Good Taste: Restaurant News for January

By Compiled by Celestina Blok

RAISING THE BAR ON OIL AND VINEGAR

"It's like picking a fresh, ripe raspberry and popping it in your mouth," says Dan Parham, oil and vinegar partner at Central Market Fort Worth. He's referring to the Forest Raspberry Waldburg Star aged vinegar, one of several high-quality, imported vinegars poured by spout at the store's impressive new Crescendo artisanal oil and vinegar bar. Olive, seed, nut, herb and spice oils, along with several varieties of balsamico and fruit juice-enhanced vinegars, are among the almost-50 offerings. We delighted in an emulsion of mango balsam and chili oil ("Can't you picture this with grilled shrimp?" Parham asks) and loved his recommendation of adding a drop or two of any fruit balsam to a glass of prosecco or cava. The oils and vinegars are provided by the Germany-based Vom Fass company, and the bar is Crescendo's first presence in Texas. Here are two recipes that incorporate oils and vinegars from the bar. 4651 West Freeway, Fort Worth; 817-989-4700, www.centralmarket.com.

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RASPBERRY HAZELNUT DESSERT SAUCE

Makes 1 serving

1 part hazelnut oil

2 parts raspberry balsam vinegar

Whisk ingredients together and pour over vanilla ice cream topped with fresh raspberries.

CHERRY BALSAM VINAIGRETTE

Makes 1 serving

1 part cherry balsam vinegar

2 parts pumpkin seed oil

Whisk ingredients together and drizzle over mixed greens with dried cherries and toasted walnuts.

CUPCAKE & CAFE CO-OP

Two small businesses are partnering for one big venture as Red Jett Sweets and Z's Cafe open a new shared storefront. The cupcake food truck and family owned cafe crossed paths several times at a commercial kitchen that they were both renting to handle the growing demand for their products. Located in the hospital district, their new venue will provide them plenty of kitchen space and will be open to the public this month, offering prepackaged meals to-go from Z's, along with cupcakes from Red Jett. The duo will also rent time and storage space to other food trucks and smaller caterers, and eventually plans to provide job training for low-income individuals looking to learn more about the culinary arts. Z's Cafe owner Carlo Capua promises the flagship eatery at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center isn't going anywhere, and Red Jett plans to keep bringing its sweets to the streets. 1116 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Worth; 817-870-0495.

A NEW CZECH STOP

Any Texas road trip along Interstate 35 requires a pit stop for kolaches in West, the "Czech point of Central Texas." But North Tarrant-area residents can enjoy authentic Czech baked goods much closer to home, courtesy of Erin Duffey, a former commercial pilot with Czechoslovakian roots. He has opened a kolache shop in far north Fort Worth, one that has become a hit with locals for its fluffy, fruit- and cream-filled pastries. Duffey makes his own kolache bread, cinnamon roll and sausage roll dough daily in-house. Kolache fillings include classics like cream cheese and cherry, along with poppy seed and Bavarian cream. Hot sausage and ham-and-cheese rolls are delicious, too. On crowded weekends, the drive-through window becomes a convenient option -- almost as convenient as not having to trek to West for old-world kolaches anymore. 5250 N. Tarrant Parkway, Fort Worth; 817-428-2777, www.duffeyskolachebakery.com.

LOUIE, LOUIE

We're not sure who Louie is, but we sure like his bar. Bar Louie opened its first Texas location recently in the West Seventh development, occupying the two-story, 6,500-square-foot spot formerly held by Delaney's Irish Pub. Louie's version of the space features comfy booth seating, a rooftop patio with a fire pit and garage door-style glass windows facing West Seventh Street. The bar and restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily, including small plates such as potstickers, adobo shrimp skewers and New Orleans chicken gumbo. But it prides itself on visually appealing, handcrafted drinks made from fresh ingredients, like this Jack Daniel's Honey Smash. 2973 W. Seventh St., Fort Worth; 817-566-9933, www.barlouieamerica.com.

JACK DANIEL'S HONEY SMASH

Makes 1 drink

1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

1/2 ounce pure

cane syrup

5 mint leaves

2 ounces Jack

Daniel's

Tennessee

Honey

Shake all ingredients and pour into a 12-ounce rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a mint sprig.

CONVENTION CENTER'S NEW TOP CHEF

Chef David Andrews left the glitzy Las Vegas scene for the calmer culture of Fort Worth late last year when he joined Trinity Food & Beverage Services as executive chef. The company is the in-house caterer for the Fort Worth Convention Center. At the Rio Hotel & Casino in Vegas, Andrews served as executive banquet chef and gained numerous accolades for his convention center cuisine. He likes building imaginative buffets out of interesting props and creating distinctive dish presentations, something he looks forward to doing for events such as the Cliburn 50th Anniversary Gala in March. "Van Cliburn has challenged me to create a classic dinner from the Eisenhower/Kennedy era with a modern twist on presentation," Andrews said. "Cliburn was invited to the White House by Eisenhower in 1958, then by Jackie Kennedy in 1962. She was the catalyst to bringing elegance to meals in the White House, so we are going to capture that essence in our food, beverage and presentation to create an unforgettable evening." 1201 Houston St., Fort Worth; 817-392-6338, www.fortworth.com.

