they plan on being open. That’s as clear an indication as any that the Ashims intend on being a restaurant force in downtown Fort Worth for some time.
Ashim’s Hibachi Grill Where
424 Taylor St, FW 214-283-9122
Entree Prices
$6.95-$8.95. All major credit cards accepted.
Don’t-Miss Dishes
Spider roll, Philadelphia roll, shrimp hibachi, Thai-rolled ice cream
Vibe
Homey, DIY, welcoming
When
12pm-10pm Sun, 11am-12am Mon-Thu, 11am-3am Fri-Sat
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night life Festival Cocktail Recipes Here’s a sneak peak at two of the drinks you’ll be enjoying during the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival and instructions on how to make them. BY ERIC GRIFFEY
For many, dining well necessarily starts and ends with a well-made cocktail –– and for some on the liquid diet, the drink is the whole meal. As the reach of craft cocktail culture extends to even the most casual diner, these high-quality, labor-intensive throwback elixirs have replaced the reliable gin & tonic or vodka & soda as the go-to way to begin an evening on the town. For this new, Food Network-educated crowd, the old standards just don’t excite the palate the way a Moscow Mule, Old Fashioned, or Negroni can. We may have to stop calling the craft cocktail movement a trend, since seemingly every newly opened restaurant boasts its own unique drink menu. Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival’s Deserts After Dark event, 9-11pm at Whiskey Ranch (4250 Mitchell Blvd), gives a nod to this new boozy institution. The shindig will host 16 pastry chefs and 14 mixologists who will create special confections and drinks for the festivities. Lisa Little-Adams of Proper (409 W Magnolia Av, 817-9841133) and Brad Hensarling of The Usual (1408 W Magnolia Av, 817-810-0114) gave us a preview of what you can expect to see at the bottom of a glass that evening. Do try these at home.
Mixologist/owner Lisa Little-Adams’ cocktail lightens up TX whiskey with fresh fruit flavors and seltzer water. Photo By Twig Capra
The Circus
Method
BY LISA LITTLE-ADAMS, PROPER
Ingredients
1.5 oz TX Whiskey .25 oz Grand Marnier Signature Collection No. 2, Raspberry Peach liqueur
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.25 oz Raspberry syrup Chilled seltzer water Fresh raspberries Mint
In a tall highball or Collins glass, add 2 fitted cubes of ice and stir approximately 13 times, clockwise. Add syrup, liqueur, and TX Whiskey and one more fitted cube of ice. Ice should reach the top of the glass at this point. Fill the rest of the glass with chilled soda water and stir together with a long spoon. Garnish with a couple raspberries and a small mint bouquet.
March 2019
Brad Hensarling’s Autumn in Brazil is on the menu of his prohibition cocktail lounge, The Usual, and will be served at the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival’s Desserts After Dark event. Photo by Twig Capra
Autumn in Brazil BY BRAD HENSARLING, THE USUAL
Ingredients
2 oz Auva Amburana .5 oz Oloroso sherry .5 oz Cocchi Torino 1 bsp demerara 2 dashes of safron bitters Orange peel for garnish
Method
In a shaker, combine ingredients (except the orange peel) and stir clockwise until cold. Strain into a Nick & Nora martini glass and serve up. Cut a small swath of orange peel off a navel orange, hold the peel beneath the flame of a match or lighter, and squeeze (express) the juices of the peel directly into the glass –– this will create a small flame. Add the expressed peel into the drink for garnish.
GENERAL ADMISSION: $20, 7-10 pm
First drink is on us when you order your ticket in advance! *Wine, beer, soda and water.
MAR 30
SPRING
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rtw
SW E ET & SAVORY March 2019
N C E O N TA P orth m u s e u m .o
VIP ADMISSION: $30, 6-7 pm Early social hour admission shortened lines and other surprises.
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the Full Spr
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read March 2019
Ole Mole
Mary Perez, owner/chef of Eastside standout Enchiladas Ole Mexican Restaurant (901 N Sylvania Av, 817-9841360), said she only uses chiles from New Mexico in her popular mole sauce, an amalgam of fresh peppers, chocolate, peanuts, and other spices. “The soil has a lot to do with the flavor of the sauce,” she said. Growing up, she said, mole was for special occasions only: birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries.
