What's New on Magnolia Avenue (East): Spice, Brewed, and Il Cane Rosso

Fort Worth is changing before the very eye. And Magnolia Avenue, my favorite boulevard in Fort Worth, is changing faster than most. To wit: the restaurants in the title SPICE, BREWED, and IL CANE ROSSO, are all new and all on Magnolia.

SPICE
I can't say I know much about Thai food or any of the Asian cuisines or American versions of Asian cuisine. I like some of it but most of it leaves me with a "ok, now what." Thai food is a slight exception because of the use of hot spices which I like. I say this to say that I don't know how SPICE compares to the best Thai food but I think it's pretty darn good.  In fact, Marian and I like it enough that we'll stop by for a to-go order. If you don't agree tell me, I'd like to know.

BREWED
Brewed is a mix of living-room-style coffee shop, craft beer bar, and restaurant and it all kind of works together in that Magnolia kind of way. I stopped by for a coffee and to do a little work the other morning and decided to stay for lunch. The coffee, frankly, was not so great but I got there late morning and maybe it was the end of the pot. For lunch I had the Brewed burger with duck fat fries and it was excellent. I like the place and it seems to be settling in well with the locals. The bar serves Texas-made beers, on-tap and bottled, and wine as well. I think there is some church affiliation but I can't swear to it.

IL CANE ROSSO
Everyone who starts a restaurant hopes to have an opening week like Il Cane Rosso had. I think even they were surprised. Marian and I tried to get a seat on the second night of opening and the wait was an hour thirty minutes which is ok if you're planning on spending some time at the bar but we weren't so decided to return another time. I've reviewed Cane Rosso's pizza from the days they were at Times Ten (see Il-Cane-Rosso ) and it's good Neopolitan pizza. Cane Rosso has an assortment of entrees besides the signature pizza. It's getting very good reviews and it is very busy. Like I say, every restauranteur hopes to start like this.

All three of these restaurants are new and within steps of each other and I predict all will do well. Magnolia is busier now than it has ever been on a Friday and Saturday night and is a great place to find a new restaurant and to stroll down the boulevard afterward. We even stopped for an ice cream cone the other night.

IL CANE ROSSO: http://ilcanerosso.com/

BREWED: http://brewedfw.com/

SPICE: No website that I could find

Best Of Fort Worth. 2010 (updated to 2020)

It is 2020

We're all beaten down by the Covid and its effects

But  it did give me some time to update the Best of.

Food and Fort Worth's 

Best of Fort Worth(

(2020)

Best new retail and restaurant development: The West 7th and So7 (South 7th) developments have to be the biggest, and in my opinion the best, mixed-use development we have seen for many years. What the Target area south of Montgomery Plaza did wrong, West 7th has done right. The area south and west is developing now and adding to the whole cool vibe. Sundance Square, if I may say respectfully, feels a little touristy compared to what's going on at 7th Street.

I wrote that in 2010. In 2020, I would say that the hottest area of development is the near Southside and South Main. Restaurants, bars, coffee shops, apartments, etc. It's booming. Second to that in the "developing fast" is the number of young people moving to the Meadowbrook area on the eastside. Watch that. New start-ups like Coffee-Folk are doing very well.

Sundance Square is the realcenter of downtown since they made a formal square with fountains. It still tend to draw the corporate/tourist crowd but with the shopping, restaurants, entertainment, hotels, and bars are right there it is a great place to spend an evening
 
Best Mexican Restaurant / upscale:

2010: I still think Mi Cocina's downtown is the most enjoyable upscale Mexican restaurant, when you look at it from food quality, service, location and price. Their recent corporate problems notwithstanding, I like to go there. Cantina Laredo is a pretty close second, but doesn't have quite the buzz of Mi Cocina's. Chuy's is a step down in atmosphere, but I liked their sauces and will be returning.

2020:We still go to Mi Cocina but for the money Benito's is the best in town. Their pork verde asada is spicy and delicious. It's not in the upscale category but for good Mexican food it's our favorite. Also, Lucita's on 1st Streetat Beach is good.

Mexican Restaurant / small building.

2010: Salsa Fuego was selected 3 of 50 in the "Best Mexican" in Texas Monthly magazine and it too deserves the praise it gets. It's a long way from my house so I have been only twice. But it's good. Melis, on Vickery is good for a quick taco or burrito. And El Pollo Regio on Belnap is really good -- okay it's not going to win any restaurant design awards but I love the half-chicken with beans and rice.

