A new bar from a veteran hospitality team has debuted in Fort Worth: Called Morton's Tavern, it's now open at 212 Lipscomb St., in the former Twilite Lounge space, where husband-and-wife owners Jimmy and Monika Morton have crafted a comfortable new place to hang out.

Jimmy, whose resume includes nearly a decade with the Pappas franchise, was the co-owner and COO of Twilite Lounge in Fort Worth. Monika, whose hospitality career goes back 30 years, also worked at Twilite Lounge, where she served as general manager.

It's a welcome return for the area, following the closure of Twilite Lounge in December 2023 after six years, on the tail end of the pandemic and at a time when crowds weren't showing up for the live music that had become an unsustainable signature for the lounge.

"With Morton's, our vision is a neighborhood sports tavern, with a game room, a large patio, food, beer, cocktails, and mocktails," Jimmy says.

The food is provided via an innovative partnership with JesCrave, the caterer and food truck revered for its tacos, birria, and pozole. Jimmy and Monika are owners of the bar, while JesCrave partners Jessica Chaves Martin and Janette Carillo own and operate the kitchen.

Their collective goal is to continue to provide a gathering place for what has become a growing neighborhood.

"After the ownership of Twilite decided to end, Monika and I couldn't let this space go," Jimmy says. "We wanted to continue to provide that community hub, but the neighborhood has also grown up a bit, with more apartments and people living in the area."

"We liked the idea of a neighborhood sports tavern — we're both big sports lovers — but there aren't many comfortable sports bars where the atmosphere is dark and relaxed," Jimmy says. "We liked the idea of a place that's not bright or in your face but where you can watch a game or sit on a beautiful patio with your dog. This was a concept we felt wasn't covered in the area."

That means some TVs but not an excessive number of TVs, Monika says.

"We'll have 20 to 25 TVs — enough that you can watch every Sunday morning football game," she says. "We're going for a more relaxed decor, lots of photos but no neon signs, where you can feel comfortable and watch whatever you came to watch, or sit at the bar and read a book."

Morton's Tavern in the old Twlilite LoungeGoogle Maps

They have 16 beers on tap, a mixture of domestic and craft beers, as well as a non-alcoholic beer on draft. Their commitment to zero-alcohol extends to an entire menu of mocktails along with signature cocktails, mostly classic — but all "very good," Monika says.

The venture provides the ideal situation for JesCrave, who were in search of a new space.

Martin and Carillo launched their food truck in 2020 and have become a big local favorite for their birria tacos. They eventually expanded into a commercial kitchen, but that lease was expiring, and their food truck had broken down.

"We aleady had a wonderful relationship with Jimmy and Monika — we had catered their wedding so they were aware of our food," Martin says. "The timing was magical for all of us, and we automatically became family."

Martin describes herself and Carillo as "both taco heads."

"Janette comes from a Hispanic family and my dad is Amerian native Indian so we've combined flavors and cuisines," Martin says. "We love spice and flavors. We take a lot of pride in a lot of our tacos, quesadillas, nachos, all your regular street food, but at restaurant-quality level with upscale ingredients and flavors."

With the food truck, they were limited on how many menu items they could offer. But with the kitchen, they can now add the items that diners expect at a sports bar such as burgers, wings, and fries, plus items like loaded asada fries topped with meat, queso, onions, tomato, and jalapeno, for $15.

"We're thankful to have a home base and not have to pack up a kitchen every night," she says.

This being a sports bar, there's the question of sports team allegiance, but Monika says they won't be team-specific, welcoming all fans and letting it evolve. But she also confesses that there may be a favorable bias towards hockey.

"My family is from Canada, so yes, we've got some vintage autographed hockey sticks, as well as my old chair from Texas Stadium," she says.