Eats Beat: Menu good reading at the Library Cafe

Readers often ask where to dine or meet between Fort Worth and Arlington.

Chef Steve Gaines and a team of owners have a new answer: the Library Cafe.

The simple cafe just off Interstate 30 in Woodhaven, next to the Potter’s House church, is decorated like a comfortable, family-friendly reading room.

The basic menu offers a short selection of entrees, sandwiches and fresh salads and vegetables, plus homestyle turnip greens, mac-and-cheese and sweet cornbread.

The entrees include smoked Angus brisket, blackened catfish and a rosemary-garlic grilled chicken. Gaines has recently added more vegetables and a roasted medley with asparagus, zucchini and squash.

Generally, it’s a pleasant place for an inexpensive lunch, dinner or Sunday lunch, and another improvement for Woodhaven and east Fort Worth.

The Library Cafe is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday, dinner Saturday and all day Sunday. It occasionally hosts live music or readings; 1280 Woodhaven Blvd., 817-446-4100, facebook.com/TheLibraryCafeDFW.

Also in east Fort Worth along Interstate 30 or Loop 820, all local and all popular:

Southern Classic Daiquiri Factory, the casual Cajun restaurant and daiquiri bar soon to open a second location in far south Fort Worth; 6751 Bridge St., 682-213-2893.

Dixie House Cafe, the perennial home-cooking cafe and cake-and-pie shop now offering chicken-fried steak for $4.99 Mondays; in Handley, at 6200 E. Lancaster Ave., or at four other locations.

Italy Pasta & Pizza, one of the Kaba family’s many Italian restaurants, 800 E. Loop 820, 817-457-2444.

Wilson’s Bar-B-Q, a simple takeout place, 6513 Brentwood Stair Road, 817-907-7690.

More from Armenta

Chef Felipe Armenta is bringing more West Texas flavor to Fort Worth.

Cork & Pig Tavern from San Angelo, his hometown, will fill the gaping darkness left in West 7th by AF+B.

Armenta’s The Tavern, Pacific Table and new Press Cafe have built his reputation locally. The Cork & Pig menu will be created by Virginia Dalbeck, his collaborator in San Angelo, and feature the same pizza-and-wine combos with steak, chicken and fish entrees.

Watch for it at 2869 Crockett St., across from the Movie Tavern.

Bailey’s ‘country’?

The venerable Bailey’s Bar-B-Que, in its 85th year in downtown Fort Worth, will be featured on an upcoming Texas Country Reporter.

Meanwhile, try the pulled pork sandwich with spicy sauce, or a chopped-beef baked potato. Bailey’s is open weekdays for lunch; 826 Taylor St., 817-335-7469.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Eats Beat: Menu good reading at the Library Cafe."