Buzziest bar patios top this week's 5 most popular Fort Worth stories

This week's hot headlines

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Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that list here.

1. Where to drink in Fort Worth right now: 5 best bar patios to hit in May. Patios are a hot topic in town, especially this month, when the weather (mostly) cooperates to create a comfortable outdoor experience. But sometimes our patio desires don’t involve a desire to order a meal. Here are five of Fort Worth’s best bar patios to check out before the scorching summer arrives in June.

2. Shocking sudden closure leads this round of Fort Worth restaurant news. This roundup of restaurant news around Fort Worth has much good news: ice cream in Southlake, ramen in Keller, salads in Denton, and pizza in the Near Southside. Sadly, there's a big closure and the clock is ticking. Here's what's happening in Fort Worth restaurant news.

3. Bakery-cafe with sourdough bread and cookies soon to break in Fort Worth. A new sourdough bakery and café will soon rise in southwest Fort Worth: The Sour Boule – named for the round loaf of French-style crusty bread – is set to take over the former Busy B’s Bakery space at 3701 Southwest Blvd. The bakery is from Alexis Misner, who has been selling sourdough bread and cookies under the name "Misner Family Farms" at local farmers markets for the past year.

4. Toys R Us to open its first airport store at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Global toy store chain Toys R Us is opening its very first location in an airport, and guess which airport that is: our own Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)! Yay. According to a release, the store will open in Terminal A, and is slated to open in time for holiday season 2023.

5. Biggest winners and fieriest moments from the 58th ACM Awards in Dallas-Fort Worth. Dolly Parton sang rock 'n' roll, wheeled a goat on stage, and Facetime'd with Willie Nelson. The 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards - held Thursday, May 11 at the Star in Frisco - were a wild and sometimes wacky celebration of country music in 2023.

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New Cuban restaurant tops this week's 5 most-read Fort Worth stories

This week's hot headlines

1. New Fort Worth restaurant is serving real deal Cuban sandwiches & seafood. A Fort Worth food truck serving authentic Cuban food has made the leap to brick & mortar status: Lola's Cuban Food, which started out as a food truck stationed in downtown Fort Worth, just opened a companion restaurant where it's serving all of its Cuban classics, plus expanding the menu to include seafood and more restaurant-style entrees.

2. New French-inspired cafe in Arlington serves breakfast and brunch all day. There's an elegant, independently-owned breakfast and brunch restaurant newly opened in Arlington with some fresh and creative takes on the same old morning fare. Called Lac Bleu Brunch Cafe, it's a French-inspired brunch restaurant that just opened at 3990 N. Collins St. #116, in a small center across from Lake Viridian — "Lac Bleu" is French for "blue lake."

3. Step inside 6 historic charmers on the 2023 Fairmount home tour in Fort Worth. Now four decades strong, the Fairmount Historic District Tour of Homes has become a beloved Mother's Day weekend tradition in Fort Worth. For the 2023 edition, four bungalow-style homes and two historic businesses will open their doors to visitors, May 13-14. Here's a look at the homes.

4. These are the 17 can't-miss shows in Dallas-Fort Worth theater for May. Have you heard? Jesus has risen, and you can find him in The Colony. The world premiere of a major new musical is one of 17 — yes! 17! — shows opening in May, so don't ever complain about there being nothing to do in Dallas-Fort Worth. In order of start date, here are 17 local shows to watch this month.

5. Fort Worth's best-kept secret is this TCU team that just competed for an NCAA championship. In landlocked Fort Worth, beach volleyball might not be top of mind when it comes to recreational activities. After all, the nearest actual beach is at least a five-hour drive away. But that hasn’t stopped the TCU Horned Frogs from establishing themselves as a powerhouse in what’s touted as one of the fastest-growing collegiate sports in the nation.

Photo by Julien Lambert

Concerts in the Garden's hot summer lineup tops this week's 5 most-read Fort Worth stories

This week's hot headlines

1. Fort Worth Symphony's 2023 Concerts in the Garden series brings Beatles, Star Wars, and Pat Green. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will offer 11 concerts as part of the 2023 Concerts In The Garden Summer Music Festival, taking place May 26 through June 11 at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. The earlier dates for this year's season mean that the series will not include the traditional Fourth of July concerts. Here's the hot summer lineup.

2. These 10 beefy Fort Worth restaurants flip the best burgers in town. It’s a passionate subject in a city nicknamed “Cowtown” – burgers, that is. Everyone has their favorite, from unfussy classics to flashy gourmet versions with their aioli and brioche buns. We're throwing charcoal on the grill and stoking fires of debate by making Best Burger our "Wildcard" category the 2023 CultureMap Fort Worth Tastemaker Awards. Here are the nominees.

