This week in gluttony

These are the 5 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

Time to get your Hatch on.

Photo courtesy of Blue Mesa

August is here and that means Hatch chile pepper-infusions will start popping up on menus all over town. The piquant pepper is harvested in Hatch, New Mexico, but local grocers and restaurants will source them by the dozens to get spicy with culinary creations.

The pepper isn’t the only produce visiting Fort Worth this week — a traveling fruit truck will bring Washington dark cherries and Georgia peaches to town for a pick-up party. Also on the list is a sunset paddleboard ride paired with a pint, and the start of DFW Restaurant – a sign that the end of summer is on the horizon (although Mother Nature may say otherwise).

Tuesday, August 2

26th Annual Hatch Chile Festival at Blue Mesa
A year-round destination for New Mexican cuisine, Blue Mesa Grill becomes Hatch chile central in August when the famed pepper is ready for harvest. This year's menu specials feature crispy fried Hatch chile strips with ancho mayo, Hatch pozole, Hatch rellenos with a blue corn crust, and even a Hatch chile-infused cajeta swirl brownie served with vanilla ice cream and berries. Don’t miss the Hatch pineapple margarita garnished with a grilled pineapple. All Blue Mesa locations will also feature weekend brunch buffet menus full of Hatch flavor all month long.

Friday, August 5

Hatch Chile Tasting Event at Central Market
The grocer's annual Hatch Chile Festival runs August 3–23 and showcases dozens of Hatch chile-infused products. On Friday from 5-8 pm, they'll host a free tasting event with 10 stations of Hatch chile goodness including Hatch chile crab cakes with Hatch buttermilk ranch dressing, Hatch meatballs with Hatch queso, spicy cheese on Hatch brioche, wine pairings and more. Participants are asked to register in advance on the Central Market Cooking School page. The tasting will be held at all Central Market stores, and each customer will receive a $10 coupon to use that evening.

The Fruit Truck Tour
South Dakota family-owned business picks fresh fruit at farms and orchards and delivers to communities across the country. Find them at the Westlake Ace Hardware store on Friday from 6:45-7:30 pm. Ordering Washington dark cherries and Georgia peaches in advance is encouraged, although walk-up sales will be accepted while supplies last. Also on the menu: Washington peaches, Washington nectarines, and Georgia pecans.

DFW Restaurant Week
The 2022 edition of the annual dine-out fundraiser kicks off a preview weekend on Friday, with the official week running August 8-14. Dinner is either $39 or $49 per person — a bargain for some of Fort Worth’s priciest establishments like B&B Butchers & Restaurant, Wicked Butcher, and Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine. A two-course lunch option is $24. New this year is a $99 experience with an elevated menu, and a $29 weekend brunch. More than 20 Tarrant County will participate in the 25th annual event, which benefits Lena Pope Home and the North Texas Food Bank. Note: Some restaurants are extending their specials through September 4.

Sunset Paddle & A Pint
Pair paddleboarding with pint during this hour-and-15-minute sunset tour on Lake Grapevine. Participants will embark on a two-mile board ride around Meadowmere Park. At the halfway point when the sun hits the horizon, pause for a pint of Carrollton's 3 Nations Brewing beer. The path back to shore will be illuminated with board lights, head lamps, and glow sticks. Tickets are $50 per person and the ride will last from 7:30-8:45 pm.

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Mex Mex News

El Garambullo Mexican restaurant in Hurst is the real deal

El Garambullo

Sopes plate at El Garambullo

A restaurant in Hurst is serving something that just about everybody wants: authentic Mexican food. Called El Garambullo, it’s a family-owned place located in the former Harwood Cafe space at 109 Harwood Rd., where it's serving breakfast, fajitas, and house-made horchata.

El Garambullo is owned by Lisa Rodriguez and her family, who come from San Luis Potosi in Mexico. That's where they got the inspiration for the name of the restaurant: a garambullo is a type of cactus native to northern Mexico that Rodriguez views as a connection to her family origins.

Signature dishes include enchiladas, flautas, street tacos, and the fajitas, with a choice of the usual beef, chicken, or shrimp, or a more inclusive El Piquin Grill fajita plate featuring a combination of all three meats plus sausage.

Here's where to get a molcajete, a piping hot stone bowl and mixing pestle filled with sausage, shrimp, peppers, and cheese. Plus breakfast every day, including chilaquiles, eggs & chorizo, and huevo rancheros. Prices range from $10 for breakfast plates to $40 for fajitas that can feed two.

"I would describe our style of cooking in three simple words: Traditional, authentic, and for the whole family," Rodriguez says. "Our food is what you would imagine to taste in every town in Mexico. Most of the ingredients we use are from there, and we stick to our traditional recipes."

The horchata is made with homemade rice milk and spices. One thing you won’t find at this restaurant, however, is a margarita. There’s no bar or alcohol served here, but it is a BYOB restaurant.

Rodriguez, who learned to cook as a child from her mother and grandmother, worked in several restaurants but always dreamed of having her own restaurant and she wanted to do it in her own hometown.

"Hurst is not only the place where this restaurant opened its doors, but also the place I chose to live in for me and my family," Rodriguez says. "It's a very good place, along with all of the neighbors and the community."

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