This Week in Gluttony

These are the 9 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

Suddenly, our culinary event calendar is slammed. This week provides multiple opportunities to dine and imbibe, with Tuesday being the busiest day of the week. Everything from Swiss fondue to cuisine from Compton is on the menu. Make reservations now, then locate your stretchy pants.

Tuesday, January 29

Trap Kitchen Cookout Tour 2019
What happens when a Blood and a Crip come together to cook five-star meals in Compton? A culinary sensation is born. Trap Kitchen was established in 2013 when Chef Spank and Sous Chef News partnered to start a catering company, changing their life paths forever. Having gained national acclaim, the duo is on a U.S. tour with a stop in Arlington at Social Bakehouse Cafe. Guests can indulge in a buffet-style dinner with dessert for $35. Add a mimosa for $5 more or get the whole bundle with a cookbook and T-shirt for $75. Dinner begins at 7 pm.

Lockhart Smokehouse Arlington Smoke Camp
Learn how to get that perfect smoke ring at this barbecue boot camp to be held at Texas Live! One of Lockhart’s tenured pitmasters will lead about an hour of instruction while guests enjoy a barbecue buffet and sip Revolver Brewing samples. The class is $110 per person, and participants will leave with a Lockhart Smokehouse T-shirt along with a better knowledge of smoking meats. Class begins at 6 pm, and doors open at 5:30 pm.

Avion Tequila Dinner at Wild Salsa
There’s just a little time left to get tickets to this four-course Mexican dinner, which includes tequila tastings and cocktails and even DIY hand-shaken margaritas. Menu highlights include Gulf shrimp tostadas, chicken tinga empanadas, and pork belly carnitas. Tickets are $45 per person, including tax and gratuity, and dinner starts at 6:30 pm.

The Prisoner Wine Company Dinner at Great Scott
The two year-old restaurant is known for its house-cured meats, and that’s what guests will start with at this five-course dinner paired with Napa Valley wines. Yellowtail tartare, smoked pork belly, black pepper-crusted lamb rack, dry-aged beef tenderloin and a dark chocolate s’more round out the menu. Reservations are $95 per person and include tax and gratuity. Dinner begins at 6:30 pm.

Wednesday, January 30

Après-Ski Swiss Style Fondue Dinner at Ellerbe Fine Foods
This year marks a decade since the farm-to-table fine dining restaurant opened on West Magnolia Avenue, and owners are celebrating with a series of globally-inspired dinners. This one will feature three courses for only $40 per person (plus tax and gratuity) and includes classic gruyere and Emmentaler Swiss fondue with toasted bread, cured meats, new potatoes, pickled mushrooms, sausage, pears, prosciutto, and more. Wine pairings are extra and reservation times are open.

3V Tasting: Washington Values
Big value, big taste — find both in Washington wines. (The state’s wine country is on approximately the same latitude as some French Bordeaux and Burgundy regions.) The Roanoke wine bar will serve five wines paired with a cheese board for $25 per person. No reservations are necessary, but the tasting will run from 6-8 pm.

Thursday, January 31

5-Course Mezcal Dinner at Café Modern
While the Mexican spirit does come from the agave plant, mezcal is not the same as tequila. The smoky spirit will be paired straight with dishes like yucca and pork tamales, picadillo-stuffed onions, and goat barbacoa. The dinner is $99 per person ($89 for museum members) and begins at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, February 2

Foodie Philanthropy
At this this unconventional fundraising dinner, guests are scattered about town at more than 30 different restaurants before convening at a secret location for an after-party with drinks and dancing. Many restaurants are already sold out, but there are a few seats available with ticket pricing ranging from $75 to $250 per person. Proceeds this year benefit the Hope Center 4 Autism.

Sunday, February 3

Chix & Brix at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo
Twelve, count ‘em, 12 chefs will share their Southern takes on the basic bird at this brunch-time event that benefits Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo scholarship programs. Sparkling wines will be paired with each course, and the lunch will take place at the Round Up Inn inside the Amon Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall. Seats are $65 per person, which comes with grounds admission and one parking pass for every two tickets purchased. The event begins at 11 am.

Ellerbe gets cheesy for its 10th anniversary.

Whiskey Cake San Antonio restaurant goat cheese fondue

Whiskey Cake San Antonio/Facebook

Ellerbe gets cheesy for its 10th anniversary.

wine dinner craft-beer news-you-can-eat fundraisers cocktails

Closure News

Tropic Lady restaurant-bar on Fort Worth's Race Street says aloha

Tropic Lady

The dip trio at Tropic Lady.

A chill restaurant and bar in Fort Worth's River East district has closed: Tropic Lady, which opened in the former Fuzzy's Taco space at 2719 Race St. in 2023, has closed.

The restaurant, which closed in mid-December, was a sibling to Bearded Lady, the popular gastropub in Near Southside; their last Facebook post was on December 10. Their phone number is not working, and their website is no longer active. Owner Shannon Osbakken was unavailable for comment, but a Bearded Lady employee confirmed the closure.

Tropic Lady was a tropical-themed gastropub opened by a trio of friends: Bearded Lady owner Shannon Osbakken, her business partner Sarah Allen, and general manager Amanda Yunger. It offered a similar menu as Bearded lady but with more tropical-inspired fare, including shrimp tacos, bacon-wrapped grilled pineapple bites, and guacamole dotted with mango.

For a gastropub, they did interesting food with dishes like watermelon salad with feta and cucumber; or their Dip Trio, with mango guacamole, tomatillo salsa, and queso blanco served with house-made tortilla chips. Definitely not run-of-the-mill. They also had great lunch specials like a smashburger with curly fries for $10.

Food did not seem to be the problem.

Decor featured artwork and murals created by local artists. A beautifully landscaped patio wrapped around the building’s facade. So the setting did not seem to be a factor.

It's tempting to point the finger at its location on Race Street, which has witnessed a round of closings in the past two years including buzzy birria taqueria Caliscience, which closed in February 2024; as well as The Post at River East, a restaurant and live music venue that shut down the same month.

In 2023, three other restaurants on Race Street closed: Tributary Cafe, the Bon Appetit-lauded La Onda, and vegan burger spot Zonk Burger. But separate reasons can also be found for each of those closures, whether that be inexperience or lease issues.

For years, the city and neighborhood advocates have been trying to turn Race Street into a trendy hotspot. As part of the city’s Urban Villages program, the city of Fort Worth invested $5.6 million in revitalizing the area, making improvements to traffic flow, sidewalks, landscaping, and outdoor lighting.

When Osbakken opened the bar, she said she loved the area, stating "it reminds me of Magnolia when were first were on it 10 years ago in our old location. It's a great community and the neighbors have been friendly and reaching out."

And there are still restaurants along the street, including a popular Mexican restaurant called Tesoro, the Dough’d Up doughnut shop, and Kingyo Sushi & Ramen House, as well as a coffee shop, Race Street Coffee.

The Bearded Lady continues to flourish. Osbakken originally opened the popular gastropub on Magnolia Avenue in 2013. Six years later, she moved it to the South Main, where it’s still going strong.

closings