Eats Beat: Barbecue, desserts added to fest menu

The second Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival is not limited to Fort Worth.

A Billy Bob’s Texas barbecue bash Thursday night is drawing pitmasters from across the state.

For a $60 ticket, festival guests get tastings from Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart and Perini Ranch Steakhouse south of Abilene, along with 10 local barbecue and steak restaurants.

The ticket includes a Wade Bowen country music concert. It’s the kickoff to the four-day festival, a scholarship fundraiser that promotes local dining.

Tickets remained early this week for six events, including a $45 “Desserts After Dark” event Friday night in the 809 at Vickery events hall, featuring eight pastry chefs and Melt Ice Creams owner Kari Crowe.

A new “Rise ’n’ Dine” Saturday tasting offers brunch items for $60 in a Renaissance Worthington ballroom.

The $325 four-day tickets were still available early this week. All the tickets include drinks, usually samplings of participating wines, beers and liquors.

(That’s not cheap, but it’s a fair price for seven meals over four days.)

The event is presented by the Fort Worth Food & Wine Foundation, which is based at Reata Restaurant. Tickets are not sold by phone. fortworthfoodandwinefestival.com.

A new ‘Blue house’

The owners of a successful food truck will open a new Mexican restaurant in the College Park shops in downtown Arlington.

La Blue Casa, advertised as interior Mexican food “with absolutely no Tex-Mex influence,” replaces a sandwich deli at 441 S. Pecan St.

Gabriela Lopez’s restaurant offers burritos, tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas made with chicken or steak, plus burgers and some more unusual dishes such as Mexico-style noodle bowls and a layered dip called “trash.”

All the dishes come with a choice of six salsas, ranging from mild to mango-habanero. Drinks include traditional aguas frescas.

The restaurant decor has a Frida Kahlo art theme. La Blue Casa will be open daily for breakfast (at 8 a.m.), lunch and dinner; 817-673-9500, labluecasa.com.

All-star Perla

La Perla Negra, a Latin lounge and wine bar close to opening in downtown Fort Worth, will have more of a menu than originally expected.

Chef Ryan Pandolfi’s menu promises ceviche, tuna, empanadas and a chimichurri steak with a choice of agaves.

One of the partners is Immy Kahn of Black Rooster Bakery, providing bread for the sandwiches. Ramiro “Milo” Ramirez of Salsa Limon is also a co-owner, along with Andrew de la Torre of the former Embargo, a Cuban nightclub.

La Perla Negra should open by this weekend at 910 Houston St.; 817-882-8108, lpnegra.com.

This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Eats Beat: Barbecue, desserts added to fest menu."