This week in gluttony

These are the 8 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

La Onda will reopen in a new location this fall, and there's a sneak peek on Friday.

La Onda/Facebook

Rum takes center stage this week as three events feature the tropical spirit. There’s a cocktail competition, mixology class, and celeb meet-and-greet featuring a rum of their own. Things also get fiery with a Hatch chile dinner and spicy beer launch party. Finally, a preview party features a sneak peek of a revived seafood destination set to reopen in a new location.

Monday, August 14

Charity Daq-Off at Blackland Distillery
The Foundry District distillery will kick off rum week with a daiquiri competition. Visit from 3-6 pm to watch local bartenders whip up their best craft daqs; the winner gets to give proceeds to charity. Judges will include experts from Nickel City, Don Artemio, and Heaven’s Door Whiskey, among others. Then starting on Tuesday, Blackland will undergo a tropical transformation into a tiki drink paradise, featuring specialty tiki drinks and rum flights. Limited-edition bottles of Blackland white rum and barrel-aged rum will also be for sale. The tiki pop-up will run through September 2.

Wednesday, August 16

Rum Mixology Class at Hotel Vin
The wine-themed Grapevine hotel switches to rum for this class on how to craft two classic rum cocktails: the mojito and the Mai Tai. Participants will also learn the basics of rum and its history. The class is $40, plus a small fee and tax, and will run from 6-8 pm.

Thursday, August 17

Hatch Buffet Dinner at Blue Mesa
Visit the New Mexican-inspired restaurant for a festive buffet dinner featuring the flavor of the season – Hatch chiles. The piquant pepper will be found in posole, rellenos, glazed salmon, shrimp and grits, stuffed chicken, carne asada, and even infused in brownies. The buffet is $25 and will run from 5-9 pm. Pair it with a pineapple Hatch margarita, on special for $7. Or visit anytime this month for limited time Hatch pepper specials like crispy fried Hatch strip with ancho crema, and smoked chicken stacked enchiladas.

Friday, August 18

La Onda Preview at Hotel Revel
Just a week after Hotel Revel announced the closing of its onsite craft cocktail bar, Sugarman’s, the Near Southside boutique hotel revealed that a reincarnated La Onda will soon take its spot. Chef Victor Villarreal, who owned and operated the Latin-inspired seafood destination on Race Street for two years before closing in April, will bring back his Peruvian ceviche, unique seafood dishes, and refreshing cocktails when the space is renovated by fall. Until then, get a sneak peek this Friday with DJ music, drinks, and ceviche. The preview begins at 5 pm.

Saturday, August 19

BrisketU at Rahr & Sons Brewing Co.
Learn the ins and outs of smoking the quintessential Texas brisket during this Saturday morning barbecue lesson at Rahr. Participants will get schooled on pit types, brisket cuts, trim techniques, rubs and prep, wood selection and smoke profiles, managing a fire and pit chamber, timing, and properly slicing the end product. Class is $89 and will run from 10 am-1 pm.

Fire Fest Part II: Sweet Heat at Martin House Brewing Company
The weather is just right for Martin House Brewing Company’s second annual Fire Fest, a celebration of spice – this year featuring guest breweries. Martin House will debut Sweet Heat, a spiced beer brewed with Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili chips. Guest breweries serving special brews will include Celestial Beerworks and Turning Point Beer. There’ll also be live music, food from Barley and Melt Ice Creams, artisan vendors, and a spicy food competition. Tickets are $20 for four pours and a pint glass, or free if not imbibing. The event will run from 12-5 pm.

Taylor Swift Wine Night at Wine Haus
Swifties, take note: The neighborhood wine bar will dedicate an evening to pop music’s biggest superstar. Dress up with some sparkles and sing along with Taylor Swift tunes paired with a themed wine flight. The event will take place upstairs from 8-11 pm.

Monday, August 21

Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum Bottle Signing with Rick Springfield
Eighties rocker Rick Springfield – who’ll headline the “I Want My 80’s Tour” at Dickies Arena on Sunday – will make an appearance at Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods in Fort Worth to sign bottles of Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum. The “Jessie’s Girl” singer partnered with fellow rock star Sammy Hagar on the award-winning spirit. Guests will be able to sample and purchase the premium Puerto Rican rum at Spec’s at 2750 Hulen St. from 2:30-3:30 pm during the Springfield meet-and-greet. (Arriving early is highly recommended.)

news-you-can-eat barbecue wine cocktails

Thai Food News

Novel Thai restaurant in north Fort Worth comes with its own market

Bangkok Thai

A mom-and-pop Thai restaurant in north Fort Worth comes with a unique twist: Called Bangkok Thai Street Food & Market, it’s a restaurant serving traditional Thai food but also a market selling all sorts of goods, from cooking ingredients to clothing to household gear.

Bangkok Thai, which opened in December 2023 at 5801 Golden Triangle Blvd. #121, is owned by married couple Sirikanya and John Brown. John is a retired vet who worked in IT. Sirikanya moved to the U.S. from Thailand 11 years ago and previously worked in Thai restaurants across Fort Worth.

The concept sprung out a business that Sirikanya started out of their home, John says.

"About five years ago, she started an online market selling Thai products while working in Thai restaurants on the weekends," he says.

At the same time, Sirikanya missed the authentic flavors of the Thai food she grew up with, so she pitched the idea of opening a restaurant. Most of the recipes are inspired by the cooking of Sirikanya’s mother and ingredients from Thailand.

To capture those flavors, that means using traditional ingredients like tamarind instead of vinegar, and palm sugar in place of cane sugar.

“She's from Bangkok, and she worked in her mom’s restaurant, which is where she learned how to cook,” John says.

The menu features Thai classics like pad Thai, tom yum soup, green and red curry, and chicken satay with housemade peanut sauce. There are soups: boat noodle soup with beef broth, tofu soup with minced pork & Chinese cabbage, and a spicy Tom Kha.

There are also other Asian essentials like edamame and dumplings, plus their twist on chicken wings served with a Thai sweet chili sauce. They do not serve alcohol but there are teas, boba teas, and limeade.

Prices are affordable and average $6 for appetizers and $12 for curry and noodle dishes.

The market is inside the restaurant, next to the dining area, featuring shelves stocked with international items, such as clothing, rice baskets, refrigerated drinks, sauces, and noodles.

"A lot of it is imported from Thailand and some of it is sourced locally," John says. "Pretty much everything that you need, we have the ingredients for. Sirikanya also sells her own chili paste, and we often have other house-made dishes depending on the day."

They also host cooking classes, usually twice a month, such as a recent Thai curry cooking class where everyone learned how to make curry paste from scratch, cooked their own curry dishes. The classes are $60 a month and they’ll be taking a break during December but the classes will resume in January 2025.

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