Opening news

Whiskey Cake restaurant to open in Fort Worth's hottest neighborhood

The whiskey cake at Whiskey Cake.

Photo courtesy of Whiskey Cake

A restaurant named for its sticky toffee-cake signature dessert is coming to Fort Worth: Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar, an American tavern concept from Dallas hospitality company FB Society, will open its first location in Tarrant County at 2849 Heritage Trace Pkwy. in the Alliance Town Center in buzzy North Fort Worth.

According to a release, it'll open in the fall. This will be the third Whiskey Cake location in DFW, following the original in Plano which opened in 2011 and a second that opened in Las Colinas in 2018.

Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar touts its locally sourced menu with entrees such as rotisserie chicken, burger with brisket-chuck, chicken & waffles, and beet salad with spinach, farro, watermelon, and shallots. Prices range from $14 for the salad to $27 for the pork chop. There are also "snacks," including $11 goat cheese fondue and $9 crispy flash-fried brussels sprouts.

Weekend brunch features hearty dishes like carrot cake pancake stack and the Wagyu wake-up hash with sweet potatoes, wilted greens, and eggs.

Dessert includes the signature whiskey cake for $11—a sticky toffee cake with pecans.

Cocktails include old fashioneds, elixirs, whiskey flights, IPAs on tap, wines, and zero-proof options. Signature drinks include whiskey cocktails and flights, with a whiskey collection of American, bourbon, rye, and scotch available in 2 oz pours.

"Whiskey Cake is a modern take on an American tavern," says Whiskey Cake CEO Jeff Carcara in a release. "We create everything on our menu in-house and use the best local ingredients available. Our garden-to-glass cocktails are unique twists on classics, and the atmosphere is high-energy and always fun. We can’t wait to bring this experience to the Alliance community."

The atmosphere typically features vintage-inspired lighting fixtures, classic leather seating, and sprawling high tops centered in the restaurant alongside a bar showcasing a selection of locally sourced whiskeys displayed on custom-made shelves.

The Fort Worth restaurant will include three private event spaces, a temperature-controlled patio, and accommodate over 350 guests, with an interior space spanning over 9,000 square feet.

Whiskey Cake has since grown to 10 locations across Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida, with plans for further expansion across the United States. FB Society also owns Mexican Sugar, Sixty Vines, The Ranch, Haywire, Ida Claire, and Son of a Butcher Slider Bar, which is also opening a location at Alliance in the fall.

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