We got a look at the newly opened Theodore’s Steak and Seafood near Fort Worth
An ode to the “Bull-Moose” president in the form of crafty cocktails and expensive steaks, Theodore’s Steakhouse and Seafood opens today, Friday April 10, in Dalworthington Gardens between Fort Worth and Arlington.
Founder Mouhssine Benhamacht (AKA Chef Moose) told the Star-Telegram that a steakhouse concept was always on the deck for him and business partner Liesl Best within their Barbary West Hospitality Group. He just didn’t think it would be the second restaurant that they would open.
The partners first opened Cafe Americana, a tapas and seafood restaurant off Main Street in Arlington, back in 2024. They took over Campo Verde Mexican Bar & Grill in June 2025, which ultimately led them to close the doors a few months after to rework the space into Theodore’s.
The “Theodore’s” moniker has been in Moose and Best’s heads for about four years now, and the space is fittingly located off Roosevelt Drive. But the name is a little complicated.
The restaurant is not named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who oversaw the founding of suburban Dalworthington Gardens, but for Theodore Roosevelt, who was his distant cousin.
“I heard the story about DWG [Dalworthington Gardens], it wasn’t particularly Theodore. It was his distant cousin Franklin Roosevelt’s wife, Eleanor, that drove through here, and ultimately she helped incorporate DWG,” Chef Moose told the Star-Telegram. “But it’s really inspired by the name Roosevelt. And Teddy was people’s favorite political personality because he’s bold, strong, yet generous and tender, a pure-bred American man.”
It’s fitting for the restaurant to open in April, since Teddy himself paid a visit to the metroplex exactly 121 years ago.
After a sneak peek into the new digs, there isn’t a detail that doesn’t have the 26th president in mind.
You walk into a restaurant painted in cavalry blue with touches of art deco-gold trim, mismatched chandeliers, green leather booths and, of course, white tablecloths. Servers are dressed in exemplary white button-up shirts, black vests and bistro aprons.
Wall art honors the former President Roosevelt with pictures of him on a bull-moose, a “Man in the Arena” wall mural and other quotes from his presidency.
“Everything is designed to make you feel like you’re dining at a timeless steakhouse that could have been this time or 20 years ago or 60 years ago,” said Chef Moose. “Our dishes are classic, yet they’re refined.”
Details behind Theodore’s menu
Bud Kennedy already shared a preview into the menu, which features aged Texas wagyu beef, lobster, sea bass and lamb chops, but there are a few other dishes that make this restaurant a dining experience.
Those who order the two-pound Tomahawk or the two-pound Porterhouse steaks will have the show of a table-side carving upon serving. Eventually, the baked alaska dessert will also be lit table-side.
Chef Moose’s favorite dishes include the seafood risotto with scallops, lobster and shrimp and the lamb chops, sea bass and the anchovy-less, house-made Caesar salad.
“Obviously, all the steaks are going to be awesome. And we are showcasing one portion of our steak menu that’s all Rosewood Texas wagyu blend from Ennis,” Chef Moose said. “So it is a ribeye cut and a New York cut, which already exists in our Black Angus category. But if you wanted to try something different, more marbleized, with a robust, kind of nutty beef, you elect to the Rosewood wagyu.”
Theodore’s cocktail experience
The cocktails are where it gets real novel.
Bar manager Kyle McCaskill did his research and whipped up four presidential cocktails inspired by Teddy Roosevelt. Each cocktail on the menu is made with hours of prep work from in-house squeezed juices, homemade simple syrups and even handcrafted garnishes.
To Kill a Bull Moose is a smoked bourbon version of a negroni. It’s inspired by Roosevelt’s famous saying “It Takes More Than That To Kill A Bull Moose,” when his glasses case in his shirt pocket saved a would-be assassin’s bullet from hitting his heart. This cocktail is offered in pairs, delivered in a smoked wooden box with two glasses, a flask, house-cut ice and an edible arrangement.
The Pearl Revolver, an accessory Roosevelt was famous for carrying, uses the late president’s favorite tea, Lapsang Souchong, in simple syrup form, with lychee and Beluga Gold Line vodka.
McCaskill’s favorite is the Man in the Arena, which is a milk punch cocktail. This involves clarifying alcohol through a “milk filter,” which gives an incredibly clear and smooth sip. The flavors here are all spice, orange liqueur, more of that lapsang tea syrup and spiced rum. Then it is topped with pinot noir, which forms a ring around the clarified milk punch — like an arena.
For non-drinker, McCaskill says the prohibition mocktail may be one of the coolest things on the menu with an apple cider vinegar infused simple syrup, pineapple, jalapeno and butterfly pea flower which gives it a bright purple color.
Reservations at Theodore’s
Theodore’s Steak and Seafood reservations can be made on OpenTable. The opening weekend is fully booked for dinner.
You can find Theodore’s at 2918 W Pioneer Parkway in Arlington, in the old Campo Verde Mexican Bar & Grill. Just down the street is the viral bakery, PanPan.
The steakhouse is open on Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Mondays.