COLLEYVILLE'S NEXT BISTRO

Colleyville's culinary landscape broadened when chef Ying Aikens, a former CPA with degrees in industrial engineering and economics, opened Next Wood Fired Bistro & Vino Bar inside an old Taco Bell. Aikens moved to North Texas from Beijing more than two decades ago and says she has always liked to cook. She never attended culinary school, yet she makes her own stock, her own pizza dough and even a tarragon bearnaise. As the bistro's name indicates, there's a pecan wood-fired pizza oven (imported from Italy) along with plenty of Italian wine, but Aikens swears Next is not an Italian restaurant. Mediterranean-fusion better describes her diverse menu offerings that range from Spanish paella and beef Wellington to pork belly-stuffed steamed buns and wood-fired crab cakes. 5003 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville; 682-325-4046, www.nextwoodfiredbistro.com.

BROWNSTONE REVAMPS

Chef Casey Thompson's departure from Brownstone has drastically changed the restaurant's concept, though most of the kitchen staff remains the same. Now nicknamed simply "The Stone," the restaurant is touting itself as a high-energy kitchen and bar. That "high-energy" part refers to later weekend hours and DJs spinning tunes after 10 p.m. Flatbreads, sandwiches and entrees like seafood pasta and chicken-fried beef tenderloin make up the revamped menu. 840 Currie St., Fort Worth; 817-332-1555, www.brownstonefw.com.

NOTEBOOK

LightCatcher Winery & Bistro is hosting two Valentine's Day dinners this year, each offering four courses with wine pairings. Entree choices include grilled beef filet mignon or Dover sole topped with bay scallops. There will be live music, and the winery encourages couples to come ready for dancing. Seating begins at 6 p.m. Feb. 11 and 14; $85 or $115 with wine pairings. 6925 Confederate Road, Fort Worth; 817-237-2626, www.lightcatcher.com.

Tim Love's new Woodshed Smokehouse is finally expected to open in January, after months of delay. The Trinity River-front restaurant has experienced building code issues among other logistical setbacks. He plans to smoke several different types of meat daily in what he's calling a "quasi-barbecue joint." 3201 Riverfront Drive, Fort Worth.

Start the new year with cleansing foods at Market Street's "Redefine Healthy" cooking class hosted by Deb Cantrell, dietary consultant and owner of Savor Culinary Services. Each menu item, including herbed quinoa with black beans and cinnamon vanilla baked apples with coconut, has a purpose for its benefits to the body. 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17; $40. 5605 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville; 817-577-5020, www.market

streetunited.com.

Ray's Prime Steaks & Seafood has added weekday lunch and Sunday brunch service after expanding its space in November. New brunch items include French toast with caramelized bananas and steak Benedict with roasted potatoes. Another new addition is Sardines longtime pianist Johnny Case. He's playing at Ray's on Friday and Saturday nights. 3206 Winthrop Ave., Fort Worth; 817-732-1614.

Black Rooster Bakery has flaky-crusted chicken potpies, hot out of the oven at 2 p.m. Wednesdays. Owner Marche Ann Mann recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of her bakery, which specializes in French-style breads (she studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York), pies, tarts and cakes. 2430 Forest Park Blvd., Fort Worth; 817-924-1600, www.blackroosterbakery.com.

FOOD TRUCK PARK'S GOOD KARMA

Inspired by the mobile kitchen madness along South Congress Avenue in Austin, former attorney Chris Kruger opened Fort Worth's first food truck park in December; it's his way of supporting Fort Worth's burgeoning gourmet food truck scene, he says. The narrow piece of property hosts four to six rotating trucks every Thursday through Sunday, including the Good Karma Kitchen, a completely vegetarian and gluten-free restaurant on wheels. Co-founder and chef Christina MacMicken likes to surprise even the most carnivorous folks with flavorful, meat-free dishes such as piping-hot vegan chili and cornbread muffins, spicy Asian barbecue flatbread and even meatball sandwiches. MacMicken said of opening weekend, "We had so many gluten-free customers come up to say thank you for bringing a safe place to eat to the Metroplex. They seemed truly grateful." 2509 Weisenberger St., Fort Worth; www.fwfoodpark.com.

Celestina Blok is a freelance writer and graduate of the Culinary School of Fort Worth.

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