Welcome to the very first 2014 edition of the Eater Fort Worth Heatmap, in which you ask "Where should I eat right this second?" and we reply, "Funny you should ask..."
This time, there's an unintentional theme: birds. We have Shannon Wynne's long-awaited new downtown venture, Bird Cafe; Tim Love's Lonesome Dove, recently refeathered after a fire; Clay Pigeon Food & Drink, taking flight in the old Pedro's Trailer Park/Lambert's spot; and Sera Dining and Wine and the just-opened Velvet Taco, which just had to ruin our theme.
Fort Worth Heatmap History
Winter 2013-14 Added: Sera Dining and Wine, Clay Pigeon Food & Drink, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Bird Cafe, Velvet Taco Removed: Salsa Limon, Max's Wine Dive, Sol de Luna, Pacific Table
Fall 2013 Added: Bearded Lady, Billy's Oak Acres Barbecue, Little Red Wasp, Max's Wine Dive, Sol de Luna Removed: Campisi's, Elote Mexican Kitchen, Magnolia Cheese Co., Red Door Bistro, Waters Coastal Cuisine
Summer 2013 Added: BBQ on the Brazos, Elote Mexican Kitchen, Salsa Limon, Pacific Table Removed: Clearfork Food Park, Lee's Grilled Cheese, Ryan's Fine Grocer & Deli
Spring 2013 Added: Waters, Enchiladas Ole, Red Door Bistro, Campisi's Removed: Torchy's Tacos, Reservoir, Fred's Texas Cafe
Longtime North Texas barbecuer/chef John Sanford is serving dynamite barbecue out of a gas station in Cresson. Crusty brisket and snappy beef sausage are terrific, but load up on the sides, too, like the cilantro slaw and sweet 'n messy cornbread salad.
Recently opened on the Near Southside in a beautifully restored 1920s home, a craft beer pub whose food is made with, what else, craft beer. A good choice: beer-battered cactus, made with craft beer. And don't forget to order a craft beer!
Long-standing rustic cue joint recently taken over by ex-Grady Spears cook Billy Woodrich, who smokes ribs, brisket and sausage over pecan in a 50-year-old pit. Desserts come courtesy of another Spears expatriate, Susan Eddins; her buttermilk pie will out-mom your mom’s.
Shannon Wynne strikes again, reopening downtown’s historic Land Title Block building (once home to his Flying Saucer) with an outdoor deck and bird-theme artwork. Imported from Meddlesome Moth, the menu includes mussels in coconut milk, crispy duck wings and chicken skin crisps. Tons of beer options, too.
[Photo: Jimmy Ngo/Eight-O Management]
Cozy little spurs-and-heels-friendly spot from former Neighborhood Services chef and Arlington native Marcus Paslay, housed in an old gas station. Rustic decor melds well with cheffy Texana menu, made up of wood-grilled steaks, housemade pastas and small plates like chicken liver pate. And if you pronounce it "pate," ain't no one gonna bat an eye.
First time at restaurant bat, and Mary Perez hits it out of the park with this little 'chilada dive. The food is more authentic than fancy, with an emphasis on sauces. Must tries: enmoladas, chicken enchiladas with verde sauce and old-school red enchiladas.
Awarded four stars by the Dallas Morning News in 2013, this tiny west side Japanese resto is run by chef Jesus Garcia, whose menu changes more by his imagination than by season. Pray you’re there when he’s doing his duck and oyster okonomiyaki. Order a California roll, we don’t know you.
Outfitted with 'vette-red chairs to match the downtown resto's name, the more casual sibling of nearby fine dining palace Grace serves a mean $12 crispy chicken sandwich and an even meaner "Little Red Wasp" drink that does, in fact, sting.
After a fire forced him to close it for two months, celebrity chef Tim Love relaunched his flagship restaurant touting new dishes and decor: an outdoor dining deck here, a squid-ink pasta there. Attention cheapskates: Dine at lunch, when prices are lower.
Authentic Mex-Mex served in a classy, white tableclothed environment. Corn tortillas made in-house as you watch. On weekend nights, look for Revolver’s new sidewalk taquiza, a build-your-own-taco stand pushing $2 tacos.
The Wynne family (Flying Saucer, Meddlesome Moth) entered the burger biz with this West 7th b-joint, housed in an old candy factory. Clever toppings and housemade sauces are great but the real sweethearts of this Rodeo are the juicy patties, ground daily in-house. Killer patio and brews, too.