2020: "Street tacos" like Fuzzy's" are everywhere. Personally, I think they're overpriced and I prefer to take my chances with the taco trucks that sell the same thing at half the price. Want good inexpensive Mexican food? Go to the grocery stores like Mi Tierra get in line with the locals and you'll get pretty good food at a great price.

Fajitas:

2010 and 2020:

The best fajitas in town, in my opinion, are at Pappasito's. Their Wednesday night two-for-one fajitas is a ridiculously good deal. Many of Pappa's dishes, including the cabrito and shrimp, are really good, as well. Uncle Julio's is a Pappasito's knock-off. It's good and well attended but it's just too noisy for me.
Still the best fajita meal in town.

Worst Mexican:

2010: Last year, I criticized the Yucatan Grill. They are, by all appearances, surviving well without me. This year we are giving the You call this Mexican food? award to Habenero's in south Arlington. It makes Yucatan Grill look good. God-awful food, with guacamole that I swear was made without an avocado. 

2020: Yucatan Grill is under new management. I'm not sure if it is being renamed.

Pizza:

2010: Cavalli's in Irving is the best in the DFW area. Il Cane Rosso, is a very close second. Patrizio's is good. Many of you like Rocco's. It's okay by me. The great thing about Cavalli's is that it is the least expensive and it is the best. Fireside Pies? Well, we won't go there for now. All of the above are southern-Italy style thin-crust pizza. The New York style pizza which I like is getting harder to find.

2020: We go to Picci Pacci. It's the best New York style pizza in town.

Bread:

Good luck. In my opinion there is not anywhere in Fort Worth that you can get an honest Artisan loaf of bread. So, I started making my own.

Burgers: 

2010: My current favorite is M&O Grill. Consistently good hamburgers. Five Guys on Hulen is new, and also one of my favorites, Smashburger is good, they are new, on University and in Arlington, and, drum roll please, In-N-Out Burger will be on 7th Street in 2011. I have not been to an In-N-Out, but everyone tells me they are good. Not new, but still good: Fred's, Kinkaids, Tommy's, Love's, Jakes. My least favorite "gourmet" burger is Dutch's and Pappas. Sorry, nothing personal, but that's the way I see it.

2020: When we want a good burger we go to Five Guys.

Coffee:

2010: Buon Giorno. New, with very good coffee. Buon Giorno roasts their coffee beans at their store in Grapevine. The Grapevine location has been operating for several years, in contrast to most independently owned coffee shops which have the lifespan of a tsetse fly. They must be doing something right. Avoca on Magnolia opens soon. Aduro Bean is a local roaster with excellent coffee for home brewing. Cafe Brazil will be coming to Fort Worth at TCU, soon. More on that as it develops. I still like McDonald's coffee in the morning. Starbucks: I have loved you, but please bring Sumatra back. Pike's Place is nasty.

2020: Coffee Folk and only Coffee Folk. The best cappuccino in DFW. I kid you not.

Italian Restaurant:

2010: My father and grandfather owned and operated an Italian restaurant. It's hard for me to get spaghetti and meatballs out even today, probably because I want to to taste my grand-pops sauce and never do. Nonna Tatta, La Piazza, Ruffino's (under new management) get good reviews. I have heard good things about Taverna, downtown.

2020: I don't even try to buy Italian food in Fort Worth.

The Omni Hotel and the Dallas Cowboys.

A telephone call from a F&FW staffer (my son) got me looking at the details of the new Omni Hotel in the Fort Worth Business Press. The details are here, and they are impressive: fwbusinesspress.com.

The related big news, made public a few days ago, is the Omni being made the host hotel for the AFC championship team when the SuperBowl is played at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, 2011. That's a good deal for reasons more than the Omni contract. It puts Fort Worth as a premier host for one the nation's top events and one of the most watched events in the world, it brings a ton of money into Tarrant County businesses, and it showcases downtown Fort Worth. The NFC team is going to Las Colinas, by the way. Dallas is getting . . . nada.

This is all good, but I think many local Fort Worthians have the same mixed feelings my son had when he called from inside the Omni yesterday. "Nice hotel, new obviously, good restaurants, definitely a convention hotel, but does it fit Fort Worth? It's more of a big city hotel." His comments reveal the challenge Fort Worth has to address. How do we keep our small town atmosphere and still have this kind of growth, bringing in these kind of events?

