Eater Dallas: All Posts by Malcolm MayhewThe Dallas Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2014-12-02T09:57:45-06:00https://dallas.eater.com/authors/malcolm-mayhew/rss2014-12-02T09:57:45-06:002014-12-02T09:57:45-06:00The Hottest Restaurants in Fort Worth, Winter 2014
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<p>Where to eat right this minute on the other side of the Metroplex.</p> <p>Welcome to the Winter 2014 edition of the <b>Eater Fort Worth Heatmap</b>, your guide to eating and drinking (and combining the two) on the west side of the Trinity.</p>
<p>Additions include a pair of new pho restaurants, the city's first designated healthy-eating restaurant, and a contemporary French spot.</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/maps/fort-worth-where-to-eat-right-now-hottest-restaurants-winter-2014Malcolm Mayhew2014-10-28T16:15:09-05:002014-10-28T16:15:09-05:00Le Cep Aims to Enchant Fort Worth With Refined French Fare
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<p>Modern French food (and plenty of wine) lands in the Museum District.</p> <p>Fort Worth's Museum District continues to experience a steady stream of restaurant openings: A week after Fort Worth chef Lanny Lancarte opened his new healthy-eating emporium <a target="_blank" href="http://dallas.eater.com/2014/10/22/7038765/righteous-foods-fort-worth-open-lanny-lancarte-alta-cocina">Righteous Foods</a> now comes <b>Le Cep Restaurant</b>, a contemporary French restaurant tucked into a strip mall next door to newish burger and meat shop Burgundy Pasture Beef.</p>
<p>Le Cep soft opens tonight at 5:30; the grand opening is on Thursday. The 15-table restaurant comes from local couple David and Sandra Avila — he a corporate ex-turned-wine-connoisseur, she a chef trained at the Ducasse Institute, the Parisian school of legendary chef Alain Ducasse. Sandra also interned at the Eiffel Tower's renowned restaurant, 58 Tour Eiffel.</p>
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<p>Le Cep will offer revolving four- and eight-course menus. Dishes on the current lineup include an arugula and asparagus salad, scallops with almonds, duck breast with potatoes, and venison with celeriac puree. Six items will also be available a la carte. Only the dish's ingredients are listed on the menu, not their preparation — an approach that, while trendy these days, isn't exactly the norm in Fort Worth.</p>
<p>"We traveled many years throughout Europe and were very much inspired by what we experienced," David says. "Not just the food itself, but how it was presented to the diner. It was a very different approach, and we fell in love with it."</p>
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<p>Named after a hotel in France's Burgundy region that the Avilas are particularly fond of, the airy one-room restaurant is subtly decorated. Track lights illuminate a black and gray color scheme and an attractive, hand-cut Modular Arts wall. The restaurant's centerpiece is an enclosed glass wine room. "That's my pride and joy," David says. "There's an emphasis on French and American but I have a good collection of German, Argentinian, Australian, Chilean and others. It's a good overall scope of the world of wine."</p>
<p>Le Cep will be open Tuesday through Saturday 5:30-10:30 p.m.; reservations can be made <a target="_blank" href="http://www.opentable.com/le-cep?rid=139405">via OpenTable</a>.</p>
<p><i>Le Cep: 3324 W. 7th St., Fort Worth.</i><i style="line-height: 1.5;"> (817) 900-2468. <a href="http://www.leceprestaurant.com/home" target="_blank">www.leceprestaurant.com</a>.</i></p>
https://dallas.eater.com/2014/10/28/7086235/le-cep-fort-worth-museum-district-french-restaurantMalcolm Mayhew2014-10-22T09:52:57-05:002014-10-22T09:52:57-05:00Fort Worth Chef Lanny Lancarte Gets Righteous With New Healthy Restaurant
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<figcaption>Goodbye Lanny's, hello Righteous Foods. | Malcolm Mayhew/EDFW</figcaption>
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<p>Lanny's Alta Cocina has been reborn as Righteous Foods, with no shortage of juice and quinoa.</p> <p></p>
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<p>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.</p>
<p>"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."</p>
<p>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; <strong>smoked pistachio guacamole</strong>; and sweet potato and mung bean soup.</p>