“You looked forward to it growing up,” she said. “It’s become so popular now. People are looking more for bold flavors.” The preparation for her mole is timeconsuming and labor-intensive. “You have to watch it closely,” she said. “It’s a very rich sauce. I have to stand over it –– it’ll burn in a minute. You can enjoy Perez’s mole and other critically lauded sauces on her everyday menu. Enchiladas Ole is open six days a week.
Photo by Amanda Marie Lackey
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Laying the Foundation
The Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival hopes to change the local restaurant scene through largesse. BY ERIC GRIFFEY
The lab on the first floor of Trimble Tech High School on the Near Southside doesn’t look like your typical venue for a science class. The front of the room
houses the traditional neat rows of student desks, an overhead projector, and cluttered instructional classroom posters and signs taped to the concrete walls, including, “Speak in complete sentences,” but it’s the back of the expansive bunker-esque space that stands out. Amid an arrangement of stainless-steel tables, ovens, sinks, vent hoods, kitchen cabinets, and an industrial mixer, 10 jovial students donned in white jackets recently stood around their upbeat instructor, Heather Kurima, who was also wearing her chef coat. The chef-turned-high-school-teacher was talking the kids through the finer points of tossing dough as part of her lecture on the science of pizza. “You can use a rolling pin and cheat,” she taunted, “or you can learn to stretch the dough by hand. I just don’t want to see a bunch of pizza dough on the ceiling.” Similar scenes repeat around Fort Worth schools every day, as culinary arts classes are becoming more widespread throughout the region. As the various cooking programs expand, local chefs and professionals in the restaurants business have stepped in and taken on roles as mentors and benefactors –– none
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Bruton: “The Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival is an inspiration.” Photo by Jeff Prince
March 2019
more so than the leadership and volunteers of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival’s charitable arm. Over the last few years, money raised by the four-day festival, whose seven signature events highlight some of the best food, drinks, and culinary artisans in the city, has been used to fund grants that have paid for kitchen supplies at schools that meet certain criteria and college tuition for select kids. Students also participate in the festival, mostly by lending a helping hand and learning under established chefs. Every year, some students also take over a whole table at events and serve the food they created. Natasha Bruton, Trimble Tech’s director of culinary arts, estimated that her school has received around $10,000 in grant money and more than $25,000 toward individual student scholarships from the festival. “We’ve always had a relationship with the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival,” she said. “They just do good things for people. As a teacher, I try to inspire these kids to do better –– to want more. Every year, my students have received scholarships. To me, the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival is
Area high school students prepare to volunteer at last year’s festival.
Photo by Brian Hutson, courtesy of Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival
A place to EAT, DRINK and SOCIALIZE
3700 MATTISON AVE IN THE FORT WORTH CULTURAL DISTRICT 817-989-0007 WWW.FWPIOLA.COM
March 2019
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AMENITIES FOR EVERY LIFESTYLE Kurima: “I just don’t want to see a bunch of dough on the ceiling.” Photo by Jeff Prince an inspiration. They inspire kids to do big things.” The festival’s nonprofit, Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation, has raised more than $150,000 for grants and scholarships to date. Julie Eastman, the executive director of the festival, said one of the goals of the grant and scholarship money is to create a pipeline of talent into the local restaurant scene. “If we can develop a great foundation of amazing ‘future staff members’ for all of our culinary businesses in Fort
March 2019
Worth for the next decade, then the festival [will have been] a great success in that area,” she said. “So many students have a passion for the culinary arts, and we want to cultivate that passion and allow it to grow into the next generation of restaurants, executive chefs, and general managers.” The festival’s charitable mission made headlines four years ago when the Fort Worth restaurant community rallied behind a Trimble Tech student. In 2015, Bruton found out Cam-
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Students at Trimble Tech learn the science behind making pizza as they top their own pies. Photo by Jeff Prince
