List News

One Fort Worth spot makes Bon Appetit list of best new restaurants

La Onda for the win.

Photo courtesy of La Onda

Texas restaurants are well-represented on Bon Appetit’s list of America’s 50 Best New Restaurants for 2022. Seven Lone Star State establishments earn the magazine's approval.

They are:

Birdie’s, a counter service restaurant in Austin known for its seasonal menu and well-chosen list of natural wines
Canje, the Caribbean restaurant in Austin from star chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph
El Rincon del Maiz, a taqueria in Garland that serves vegan tacos on seven different types of corn tortillas
La Onda, chef Victor Villarreal’s Latin-inspired seafood restaurant in Fort Worth that includes dry-aged fish among its offerings
March, the Houston fine dining restaurant dedicated to tasting menus inspired by different regions of the Mediterranean
The Nicolett, a Lubbock restaurant that serves “High Plains Cuisine” in the form of dishes such as elk tartare and house-made pappardelle stuffed with avocado
Reese Bros. Barbecue, a San Antonio food truck that pairs classic Texas barbecue with Mexican-inspired sides

The strong showing represents an improvement over 2019, when only four Texas restaurants made the list. The magazine skipped a Best New Restaurants list in 2021, instead recognizing restaurants that showed leadership during the pandemic with its Head of the Table awards.

The magazine's editors express optimism about the state of dining in America. They note that a broader range of immigrant culinary traditions has spread across the country, writing that it means "more Guyanese and South Indian and Palestinian and Indigenous Mexican food for all of us." They also praise restaurants that are putting their staff first by offering improved working environments.

"I hope this list, divided by region and filled with our thoughts on what to order and what to know, acts as an invitation to shake off any skepticism as to whether going out is 'worth it' these days," writes restaurant editor Elazar Sontag.

Each restaurant on the list receives a brief profile along with a list of recommended dishes.

For La Onda, the unique take on Mexican and South American cuisine from Victor and Misty Villarreal, the magazine places a rather large focus on Victor's occasional experiments dry-aging seafood, which they say is rare in the U.S., although "Japanese chefs have been dry-aging seafood for a long time."

They also say:

Here, you might find locally caught, dry-aged, golden-seared wahoo bathed in smoky salsa, or Villareal’s signature "shark-cuterie" board, which features no actual shark but plenty of his creamy smoked fish dip, salt-cured gravlax, and a little jar of seafood and pickled veggies floating in chili oil. Oysters are served with mezcal-infused mignonette and ceviche features Ora King salmon and watermelon. Villarreal’s wife Misty runs front of house and cocktails, which deserve an entry of their own, and the whole place is suffused with the kind of when-you're-here-you're-family vibes that make us wish this little blue house was our little blue house, so we could eat here every day.

Recommended dishes include fish of the day, the above-mentioned Shark-cuterie Board, and ceviche of the day.

La Onda received a nomination in CultureMap's annual Tastemaker Awards for Best New Restaurant in 2021, a category that it won. It also made a 2022 year-end list in Texas Monthly magazine, for its Salty Ginger cocktail.

Villareal has separately been nominated twice for Chef of the Year in 2019 and again in 2021.

From this list of 50 restaurants, Bon Appetit will reveal its ranked top 10 list on September 14.

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Tex-Mex News

Fort Worth restaurant Los Vaqueros spills dates on upcoming relocation

Courtesy rendering

Rendering of new dining room at Los Vaqueros.

There's an update on beloved Cisneros family Tex-Mex restaurant Los Vaqueros., which will be relocating to the historic Stockyards Exhibits Building at 2513 Rodeo Plaza in 2025.

According to a release, the big move for the restaurant will take place in the thick of the Christmas holiday:

The restaurant will remain open at its 2629 North Main St. location through December 22 at 3 pm. They've been in that space nearly 30 years.
The new location will open on December 26, just in time to ring in the New Year and welcome Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo visitors in January.

“This year has brought unexpected challenges, but also incredible opportunities,” says Cisneros Restaurants Inc. President Vicki Cisneros in a statement. “We are grateful to be able to celebrate one last Christmas season with our friends here before starting a new chapter two blocks down the road at Rodeo Plaza.”

Los Vaqueros Restaurant has brought Tex-Mex cuisine to the historic Stockyards neighborhood since 1982 and to Willow Park since 2008.

The original move was slated to take place in the summer, but they extended the timeline to ensure the space reflects the authentic essence of Los Vaqueros. That included collaborating with Bennett Partners Architecture and Design and IMGC, LLC, the family worked tirelessly to preserve the rich history of the Stockyards while incorporating modern restaurant amenities.

Cisneros says they wanted "to get it just right."

"This is likely the last restaurant my husband Johnny and I will personally oversee, so every detail mattered," she says. "From incorporating historic wood and barn doors from the original building to designing custom chairs, plates, and glassware, the space truly embodies the spirit of Los Vaqueros: it’s about cowboys, ranchers, and Tex-Mex cuisine.”

They also did not want to disrupt family transitions of dining at the restaurant during the Christmas holiday.

"We’re grateful to the building’s new owners for allowing us to stay through the season," Cisnerous says.

Fans can expect some fanfare between December 20–23, when they relocate the illuminated marquee sign to the new location in the 1910–12 Stockyards Exhibits Building — also a historic site, and home to the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the John Wayne: An American Experience Museum.

Amenities in the new location will include a banquet room that seats 100, with an adjacent patio that seats 20 and a Fiesta Room that seats 50.

The restaurant will be open until midnight on New Year’s Eve, and will see the launch of “Los Vaqueros After Dark” on the weekends, an extended service that features a menu of enchiladas, tacos, nachos, and specialty breakfast items until 12:30 am, and bar service until 1 am.

Parking is free Sunday-Thursday at the nearby Billy Bob's lot (131 Stockyards Blvd.), excluding special events. On weekends, parking fees apply, but free parking options are available around the perimeter of the Stockyards, as well as separately managed parking lots that offer different rates and occasional coupons.

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