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

Times Ten Cellars, Dude Sweet Chocolate, and the Left Bank

I have mentioned Times Ten Cellars before but I'll mention it again because Marian and I decided to celebrate a birthday dinner there. Because . . . the weather is perfect for outside dining, which Times Ten has plenty of, on Friday nights Cane Rosso is there with their pizza oven and their very good Neopolitan pizza, and we like the 7th Street development and enjoy seeing what's new and almost open. Most people go to Times Ten Cellars for a good glass of wine at a fair price, but since we don't even drink a little bit of wine these days we go for the pizza and the setting. I'm never disappointed.

While walking after dinner we stopped in at Dude, Sweet Chocolate, a small retail store next to Fireside Pies (not my favorite as you may recall). If you like chocolate and don't mind spending a little more than you would at the local Kroger's it's worth a visit. The counter guy called it "craft chocolate" which suits what it is and what they do. All the chocolate is made locally and they have just one other store in Dallas. I tasted a little and bought a little and it's real good. Like craft beer compared to Miller Lite this chocolate is a different category than a Hershey's bar, not that I have anything against Hershey's bars, but if you taste this you'll get what I mean.

Finally, I hope you enjoy the development of 7th Street and what city developers call "the area between the Central Business District and the Arts District" because you're fixin' to get more. Over 30 acres of development just south of 7th and west of the river in what is called the Left Bank. See the Star Telegram for a few more details but there's not much known as far as I can tell. The 1.5 million square feet development will be mixed use: hotel, shopping, business and residential. A sign is posted on the property and it appears that some infrastructure work has started. Fort Worth is now the 16th most populated city in the nation and the 10th fastest growing. Most of the other top ten are in Texas but North Dakota has a few areas growing faster than we are. Thank you horizontal drilling.

Times Ten Cellars Fort Worth

Marian enjoying a cool but comfortable evening and  outside table

The chocolate at Dude Sweet Chocolate

 

Italy Pasta and Pizza

My grandsons and I had a rainy-day Saturday lunch at the newly opened Italy Pasta and Pizza, 820 and John T. White. It's newly opened but not new in business,  Italy Pasta and Pizza has been operating  on Fort Worth's eastside for about 20 years and this is their third location.

They have just finished renovating and opening what was built as a Black Eyed Pea in the late 80's, now long gone, and which has been through several restaurant iterations since.

None of that is particularly important but what is important is that the pizza is very good. It's as good a New York thin-crust style you will find in Fort Worth.

I haven't tried anything else but the pizza is good enough for me to return soon.

http://www.italypastapizza.com/

Saviano's. Sundance Square, Fort Worth.

I've made two visits to the new Saviano's at Sundance Square in the last few weeks. They took the old Zippy's and Sammy's locations and combined them into one restaurant.

I liked what they did to the space from a renovation point of view, it's nothing extravagant, but it's clean and appropriate for a middle-tier, sit-down, pizza restaurant.

Saviano's serves a medium crust, medium-cheese, Neopolitan-style pizza. Kind of a cross between New York style and the Neopolitan style of Il Cane Rosso. I didn't dislike the pizza, but on neither occasion was it served piping, out-of-oven hot. Maybe a minor complaint, but it is something that makes the pizza less than perfect. Besides that, I liked it.

I'm going to try some of their pasta dishes next time we are in Sundance -- but for our "go-to" pizza place, I remain in search mode.

Saviano's has two locations, one in Sundance Square, Fort Worth, and one in Euless.

Saviano's website: Link here.

Share:

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.

Fireside Pies. Well . . .

This is a tough one.

We got off to a bad start. Our seating was a booth placed too close to a table of eight. My instinct was to ask for a different table but I didn't. My instinct was right because our server forgot to put in our pizza order. Our pizzas arrived twenty minutes after we had eaten our salads and appetizers. Too long.

But people make mistakes and I can deal with a lot when the food is good. So, let's talk about the food:

We ordered an appetizer: meatballs with marinara sauce. Five very small meatballs with a steamy, just-right tomato gravy (that's Philadelphia for spaghetti sauce). Really delicious, but they could be called meat-dots.

Salads: good, cold, fresh lettuce and other leafy vegetables.

Pizza: The pizza is Italy-style, not New York style. The crust is like Il Cane Rasso or Cavalli's. I liked it. Crispy crust, tasty, nice sauce and cheese. Baked in big 550 degree ovens.

Now the tricky part because I want to be fair to Fireside Pies.

Fireside Pies is a very good looking restaurant and bar. Beautiful woods, nicely finished, comfortable seating, Big cylinder-shaped pizza stoves. It's an attractive place to eat and the vibe is upscale pizza. It's a place for the younger business crowd to drink, talk, and enjoy good pizza. If that's what you are looking for I can understand going to Fireside Pies. But for me it's an expensive pizza restaurant.

