In This Week's Food Events

Xmas in July tops 6 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

The summertime Holly Jolly Bar at Harvest Hall in Grapevine.

Coury Hospitality

Find all the Fourth of July events and fireworks around Fort Worth here, but if you're looking for tasty festivities all week long, keep reading. There'll be opportunities to hone your pasta-making and dessert baking skills, free hot dogs on the Fourth (with custard not to be missed), and the launch of a month-long Christmas in July pop-up.

Monday, June 30

Love Island Watch Party at Little Woodrow's
With Love Island currently reigning as the No. 1 most-watched streaming reality series, backyard bar Little Woodrow’s locations across the U.S. including Miami, Phoenix, Washington DC, and Fort Worth are getting in on the reality TV craze. Beginning Monday, June 30, Little Woodrow’s Fort Worth will host weekly Love Island watch parties every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 8 pm through the season finale, and offer two cheeky cocktails: Hurricane Huda and I’ve Got a Text Tini.

Tuesday, July 1

Christmas in July at Harvest Hall
Hotel Vin’s food and drink hall will launch its annual month-long Christmas-themed pop-up with décor, themed cocktails, and festive pop-up experiences. Harvest Hall’s live music venue, Third Rail, will transform into the Holly Jolly Bar and serve seasonal drinks with beach inspo, like the Sandy Claus Cosmo and Baked on the Beach. (There might even be a surprise appearance by Santa himself.) Vote for your favorite espresso martini throughout the month as bartenders compete to shake up their best version.

Thursday, July 3

Make & Take: American Cobbler, Crisp & Handpies at Central Market
Impress guests at Fourth of July festivities with a homemade “red, white, and blue” dessert. This hands-on class at Central Market Fort Worth’s cooking school will feature apple crisp, biscuit-topped cherry cobbler, and individual blueberry-filled hand pies. Class is $85 and will run from 6:30–9 pm.

Friday, July 4

Fourth of July at Curly’s Frozen Custard
Camp Bowie custard and hot dog destination — a longtime go-to for Fort Worth families on the Fourth — will celebrate 23 years in business by giving away 230 free hot dogs starting at 11 am. Curly’s is part of the growing Westland Hospitality group that includes JD’s Hamburgers, Margie’s Italian Garden, West Side Café, Magdalena’s, and Pulido’s. Don’t miss Curly’s new flavors inspired by desserts from Magdelena’s and Pulido’s.

Sunday, July 6

Classic Handmade Pasta at Lockwood Distilling Company
Hosted by CocuSocial, this hands-on cooking class will teach participants how to mix, knead, and roll pappardelle pasta to be served with scratch-made arrabiata sauce. The class is $59 plus service fee, and will begin at 6:30 pm. Drinks will be available for purchase by Lockwood Distilling Company.

Panther City BBQ Fundraiser for Cooper Apartment Fire
Barbecue restaurant on the Southside is hosting a fundraiser for their neighbors at The Cooper Apartment building, who had a devastating fire on June 23 which displaced over 830 residents. Along with a generous donation from Ben E. Keith Foods and in cooperation with The Woman's Club FW and Fort Worth Barbecue Co., Panther City will host a plate sale from 11am-2pm with $20 plates featuring two smoked chicken quarters, Mexican rice, and pinto beans. All proceeds will be donated directly to victims via The United Way fund.

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Bagel News

New shop Branded Bagels in Northlake does it New York style

Branded

Branded Bagel

A bagel shop serving New York-style bagels has opened in Northlake: Called Branded Bagels, it’s an indie shop in a new-ish shopping center at 1242 FM 407 #300 in Northlake Commons, where it opened softly in May, with an official opening on July 10.

Branded Bagels was founded by couples Peter & Christie Wangoe, and Craig & Andrea Wilkinson, friends who were inspired to open a shop after taking a life-changing bagel tour in New York two years ago.

With Branded, their goal is to replicate a New York-style bagel with the contrast of a chewy inside and a crispy shell, and bring it to Texas.

“We went to New York several more times, got some recipes, came back, and built it from the ground up,” Christie says. “It probably took 75 recipes to get to the plain bagel recipe that we love. We’ve had people come from the East Coast and say it’s just like a New York bagel."

To achieve the desired texture, they use a multi-rack oven which steams, then bakes the bagels.

They serve 14 to 16 bagel varieties such as Sesame, Everything, Garlic, Onion, Poppyseed, Cinnamon Raisin, and Jalapeno Cheddar. They have more than a dozen cream cheese schmears, all made in house in creative varieties such as honey almond, sundried tomato, spicy bacon, and birthday cake.

They offer a weekly rotating flavor such as the Asiago bagel and a hot honey maple bacon schmear. Single bagels are $4; a dozen are $22.

The bagels can also be ordered in breakfast and lunch sandwiches such as bacon, egg & cheese; Caprese with pesto cream cheese schmear drizzled with Balsamic vinegar; and salmon lox, starting at $6. They also have hot and iced coffee, and soft serve ice cream.

Although it's a new venture, Christie says that she and Andrea always enjoyed being in the kitchen, trying new recipes, and cooking for family gatherings.

They chose to open in Northlake because of personal connections to the community and closeness to home. The space is rustic-chic, with gray brick counters and indoor and patio seating.

"We had a vision and it was a big leap of faith, but we wanted to serve the community in Northlake," Christie says.

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