In Bedford, tiny Bizzi’s bistro pops cork on another wine award

The list of Wine Spectator’s “Where to Drink Well” award-winners includes the usual suspects: Bob’s Steak and Chop, Capital Grille, Del Frisco’s.

And … Bizzi’s?!

The tiny Harwood Road neighborhood bistro and wine bar in Bedford edged its way onto a big-time ranking of the 3,600 best restaurants in the world for wine, scattered across 72 nations worldwide.

“We just have a really great wine list and reasonable prices,” owner Elaine Vaught said this week.

Bizzi’s is cozy: “It’s a casual place to come in and get a great glass of wine and a great cocktail.”

After five years, the restaurant’s menu has grown more ambitious but not more expensive, with specials such as a wild boar chop ($26), smoked salmon tortellini ($20) or — rarely seen on a menu — beef Wellington ($30).

It’s open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday, dinner Saturday at 313 Harwood Road, west of Brown Trail; bizzis.net.

More restaurants honored with Wine Spectator awards: Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, Grace, Le Cep and Lonesome Dove in Fort Worth; Next Wood Fired Bistro in Colleyville; Old Hickory Steakhouse and Winewood in Grapevine; Truluck’s in Southlake; Rough Creek Lodge near Glen Rose and Eighteen Ninety Grille in Granbury.

Fire up the chile roaster

If it’s nearly Hatch green chile season, can fall be far behind?

Central Market is already promoting its 21st annual Hatch chile festival Aug. 10-23, celebrating the green chiles from the Hatch valley in New Mexico.

All stores will serve a new stuffed Hatch brisket-cheddar burger, along with a Hatch bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin and grocery items.

Blue Mesa Grill will celebrate from the day the chiles arrive in early August throughout the rest of the month. (It’s a swan song for the Fort Worth location before it moves from University Park Village to near Montgomery Plaza.)

No other announcements yet, but Chuy’s Tex-Mex, Pappasito’s and El Fenix also usually have green chile dishes. (The new Chuy’s Tex-Mex is open at 9700 North Freeway.)

Charity dinnertime

It’s also nearly time for DFW Restaurant Week, the oldest of the summer dining promotions, where $7-$9 of each dinner is donated to the Lena Pope Home children’s charity.

Reservations open Monday for dinners Aug. 15-21, with many restaurants extending the $35-$45 specials and $20 lunches through Labor Day.

Capital Grille and corporate cousin Eddie V’s Prime Seafood led donations to Lena Pope Home last year, with the Del Frisco’s restaurants and Clay Pigeon close behind.

Some restaurants have begun to post their menus, including the Silver Fox steakhouses (filet mignon, salmon Oscar or roasted game hen on a $35 three-course dinner) and Grace (Duroc pork or trout on a $45 three-course dinner with vanilla bean cheesecake or butterscotch pudding)

California crazy

California-based El Pollo Loco announced two new Tarrant County restaurants this week, with more expected quickly.

The flame-grilled chicken restaurants will open at 1900 Central Drive in Bedford, 1245 W. Pipeline Road in Hurst and 8817 North Freeway in Fort Worth, with more locations to follow.

More new restaurants on the way:

▪ Florida-based First Watch, a premium breakfast-lunch cafe that competes with Yolk, is taking over eight DFW locations of The Egg and I cafes, including all in Fort Worth.

Plano and Richardson locations will change first, with Tarrant County locations to follow; firstwatch.com.

▪ In Arlington, a new El Ranchito from Dallas’ Oak Cliff will open in the former South Cooper Street location of Buck-n-Loons.

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 5:11 PM with the headline "In Bedford, tiny Bizzi’s bistro pops cork on another wine award."