<p>To clarify, Righteous Foods <strong>isn't a vegetarian restaurant.</strong> 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.</p>
<p>There are also freshly-made juices. Coffee comes from Portland's <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstumptowncoffee.com&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fdallas.eater.com%2F2014%2F10%2F22%2F7038765%2Frighteous-foods-fort-worth-open-lanny-lancarte-alta-cocina" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Stumptown Coffee Roasters</a> &#8212; a first for Fort Worth.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>"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."</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/2014/10/22/7038765/righteous-foods-fort-worth-open-lanny-lancarte-alta-cocinaMalcolm Mayhew2014-07-28T05:00:00-05:002014-07-28T05:00:00-05:00The Eater Fort Worth Heatmap: Summer 2014
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<p>Welcome to the summer 2014 edition of the <strong>Eater Fort Worth Heatmap</strong>, in which you ask "Where should I eat right this second?" and we reply, "Funny you should ask..."</p>
<p>This time around, additions include the farm-to-cone ice cream shop that's sweetening up Near Southside, the city's first dedicated ramen restaurant, and a globally-influenced tapas spot.</p>
<p><em>Agree/disagree with our picks? Leave a comment or weigh in via the <a href="mailto:dallas@eater.com">tipline</a>, and check back in the fall for the next Fort Worth Heatmap update.</em></p>
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<p><strong><u>Fort Worth Heatmap History</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>Summer 2014</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> 24 Plates, Hanabi Ramen & Izakaya, Melt Ice Creams, Steel City Pops<br><strong>Removed:</strong> Little Lilly Sushi, Pizza Snob, Spice</p>
<p><strong>Spring 2014</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> AF+B, Bite City Grill, Cane Rosso, Pizza Snob, Spice, Swiss Pastry Shop <br><strong>Removed:</strong> Bearded Lady, Enchiladas Ole, Lonesome Dove, Billy's Oak Acres BBQ, Sera</p>
<p><strong>Winter 2013</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> Sera Dining and Wine, Clay Pigeon Food & Drink, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Bird Cafe, Velvet Taco<br><strong>Removed:</strong> Salsa Limon, Max's Wine Dive, Sol de Luna, Pacific Table</p>
<p><strong>Fall 2013</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> Bearded Lady, Billy's Oak Acres Barbecue, Little Red Wasp, Max's Wine Dive, Sol de Luna<br><strong>Removed:</strong> Campisi's, Elote Mexican Kitchen, Magnolia Cheese Co., Red Door Bistro, Waters Coastal Cuisine</p>
<p><strong>Summer 2013</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> BBQ on the Brazos, Elote Mexican Kitchen, Salsa Limon, Pacific Table<br><strong>Removed:</strong> Clearfork Food Park, Lee's Grilled Cheese, Ryan's Fine Grocer & Deli</p>
<p><strong>Spring 2013</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> Waters, Enchiladas Ole, Red Door Bistro, Campisi's <br><strong>Removed:</strong> Torchy's Tacos, Reservoir, Fred's Texas Cafe</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/maps/the-eater-fort-worth-heatmap-summer-2014Malcolm Mayhew2014-07-08T05:52:51-05:002014-07-08T05:52:51-05:0024 Plates Brings Eclectic Tapas Menu to Near Southside
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<br><span class="credit"><em>[Photos: Malcolm Mayhew/EDFW]</em></span> <p>To find Fort Worth's hot new tapas spot <strong>24 Plates</strong>, just look for the signs — the ones that say "W.F. Laurence Fine Flowers" and "Maria's Mexican Food." The old signs once directed people to flowers and fajitas, but now they're the best way to find the latest restaurant to open in the Magnolia May development in Fort Worth's Near Southside area. 24 Plates owner <strong>Joel Kleven</strong> says he wanted to keep the old signs out of respect for the repurposed buildings, which date back to 1925. Exposed brick, concrete floors and repurposed wood abound. The bar is two-sided — one area inside, the other out, on a beautifully landscaped patio. A neon 24 Plates sign is coming soon, Kleven says, but it'll be placed above the flowers sign.