3. Fort Worth's only vegan burger joint is calling it quits. A vegan burger joint in Fort Worth is calling it quits: Zonk Burger, the city's first restaurant dedicated to vegan burgers, which opened two years ago on Race Street, will close on April 2.

4. Heart health advocates raise over $800,000 at red-letter Fort Worth luncheon. The American Heart Association's annual Go Red for Women Luncheon is always one of the most anticipated fundraising luncheons of spring in Fort Worth. Nearly 1,200 patrons - decked out in red, of course - filled the Worthington's ballroom on March 3 to join the fight against cardiovascular disease.

5. Surprise, DFW has a new theater company and its first show is this weekend. What do Guiding Light, Bye Bye Birdie, and Oleanna all have in common? Arlington-raised actor, director, and producer Ryan Brown, who is one-half of Sweet Apple Productions with Jennifer Bangs. Their first production, David Mamet's Oleanna, runs March 30-April 2 in Stage West's performance space in Fort Worth.

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Best restaurants for lunch top this week's 5 hottest Fort Worth headlines

This week's hot headlines

1. Where to eat in Fort Worth right now: 6 best restaurants to grab lunch. The March edition of Where to Eat, our monthly feature recommending best Fort Worth restaurants to try, centers on a meal that needs some attention: lunch. Here are six Fort Worth restaurants where you can grab a bite for lunch.

2. The top 10 neighborhood restaurants in Fort Worth offer a feeling of home. Up first in our special editorial series leading up the Tastemaker Awards, the category of Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year. These places are close and convenient to established residential neighborhoods and offer a feeling of home that keeps regulars coming back over and over again. Here are the 10 nominees for Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year.

3. Where to drink in Fort Worth right now: 7 best new bars for March. A fresh batch of new bars has popped up in recent weeks, and this round is prime for spring sipping. All offer either expansive patios or picturesque interiors, and there’s plenty of space at each to spread out; so going with a group is welcomed. Live music is also a common theme with this collection of new spots.

4. 10 new ideas for a FOMO-free spring break staycation in Dallas-Fort Worth. It’s spring break time across North Texas. For families who did NOT jet off to ski the slopes or head to the beach, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in Dallas-Fort Worth. We once called this "staying home." Now it's a "staycation!" Here are 10 new ideas for fun things to do, even into the weekend.

5. 5 Texas cities make a splash as best places for family-friendly vacations. Fort Worth families looking to create lasting memories - or just really need a last-minute getaway for spring break - don’t need to look outside their state. In a new report from lawn care company Lawn Love, five Texas cities ranked high as Best Cities for Kid-Friendly Vacations.

Photo by Taylor Prinsen Photography

Taylor Sheridan's Texas-sized honor tops this week's 5 most-read Fort Worth stories

This week's hot headlines

1. Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan honored with Texas' highest arts award. The stars at night are always bright in Texas, but they were particularly brilliant in Austin on February 22 as some of the state's biggest superstars gathered to receive the 2023 Texas Medal of Arts. Among them: Weatherford's Taylor Sheridan, creator of TV's Yellowstone universe.

2. Iconic restaurant says goodbye and more Fort Worth restaurant news. This roundup of restaurant news around Fort Worth includes some openings, some expansions, and a big closure or two. There's also new dishes and menus to try. Here's what's happening in Fort Worth restaurant news.

3. Bennigan's Monte Cristo sandwich now served at 2 Dallas-Fort Worth ghost kitchens. A once-popular chain is getting a revival, beginning first with baby steps. Bennigan's, the Irish-pub-styled neighborhood tavern, has opened two ghost kitchen operations in DFW called Bennigan's On The Fly, that are serving a concise menu of Bennigan's classics including the famed Monte Cristo sandwich.

4. Grapevine food hall puts lobster rolls, hot chicken, & pizza on the menu. A buzzy food hall in Grapevine has exciting new vendors serving chicken, Italian food, and seafood: Harvest Hall, the European-style food hall in historic Grapevine, has added three dining options that will open in March.

5. Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival 2023 sculpts jam-packed weekend of art, food & entertainment. Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival - always a highlight of the spring calendar - is coming back for its remarkable 36th year. "Main St.," as fans know and love it, will take place April 20-23, 2023 in downtown Fort Worth. (Look how cool and easy-to-remember that date is.)

