This roundup of Fort Worth restaurant news shows that at least two restaurants are opening on August 16, making it a hot day for foodies. But there’s also an unfortunate closing, new menus, limited-edition dishes featuring Hatch chilies, and a high school BBQ team that will be on TV.
Here’s what’s new in the Fort Worth restaurant industry:
Enchiladas Ole, the local Tex-Mex chain known for its many varieties of enchiladas, has closed its North Richland Hills location after four years due to a lack of business. The restaurant was located at 9005 N Tarrant Pkwy., taking over a former Slim Chickens, which itself had only been there for two years. That leaves two locations, on Camp Bowie Boulevard and at Forest Park — both now serving a new summer special: enchilada with chicken tinga and avocado cream sauce for $13. And there’s good news: Owner Mary Patino Perez is opening a new concept called Holy Cue near TCU that combines barbecue and Mexican food.
Pokey O’s Cookies & Ice Cream will open its fourth brick-and-mortar location in Bedford, 2101 Harwood Rd. #125, on August 16 with a ceremonial ribbon cutting at 5 p.m. The menu will feature 12 flavors of fresh-baked cookies – chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, oatmeal cinnamon raisin walnut, white chocolate macadamia nut and more – as well as 16 flavors of Blue Bell ice cream and toppings. There are also locations in Dallas, Rockwall and Flower Mound (in a market hall), as well as dessert trucks that they use to bring cookies to specific locations.
Black Rock Coffee Bar opened a new location in Burleson on August 16 at 425 SW Wilshire Blvd. The Oregon-based chain offers coffee, tea, smoothies and Fuel energy drinks. The 2,000-square-foot location features a modern industrial design. This is the eighth Black Rock Coffee Bar in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area.
Roy Pope Grocery in Fort Worth has a new menu with improved salads served in real bowls, new smoked sandwiches and a kids’ menu that even the pickiest eaters will say they’ll love. There’s a Reuben sandwich on marble rye bread, a chicken Caesar, a chicken Caesar wrap in a spinach tortilla, a Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Sandwich and more.
The Sour Boule, the family bakery specializing in sourdough breads, sells their starter, the precious flour and yeast mass that is key to baking great sourdough bread. The starter was developed in 2021 by bakery founder Alexis Misner and her husband. They call it Oscar. You can find many options for starters online, but most are dried, so getting a “live” one is a godsend. They sell the starter for $10, but in what size, they couldn’t say. “One container,” maybe.
Flips Patio Grill is celebrating the Hatch chili with its August burger of the month: the New Mexican Hatch Chile Burger, featuring a 50/50 grilled patty, American cheese, bacon and green Hatch chili sauce, available at its Fort Worth and Grapevine locations.
Carrabba’s Italian Grill is offering a special weekend deal: a three-course meal for two for $45, available Saturday through Sunday through August. The menu includes soup or salad; main dishes such as lasagna, mezzaluna or Tuscan-grilled pork chop; and dessert to share, such as strawberry cheesecake or tiramisu.
Mi Dia From Scratch has launched a Hatch Chili menu, available through August 31, that includes an $18 Hatch Burger with a Wagyu chorizo patty, Hatch green chili sauce and fried quail eggs, a 28-day aged flank steak with a stuffed Hatch chili, fried chicken tacos with Hatch chili queso and savory sopapillas stuffed with ground beef and Hatch green chili sauce.
Yogurtland has introduced seasonal flavors like pumpkin spice, s’mores, and salted caramel pecan frozen yogurt, as well as a new topping: chocolate chip cheesecake bites.
McDonald’s has a new collection of collectible mugs in six designs: Grimace Mug, Hello Kitty, Barbie, Shrek, Ty Beanie Babies and Snoopy. They are small and made of plastic (not glass) and come with the purchase of a Sausage McMuffin, Chicken McNuggets or Big Mac.
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop is offering a Watermelon Jala-‘Rita for a limited time through September 8. The margarita features country music star Thomas Rhett’s Dos Primos Blanco tequila, watermelon and jalapeño and is served in an 18-ounce glass with a Tajin rim.
Meet the Smokin’ Ferrets, Arlington ISD’s BBQ teamAISD
Globe Life Field was named one of the most vegan-friendly baseball stadiums in the U.S. by PETA thanks to its animal-friendly menu—be sure to try the PLT portabella mushroom sandwich, meatless burgers, meatless hot dogs, meatless nuggets, vegan nachos, and vegan soft serve ice cream at the Oatly stand.
The Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau is hosting its third annual #SaveTheTacos campaign, a competition between over a dozen local restaurants. Participants include Boiling Tails Co., Cut & Bourbon by Live!, Grounds & Gold Co., M’Jay’s House of Smoke, Papaya Mexican Grill, Prince of Lebanese Grill, R Bar and Grill, Rocketbelly, Tic-Taco, TJ’s Catfish & Wings, Tom’s Burgers & Grill and Zack’s Bistro, which created a limited-time special taco to compete for the title of Arlington’s favorite taco. The campaign runs August 20 through September 30.
The Smokin’ Ferrets are a BBQ team made up of students from the Arlington ISD Dan Dipert Career and Technical Center who have made a name for themselves and are now competing on BBQ Higha new series on Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network premiering Sunday, August 18, with the first two episodes airing at 12 and 1 p.m., followed by new episodes airing on subsequent Sundays.
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Stephanie Allmon Merry and Raven Jordan contributed to this story.
Desserts
