Burgers and ice cream lead the fun in this Fort Worth restaurant news
September 16,2019
See full CultureMap article by Teresa Gubbins here.
Fort Worth wins with more action and openings than any other city in the DFW area. (Sorry, Dallas.) There are fun new menu items, veggie burgers, and chicken. So much chicken.
Here's what's happening in Fort Worth restaurant news:
Pressed Juicery has opened its second Dallas-Fort Worth location at Southlake Town Center, at 222 State St., Ste. 046, in a former Jamba Juice location. They'll carry cold-pressed juices; functional shots; plant-based milks; grab-and-go snacks, including gluten-free Bakeology Cookie bites; Simply Fit protein balls; and plant-based vegan soft-serve Freeze topped with gluten free and vegan toppings. Pressed Juicery is also expanding to Houston, with additional Dallas-Fort Worth locations on the horizon.
"We've been overwhelmed with the positive response we’ve experienced in Uptown Dallas since opening and can’t wait to keep the momentum going with our new store in Southlake," says VP Blaine LaBron in a statement.
Melt Ice Creams has opened its third location, this time in Sundance Square at 308 Houston St., in the same block as Reata, in what used to be a Paciugo Gelato shop. One ice cream to another. The storefront is just a few minutes walking distance from Melt's Happy Cart in the Square, but owner Kari Crowe-Seher says they're proud the company is expanding and serving scoops "with a true taste of our city's culture," stating, "The Melt family couldn't be more excited to join the team of amazing businesses in Sundance Square and to bring our unique flavor to the heart of our city. With the opening of our new location, we hope to spread a little happiness to tourists and locals alike!"
Johnny B's, noted for its signature "Dragon burger" — a triple chili-cheeseburger with jalapeños — recently reopened at 2704 E. Southlake Blvd., Ste. 104. The restaurant was one of the first old-timey burger joints in Southlake but closed when the owner retired. Now the concept has been revived. There are burgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, a BLT, chicken sandwich, housemade chili, fries, and milkshakes. The new Johnny B's is also meeting modern-day needs, with the addition of a vegan/plant-based Beyond burger.
Chicken Salad Chick, the Southern-inspired fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept has opened a restaurant in Burleson, at 264 Southeast John Jones Dr. Owners are Meggie and John Schissler of J&M Hospitality, LLC, who own and operate restaurants in Fort Worth, Hurst, and Burleson with plans to open five more. Chicken Salad Chick was established in 2008 by founder Stacy Brown. It has more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors, as well as side salads, soups, sandwiches, and desserts. The company has more than 130 restaurants in 15 states. This is the seventh in Texas and third in Dallas-Fort Worth this year.
Barrel & Bones and neighboring Bourbon Street Oyster Bar, the two restaurants in what Bud Kennedy calls the "Bermuda triangle" of locations at Montgomery Plaza, closed. These are the eighth and ninth restaurants to close in the same dark, uninviting space in 11 years. Prior residents have included Monty’s Corner, Bite City Grill, King Crab Tap House, Mac’s Steak & Seafood, Deluxe Bar & Grill, M Bistro, and Honey Smoke Pit.
Capital Grille has a new "Wagyu & wine" special with three coveted wines rarely available by the glass paired with gourmet burgers: Wagyu burger with steak sauce, grilled onions, and Vermont white cheddar, paired with Beringer, Knights Valley Reserve, and Cabernet Sauvignon; Wagyu mushroom burger with soy-braised shiitake, Jarlsberg cheese, and truffle aioli, paired with Beaulieu Vineyards, Carneros, and Pinot Noir; Wagyu cheeseburger with fried egg and Havarti cheese, paired with Stags Leap The Investor, Napa Valley, and Bordeaux Blend. They're $25 and are available through November 17.
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse locations in DFW will offer their fixed Prime Pair menu for $49, instead of the usual $59, for a limited time. The menu includes choice of salad, an entrée like New York strip steak with jumbo lump crab cake, and a side dish. Through September.
Fireside Pies has a new Express Lunch menu that includes a 9-inch one-topping pie, meatball sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich, chicken salad sandwich, Bolognese with noodles, lasagna with spinach noodles, bucatini with pancetta, and butter noodles, served with choice of a small salad. 11 am to 4 pm at the Grapevine, Plano, Lovers Lane, and Fort Worth locations.
Rusty Taco has three new seasonal menu items. Carne Adovada Taco has smoked red chile pork, potatoes, onion, cilantro, and cheddar cheese on a hot corn tortilla. Cherry dessert taco has cherry pie filling in a flour tortilla, fried and tossed in cinnamon sugar for a decadent dessert. A new Prickly Pear Margarita is loaded with the flavor of prickly pear cactus with a pink sugar rim. Until November 3.
McDonald's has jumped into the chicken fray with a spicy barbecue chicken sandwich, hotter than the sweet 'n' spicy honey barbecue tenders it introduced in 2018. It's actually a spicy barbecue sauce with jalapeño that diners can add to the buttermilk chicken sandwich, or by ordering "spicy BBQ glazed tenders."
Hooters joins chicken mania with a new Chicken Chips dish, where the chicken looks like potato chips but is actually chicken. They're served with choice of Hooters sauces, which includes two new limited-time sauces, honey sriracha and Korean BBQ.
El Pollo Loco has a new set of combos that blend traditional Mexican flavors with Los Angeles inspiration: Chicken taquitos with guacamole, chicken nachos, tacos al carbon, chicken burrito, and the pollo bowl. The Combos will be available through October 30.
Taco Bell has launched a vegetarian menu nationwide with a permanent menu board displaying 13 items available at more than 7,000 participating restaurants. The menu will feature the Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme, Black Bean Quesarito, the classic 7-Layer Burrito, and Bean Burrito, plus nine other items sprinkled throughout the larger menu. The menu debut follows a successful test in Dallas earlier this year, and the launch will be accompanied by a digital campaign that will have even the ultimate meat-lover questioning, "Am I a vegetarian?"
Blackland Distillery has partnered with Ben E. Keith for its North Texas distribution. Blackland will be the first gin, bourbon, and whiskey available in Ben E. Keith's spirits brand portfolio.
Locations Mentioned: The Capital Grille, Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, Hooters, Melt Ice Creams