Is it Towne or the Tavern? Familiar flavors at an Alliance-area Fort Worth restaurant
Can a locally owned, chef-driven Fort Worth restaurant make it big in Alliance Town Center?
The answer is at The Tavern’s north Fort Worth cousin, Towne Grill.
Towne Grill, 9365 Rain Lily Trail, is a near-twin to The Tavern, chef Felipe Armenta’s first restaurant here.
Five miles north of Loop 820 in a shopping vortex of chain restaurants, Towne features a local owner, a simple menu, weekend brunch and beef from Armenta’s new ranch operation southwest of Fort Worth near Walnut Springs.
If you live in central Fort Worth and miss the Tavern while it’s being remodeled — it’s set to reopen in early September at 2755 S. Hulen St. — then Towne Grill is a 15-minute toll lane drive north on Interstate 35W.
It has the same skillet cornbread, the same large salads with bacon vinaigrette; the same burgers, platters or brunches; and best of all, the same cream pies or Key lime pies with a cinnamon-pecan-graham cracker crust.
If you live in north Fort Worth, the question is how to identify owner-operated restaurants like Towne Grill amid a sea of cookie-cutter corporate chains.
“They’re barely getting to know us — they’re so used to these chains,” Armenta said this week.
He’s adjusted the menu, lowering a few prices (platters start at $14, up to $30 for smoked prime rib) and featuring wagyu beef from his own ranch southwest of Fort Worth near Walnut Springs.
“They love meat and potatoes out here and I knew that going in,” said Armenta, also the owner of Maria’s Mexican Kitchen, Pacfic Table and Press Cafe in Fort Worth.
“A lot of the beef from our ranch is coming here. Word is getting around that we’re a Fort Worth restaurant. ... I want to be the neighborhood spot where people can know they can get a made-from-scratch meal.”
The weekend brunch menu starts at 10 a.m., featuring omelets, egg platters with blueberry sausage, pecan-caramel french toast or huevos rancheros (all $14-$16).
On weekdays, the menu features familiar appetizers from the Tavern, including the cast-iron skillet cornbread ($7) and the most popular appetizer, the deviled eggs ($7).
The Zuni roasted chicken salad with apples, walnuts and pecans ($16) is familiar from the central Fort Worth restaurants, and there’s also a Cobb salad, steak salad or miso-glazed salmon salad with green tea noodles (all $16-$19).
Armenta serves turkey or veggie burgers ($14 with fries) similar to those at Pacific Table or Press Cafe. But note the wagyu cheddar-burger or a barbecue cheddar-burger with Canadian bacon.
The entrees feature wagyu meatloaf ($21), a steak-and-chicken-enchilada combo ($25), the $30 smoked prime rib or Armenta’s popular baby back ribs ($20) and double-cut pork chop ($24).
The desserts are straight from the Tavern: the key lime pie ($9), a cream pie of the day or an ample hot fudge sundae.
Towne Grill is open for lunch or brunch and dinner daily; 817-916-0390, townegrilltx.com.
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