</p> <p>In the kitchen is executive chef Beau Johnson (formerly of <a href="http://dallas.eater.com/tags/waldron-lodge">Waldron Lounge</a>), who, true to the restaurant's name, serves 24 different plates at dinner. The small plates selection features shareable dishes like Akaushi beef meatballs, butterflied quail and a cured meat and cheese board; large plates include a lobster roll, <strong>dry-aged pork belly</strong> and short rib tacos. Lunch offerings feature flatbreads and sandwiches, while Sunday brunch could be the primo time to go, what with chicken and waffles and a <strong>bacon board</strong>.</p> <p>24 Plates is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-midnight.<br>Saturday hours are 10 a.m.-midnight (brunch till 2 p.m.), and Sunday brunch is served 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Scope out the dinner menu below.</p> <p><img src="http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/53bc1361f92ea14d4b01035d/24platesdinnermenu.png" alt="24platesdinnermenu.png"></p> <p>· <a href="https://www.facebook.com/24plates">24 Plates</a> [Facebook]</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/2014/7/8/6191673/24-plates-brings-eclectic-tapas-menu-to-near-southsideMalcolm Mayhew2014-04-18T09:00:00-05:002014-04-18T09:00:00-05:00Melt Ice Creams Begins Scooping This Saturday
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<br> <p>Here's an inside look at <strong>Melt Ice Creams</strong>, the "farm-to-cone" ice cream parlor opening Saturday on Fort Worth's Near Southside. Owner <strong>Kari Crowe Seher</strong> dreamed up a striking façade — bright yellow on one of the side of the 60-year-old building, checkerboard on the other. "I really wanted something eye-catching," she says.</p> <p>Either way you're driving down Rosedale, you'll see the tiny spot (formerly a coffee shop) sandwiched between a mechanic's shop and a lawyer's office. The interior is bright and simple, strewn with tiny café tables and anchored by a 16-foot church bench that Seher found on Craigslist.</p> <p>As previously reported, ice cream flavors will rotate seasonally and include locally sourced ingredients. Opening day flavors will be Cup of Texas, made with <strong>Avoca coffee beans</strong>; Berry Basil, made with jam from local producer Moore Jams; Beans, featuring Madagascar vanilla beans from Pendery's; Vegan Velvet, a <strong>dairy-free coconut and dark chocolate</strong>; and Sweet Basil, made with Texas Honeybee Guild honey and lavender. The small-batch ice cream will be available in cones, cups and pints; waffle cones will be made on-site, naturally.</p> <p>Saturday's grand opening party will feature games and face painting for the kids from 1-3 p.m.; more adult-friendly events, including beer floats from <strong>Rahr & Sons</strong> and a visit from food truck <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NosrednaDFW">Nosredna</a> kick off at 6pm. After that, Melt will be open 12:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 12:30-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.</p> <p>· <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeltIceCreams">Melt Ice Creams</a> [Facebook]<br>· <a href="http://dallas.eater.com/archives/2014/04/17/20-anticipated-springsummer-openings.php">A Massive Guide to DFW's Spring & Summer Openings</a> [-EDFW-]<br>· <a href="http://dallas.eater.com/tags/melt-ice-creams">All Melt coverage</a> [-EDFW-]</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/2014/4/18/6239433/melt-ice-creams-begins-scooping-this-saturdayMalcolm Mayhew2014-04-01T09:00:00-05:002014-04-01T09:00:00-05:00The Eater Fort Worth Heatmap: Spring 2014
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<p>Welcome to the very first 2014 edition of the <strong>Eater Fort Worth Heatmap</strong>, in which you ask "Where should I eat right this second?" and we reply, "Funny you should ask..."</p> <p>This time around, we've added the latest expansion of Jay Jerrier's pizza empire, a beloved pastry shop that does waaay more than just pastries, the new spot from former Pakpao chef Eddy Thretipthuangsin and more.</p>