eron Sanders had been homeless until he moved in with friends. He worked jobs at Pappadeaux and the Magnolia Cheese Company to pay his $50 weekly rent while attending school. Sanders and other students from Trimble Tech volunteered at that year’s festival, and that ended up changing his life. Later that year, Sanders was accepted into the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York City, and festival organizers doled out a $9,000 scholarship to help pay his way. “At the end of the year, [the nonprofit’s leaders] called [Sanders] up to Reata for an interview,” Bruton said. “They called him the next day and told him they were giving him a scholarship and sending him to CIA.” Sanders completed his two-year degree at CIA and now works in Boston. To be eligible for a scholarship and $5,000 grant, students and schools must participate in the Career Culinary Conference, a daylong Bruton: “As a teacher, I try to inspire these symposium hosted by festival organizers, and volunteer at the festival kids to do better.” Photo by Jeff Prince –– something Amber Welborn says her students at Benbrook High
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Granbury High School students prepare passed appetizers for last year’s festival. Photo by Jeff Prince
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School are excited about every year. “Three years ago, I got an email asking if we’d be interested in participating,” she said. “They were looking for students to come and assist in different booths. And I said, ‘Are you kidding? Yes, please!’ That’s much more experience and exposure than we’d ever get at school. “The students have so enjoyed it,” she continued. “When they reflect back on that experience, it’s one of their favorite things.” Benbrook High School received a $5,000 grant last year, which she said was spent on basic kitchen supplies, such as hotel pans, thermometers, and ice paddles. Lindsey Lawing, the festival’s school programs coordinator, said the festival/ nonprofit usually has enough money to award every school that meets the criteria and applies for the $5,000 classroom grants. The schools then decide what to spend it on. This year, she said, five schools qualify for the cash award. “Our goal is to include a lot more schools and transform the conference into the go-to event for area schools,” she said. “I know a lot of the schools that participate have UIL [University Interscholastic League] competitions, so we’re trying to offer more ways to participate.” This year, she said, two schools will be hosting tables –– the Keller Center for Advanced Learning and Granbury High School. The foundation pays back the schools for any out-of-pocket costs.
Another Trimble Tech grad, Cristina Tapia, said her experience at the festival was formative. Working with the top industry professionals in town, she added, inspired her to pursue a career in the kitchen. Two years ago, she was awarded a $5,000 scholarship and now attends the University of Houston’s Conrad N. Hilton’s College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. Festival and foundation organizers, she said, “are very motivated. They really care for the students. They really helped me out during a time I needed the support. It’s something I will forever cherish.” Tapia hopes to one day open an authentic Mexican restaurant in Fort Worth that emphasizes the native techniques. “I want to bring out my culture and what my family taught me,” she said. “There’s a lot of Mexican restaurants [locally], but not a lot have that culture.” A restaurant owned by a Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation scholarship recipient is exactly what Eastman and the other festival producers had in mind when they began awarding money. Going forward, she said, the festival will continue its slow and thoughtful growth. “We have been extremely blessed over the last six years to be able to capture the tremendous growth in Fort Worth,” she said. “We really just want to continue to shine a spotlight on all of the talented people and their businesses.”
March 2019
s ' t e L
y a r C y a
r C Get
February 10–April 28, 2019
It's Crawfish Season at Razzoo's Promotional support is provided by
This exhibition is organized by the Kimbell Art Museum and the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Bernardo Bellotto, The Zwinger Complex in Dresden (detail), 1751/52, oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Photo: Elke Estel/Hans-Peter Klut
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Visit our Flagship store in Sundance Square March 2019
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s ’ n e Gre s t n a l P & Produce perated O d n a d e n w Family O Est. 1969
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3001 W. Arkansas Ln. - Arlington, 76016 817.274.2435 - greensproduce.com Mon-Sat 8-7pm | Sun 8-6pm 24 ZEST EIGHT ONE SEVEN zest817.com
March 2019
Who
The Pearl Restaurant
Where
2625 Pioneer Pkwy, Ste 600, Grand Prairie. 972-975-5222.
Vibe Open, lively, exotic.
