High atop a lakefront bluff, The Point is a hideaway for seafood and more

This might come to some as a surprise, but not everything at The Point at Lake Worth is fried.

After 60 years as a blufftop bar-and-grill with a panoramic view of Lake Worth, The Point is known mainly for fried catfish and shrimp, cold beer and a patio where children play or adults mingle.

But if you delve beyond the mostly fried-and-burgers menu, you find a lightly seasoned grilled tilapia platter with steamed vegetables, a salad and enough greenery to qualify as moderately healthy.

That’s not remarkable for a modern restaurant. But The Point is a time capsule, a throwback hole-in-the-wall with simple platters and inexpensive prices on the lake near the northwest corner of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

Take Clifford Street east from Loop 820 to Bomber Road, turn north a mile and just when you think you’re in the middle of nowhere, there you are.

The Point is part of a 1930s complex of lakeside cottages originally called the El Campo Resort. The former Jobi’s El Campo Restaurant opened about 1955 in a former tavern, expanded in 1963 and became The Point in 1997.

Diners go for the fried catfish and shrimp, and both seemed improved on a recent visit. The large catfish fillets were coated with a light, crisp cornmeal breading and upheld The Point’s tradition of serving some of the best catfish on either Lake Worth or Eagle Mountain Lake.

But The Point could win more points with more attention to the side dishes. There’s no reason to serve flavorless, ordinary french fries or lifeless coleslaw these days. Even the cheapest restaurants serve fresh-cut or seasoned fries.

A catfish po-boy would be a logical choice, and commenters on social media recommend the quesadillas. There’s also a $17.95 rib-eye, an $11.95 pork-chop dinner and a $10.95 chicken-fried steak, although the menu leans mostly to bar food.

The Point offers $6.95 lunch specials (catfish on Mondays, a pork chop Fridays). It’s open for lunch and dinner daily at 1349 Bomber Road; 817-246-9168, thepointlakeworth.com.

Olenjack climbs Eagle Mountain

Boat Club Road is getting two new restaurants.

Chef Brian Olenjack, a former chef at Reata and his namesake Olenjack’s Grille in Arlington, will launch Eagle Mountain Tavern in a former Cajun restaurant.

The website is vague, but Olenjack is expected to include items from Olenjack’s and restore more of a casual sports-bar-and-grill menu. (The location originally opened as a steakhouse.)

“Since the first time I met Brian, we talked about doing a restaurant togeher,” said co-owner Mark Caffey of Fort Worth.

Caffey said the restaurant will serve Olenjack’s signature shrimp and grits and smothered chicken along with burgers and a few steak and seafood dishes.

“It’ll be a casual family restaurant,” Caffey said: “If we do have white tablecloths, there’ll be paper on top for kids to draw on.”

Watch for the opening by October at 7255 Boat Club Road; eaglemountaintavern.com

Boo-Ray’s of New Orleans, the former occupant at that location, is expected to open about October in its new location at 5728 Boat Club Road on the corner at Ten Mile Bridge Road.

That’s closer to downtown and Lake Worth, and it’s also on the right-hand side for hundreds of daily commuters headed home.

Until Boo-Ray’s reopens, visit the Hudson Oaks location at 201 N. Lakeshore Drive, 817-599-6266; booraysofneworleans.com.

Burgundy’s menu change

The Burgundy’s Local gourmet meat market in west Fort Worth has switched away from serving fresh-ground burgers, but not from dining.

Burgundy’s grill will switch to serving take-out stews and casseroles such as chili con carne and chicken dishes, owner Jon Taggart said last week.

Burgundy’s served fresh, grass-fed beef burgers, but business was hit-or-miss, he said. The burger business has grown more competitive since Burgundy’s opened, with Rodeo Goat and Fred’s nearby and several new restaurants planned.

“Instead of sitting down for a burger, people want something they can grab and take home,” he said.

Burgundy’s will start take-out dishes by October. The meat market continues daily at 3326 West Seventh St.; 817-878-2722, burgundypasturebeef.com.

New ‘Q’ in Montgomery Plaza

The new Honey Smoke Pit BBQ opened this week in Montgomery Plaza, but give chef Rodney Lambert’s restaurant time to settle down.

The address is 2600 W. Seventh St., but the restaurant is really on the West Fifth Street side in a former steakhouse. More in an upcoming Eats Beat; 817-720-7288, honeysmokepit.com.

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 3:59 PM with the headline "High atop a lakefront bluff, The Point is a hideaway for seafood and more."