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.

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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Brooks & Dunn boot-scoot into this week's 5 hottest Fort Worth headlines

This week's hot headlines

1. Brooks & Dunn kick up 'Reboot Tour' with 2023 stop in Fort Worth. Brooks & Dunn, the best-selling duo of all time, are continuing their "Reboot Tour" in 2023, including a stop at Dickies Arena on Saturday, May 6. Fort Worth is the only Texas city on their list, and tickets went on sale Friday, January 27.

2. Much anticipated Italian restaurant from top Fort Worth team has a date. A new restaurant from one of Fort Worth's top food & beverage teams has an opening date: 61 Osteria, the much-anticipated restaurant from restaurateur Adam Jones and acclaimed chef Blaine Staniford, will open in downtown Fort Worth on January 31. Ta-da.

3. Wealthy Fort Worth neighbor cashes in as the richest city in Texas for 2023. North Texans wanting a glimpse into the lives of the 1 percent won't have to travel far to get a peek. Southlake has been named the richest city in Texas for 2023 in a recent study.

4. Quite the bounty of bites in this roundup of Fort Worth restaurant news. This roundup of restaurant news around Fort Worth includes restaurants newly opened, restaurants coming soon, new menus, new tacos, new pizzas, and more. So much more. Here's the latest batch of Fort Worth restaurant news.

5. The best Fort Worth restaurants to celebrate Valentine's Day 2023. For restaurants, Valentine’s Day is the Super Bowl of dining events, which is ironic this year since the actual Super Bowl takes place just two days prior, on February 12. This is not stopping some restaurateurs from hosting special Valentine’s dinners all weekend long, although some are cautiously opting out of Sunday and Monday. Here are the best options around town.

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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.

Ultra-chic Postino WineCafe brings wine and bruschetta to Southlake

Wine News

A nationally acclaimed wine bar-restaurant has opened in Southlake: Postino WineCafé, specializing in wine, bites, and a chic atmosphere, opened a location at 1440 Main St., in Southlake Town Square, in the no-brainer slot next to Trader Joe's.

Postino is known for its daily happy hour, bruschetta boards, and menu built for sharing, as well as a laid-back atmosphere, designed for all-day hangouts with friends, date nights, client get-togethers, and family outings.

The chain first came to Dallas in 2021 when they opened a location in Deep Ellum. They closed that location two years later in March 2023 and relocated to Addison, where they just opened in August.

"We are thrilled to bring Postino to Southlake and the heart of bustling Town Square," says Postino Co-Founder Lauren Bailey. “The Dallas/Fort Worth market is very important to us, and we are excited to be expanding our footprint here so soon – just a month since debuting in Addison."

Founded in Arizona in 2001, Postino's goal is to bring people together over wine and food. Its bruschettas are a menu mainstay, artfully presented on boards made of reclaimed wood, with 12 variations including:

Prosciutto Di Parma, Fresh Fig & Mascarpone
Sweet N’ Spicy Pepper Jam & Goat Cheese
Brie, Apple and Fig Spread
Ricotta, Dates & Pistachio

Guests can mix and match four bruschetta per board, meaning you can try more than one a time. The entire menu is that way: designed without a definitive beginning or end, with the freedom to tailor your experience based on the occasion, from a meal to a swift bite.

A category called Snacky Things features chicken and filet skewers with garlic yogurt, shrimp scampi, and crispy cauliflower with sultana raisins, capers, and a Romesco drizzle.

There are entrée salads, soups, hand-pressed paninis (on ciabatta or focaccia bread), with the option to mix-and-match sandwich, salad, and soup.

Desserts include: Chocolate Bouchon with vanilla bean ice cream, Crème Brulee, and Salted Caramel Sundae with vanilla ice cream, chocolate covered corn nuts, pretzel sticks, and salted caramel drizzle.

Weekend brunch is served from 11 am-3 pm with spritzy cocktails, lemonades, and bowls

The wine list by Advanced Sommelier and Beverage VP Brent Karlicek is especially fun to sample during their 11 am-5 pm happy hour spotlighting 25-plus wines for $6 a glass, along with $6 pitchers of beer, both local and beyond.

"We fervently champion winemakers across the globe – from trailblazers like Folk Machine, Mary Taylor, and Scarpetta to the guardians of tradition like Ernst Loosen and Bonny Doon," Karlicek says in a statement. "Producers dedicated to crafting approachable, harmonious wines without sacrificing excellence truly resonate with us. Our aim is to kindle a symphony of excitement and curiosity within our patrons during their dining journey."

Decor is attuned to the neighborhood, with art installations and local/vintage finds. At Southlake, that means a tribute to the Back to The Future series, which was the original inspiration that shaped architect Brian Stebbins’s design for Town Square. An interior wall is decked with close to 400 vintage clocks, juxtaposed by plants.

A semi-private dining space can accommodate up to 14 guests for showers, parties, and other events.

Fort Worth Fire Department welcomes its largest recruit class ever

Firefighter News

The Fort Worth Fire Department must be doing something right: On September 25, the department welcomed its newest class of recruits at Bob Bolen Public Safety Complex to start their Fire Training Academy journey, a 36-week course.

With 60 recruits, the class is twice the size as the usual Academy class — making it the largest recruit class in the history of the department.

The class of 60 includes two sub-groups:

The first group, Class 93, consists of 10 "fast-tracked" students who already hold their Fire and EMS certifications. They'll graduate on November 17.
The second group, Class 94, consists of 50 brand new recruits who hold no certifications. They'll graduate on May 17, 2024.

This largest class in the history of the Fort Worth Fire Department comes after the Mayor, City Council and City Management’s vote to approve staffing levels where they need to be for a Department serving a city this size.

In August, a fire ad-hoc committee recommended increasing the fire department's staffing with 76 new positions, from 979 to 1,049 positions - particularly to cut back on overtime costs, racked up due to an increase in the number of special events they are called on to cover.

The recommendation called for the department to take on two 50-person recruitment classes, one in September and one in February, with approximately 25 percent predicted to fall out due to attrition, for a total of 76.

In addition to the increased number of recruits attending the Academy, staffing studies and negotiations with City leadership and stakeholders has made room for an additional 15 people to be added to the training team. These new training instructors, as well as the use of adjunct instructors from within the Department, will provide even more skill-based learning opportunities with experienced and tenured firefighters.

In a statement, Chief JIm Davis said, "I want to thank the Mayor, City Council and City Management for their diligence in seeing us through our staffing study and helping make the necessary adjustments to our staffing levels. I’m excited that the Department is growing alongside the City of Fort Worth and look forward to watching the new recruits go through one of the best training academy’s in the country."

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