Fort Worth Chef Lanny Lancarte Gets Righteous With New Healthy Restaurant

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The eating-right restaurant trend has made its way to Fort Worth. Yesterday chef Lanny Lancarte opened his health-conscious restaurant Righteous Foods, in the space where, for nine years, he operated Lanny's Alta Cocina Mexicana, a classy and forward-thinking Mexican restaurant that was often cited as one of North Texas' best restaurants.

"More and more people in Fort Worth are becoming active," says Lancarte, an avid biker. "They're paying more attention to what they're eating and they're wanting healthier food. There are restaurants like this all over the country, but not in Fort Worth. I think we're ready for it."

Righteous Foods is open Monday through Saturday for breakfast, lunch and early dinner, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Breakfast dishes include coconut and quinoa oatmeal, grinders stuffed with eggs and arugula, and a banana and chocolate waffle. Lunch and dinner selections include a salad topped with whole grain croutons and pickled carrots; smoked pistachio guacamole; and sweet potato and mung bean soup.

To clarify, Righteous Foods isn't a vegetarian restaurant. There's a burger, pork and shrimp tacos and, at breakfast, oxtail and eggs. Ingredients are "responsibly sourced," Lancarte says, adding that he's using organic whenever possible, right down to the booze; he's also growing herbs on the patio.

There are also freshly-made juices. Coffee comes from Portland's Stumptown Coffee Roasters — a first for Fort Worth.

The space has been completely redone. Gone is Lanny's subtle and muted color scheme, the dark curtains, the soft lights. A bright orange sign depicting a fist clenching a carrot leads diners to shiny tables and walls constructed of repurposed pallet wood, industrial-hip metal chairs and bar stools, a lime and white tiled bar. Lancarte and his staff did most of the work themselves, he says.

"The same guys who worked with me in the kitchen for almost ten years were out here helping me paint, helping me build the shelves," he says. "We're all beginning this new chapter together."