For me, I like the growth pace and I think it is worth the risk. It's not growth at any cost like Atlantic City or even worse, Orlando, it's a more managed growth.

The numbers of registrations that the Omni is getting proves that there was pent-up demand for a legitimate downtown convention hotel. The hotel is booking groups into 2015 and has booked 750 groups into 2011. That's not too shabby.

Is a 5-start hotel? No. Is it a cozy, boutique hotel? No. It's a comfortable, business hotel with a touch of Fort Worth. It's not perfect but it beats what we have had. And it will do wonders for the south side of downtown. A Bob's Steak and Chop House on the ground floor doesn't hurt either.

A Request From a Reader . . .

Flickr photo by Joshbousel


When my wife and I moved to Fort Worth in the early '80s, better days had seen downtown. That's being polite. Many of the shops, department stores and restaurants of the 50's were there but not there. Downtown Fort Worth, like just about every big city in the country, lost residents to the suburbs and retail had followed. Malls became Main Streets. Fortunately, that is no longer the case and Fort Worth is a model city for a vibrant downtown.

That's a long preface to a short request.

Every once in a while someone will tell me a childhood story of something they liked and miss about the downtown of the 50'- 70's. It usually involves a donut, pastry, ice cream or other sweet confection. Over the weekend, I got a request for an old downtown Fort Worth department store recipe. Here's the request sent to my email:

I found a reference to you and your email address when I was Googling Monnig's, where I worked the summer between high school and college in 1956. Yes, a long time ago. I am writing you because I would like to find a recipe for the very excellent breakfast muffins the Monnig's coffee shop baked and served daily. If it has been saved and is available somewhere, I surely appreciate that information.

If you can assist, the email was from Frank Miles, email address: frankmiles3@sbcglobal.net. I'd like to hear about it, too.

Post a comment. I like the stories of the old stores downtown.

Miscellania . . .

1. You guys are slipping. No one corrected me on the use of the word timber as it related to Merle Haggard's voice. It sounds right. But it is wrong. The word is timbre. And, it is pronounced more like tamber. I looked it up.

2. I heard from Stephen that the Beethoven concert at Bass Hall was fantastic. Thanks to Rambler for the reminder, otherwise he wouldn't have known about it.
.

XTO + YMCA.THX.

I have been a member of the downtown YMCA, off and on, for over 25 years. I chose the Y over other workout complexes for several reasons besides the obvious one of it being a great location.

First, it has a sunlit, hardwood-floor, basketball court. At off-peak times you can grab a pickup game with other guys and girls that are just playing for fun and a little competition. Plus, they have a friendly, helpful staff, good aerobic equipment, and a great weight room.

Now, the locker rooms. I don't think they have seen much renovation in the years I have used them. But, thanks to donors like XTO the downtown YMCA will have a completely renovated facility. So says the Star-Telegram. XTO is donating $500,000 towards the $2.9 million cost. That means a lot of other people have pitched in, too. But $500M is a big check.

The other reasons I like the Y have nothing to do with my activities, it has to do with the history and tradition of the place. It's a not-for-profit corporation that does a lot of good for children and adults as well. And they do it without telling everybody how great they are.

The YMCA is trying to raise 2.9 million for renovation; many thanks to all the donors who give and make Fort Worth a great place to live.

West 7th Announcements

It's over a year before completion, but the West 7th development is generating a lot of interest with its line up of tenants. One reason: they are not the normal Mall or Big Box Shopping center retailers and restaurants. I like Chili's and Barne's and Noble but Fort Worth is ready for something new. Besides, I keep hoping the shopping trends move back a little towards small and personal, and away from big and impersonal. Wishful thinking, probably. For me, entering the yellow world of Best Buy is sensory overload, driving near the mall makes my palms sweat, and walking into a Gap or Pottery Barn triggers my tired-head switch.

If nothing else, Montgomery Plaza and downtown Fort Worth are attracting more diverse retailers than our suburban cities, as in Southlake.

You have seen the West 7th list in the Star-Telegram probably, but here it is just in case.

Several of these companies are not new to DFW but I have not been to any of them. How about you? Good or bad?

A partial listing:

Fireside Pies -- pizza restaurants
Patrizio's -- Italian restaurant
Tillman's Roadhouse
Brut -- a champagne boutique
Yofe -- a yogurt shop
Paciugo Gelato
Saxby's Coffee
Fort Worth City Market -- gourmet to-go foods. You can also eat prepared foods on site.
Iron Cactus -- Mexican

Fort Worth -- #5 in Nation.