The pizzas are in the $13 - $14 range, the salads in the $12 - $13 range, and the appetizers, $8 - $15. There were four of us in our party. We ordered one appetizer, two pizzas and two salads -- our server suggested that the salads and pizzas could be shared. But, we discovered, the pizzas are small for two people, especially at $14 a pie. Our bill was $64, without tip and without beer or wine. That's not bad for four people, but considering two of the party left hungry, I think it's expensive.

Put it this way, take off the appetizer, add a 20% tip and you're at $17.00 a person for a smallish portion of pizza and salad, and an iced tea.

Fortunately, any evening Marian and I have with our son, his wife, and their daughter is a good night for me. Maybe I'm just a cheapskate. If you have been to Fireside Pies, please comment.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I rank the quality of the pizza in the  restaurants that serve this style of pizza, thusly: Cavalli's in Irving, Il Cane Rosso at Times Ten Cellars, Fireside Pies, and finally, Patizio's at 7th across from Fireside Pies.

There are five Fireside Pies in the DFW area, including one in Fort Worth, and one in Grapevine.

Fireside Pies website
Fireside Pies - Fort Worth
2949 Crockett
Fort Worth, TX  76107

Share:

Il Cane Rosso at Times Ten Cellars. Try it. Trust me.

After the one week rain delay, Jay Jerrier of Il Cane Rosso, rolled his wood-burning pizza oven from Dallas to Fort Worth, parked it at Times Ten Cellars off 7th Street, and made some authentic and delicious Neapolitan-style pizza.

Man was it ever good.

If you like Neapolitan style pizza make sure you get out to Times Ten Cellars some Tuesday night. This is good-good pizza. 

Marian and I ordered the mixed greens salad, delicious, even if the greens could have been more chilled, foccaccio bread, which is his pizza dough cooked with some olive oil, seasonings, and sea salt. Delicious, as well. And the margherita pizza. A perfect dinner for me.

I can't speak to the wines, no adult beverages for me these days, but I love the Times Ten Cellar building and location, which is part wine-production, part restaurant and bar. And I like that they make their wines with some of the grapes coming from their vineyards in Alpine, Texas.

Wine prices are what you pay at any restaurant, about $8 a glass. Bottle prices are in the $17 - $35 range, cheaper if buying to go.

The pizzas are between $10 and $15 and serve two. Unless one of the two is my twenty year old son, then it serves one.

I hope it works out for the Il Cane Rosso folks and Times Ten because they are both great additions to 7th Street.


The Details:
Times Ten Cellars
1100 Foch Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
Tuesday night. Starts around 5 pm.
Il Cane Rosso

Share: 

Rocco's Pizza.

I think I need to get out more often.

My son told me about Roccos' Pizza off Camp Bowie, so I looked it up online and discovered that it is doing fairly well in the local reviews. And I had never heard about it.

• Rocco's has won 10 Best in DFW by Food Critics.
• Best of Fort Worth Weekly.
• Best in Fort Worth by Fort Worth Magazine.

No offense to these fine publications but we think the readers of Food & Fort Worth are the best judges of good pizza.

So here's the challenge should you choose to accept it. Rocco's Wood Burning Stove Pizza: the real deal or just another pie?

5716 Locke Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
In The Locke Block Shopping Center
(Next To Szechuan)

http://www.roccosfortworth.com/

The Best Pizza in Fort Worth

When you go to the same restaurant for 25 years it says something. That you like the food, obviously, and the service and general atmosphere, but also that you like what that place adds to your life. Years later, if your children continue the tradition, you know it must be alright. Last Saturday night, my 26 year old son told us that he was on his way to get pizza for himself and a few friends. I didn't have to ask where.

Charlies Pizza in east Fort Worth was as much a part of raising my family as little league or church. Saturday night was pizza night and pizza was always Charlies. One doesn't go to a restaurant for that long unless it is good -- and Charlies is good.

Owner Charlie Langdon started his Italian and Pizza restaurant over 30 years ago. He moved twice during that time, all within east Fort Worth, and we always moved with him.

Charlies is New York style thin crust pizza. I like it when it is slightly overcooked and very crispy.

One last thing, the dessert pies are made there in his kitchen by Lora. She came over to Charlies after Eden's closed. I think they are the best pies I have ever eaten. Our favorites: Coconut Icebox and Chocolate Dream.

Charlies Pizza
2220 Handley Drive
Fort Worth, Texas

April, 2011 Editor update: Charlies Pizza is closed. For more pizza in Fort Worth see the sidebar, "Restaurants, pizza." Or search for "pizza" is the search field area.