Forks up for new Fort Worth dining along Trinity ‘banks,’ ‘bends’

Fort Worth’s new restaurants have new riverfront addresses: Clearfork, Left Bank, the River District, Waterside and WestBend.

No tests, I promise. But if you don’t know your fork from your bank, here’s a quick rundown:

▪ Clearfork: The new shopping-dining project on the Edwards Ranch includes Press Cafe, a breakfast-lunch-dinner restaurant with an upstairs patio overlooking the Clear Fork of the Trinity River.

Next door, the Shops At Clearfork will include a new Neiman Marcus with a full-service NM Cafe restaurant and bar serving Sunday brunch — the signs are up for an opening by spring — and also restaurants including Florida-based Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen.

▪ Left Bank: A new two-story, urban-market Tom Thumb supermarket is the anchor of this new hotel-residential project near the West Seventh Street bridge along the Clear Fork.

A marketing prospectus promises “best-in-class” restaurants, but there’s no specific word.

▪ River District and Crystal Springs: The newly relocated Salsa Limón diner is the first move-in for this residential-retail-entertainment project on White Settlement Road west of Rivercrest and the bridge over the Trinity’s West Fork.

A Truck Yard food truck park, a new River House restaurant and a health cafe named Nourish have been announced for the former Crystal Springs Ballroom site, where Fort Worth musician Milton Brown and his band originated Western swing music.

▪ Waterside: West of Clearfork off Arborlawn Drive, Waterside is the new shopping-residential community anchored by a Whole Foods Market and built around “the grove” on what was formerly the Lockheed Martin employees’ park and recreation area.

California-based fast-bake concept Blaze Pizza is already open, along with the regional Taco Diner chain, Colorado-based Tokyo Joe’s (just opened) and Plano-based Zoë’s Kitchen.

Chef Marcus Paslay of Clay Pigeon will open a pasta concept, Piattello’s Italian Kitchen, in the fall.

▪ WestBend: HG Sply Co. is the newest addition and the first with a patio along the Clear Fork at this South University Drive center, formerly known as River Plaza.

WestBend sprang up on River Run behind Silver Fox Steakhouse, the neighborhood prime steakhouse for south and west Fort Worth.

East Hampton Sandwich Co. and Zoë’s Kitchen have settled into place up front along University Drive, and Dallas-based Ascension Coffee is due to open by spring.

Big D-velopment

Big D Barbecue, never really in Big D, is coming to Fort Worth.

The busy Mansfield restaurant will partner to serve barbecue in the new Cowtown Brewing Co., coming in a former transmission shop at 1301 E. Belknap St.

“We’re not going to call it Big D, obviously,” said Jordy Jordan. (“Big D” was a grandfather, shortened from “Big Daddy.”)

Big D draws customers in Mansfield for brisket and pork ribs, but particularly for the pork shoulder.

The Fort Worth location will serve a full barbecue menu for lunch and dinner daily, with a brewery on site, Jordan said.

He’d like to open by next spring. If you’d like to try the current Big D, it’s at 226 N. Walnut Creek Drive, Mansfield, 469-251-2443, bigdbarbecue.com and cowtownbrewco.com.

More openings

▪ A new Uncle Julio’s will open by midweek in far north Fort Worth: 9201 North Freeway, 682-703-0900, unclejulios.com, taking reservations at opentable.com.

▪ The new El Cerrito in Lakeside is awaiting permit OKs, but is expected to open within a few days inside the former Vance Godbey’s. 8601 Jacksboro Highway.

▪ Yes, the Original Pancake House chain still plans to open at 4646 Southwest Loop 820, on the corner at South Hulen Street. (“Next month.”)

This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Forks up for new Fort Worth dining along Trinity ‘banks,’ ‘bends’."