The Pearl of Tarrant County
You don’t have to leave the 817 to experience superior dim sum. BY IAN CONNALLY PHOTOS BY CRYSTAL WISE
For several years now, since the once-reliable Kowloon Restaurant in Arlington took a precipitous nosedive, eating good dim sum has required meticulous planning. It’s a weekend brunch-ish
chandeliers, thick with the chatter and clatter of large groups, where you can eat boisterously and no one outside of your group will mind, or notice, when you drop a chicken foot in your lap. The Pearl delivers all of this. My dim sum source issued a few muttered affair that, of late, has required a trip complaints that we hadn’t been seated in to places north of Dallas. The troupe the intimate front dining room and were of line cooks and other miscreants with instead sequestered in the banquet hall whom I prefer to eat aren’t often free (or with the families and other riff-raff, but sober) at such times, so the call has to this was just the experience I wanted. go out early if the horde is to survive the Jasmine tea dutifully ordered, we acceptSaturday morning Mad Max battle up ed everything that the first cart to reach I-75 with any semblance of sanity. It’s our table had to offer, supplementing it too far to do often and too harrowing. with an order of beef chow fun from the So I was pleased when my confiplace’s regular menu. dential informant, who Our onslaught knows such things, called began with cheung fun, to tell me that there’s a translucent, slippery rice spot in Grand Prairie noodle crepes wrapped making dim sum that around perfectly briny compares favorably to shrimp and steamed. anything in Dallas CounDipped in chile oil and ty. The Pearl Restaurant, soy sauce, these were which shares Asia Times beautifully balanced, and Square real estate with it was an exercise in reHong Kong Market, is straint to not take a plate close enough to be in each time the cart came a regular, only semiaround. The siu mai, planned rotation –– and open-topped dumplings I’m less likely to die in a filled with pork, shrimp, tangle of fire and steel on and mushroom, were The Pearl is one of only a the way there. outstanding. Wrapped handful of authentic dim Done well, dining in yellow al dente pasta, sum eateries in Tarrant on dim sum is interacthe filling was savory and County. tive, over-stimulating, bright with green onion and gluttony-inspiring. Don’t-Miss Dishes and played excellent foil You order tea, and, beBeef Chow Fun, Cheung to the garlic-and-chilefore the pot has finished Fun, Diu Mai, Congee. steamed short ribs and steeping, you’ve said yes rich, gelatinous braised Entree Prices to a table-filling array chicken feet sharing the of small dishes foisted $10-$15. All major credit table. on you by a just-pushycards accepted. Beef chow fun, enough cart attendant. a tangled pile of wide When My best experiences have noodles, ginger, and soy 10am-10pm Sun, always been in aircraft and dotted with slivhangar-sized rooms ac11am-9:30pm Mon-Fri, ers of tender beef and cented by fish tanks and 10am-10pm Sat. crispy vegetables, arrived
March 2019
Pearl’s cheung fun were filled with briny shrimp.
mid-second volley, and we immediately surrounded it with plates and steamer baskets. Steaming and wok-seared, the chow fun was excessive and wholly unnecessary, but I’ll order it every time I go, and you should, too. Alongside perfectly unctuous, sweet, crunchy-skinned roast pork and har gow, delicately steamed shrimp dumplings, the beef and noodles were a robust centerpiece, an anchor to be revisited between bites.
For me, dim sum always finishes with congee, and it’s usually on this innocuous-seeming, simple dish that I hang my final judgment. The version at The Pearl will call me back there again and again –– theirs is creamy, light rice porridge scattered with scallions and punctuated with braised morsels of sweet pork and umami-laden bursts of pungent preserved duck eggs. I’d gladly drive to Plano for this dish, but I’m grateful I don’t have to.
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Coming Soon Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival Preview This year’s version of the city’s biggest food week will feature some new attractions and vendors. BY KRISTIAN LIN
Spring is here, which means that so is the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival. The sixth annual event, which runs Thu-Sun, April 4-7, has already become a city institution, where the price of your ticket goes toward scholarship programs to educate Fort Worth’s great chefs of the future –– as well as buying you countless food samples from some of the best restaurants in town. Many of these events were once set in the middle of nowhere but now are close to the new Shops at Clearfork. We dare say you’ll find the festival a bargain at $450 for a weekend pass or anywhere between $50 and $150 for the various individual events.