Long-running Sapristi! is reborn with a punctuation-free name, a Spanish/French-influenced tapas menu and a rambunctious bar scene. Try the crispy, French fry-ish pig ear frites and whole sardines doused in lemon aioli.
Fort Worth desperately needs more good late-night dining options; this Dallas import is about as good and late-night as you can get. The veg-minded will dig the falalfel and fried paneer tacos, while animal eaters will put away the roast pork chilaquile taco and the rotisserie chicken and duck bacon-stuffed Roti BLT. No meal shall be complete without the tater tots, topped with goat cheese and an egg. Open til 4am Fri-Sat.
Tim Love's ode to campfire cooking remains one of the top tables in the city, and it's not just barbecue: There's also rib meat tamales, smoked Brussels sprouts and even a bowl of so-hot-right now ramen, done Tim's way with bone broth, pulled pork and quail egg.
Longtime North Texas barbecuer/chef John Sanford is serving dynamite barbecue out of a gas station in Cresson. Crusty brisket and snappy beef sausage are terrific, but load up on the sides, too, like the cilantro slaw and sweet 'n messy cornbread salad.
Recently opened on the Near Southside in a beautifully restored 1920s home, a craft beer pub whose food is made with, what else, craft beer. A good choice: beer-battered cactus, made with craft beer. And don't forget to order a craft beer!
Long-standing rustic cue joint recently taken over by ex-Grady Spears cook Billy Woodrich, who smokes ribs, brisket and sausage over pecan in a 50-year-old pit. Desserts come courtesy of another Spears expatriate, Susan Eddins; her buttermilk pie will out-mom your mom’s.
Shannon Wynne strikes again, reopening downtown’s historic Land Title Block building (once home to his Flying Saucer) with an outdoor deck and bird-theme artwork. Imported from Meddlesome Moth, the menu includes mussels in coconut milk, crispy duck wings and chicken skin crisps. Tons of beer options, too.
[Photo: Jimmy Ngo/Eight-O Management]
Cozy little spurs-and-heels-friendly spot from former Neighborhood Services chef and Arlington native Marcus Paslay, housed in an old gas station. Rustic decor melds well with cheffy Texana menu, made up of wood-grilled steaks, housemade pastas and small plates like chicken liver pate. And if you pronounce it "pate," ain't no one gonna bat an eye.
First time at restaurant bat, and Mary Perez hits it out of the park with this little 'chilada dive. The food is more authentic than fancy, with an emphasis on sauces. Must tries: enmoladas, chicken enchiladas with verde sauce and old-school red enchiladas.
Awarded four stars by the Dallas Morning News in 2013, this tiny west side Japanese resto is run by chef Jesus Garcia, whose menu changes more by his imagination than by season. Pray you’re there when he’s doing his duck and oyster okonomiyaki. Order a California roll, we don’t know you.
Outfitted with 'vette-red chairs to match the downtown resto's name, the more casual sibling of nearby fine dining palace Grace serves a mean $12 crispy chicken sandwich and an even meaner "Little Red Wasp" drink that does, in fact, sting.
After a fire forced him to close it for two months, celebrity chef Tim Love relaunched his flagship restaurant touting new dishes and decor: an outdoor dining deck here, a squid-ink pasta there. Attention cheapskates: Dine at lunch, when prices are lower.
Authentic Mex-Mex served in a classy, white tableclothed environment. Corn tortillas made in-house as you watch. On weekend nights, look for Revolver’s new sidewalk taquiza, a build-your-own-taco stand pushing $2 tacos.
The Wynne family (Flying Saucer, Meddlesome Moth) entered the burger biz with this West 7th b-joint, housed in an old candy factory. Clever toppings and housemade sauces are great but the real sweethearts of this Rodeo are the juicy patties, ground daily in-house. Killer patio and brews, too.
Long-running Sapristi! is reborn with a punctuation-free name, a Spanish/French-influenced tapas menu and a rambunctious bar scene. Try the crispy, French fry-ish pig ear frites and whole sardines doused in lemon aioli.
Fort Worth desperately needs more good late-night dining options; this Dallas import is about as good and late-night as you can get. The veg-minded will dig the falalfel and fried paneer tacos, while animal eaters will put away the roast pork chilaquile taco and the rotisserie chicken and duck bacon-stuffed Roti BLT. No meal shall be complete without the tater tots, topped with goat cheese and an egg. Open til 4am Fri-Sat.