<br> <p><strong><u>Fort Worth Heatmap History</u></strong></p> <p><strong>Spring 2014</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> AF+B, Bite City Grill, Cane Rosso, Pizza Snob, Spice, Swiss Pastry Shop <br><strong>Removed:</strong> Bearded Lady, Enchiladas Ole, Lonesome Dove, Billy's Oak Acres BBQ, Sera</p> <p><strong>Winter 2013-14</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> Sera Dining and Wine, Clay Pigeon Food & Drink, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Bird Cafe, Velvet Taco<br><strong>Removed:</strong> Salsa Limon, Max's Wine Dive, Sol de Luna, Pacific Table</p> <p><strong>Fall 2013</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> Bearded Lady, Billy's Oak Acres Barbecue, Little Red Wasp, Max's Wine Dive, Sol de Luna<br><strong>Removed:</strong> Campisi's, Elote Mexican Kitchen, Magnolia Cheese Co., Red Door Bistro, Waters Coastal Cuisine</p> <p><strong>Summer 2013</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> BBQ on the Brazos, Elote Mexican Kitchen, Salsa Limon, Pacific Table<br><strong>Removed:</strong> Clearfork Food Park, Lee's Grilled Cheese, Ryan's Fine Grocer & Deli </p> <p><strong>Spring 2013</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> Waters, Enchiladas Ole, Red Door Bistro, Campisi's <br><strong>Removed:</strong> Torchy's Tacos, Reservoir, Fred's Texas Cafe</p>
<br> <p>— <em>Malcolm Mayhew & Whitney Filloon</em></p>
https://dallas.eater.com/maps/the-eater-fort-worth-heatmap-spring-2014Malcolm Mayhew2014-03-20T10:45:00-05:002014-03-20T10:45:00-05:00Bite City Grill Chomps Into Ft. Worth's West 7th District Tonight
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<br> <p><strong>Bite City Grill</strong>, the new global cuisine restaurant from James Beard-featured chef <strong>Eddy Thretipthuangsin</strong>, opens today at 4 p.m. in Fort Worth's West 7th district.</p> <p>Chef Eddy and his brother-partner Chris have taken over <strong>a seemingly cursed spot</strong>: an end cap space at Montgomery Plaza where restaurants Mac's on Seventh, Monty's Corner and Deluxe Bar & Grille have all come and gone.</p> <p>Ah, but those restaurants didn't have a James Beard-featured chef in the kitchen. Or <strong>specialty cocktails named after Zodiac signs</strong>, cleverly dreamt up by mixologist and general manager Chris.</p> <p>Or, or, or meticulous attention to interior design that surely marks some Fort Worth firsts. Such as: hand-seared pieces of pine plywood that line the walls; hexagon-shaped booths chiseled out of red oak; and, dangling above them, bamboo and grapevine twig lighting fixtures, fussily hand-woven.</p> <p>Chef Eddy's followers may be bummed he's not doing the straight-up Thai for which he was known at Dallas Thai spot <strong>Pakpao</strong>. But before digressing or dismissing, try his lamb lollipops, glazed with garlic cilantro soy; beef carpaccio, thinly sliced and topped with miso garlic aioli; or seared duck with a raisin and blackberry demi-glace.</p> <p>For now, Bite is open 4-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 4-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lunch and brunch service will start in April.</p> <p><em>— Malcolm Mayhew</em></p> <p>· <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bitecitygrillfw">Bite City Grill</a> [Facebook]<br>· <a href="http://dallas.eater.com/tags/bite">Previous posts about Bite</a> [-EDFW-]</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/2014/3/20/6258027/bite-city-grill-chomps-into-ft-worths-west-7th-district-tonightMalcolm Mayhew2014-01-09T06:00:00-06:002014-01-09T06:00:00-06:00The Eater Fort Worth Heatmap: January 2014
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<p>Welcome to the very first 2014 edition of the <strong>Eater Fort Worth Heatmap</strong>, in which you ask "Where should I eat right this second?" and we reply, "Funny you should ask..."</p> <p>This time, there's an unintentional theme: <strong>birds.</strong> We have Shannon Wynne's long-awaited new downtown venture, <strong>Bird Cafe</strong>; Tim Love's <strong>Lonesome Dove</strong>, recently refeathered after a fire; <strong>Clay Pigeon Food & Drink</strong>, taking flight in the old Pedro's Trailer Park/Lambert's spot; and <strong>Sera Dining and Wine</strong> and the just-opened <b>Velvet Taco</b>, which just had to ruin our theme.</p>
<br> <p><strong><u>Fort Worth Heatmap History</u></strong></p> <p><strong>Winter 2013-14</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> Sera Dining and Wine, Clay Pigeon Food & Drink, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Bird Cafe, Velvet Taco<br><strong>Removed:</strong> Salsa Limon, Max's Wine Dive, Sol de Luna, Pacific Table</p> <p><strong>Fall 2013</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> Bearded Lady, Billy's Oak Acres Barbecue, Little Red Wasp, Max's Wine Dive, Sol de Luna<br><strong>Removed:</strong> Campisi's, Elote Mexican Kitchen, Magnolia Cheese Co., Red Door Bistro, Waters Coastal Cuisine</p> <p><strong>Summer 2013</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> BBQ on the Brazos, Elote Mexican Kitchen, Salsa Limon, Pacific Table<br><strong>Removed:</strong> Clearfork Food Park, Lee's Grilled Cheese, Ryan's Fine Grocer & Deli </p> <p><strong>Spring 2013</strong><br><strong>Added:</strong> Waters, Enchiladas Ole, Red Door Bistro, Campisi's <br><strong>Removed:</strong> Torchy's Tacos, Reservoir, Fred's Texas Cafe</p>
