This week in gluttony

These are the 9 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

Secure your game-day grub for Super Bowl Sunday this week.

B&B Butchers & Restaurant

When Mardi Gras, Super Bowl Sunday, Lunar New Year, and Valentine’s Day all fall within a few days of each other, there’s no excuse for not having a good time. This week’s list includes events for all, including a roundup of Super Bowl specials whether dining in ordering game day grub to-go.

Still need Valentine’s Day dinner plans? That list is here.

Tuesday, February 6

Meet Our Meat 12-Course Tasting & Pairing at B&B Butchers & Restaurant
Back for the first time in 2024, this 12-course dining experience lets guests work their way through indulgent rare cuts all the way to the holy grail of beef – A5 certified Kobe. Wine pairings, side dishes, and dessert are included in the $375 per-person price, plus tax and gratuity. The event begins at 6:30 pm.

Wednesday, February 7

Louis Jadot Wine Dinner at Don Artemio
The upscale Mexican restaurant will host a five-course wine pairing dinner featuring Louis Jadot wines. Standout menu items include seafood cocktail with black squid ink sauce, corn chowder with Spanish chorizo, and fruit gazpacho with basil ice cream. Reservations are $150, plus tax and gratuity, and dinner begins at 6:30 pm.

Thursday, February 8

Recanati Flight Night at WineHaus
Try Israeli wines during this Recanati Winery flight night, featuring Petite Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Yasmin White. No reservations required and the flight will be offered from 6-8 pm.

Galentine’s Party at the Fort Worth Zoo
Bringing new meaning to a “wild night out,” the Fort Worth Zoo will host a gal pal party complete with open bar, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts. The party is $85 per person and will take place in the zoo’s Portraits of the Wild art gallery from 7-9 pm. The fee includes an adoption package of an African penguin, African painted dog, or African lion.

Saturday, February 10

Power House THC Seltzer Launch at Martin House Brewing Company
Big news: Martin House Brewing Company now produces its own line of the on-trend (and newly legal) THC seltzer. Called “Power House,” the 12-ounce cans have 5 mg of hemp-derived THC – and not one drop of alcohol. Flavors to start include strawberry and lemon-line. To celebrate the launch, guests can visit from 12-5 pm to purchase cans to-go for $5 each before they reach stores. (No on-site consumption will be permitted.) Patrons can also buy a wristband for $15 good for four pours of beer and a souvenir pint glass. There’ll also be live music, food from Barley food truck, and shopping from Thrive Apothecary and Power Biopharms.

Lunar New Year Celebration at Malai Kitchen
The upscale Asian dining destination with locations in Fort Worth, Southlake, and Dallas will celebrate the Year of the Dragon with special menu items. Red-colored cocktails, including the spicy melon margarita and watermelon spritz, will match the year’s theme of “luck and happiness.” The dining menu will also feature “Money Bag Dumplings” made with lamb, carrots, and edamame, and “Longevity Lobster Noodles.” All locations will randomly give away red envelopes throughout the day with vouchers for free apps, dessert, and prizes.

Mardi Crawl Live! at Texas Live!
The Arlington entertainment complex is bringing Bourbon Street to Texas with live music, drink specials, a crawfish boil, and hurricanes a plenty. General admission starts at $10 and doors open at 1 pm.

Mardi Gras Near Southside
Near Southside will host its inaugural Mardi Gras-inspired South Main St. pub crawl. First stop is Tarantula Tiki Lounge at 4 pm, followed by Southside Cellar, Soma Winery, Hop Fusion, then The Holly for a dance party at 8 pm. All stops will feature Mardi Gras drink specials. Beads, masks, and New Orleans-style flair are encouraged.

Sunday, February 11

No Football Party at Wines From a Broad
Leave the Super Bowl watchers at home and visit this Sundance Square wine bar for football-free fun. There’ll be diva karaoke, champagne and wine specials, a “girl dinner,” prizes, and more. The $25 ticket includes one champagne cocktail or prosecco, charcuterie, and a raffle ticket. The party will run from 5-9 pm.