You have seen the report.

Fort Worth ranks #5 in Hottest Jobs in America. Not to shabby. Yesterday, I read about the ranking in a report by Anthony Mariani on Fort Worth Weekly's Blotch Blog. Today, it was a featured video story on Yahoo.

As I mentioned in a post last week, our job growth is "fueled" by natural gas, but also by good weather, plenty of land, an available work force, great infrastructure, and uncluttered local government. As far as cities and counties go Fort Worth is easy to work with. The other top five cities are also in the south or west, all sunshine cities, and all supportive of entrepreneurial activity. They are Atlanta, Austin, Wichita, and number 1, Salt lake City. The migration south and west continues, and will continue because of the 50 million baby-boomers who want to retire in warmer climes, and because the younger, new home buyers can find affordable housing with land.

So, Texas gets two cities of the top five. California got zero. I'm surprised that Florida didn't get one, but I don't know if this is a subjective report or a report based on hiring data.

Just in case you did not see the ABC News report, you can watch it on Yahoo.

Photo by Darwin Bell / Flickr

Super Bowl 2011 -- in Arlington (I love saying that)

You don't have to like football or sports in general to be impressed with the progress of the new Dallas Cowboy's Stadium in Arlington. The Star-Telegram's website today highlighted the stadium and area as related to the coming 2011 SuperBowl. It's worth a look (make sure you click the "see stadium details" link).

http://www.star-telegram.com/Multimedia/News

I happen to like buildings, architecture and sports so it's enjoyable for me to watch and follow.
When the SuperBowl arrives in 2011, Fort Worth will be ready with new hotels, boulevards and maybe even a train from the airport south and west (then again, maybe not). Grapevine's Gaylord Resort will get a big boost as will our Convention Center. Dallas and Fort Worth will get a lot of tourism dollars. Personally, I can't wait.

In like news: Dallas - Fort Worth ranks No. 6 in fastest growing large metro areas according to Forbes magazine and reported in Yahoo news. Projected growth for 5 years: 20 %. Austin was No. 1 at 32%. If that gets a big "so what" from you remember, property values climb the same way anything else increases in value: high demand, short supply = prices up. low demand, big supply = prices down. Cleveland and Detroit have the latter.

Fort Worth has the infrastructure, available land, natural resources, and drive to be a growing, prosperous city. I hope we can also maintain a certain virtue, a small town attitude and that common sense disposition of fairness to its residents and visitors, without which monetary wealth is of little value.

One Big Prediction Oversight

Sunday's Fort Worth Star Telegram featured an article on the Trinity River Development. The Army Corps of Engineers has been suggesting that the Oxbow section of the Trinity River on the east side be added to the river's redevelopment. I hope we approve the suggestion and that some day that section of the city on the near north and east that is now flood plane will be developed into parks, residences and business.

If you've seen any of the plans you will agree that it is a monumental project. That is not hyperbole. I mentioned in the "Best Of" post that the Cowboys Stadium will change Arlington forever -- that was a tad hyperbolic. The Trinity River project is on a different scale. If it is completed in any way as it is proposed Fort Worth will be a different place with a river that is integrated into the heart of the city.

A Boomer Returns . . .

Here's an email from a reader who has recently moved back to the city; included are some pluses and minuses of the move. Raised on the eastside, he and his wife lived in Summerfield, Texas for 20 years. A few years ago they sold the Summerfield house and moved to the Fairmount area of downtown.

Why? His email message:

I worked on the far west side, my wife worked downtown. I rode (bicycles) with a bunch of guys in Benbrook during the week. I would drive down to ride the Trinity Trail or meet guys in Westcliff on the weekends. We had some favorite restaurants in town like Fuzzy's and Cafe Express and we would pick up hard-to-find items at Central Market. We began to realize we LIVED in the city, only our house was in the suburbs. While out and about, we would constantly say, "You know, if we lived here, we'd be home by now."
. . . . Before one year was up, the house felt more like our home than the previous home of 20+ years. Other pluses:

• Cool, non-chain restaurants on Magnolia I can ride over to the Trinity Trail
• It takes my wife 7 minutes to get to work.
• A yummy Taqueria nearby
• Not far from Colonel's Bikes and Gorecki Auto (Volvo specialist on Vickery)
• Fuzzy's, Paul's Donut's, Carshon's
• More Halloween trick-or-treaters in one night than 20 years combined in the 'burbs
• Swing dancing at Preservation Hall Neighbors you actually talk to
• I ride my bike to work once or twice a week (12 mi each way)
• An active neighborhood association minutes from downtown and cultural district activities.
• Easier to East Side and Arlington, when necessary

Minuses:

• Still a few panhandlers and ratty rent properties around Gunfire heard in close proximity on New Year's and July 4th (so far, it's amusing) The number of possible home improvement projects can get overwhelming (and takes time from riding).
• Critters: a raccoon got into the garage and chewed up my bike saddle and I had to pull a dead rat from under the house.
• Graffiti on our back fence from the alley
• Train horns crossing Hemphill at all hours.
• No Boopa's Bagels.

That seems to be a common story. Get out of the car, have a short commute to work and relaxation, let someone else tend the big yard, and begin enjoying the activity of the city.

Thanks Martin.

Do You Know FW's Population Ranking?

For the fun of it. Rank the following cities by population. (Note: within city limits, not metro area)

El Paso
Minneapolis
Fort Worth
Seattle
Baltimore

If you get them all right, you're pretty good, because all but one are close. The answers are below. I used the first letter of the city to denote that city, e.g., M= Minneapolis.

Fort Worth ranks 18th in population nationally. Not bad. More interesting to me is that the Dallas and Fort Worth metropolitan area ranks number 4 in population. Ahead of it are -------------- ? That should be pretty easy.

Finally, where does the Fort Worth-Dallas metro area rank in world population? Before or after 25? 50? 75? Do you know the world's largest 3 cities by population?

I'll put those below the city size rankings.

If you get them all right or even most you are a walking Wiki.

Answers:-------------------------------------------------
City population size: FW=18,B=19,EP=21,S=23,M=47
Metro area size: NY=1, LA=2,Chi=3,DFW=4
World's largest metro areas: Tokyo=1, Mexico City=2, New York=3. DFW=53

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today . . .

Or, Uptown, Omni, and Lancaster Can't Come Quickly Enough.

Twenty years ago, Grapevine consisted of Main Street, a McDonald's, and a couple of old air- freight warehouses. Today there are dozens of new restaurants, new office buildings and what is becoming DFW's top tourist and destination resort, the Gaylord Texan. Thanks to the DFW Airport tax revenues, a forward-looking mayor and city council, Grapevine has become a city not only competing for business development but winning and winning often. The Star Telegram reported today that another 1500 rooms will be built in 4 hotels along Lake Grapevine adding to the already 1500 rooms at the Gaylord Texan. The Gaylord is attracting conventions to Grapevine, some of which had previously come to Fort Worth or Arlington. Fort Worth has 11,000 available hotel rooms citywide but only 2,000 downtown. And nothing even close in category to the Gaylord. Uptown and the lake being planned near the Radio Shack headquarters could be a magnet for resort type accommodations. Without our three new developments, Lancaster Boulevard in south downtown, the new Omni hotel, and Uptown, we will soon be third or fourth in DFW's tourist and convention business. The new Cowboys Stadium is a well deserved coup for Arlington and will attract thousands of visitors to the area, with hotels to accommodate those visitors to follow. Fort Worth has the natural resources to develop similar convention and resort hotels, the demand is out there, the big three new developments are a good start.
For the Record, the Gaylord in Grapevine:
400,000 sq. ft. meeting space
1501 rooms, including 124 luxury suites
25,000 sq. ft. spa
8 restaurants, cafes, bars

The New Botanic Gardens

Fort Worth natives and long time residents consider the Botanic Gardens and the Fort Worth Zoo two of our finest amenities. If you haven't been to the Botanic Gardens lately you should go. After entering the main entrance find parking and instead of walking through the rose garden turn the other way (North) and check out the boardwalk, gardens, and fountains that are a relatively new addition. Many of the trees and plants are identified and there are children-friendly interests. The beautiful walking paths are perfect on a cooler summer day. It is still free. Across the street from the Gardens is a local best kept secret for runners, walkers, and bicyclists. The paved path along the river extends from East Fort Worth to Benbrook Lake, with additional side routes. I have cycled the route, it is mostly quiet and unpopulated and sometimes without any other users in sight. Bring a picnic lunch, sit along the river and watch the kayakers go by...