Weekday Happy Hours

New Fort Worth bar and grill fills gap on Sundance Square landscape

Sundance Square gets a new restaurant and bar.

Photo courtesy of the Beck Group

A new bar and grill is taking over a space in Sundance Square that's been empty for a year. Called 3rd Street Bar & Grill, it's a collaboration between Fort Worth food and beverage veteran Al Abbood and chef Steve Mitchell, and will go into the space at 425 W. 3rd St. in the Carnegie building, across from the Central Library.

Abbood also owns Z Grill in Flower Mound, and Sonoma Grill, which is now closed. Mitchell most recently opened the short-lived M Bistro in the Montgomery Plaza and previously worked at Yucatan Taco Stand and The Harbor on Possum Lake.

The prior tenant at this location was a branch of Dallas-based Frankie's Grill, which had been there for five years before closing in January 2017 — leaving a gap that Sundance Square president/CEO Johnny Campbell says they were eager to fill.

"We have been looking for the right partners for this space and Al and Steve will bring a lot of experience to Sundance Square," Campbell says in a release. "We envision 3rd Street Bar & Grill providing visitors with a comfortable interior and patio space to relax and enjoy a fabulous meal, as well as fun entertainment."

The restaurant and entertainment venue will feature an extensive menu with appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and entrees — in other words, all the categories. The bar will serve beer, wine, and spirits, including local favorites. A happy hour will run weekdays from 3-7 pm.

Entertainment-wise, 3rd Street Bar & Grill will offer everything from sports viewing, happy hours, and live music, both local and regional musical acts, filling a steady calendar of pop, rock, Texas country, jazz, and blues. In other words, all the genres.

Opening is anticipated to happen in January 2018.

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Burger News

Hip hang Crystal Springs Hideaway debuts in Fort Worth River District

Crystal Springs Hideaway

Burger at Crystal Springs Hideaway

A fun beer garden and burger spot in Fort Worth’s River District has made its debut: Crystal Springs Hideaway is now open at 113 Roberts Cut Off Rd. with a Texas beer and wine garden featuring 25+ draft beers, burgers, cocktails, along with a wine-cheese-charcuterie shop, all in a historically significant space that's been artfully renovated.

Cystal Springs Hideaway is from JD and Shanna Granger, Fort Worth's "most fun couple," who were gratified to find what is a historically significant property for this exciting venture.

“Over the years, I feel like our beloved Fort Worth joints have faded away," JD says in a statement. "But then I came across this great 100-year-old bungalow with a stone carriage house and water tower – nestled smack-dab in the middle of a neighborhood. I immediately knew this is the kind of place people miss and want to hang out at. It has the character for our vision and is the perfect neighborhood to do it in. It’s casual. It’s comfortable. And it will be an affordable place to enjoy drinks with friends and grab a bite to eat."

The raw character of the carriage house, the original hardwood floors and shiplap in the bungalow, and the 150-year-old cottonwoods offer a look back in time. All renovations were carefully executed to preserve and enhance the history of the site.

Now open to the public, the venue will celebrate its grand opening party set for Friday, January 3.

Food
Big Kat Burgers is from chefs Mike Sugg and Bryce Blackburn, lifelong friends who launched Big Kat Burgers as a food truck in 2017, gaining a loyal following with special burger-of-the-month announcements as well as cutting and grinding their burgers by hand from primal cuts of beef.

Crystal Springs Hideaway will be Big Kat Burgers first brick-and-mortar kitchen location.

In addition to their award-winning burgers, they are rolling out additional menu items including chicken sandwiches, BLT, salads, and shareables, including cowboy caviar, mama’s corn dip and beer-battered jalapeno bottlecaps. A brunch menu will also be available on Saturdays and Sundays.

Wine shop
The Crystal Springs’ wine, cheese and charcuterie shoppe offers customers a “Build-Your-Own” cheese and charcuterie board option. The wine shoppe curated by wine professional JR Clark features a variety of unique wines at different price points, providing something for everyone. Guests are invited to choose their wine, pair it with their favorite cheese and meat, grab a couple of glasses and find a place to relax and enjoy.

Chef Kelly Burton whose resume includes HG Sply Co., Winslow’s Cedar Springs, and Nonna Tata where she is chef de cuisine and kitchen Manager, will devise a rotating cheese and charcuterie experience at Crystal Springs Hideaway.

Crystal Springs Hideaway Crystal Springs HideawaCrystal Springs Hideawa

Setting
The name of the venue is a nod to the Crystal Springs Dance Pavilion, which was located directly behind the venue and known as the birthplace of western swing music in the 1920’s.

The “Hideaway” has several large TVs perfect for bowl watching and is dog friendly. The original water tower overlooks the beer garden, which is nestled beneath mature live oaks and majestic 150-year-old cottonwood trees. It also offers two patios with heaters and two indoor bars with bar seating.

JD and Shanna
JD is an attorney and former Tarrant County prosecutor best known for his role in overseeing design, construction and implementation of the transformational Trinity River Vision project in Fort Worth. As director of the Trinity River Vision, he helped change the perception of the river by creating development opportunities and designing special spaces that drew people in.

JD designed the Woodshed Smokehouse, Coyote Drive-In, Panther Island Pavilion, kayak, paddleboard, tubing concessions and signature river events.

Shanna oversaw all programming and marketing for Panther Island Pavilion and numerous river events that brought thousands of people to the riverbanks. Shanna directed and produced the Rockin’ the River music series, Fort Worth’s Fourth, Sunday Funday, the outdoor ice-skating rink, Panther Island Ice and TRWD Flyfest.

After JD secured $400 million for the river project, JD and Shanna moved to the private sector, growing their real estate company, creating an event production company that produces the annual Fort Worth Oktoberfest drawing over 30,000 people to Trinity Park for German bier, food and entertainment, and now creating a hospitality venture to bring the Crystal Springs Hideaway to Fort Worth.

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