Several restaurants are serving up specials for the Super Bowl, whether dining in or ordering to-go. Here are a few worth noting:

B&B Butchers & Restaurant
The steakhouse's ready-to-grill meals start at $150 for four burgers, a pound of Wagyu hot dogs, buns, a pound of bacon, sausage, two 10-ounce filets, and two boneless strips. Orders require 24-hour notice for pick up on Sunday.

Dough Bro’s Italian Kitchen & Bar
From February 9-11, diners at all locations can order any large specialty pizza and receive another for half-price, plus a free two-liter soda. Good for dine-in and to-go orders.

Newk’s Eatery
Diners can get two pizzas and a salad for $20, February 9-11. Choices include pepperoni, sausage and pepperoni, margherita, and barbecue chicken. Salad options include Caesar, Greek, or garden.

Third Rail
Third Rail inside Grapevine’s Hotel Vin has a big screen and loads of drink specials, including $10 Tres Agaves frozen margaritas and $15 buckets of beer. Happy hour specials from 3 -6 pm will include $3.50 domestic beers, $5 house wine, and $5.50 well cocktails. Entry is free and seating is first-come, first-served.

Toppers Pizza
It’s “Superweek” at the pizza chain, which means from February 9-14, customers can get a free medium pizza with any $10 purchase in the app. The free pizza will be available starting February 15.

Twin Peaks
The first 100 guests on February 11 will receive entry onto a squares board with the chance to win a $25 gift card each quarter. All Super Bowl attendees will receive coupons good for free fried pickles valid for use February 12-18 with a minimum purchase of $20 or more.

holidays wine dinner news-you-can-eat

Closure News

Tropic Lady restaurant-bar on Fort Worth's Race Street says aloha

Tropic Lady

The dip trio at Tropic Lady.

A chill restaurant and bar in Fort Worth's River East district has closed: Tropic Lady, which opened in the former Fuzzy's Taco space at 2719 Race St. in 2023, has closed.

The restaurant, which closed in mid-December, was a sibling to Bearded Lady, the popular gastropub in Near Southside; their last Facebook post was on December 10. Their phone number is not working, and their website is no longer active. Owner Shannon Osbakken was unavailable for comment, but a Bearded Lady employee confirmed the closure.

Tropic Lady was a tropical-themed gastropub opened by a trio of friends: Bearded Lady owner Shannon Osbakken, her business partner Sarah Allen, and general manager Amanda Yunger. It offered a similar menu as Bearded lady but with more tropical-inspired fare, including shrimp tacos, bacon-wrapped grilled pineapple bites, and guacamole dotted with mango.

For a gastropub, they did interesting food with dishes like watermelon salad with feta and cucumber; or their Dip Trio, with mango guacamole, tomatillo salsa, and queso blanco served with house-made tortilla chips. Definitely not run-of-the-mill. They also had great lunch specials like a smashburger with curly fries for $10.

Food did not seem to be the problem.

Decor featured artwork and murals created by local artists. A beautifully landscaped patio wrapped around the building’s facade. So the setting did not seem to be a factor.

It's tempting to point the finger at its location on Race Street, which has witnessed a round of closings in the past two years including buzzy birria taqueria Caliscience, which closed in February 2024; as well as The Post at River East, a restaurant and live music venue that shut down the same month.

In 2023, three other restaurants on Race Street closed: Tributary Cafe, the Bon Appetit-lauded La Onda, and vegan burger spot Zonk Burger. But separate reasons can also be found for each of those closures, whether that be inexperience or lease issues.

For years, the city and neighborhood advocates have been trying to turn Race Street into a trendy hotspot. As part of the city’s Urban Villages program, the city of Fort Worth invested $5.6 million in revitalizing the area, making improvements to traffic flow, sidewalks, landscaping, and outdoor lighting.

When Osbakken opened the bar, she said she loved the area, stating "it reminds me of Magnolia when were first were on it 10 years ago in our old location. It's a great community and the neighbors have been friendly and reaching out."

And there are still restaurants along the street, including a popular Mexican restaurant called Tesoro, the Dough’d Up doughnut shop, and Kingyo Sushi & Ramen House, as well as a coffee shop, Race Street Coffee.

The Bearded Lady continues to flourish. Osbakken originally opened the popular gastropub on Magnolia Avenue in 2013. Six years later, she moved it to the South Main, where it’s still going strong.

closings