Eats Beat: Waters shifting along with West 7th

Chef Jon Bonnell’s seafood restaurant is finally sailing in the right direction.

After opening with a menu that included a few exotic fish at dig-deep prices, Waters Bonnell’s Coastal Cuisine will roll out a larger, midprice menu that establishes Waters as an all-occasion seafood restaurant.

Waters already shifted to all-day pricing. By next weekend, a new menu will feature salmon, drum, trout and char, but also shrimp and grits, fish tacos and, yes, a fried catfish sandwich.

“We decided to go more casual with more price choices,” Bonnell said.

That’s no surprise in the West 7th shops, now more of a movie-and-beer pub scene than a fine-dining row.

Waters also now has valet parking at both lunch and dinner. (Diners ordering a $42 tenderloin don’t expect to walk from a garage.)

Waters is keeping on-site chef Clint Connaway’s customer favorites: barbecued shrimp ($18), the “dirty dozen” combo of every different oyster in the house ($26) and the “I Can’t Decide” seafood combo of Creole-seared drum, pecan-pesto trout and grilled char ($30).

Salads, soups and crab cakes remain, along with Bonnell’s signature gumbo and addictive steak fries.

Pastry chef Sally Schwartz’s desserts alone are a reason to go: pineapple upside-down cake, banana pudding and a chocolate “sphere,” a vanilla-filled ball of chocolate.

Waters is now open for lunch and dinner Tuesdays through Fridays, dinner Saturdays; 2901 Crockett St., 817-984-1110, waterstexas.com.

Already a Fixture

The newest West Magnolia Avenue restaurant, Fixture Kitchen and Social Lounge, is in its “soft” opening through Saturday for former Into the Glass wine bar chef Ben Merritt, and begins regular hours Tuesday.

Merritt’s opening menu features a “PB&J” sandwich (pork belly jalapeno), duck on sweet-’tater-tots and a selection of sandwiches, salads and entrees, plus a chicken-and-rosemary waffles dish. The weekend brunch menu starts April 26, featuring a green chili-feta frittata.

Fixture is at 401 W. Magnolia Ave. at May Street; 817-708-2663, facebook.com/fixturefortworth.

Gino’s on deck in May

The opening date for Gino’s East, the first North Texas location for a famous Chicago pizzeria, has been pushed to May 2.

Gino’s, known for deep-dish pizza, is at 1350 E. Copeland Road, in a former Bikini’s next door to Pappadeaux; ginoseast.com.

Bacon bonanza

It’s come to this: the Brewsters West 7th sports bar and grill now has “free bacon night.”

On Tuesday nights, baskets of bacon are served for munching like tortilla chips.

“Bacon Bash” starts at 5 p.m.; 2837 Crockett St., 817-887-9233, brewsterswest7th.com.

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Eats Beat: Waters shifting along with West 7th."