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'Yellowstone' stars to greet fans at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

Yellowstone news

Yellowstone fans, get your comfy shoes ready - there'll be a long line for this one. Cole Hauser a.k.a. "Rip Wheeler" on Yellowstone, and Taylor Sheridan, the show's co-creator, executive producer, and director of the series, will meet fans and sign autographs at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

The event will take place from 4:30-6:30 pm only on Friday, February 3. Location is the 6666 Ranch booth near the south end of Aisle 700 in the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Exhibits Hall.

According to a February 2 announcement from FWSSR, "fans will have the opportunity to snag an autograph as well as purchase some distinctive Yellowstone and 6666 Ranch merchandise while also enjoying all the features the Stock Show offers."

The event is free to attend (with paid Stock Show admission) and open to the public.

It's the second year in a row for Hauser to appear at FWSSR; in 2022, he and fellow cast mates drew huge crowds.

Sheridan, a Paschal High School graduate, is no stranger to Fort Worth; he lives in a ranch near Weatherford and filmed 1883, the prequel to Yellowstone, in and around Fort Worth. Currently, another spinoff, 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, is filming in North Texas.

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is winding up its 2023 run on Saturday, February 4.

Concerts in the Garden drones light up this week's 5 hottest Fort Worth headlines

This week's hot headlines

1. Fort Worth Symphony launches summer concerts with sparkly extra: drones. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra returned with its annual summer concert series, Concerts in The Garden, featuring 11 concerts taking place at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, starting May 26 and running through June 11. And the coolest part of the 2023 series might be the light show: For the first time, they're replacing old-school fireworks with the use of cutting-edge drones.

2. Openings and closings head up this Fort Worth restaurant news roundup. This roundup of dining news around Fort Worth has an opening, a closing, a gofundme campaign, and loads of new menus for summer. Here's what's happening in Fort Worth restaurant news.

3. Decadent desserts in jars from celebrity Top Chef roll in to Fort Worth. Desserts in jars from a celebrity chef are coming to Fort Worth: Jars by Fabio Viviani, a fast-casual dessert brand serving popular desserts in jars, is opening a location in the Trinity Commons/Tom Thumb center, at 3000 S. Hulen St. #150. It'll open in late 2023.

4. 3 Dallas-Fort Worth entrepreneurs rank among Forbes' richest self-made women for 2023. Twelve of the country's 100 most successful female entrepreneurs live in Texas this year, and three of them call Dallas-Fort Worth home. So says Forbes in its 2023 list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, released June 1.

5. 5 tips for stunning beach sand sculptures from 2023 Texas SandFest winners. “Playing” in the sand on the beach isn’t just an activity for children, as proven by the 22 professional sand sculptors from around the world who recently competed in the 26th annual Texas SandFest. Here are five of the pros' top tips for producing a beachfront masterpiece.

Cafe with made-to-order mini-doughnuts to open near TCU in south Fort Worth

Doughnut News

Little doughnuts are rolling into south Fort Worth via a new doughnut cafe. Called Batter & Beans, it'll serve doughnuts, coffee, and more, and it's opening at 3548 South Hills Ave., south of TCU in Westcliff Center.

They'll be right around the corner from Cafe Bella [which it should be noted recently won Best Neighborhood Restauant in CultureMap's 2023 Tastemaker Awards].

Batter & Beans will be a family-owned collaboration between Matthew Whip, a partner at Ernst & Young, and his brother-in-law, who worked for a restaurant group in Michigan and brings the food knowhow.

They'll be doing miniature doughnuts, similar to the Pittsburgh-based Peace, Love, and Little Donuts chain (which has one location in Texas, in Southlake).

They're aiming to be open by early fall.

"We'll be doing fresh, made-to-order mini cake doughnuts plus premium coffee we're sourcing out of Chicago, from Metropolis, a small-batch artisan roaster," Whip says. "We're originally from the Chicago area, and that's always been my favorite roaster, and they also roast coffee for Yolk, which has a location in Sundance Square."

The cafe will also offer fresh lemonade, iced tea, and ice cream, for neighbors who want to stop in for a treat at night.

Whip and his family first relocated from the Chicago area to North Texas in 2018, then moved down the street from the shop last year. It's a small storefront, about 920 square feet, and they're currently in the final stages of design and permitting.

"There's lots of kids in this neighborhood, and I think a place with mini doughnuts would do well," Whip says.

It was only after they signed on to do the shop that they learned from a neighbor that the space they're taking had good doughnut karma, with a longtime history as a doughnut shop, most recently a place called Donut Palace. Sadly, it closed during the pandemic. Now the doughnuts will return.

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