Jon Bonnell recovering as his Fort Worth restaurants gear up for Valentine’s
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Waters and Bonnell’s will serve regular menus plus Valentine specials to keep costs steady
- Owner Jon Bonnell is recovering from surgery; chefs Felli and Perdue will lead Valentine’s
- Bonnell’s also offers a to-go surf-and-turf dinner special
Not a day goes by when customers at Waters Restaurant don’t ask for owner Jon Bonnell, so executive chef Anthony Felli is used to it.
“People love Jon,” Felli said this week. “They all want to see him.”
Felli and his counterpart, executive chef Kobi Perdue of Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, are planning their own Valentine’s dinners this year while Bonnell is out.
The 25-year Fort Worth chef, a strong civic leader in the restaurant community, is recovering from cancer surgery and treatment. He expects to return this summer, he posted on Facebook.
Felli is in his 10th year as chef at Waters, a fine-dining seafood restaurant at 301 Main St. Perdue is in his second year leading Bonnell’s, a Southwestern and Creole steakhouse and restaurant at 4259 Bryant Irvin Road.
Both Bonnell’s and Waters stand out for one reason on Valentine’s weekend: affordability.
It might sound odd to say restaurants with $40-$70 entrees are affordable. But instead of forcing customers to buy a $120 or $150 holiday dinner, both Bonnell’s and Waters will serve their regular menus at regular prices and offer a special.
“People love the regular menu so much, they say, ‘Don’t change it,’ ” Perdue said.
Felli said limiting the menu to a one-night-only special doesn’t make sense.
“When you throw a one-off menu at your team in the kitchen, it can create chaos,” he said. “This way, we focus on execution of what we do.”
Both Felli and Perdue came from chef roles at other restaurants. Felli was at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse 10 years when that fine-dining restaurant still had a local owner.
Perdue was chef for eight years at Saint-Émilion Restaurant and its successor, Paris 7th Restaurant Français.
Both restaurants will serve their regular menus all weekend along with a Valentine dinner special.
Bonnell’s special for the night includes lobster bisque, tomato-jalapeño soup or salad, plus a choice of entrees including a surf-and-turf combo with the restaurant’s popular bison tenderloin and lobster thermidor.
Bonnell’s was already booked for Valentine’s before Christmas. A few walk-ins might grab tables.
It poses a spatial puzzle for restaurants designed for tables for four. Some switch the furniture to make more tables for two.
“On Valentine’s, you have a high volume of people, and they come in smaller groups,” Perdue said.
“It’s hard to get everyone in.”
The regular menu features Bonnell’s ever-popular bison filet with whiskey cream, or lamb, elk, pork, steaks or a tequila-lime game hen.
Many of the vegetables come from the restaurant garden, a rarity.
Perdue adds his own touch here and there, often a Southern side dish like hoppin’ John or its Low Country cousin, “limpin’ Susan.”
If you want Bonnell’s signature gumbo, that’s at Waters.
Felli’s wide choice of nightly entrees includes scallops, halibut, steaks and a hazelnut-crusted trout with crab in hazelnut butter.
The Valentine’s weekend nightly special is a surf-and-turf dinner with a filet medallion and lobster tail.
Dessert is a flourless chocolate cake with strawberries and Grand Marnier syrup.
“We’re doing things that are familiar, things indicative of years past,” Felli said.
“The community has shown commitment to the restaurant. We’re in the business of accommodating, giving people what they want.”
Waters is also open for lunch weekdays. It’s a short menu of gumbo, salads, bacon cheeseburgers and sandwiches.
On Valentine’s weekend, Waters has tables available Feb. 13 and Feb. 15; 817-984-1110, waterstexas.com.
Bonnell’s has tables available late on Feb. 13; 817-738-5489, bonnellstexas.com.
Bonnell’s is also offering Valentine’s dinner to go with steak-and-lobster, salad and chocolate cake for $220 per couple. Order by noon Feb. 9.
This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 4:28 AM.