Tacos + Tequila
On Thursday, April 4, the binge begins with a taco festival at the Heart of the Ranch at Clearfork (5000 Clearfork Main St). Like sushi, the delectable taco is a street food that has made its way upmarket, lending itself to exotic ingredients, creative minds, and delicate presentation. Estimable local taquerias such as Meso Maya and Mariachi’s Dine-In will be up against newcomers such as McKinney’s Patina Green Home and Market and Four Sisters — A Taste of Vietnam. (Like we said, tacos can accommodate all manner of ingredients, including the non-Latin ones.) Of course, you’ll be able to wash the tacos down with a seemingly infinite variety of tequila on offer or their rougher, smokier, no-less-interesting cousins, mezcal. Tickets are $50-60.
Main Event
The blowout of the festival on Friday has always taken place in the old Pier 1 Imports Building, but this year it moves to the Heart of the Ranch at Clearfork as well. At this writing, the restaurants that are planning to take part include several mainstays: Bird Café, Bonnell’s, Reata, Nonna Tata, and Piattello among them. The restaurants from the Clearfork shops such as Malai Kitchen and Fixe Southern House all made their debuts at last year’s festival and know what to expect now. Still, there’s sure to be more restaurants and caterers jumping in to present their fare at the best-attended event of the week. You’ll also need as much food as possible to absorb the wine, beer, cider, and whiskey that you’ll be sampling here. Tickets are $125-150.
March 2019
The sixth annual Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival runs Thu-Sun, April 4-7. Photo by Farrar Food Photography, courtesy of Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival
Desserts After Dark
This event stays in place at the Whiskey Ranch (4250 Mitchell Blvd), where it was held last year. We’ll see if whiskey is still a featured ingredient in all the dishes. Veteran dessert establishments such as Stir Crazy Baked Goods and Joy Macarons will be joined by newcomers such as Sweetie’s Cheesecakes, Dallas-based Kate Weiser Chocolate, and Cinnaholic, the Atlantabased chain of upscale cinnamon bun bakeries that just opened its Fort Worth location. Tickets are $60-70.
Culinary Corral
On Saturday, a new feature of the festival replaces last year’s Rise + Dine event. Now the week’s big brunch has been augmented by live music, an artisanal marketplace, and a beer garden, among other things. Some big names such as Jon Bonnell’s Waters: Fine Coastal Cuisine and Café Modern will be here, along with FunkyTown Donuts and soufflé specialists Rise No. 3. Walking around doing some shopping while sampling all these brunch foods sounds like a perfect way to spend an April afternoon. Tickets are $75.
Burgers, Brews + Blues
Thankfully, this event focuses on sliders, because you couldn’t eat a whole burger from every single establishment here in one go. Old standbys
like Tommy’s, Fred’s, and Rodeo Goat will look to test out new creations for their menus, while a bright newcomer like Knife Burger and an out-of-town contender in Bridgeport’s Rock City Burger will try to dazzle you with their distinctive interpretations of ground meat and bread. Also, Melt Ice Creams will be here — wonder what they’re going to do? Beer always goes well with burgers, and 22 local breweries will have suds on hand to counteract the richness of the food. Tickets are $70.
Ring of Fire
Capping the festival is an all-new event. The Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival has spotlighted barbecue before, but this year, they’re expanding their cookout event to include grilled vegetables, pizza, and exotic game meats. This year, we have Stillwater Barbecue (Abilene), Ten50 BBQ (Richardson and soon Grapevine), and BBQ on the Brazos (Cresson). We also have the new Brix Barbecue food trailer. Appropriately enough, a Johnny Cash cover band (Bennie Wheels & Walkin’ the Line) will provide music for this event. Along with spirits, wine, and beer, this should bring the festival to a smoky end. Tickets are $65-75. For tickets, visit Fortworthfoodandwinefestival. com. Be sure to use the hashtag #ZesttheFest to keep up with everyone’s pictures.
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