This roundup of restaurant news around Fort Worth has at least two openings happening on August 16, making this quite the sizzling day for dining. There is also an unfortunate closure, new menus, limited-edition dishes starring Hatch chiles, and a high school BBQ team that'll be on TV.
Here's what's happening in Fort Worth restaurant news:
Enchiladas Ole, the local Tex-Mex chain famous for its numerous varieties of enchiladas, closed its location in North Richland Hills, after four years due to a lack of business. The restaurant was located at 9005 N Tarrant Pkwy., taking over a former Slim Chickens which had itself only been there for two years. That leaves two locations, on Camp Bowie Boulevard and Forest Park — both of which are now serving a new summer special enchilada featuring chicken tinga with avocado creme sauce for $13. And in good news, owner Mary Patino Perez is opening a new concept called Holy Cue, located near TCU, which will combine barbecue and Mexican food.
Pokey O's Cookies & Ice Cream will open its fourth brick-and-mortar location in Bedford at 2101 Harwood Rd. #125, on August 16 with a ribbon cutting at 5 pm. Their menu includes 12 flavors of fresh-baked cookies — chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, oatmeal cinnamon raisin walnut, white chocolate macadamia nut, and more — plus 16 flavors of Blue Bell Ice Cream and toppings. There are also locations in Dallas, Rockwall, and Flower Mound (inside a food hall), plus dessert trucks in which they bring cookies to specific locations.
Black Rock Coffee Bar has just opened a new location in Burleson at 425 SW Wilshire Blvd. on August 16. Founded in Oregon, the chain has coffee, tea, smoothies, and Fuel Energy drinks. The 2000-square-foot location boasts an industrial modern design. This is the eighth Black Rock Coffee Bar in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Roy Pope Grocery in Fort Worth has a new menu featuring upgraded salads served in real bowls, new smoked sandwiches, and a kid’s menu they say even the pickiest eaters will love. There's a Reuben sandwich on marble rye, a Caesar topped with chicken, a Caesar chicken wrap in a spinach tortilla, a Nashville hot fried chicken sandwich, and more.
The Sour Boule, the mom-and-pop bakery specializing in sourdough breads, is selling its starter, the precious flour-and-yeast goo that is key to making great sourdough bread. The starter was started by bakery founder Alexis Misner and her husband in 2021. They call it Oscar. One can find many options for starters online, but most come dried, so getting one "live" is a coup. They sell the starter for $10, although in what size, they were unable to say. "A container," maybe.
Flips Patio Grill is celebrating the Hatch chile with its August burger of the month: New Mexican Hatch Chile Burger, featuring a 50/50 grilled patty, American cheese, bacon, and green Hatch Chile sauce, available at both Fort Worth and Grapevine locations.
Carrabba's Italian Grill is hosting a special weekend offering of a three-course dinner for two for $45, available Saturday-Sunday through August. The menu includes soup or salad; entrée such as lasagne, mezzaluna, or Tuscan-grilled pork chop; and dessert to share, such as strawberry cheesecake or tiramisu.
Mi Dia From Scratch has launched a Hatch chile menu, available through August 31, including an $18 Hatch burger with a Wagyu-chorizo patty, green Hatch chile sauce, and fried quail eggs; a 28-day-aged skirt steak topped with a stuffed Hatch chile; fried chicken tacos with Hatch chile queso; and savory sopapillas filled with ground beef, with Hatch green chili sauce.
Yogurtland has debuted seasonal flavors including pumpkin spice, S'Mores, and salted caramel pecan frozen yogurt, as well as a new topping: chocolate chip cheesecake bites.
McDonald's has a new line of collectible cups, available in six designs: Grimace Mug, Hello Kitty, Barbie, Shrek, Ty Beanie Babies, and Snoopy. They're pint-sized and made of plastic (not glass), and come with the purchase of a sausage McMuffin, chicken McNuggets, or a Big Mac meal.
Fuzzy's Taco Shop has a limited-time Watermelon Jala-‘Rita available until September 8. The margarita features country music star Thomas Rhett’s Dos Primos Blanco Tequila, watermelon, and jalapeño, served in a Tajin-rimmed 18-ounce glass.
Meet the Smokin' Ferrets, Arlington ISD's BBQ teamAISD
Globe Life Field has been named by PETA as one of the most vegan-friendly ballparks in the U.S., thanks to its animal-friendly menu — be sure check out their PLT portabella mushroom sandwich, meat-free burgers, meat-free hot dogs, meat-free nuggets, vegan nachos, and vegan soft-serve at the Oatly stand.
Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau is hosting its third annual #SaveTheTacos campaign, a competition between a dozen-plus local restaurants. Participants include Boiling Tails Co., Cut & Bourbon by Live!, Grounds & Gold Co., M’Jay’s House of Smoke, Papaya Mexican Grill, Prince of Lebanese Grill, R Bar and Grill, Rocketbelly, Tic-Taco, TJ’s Catfish & Wings, Tom’s Burgers & Grill, and Zack’s Bistro, who've crafted a limited-time specialty taco to compete for the title of Arlington’s Favorite Taco. It runs from August 20-September 30.
Fred’s Texas Café will appear on Food Network's Triple D Nation, a TV show hosted by Guy Fieri. The Fort Worth burger spot will appear in an episode called "Bacon, Burgers, and Pork Butt" which airs on Friday, August 23.
The Smokin' Ferrets are a BBQ team made up of students at Arlington ISD Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center, who've made a name for themselves and will now appear on BBQ High, a new series on Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network. It premieres on Sunday, August 18, with the first two episodes at 12 and 1 pm, and then new episodes airing on the following Sundays.
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Stephanie Allmon Merry and Raven Jordan contributed to this story.
