Dining About Town

Summer sips top 5 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week

New summer cocktails launch at The Backyard Unplugged at Hotel Drover.

Hotel Drover

Considered the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day weekend brings a slew of new summer cocktails, barbecue, spicy flavors, and live music under the stars. John Wayne fans, take note: There's an opportunity to have dinner with the Duke's family this weekend during a wine dinner featuring John Wayne Family Estate Wines in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Thursday, May 22

Pinea Wine Dinner at Don Artemio Mexican Heritage
Five-course wine pairing dinner will feature one of Spain’s most popular wine estates, Pinea Winery, along with special guest, winery co-founder Hugo del Pozzo. Menu highlights include confit artichoke carpaccio, crab claws with plantain leaf pork confit, slow-cooked goat with clams and mussels, and sous vide filet mignon. Dinner is $260 plus tax and gratuity, and begins at 6:30 pm.

Friday, May 23

ZestFest
Three-day fiery festival brings together hot sauce lovers from around the world for cooking demos, spicy samplings, and piquant food challenges. Tickets start at $20 for a Friday day pass ($25 for Saturday and Sunday) or $60 for a weekend pass, plus tax and service fees. ZestFest will run Friday from 1–6 pm, Saturday 10 am–6 pm, and Sunday 10 am–5 pm at Will Rogers Memorial Center.

The Backyard Unplugged at Hotel Drover
The Backyard Unplugged music series kicks off this weekend in The Backyard at Hotel Drover featuring new seasonal sips and theme nights. New summer cocktails from the Veranda Bar include the mango and mezcal Smokeshow, the Lonestar Punch made with beer, ginger ale, and pineapple juice, a watermelon mojito, and the Shandy Wrangler made with tequila, beer, and grapefruit juice. Live acoustic musicians will perform every Friday and Saturday night from 7–10 pm.

Sunday, May 25

Brisket U at Hop & Sting Brewing Co.
Whether a greenhorn or experienced griller, this popular recurring class will teach the skills needed to smoke the quintessential brisket. Everything from choosing the right cut to slicing the end product will be covered. The class is $139 ($129 for additional participants) and will run from 11 am-2 pm.

Wayne Family Estates Wine Dinner at Los Vaqueros
Members of the John Wayne family will be in attendance during this multi-course dinner at Los Vaqueros in the Fort Worth Stockyards featuring pairings from the John Wayne Family Estates Wine collection. The $150 ticket includes admission to John Wayne: An American Experience exhibit before dinner. The event, which will run from 4–8:30 pm (including the museum visit), is part of a full weekend of John Wayne events, including book signings with wine and whiskey tastings on Saturday and a Gold Handle Coffee tasting with the family on Memorial Day morning.

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Closure News

Paco's Mexican Cuisine shutters location in Sundance Square Fort Worth

Paco's Mexican Cuisine/Facebook

Paco's Mexican Cuisine will host a five-course tequila-pairing dinner.

A buzzy Fort Worth Mexican restaurant has closed: Paco’s Mexican Cuisine, shuttered its location in Sundance Square at 156 W. 4th St., after three years.

According to a post, owner-chef Francisco "Paco" Islas said the closure is due to the lease ending. Their website has already been taken down.

"Given the climate in the service industry, it has been difficult to keep two concepts going with 100% effort as a small family-run business," the post read.

It also gave a nod to its location, stating that "Sundance Square has been an important part of our story — a place where we’ve grown and shared countless unforgettable moments. We thank this organization and Mrs. Bass for the opportunity."

The restaurant opened in 2022 in a space that was previously Taco Diner. It was a second location for Paco’s Mexican following the original on Magnolia Avenue in the Near Southside neighborhood, which opened in 2016. Islas closed that Magnolia Avenue location in January.

They offered a menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner featuring chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, tortas, tacos, and quesadillas. Some of the signature items included tlacoyos— a stuffed corn cake dish with tomatillo, crema, and fajita steak— and birria tacos.

With both locations of Paco’s closed, Islas will focus more attention on Shogun Taqueria, the Mexican-Japanese fusion concept he opened in March in the former Paco’s on Magnolia Avenue.

"This isn’t a decision we made lightly, but rather one rooted in a strategic refocus on the next phase of our journey which is Chef Paco’s new concept, Shogun Taqueria, located in the Near Southside," the post said.

Shogun is bringing something new to Fort Worth, although it doesn't completely abandon the Mexican cuisine diners came to love at Paco's, with a few familiar items like tacos and birria. There's also ramen, gyoza, and parilla with meats like Wagyu and pork cooked on a hot stone tableside.

downtown closings