<br> <p>— <em>Malcolm Mayhew & Whitney Filloon</em></p>
https://dallas.eater.com/maps/the-eater-fort-worth-heatmap-january-2014Malcolm Mayhew2014-01-06T04:30:00-06:002014-01-06T04:30:00-06:005 Reasons Fort Worth is Glad to Get Its Own Velvet Taco
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<br><span class="credit"><em>[Photos: Malcolm Mayhew]</em></span> <p><em>Late-night Dallas favorite <strong>Velvet Taco</strong> debuts a second Fort Worth location tonight, and our correspondent for all things Cowtown <strong>Malcolm Mayhew</strong> is pretty pumped about it. Here, he shares with us five reasons why:</em></p> <p>It's Fort Worth's turn to have ahi tuna, duck bacon and fried paneer tacos at all hours of the night. Today at 5 p.m., Fork It Over Restaurants (the folks also responsible for <strong>Whiskey Cake</strong> and <strong>Mexican Sugar</strong>) opens its second location of <strong>Velvet Taco</strong> right in the heart of Fort Worth's trendy West 7th district. Good news, this is, for many reasons. Five immediately come to mind:</p> <p><strong>1) Late-night hours.</strong> As with the Dallas location, VTFW will stay up way past the bedtime of most other restaurants — until <strong>midnight</strong> Sunday-Wednesday, <strong>3 a.m.</strong> Thursday and <strong>4 a.m.</strong> Friday and Saturday. </p> <p><strong>2) More room for hungry taco fans.</strong> The inside of the Fort Worth store is <strong>nearly twice as big as the Dallas location</strong> - able to seat 50 people inside (16 outside), compared to Dallas' 35 inside (40 outside). So, Dallas can seat more outside... Oh, by the way, it's <strong>16 degrees </strong>outside right now. Stay warm on that nice big patio, Dallas.</p> <p><strong>3) Fresh corn tortillas.</strong> So many taco shops in Fort Worth cut corners on tortillas and just use what Sysco offers. Velvet Taco <strong>makes their corn tortillas on-site</strong>, resulting in tortillas that are consistently tender and pliable. We wish they did the same for the flour tortillas, but at least they're local, coming from La Mexicana Tortilla Factory in Dallas.</p> <p><strong>4) Three words: back door chicken.</strong> Let's say you want an entire rotisserie chicken for dinner, plus six corn tortillas, a side of Korean barbecue sauce, sides of Mexican-style roasted corn and pico, and you have exactly $20 cash. Follow the "back door chicken" sign to the walk-up window and exchange your <strong>$20 for all of the above</strong>. Now let's say you only have $10. Go on a <strong>Monday</strong> — it's half-price back door chicken night.</p> <p><strong>5) The tacos.</strong> Even if VT didn't stay up late, or promote <strong>eco-friendliness</strong> by using biodegradable products and recycling bins instead of trash cans, or sell Maine Root soft drinks, or put fresh fruit and sorbets in their margaritas and sangrias, we'd still be in. See, we just love their tacos, especially the following: the one with calamari, red chili aioli and kimchee; the one with <strong>fried paneer and tomato chutney</strong>; the one with battered cod and curry mayo; the one with raw tuna and seaweed salad; the one with <strong>duck bacon, avocado and chicken</strong>; and the other ones that we've tried, too, which is um, basically all of them.</p> <p><em>Velvet Taco FW will offer dinner hours only to begin with; lunch hours will be added later this week or early next. Then, hours will be as follows: 9 a.m-midnight Sunday; 11 a.m.-midnight Monday-Wednesday; 11 a.m.-3 a.m. Thursday; 11 a.m.-4 a.m. Friday; and 9 a.m.-4 a.m. Saturday.</em></p> <p>— <em>Malcolm Mayhew</em></p> <p>· <a href="http://velvettacofw.com">Velvet Taco Fort Worth</a> [Official]<br>· <a href="http://dallas.eater.com/tags/velvet-taco">More Velvet Taco coverage on Eater Dallas</a> [-EDFW-]</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/2014/1/6/6303213/5-reasons-fort-worth-is-glad-to-get-its-own-velvet-tacoMalcolm Mayhew