Hotel News
Grand steakhouse and rooftop bar will fuel Fort Worth's Sinclair Hotel
UPDATE: As of January 27, Wicked Butcher is open for dinner. Hours are 5-11 pm Monday through Saturday. RTB, the rooftop bar at The Sinclair, will open in Spring 2020.
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The Sinclair Hotel, set to debut in fall 2019 in a stunning historic building, stands to be one of the biggest openings in downtown Fort Worth.
A Marriott Autograph Collection property, it's going into the Sinclair building at 512 Main St. It will feature 164 rooms and one of the city's only rooftop bars, providing incomparable views of the city.
It will also come with a chef-driven restaurant: Wicked Butcher, a modern steakhouse from DRG Concepts, owner of such restaurants as Dallas Chop House, Dallas Fish Market, Chop House Burger, and Wild Salsa, which has locations in both Dallas and Fort Worth.
According to a statement from DRG Concepts, Wicked Butcher will feature a culinary team of chef rock stars that include Luigi Iannuario, Richard Triptow, and Austin Carlson, who will oversee Wicked Butcher as well as all food beverage service at The Sinclair.
Iannuario is a native of Italy who most recently worked at Da Mario, the Italian restaurant at The Star in Frisco. In addition to expertise with Italian, Spanish, and French cuisines, he's also well acquainted with the world's great beef traditions and has worked under respected Italian chefs around the world, including Michelin-star chef Gualtiero Marchesi, Alberico Penati, Sergio Mei, and Nadia Santini, as well as legendary names such as Paul Bocuse and Ferran Adria.
Triptow has been wowing diners at DRG's properties in Dallas, with proficiency both in seafood and premium dry-aged beef that has given downtown Dallas a niche as a fine-dining destination. His previous experience includes appointments at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Lakewood Country Club, The Mandalay Four Seasons, and the prestigious Pine Creek Cookhouse in Aspen.
Carlson has helped direct culinary for DRG Concepts brands since 2015. His prior experience includes Nonna in Dallas, as well as acclaimed restaurants in Italy and across Europe. He's also a student of anthropology, inspired by the context of food in culture across eras and generations.
DRG Concepts CEO Nafees Alam says in a statement that they hope Wicked Butcher will contribute to Fort Worth's distinctive character and culture.
"With a menu and setting to engage and enchant locals and international visitors to Fort Worth with excellence, our entire team is so inspired by the authentic beautiful Sinclair Hotel building in the infinitely appealing center of downtown Fort Worth," Alam says.
Mike Hoque, chairman of DRG Concepts, says that Wicked Butcher will match the high standards at The Sinclair Hotel and Fort Worth.
"Wicked Butcher is a standout addition to the exciting and robustly successful downtown," Hoque says. "The Sinclair will be a uniquely impressive and industry leading experience for guests, and our team is fully charged to deliver amazing dining experiences of comfort and excellence across the hotel."
That includes a setting that will echo the building's Art Deco theme, with glossy white brick and tile complemented by rich emerald green accents, brass fixtures, natural woods including pecan and maple dining tables, beautiful marble, and modern Texas textures, bridging old and new in an urban cowboy aesthetic.
The menu will feature both domestic and international premium cuts of beef, as well as a Himalayan salt dry-aging method.
In addition to beef, they'll serve chops, poultry, and game.
Seafood will be a strong point as well, with a raw bar sourced from local and global waters, plus hand-rolled sushi, oysters, crab, lobster, and swordfish.
There'll be showpiece dishes, such as double-rib steak for two, served at the table, accompanied by sides that could serve as entrees themselves, including crawfish maque choux, Yorkshire creamed spinach, and corn crème brûlée.
The food will be matched by an exceptional wine program with bottles from Chile to Argentina and Napa to France, and a cocktail menu created by celebrity mixologist Jason Kosmas.
In addition to the bar and the dining room, guests can also head up 17 floors above atop The Sinclair to an open-concept rooftop space offering a full bar, with a bar menu of snacks that includes charcuterie boards and sushi.
The Sinclair is being positioned as one of the most tech-forward hotels in the country, with overtures such as its use of a lithium ion battery pack to replace the diesel generator of old, plus voice-activated showers and a podcast booth in the lobby, available to the local arts community.
The opening is tentatively scheduled for fall 2019.