Tim Love's ode to campfire cooking remains one of the top tables in the city, and it's not just barbecue: There's also rib meat tamales, smoked Brussels sprouts and even a bowl of so-hot-right now ramen, done Tim's way with bone broth, pulled pork and quail egg.
Longtime North Texas barbecuer/chef John Sanford is serving dynamite barbecue out of a gas station in Cresson. Crusty brisket and snappy beef sausage are terrific, but load up on the sides, too, like the cilantro slaw and sweet 'n messy cornbread salad.
Recently opened on the Near Southside in a beautifully restored 1920s home, a craft beer pub whose food is made with, what else, craft beer. A good choice: beer-battered cactus, made with craft beer. And don't forget to order a craft beer!
Long-standing rustic cue joint recently taken over by ex-Grady Spears cook Billy Woodrich, who smokes ribs, brisket and sausage over pecan in a 50-year-old pit. Desserts come courtesy of another Spears expatriate, Susan Eddins; her buttermilk pie will out-mom your mom’s.
Shannon Wynne strikes again, reopening downtown’s historic Land Title Block building (once home to his Flying Saucer) with an outdoor deck and bird-theme artwork. Imported from Meddlesome Moth, the menu includes mussels in coconut milk, crispy duck wings and chicken skin crisps. Tons of beer options, too.
[Photo: Jimmy Ngo/Eight-O Management]
Cozy little spurs-and-heels-friendly spot from former Neighborhood Services chef and Arlington native Marcus Paslay, housed in an old gas station. Rustic decor melds well with cheffy Texana menu, made up of wood-grilled steaks, housemade pastas and small plates like chicken liver pate. And if you pronounce it "pate," ain't no one gonna bat an eye.
First time at restaurant bat, and Mary Perez hits it out of the park with this little 'chilada dive. The food is more authentic than fancy, with an emphasis on sauces. Must tries: enmoladas, chicken enchiladas with verde sauce and old-school red enchiladas.
Awarded four stars by the Dallas Morning News in 2013, this tiny west side Japanese resto is run by chef Jesus Garcia, whose menu changes more by his imagination than by season. Pray you’re there when he’s doing his duck and oyster okonomiyaki. Order a California roll, we don’t know you.
Outfitted with 'vette-red chairs to match the downtown resto's name, the more casual sibling of nearby fine dining palace Grace serves a mean $12 crispy chicken sandwich and an even meaner "Little Red Wasp" drink that does, in fact, sting.
After a fire forced him to close it for two months, celebrity chef Tim Love relaunched his flagship restaurant touting new dishes and decor: an outdoor dining deck here, a squid-ink pasta there. Attention cheapskates: Dine at lunch, when prices are lower.
Authentic Mex-Mex served in a classy, white tableclothed environment. Corn tortillas made in-house as you watch. On weekend nights, look for Revolver’s new sidewalk taquiza, a build-your-own-taco stand pushing $2 tacos.
The Wynne family (Flying Saucer, Meddlesome Moth) entered the burger biz with this West 7th b-joint, housed in an old candy factory. Clever toppings and housemade sauces are great but the real sweethearts of this Rodeo are the juicy patties, ground daily in-house. Killer patio and brews, too.
Long-running Sapristi! is reborn with a punctuation-free name, a Spanish/French-influenced tapas menu and a rambunctious bar scene. Try the crispy, French fry-ish pig ear frites and whole sardines doused in lemon aioli.
Fort Worth desperately needs more good late-night dining options; this Dallas import is about as good and late-night as you can get. The veg-minded will dig the falalfel and fried paneer tacos, while animal eaters will put away the roast pork chilaquile taco and the rotisserie chicken and duck bacon-stuffed Roti BLT. No meal shall be complete without the tater tots, topped with goat cheese and an egg. Open til 4am Fri-Sat.
Tim Love's ode to campfire cooking remains one of the top tables in the city, and it's not just barbecue: There's also rib meat tamales, smoked Brussels sprouts and even a bowl of so-hot-right now ramen, done Tim's way with bone broth, pulled pork and quail egg.
Longtime North Texas barbecuer/chef John Sanford is serving dynamite barbecue out of a gas station in Cresson. Crusty brisket and snappy beef sausage are terrific, but load up on the sides, too, like the cilantro slaw and sweet 'n messy cornbread salad.
Recently opened on the Near Southside in a beautifully restored 1920s home, a craft beer pub whose food is made with, what else, craft beer. A good choice: beer-battered cactus, made with craft beer. And don't forget to order a craft beer!
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