Best Steakhouses in Downtown area

First, I have to tackle the misconception that there are 7 new steakhouses coming to the area, for a total of 11, as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram… the last time I ate at Eddie V’s Edgewater Grill in Austin, it was an excellent seafood restaurant, and I don’t recall seeing steak on the menu….. there may have been a steak, but no one seemed to be ordering it. Same idea with calling the upcoming Vault…. the sign on our building says it is going to have mediterranean food and martinis. Anyway, here goes…

1. Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse is the mainstay
2. Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse is a new contender just across the street, so we’ll see what that does to Del Frisco’s prices and reservation list…
3. Mercury Chop House is excellent (and Tower residents get a 20% discount —- hint, hint, you other guys!)
4. Reata — while this really is a steakhouse, their other dishes are much more unique, so try the tamales instead and go to one of the earlier ones for steak! And go upstairs on the rooftop for a nice view, too!
5. Texas de Brazil — really a churascaria rather than the traditional steakhouse —- is a unique place to eat dinner, but since it is all-you-can-eat the general belief is that adding so much salt to their meat is how they keep you from eating too much to put them right out of business.
Coming soon to an Omni Hotel/Residence near you (if you live downtown, that is) will be Bob’s Steakhouse. I’ve never been to a “Bob’s” before. I hear they are excellent from people who love Del Frisco, and may also give the reigning champ a run for their money and their customers. (Not to build it up unduly.)

Not in Downtown…. OK, I know the “Startle-gram” (remember, I used to be a journalism teacher, so it’s ok for me to call them whatever I please) says it is downtown, but if I can’t walk there…… duh, it’s not! Lambert’s Steakhouse is excellent and very new to the “near-downtown” area, near Angelo’s Barbecue. There are other restaurants that serve steak, and some are near the downtown area, but if you are a Fort Worth native, much less a true Texan, a lot of them don’t count as a steakhouse…..just because they have a steak on the menu…. then a friend emailed me a couple of days ago and asked why his favorite, Silver Fox, was not on the list. (Not to slight anybody, but it is not really downtown, is it?)

Not many places could support this much beef….. we think Fort Worth will do just fine!
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Best Bars in Downtown Fort Worth ~ places to party

OK, this is one of the main reasons to live downtown. You go to a nice bar for a drink, eat dinner out, take in a movie, go dancing, listening to live music, etc. Some of the local watering holes are private clubs, with or without live music, so I’ll cover those later.

Many of the bars also serve food, and this is not meant to demean their menus at all. It all depends on what you are looking for on a particular evening. Some offer dancing, some don’t, some are nice for a drink before dinner, while others you shouldn’t even consider before 11 p.m.

Scat Lounge is one of the newest hot spots in town, with live music and dancing, which is a hit with the 20s/30s crowd interested in a little jitterbug.
Aqua Lounge tends to start later at night and is popular with a younger crowd. Other standbyes, which have been around for quite a few years are City Lights and Bar 9. Both of these offer disco style music late into the evening.
Sports bars, such as Fox and Hound and the Library and the Pour House and several German or Irish beer-themed venues are popular.
For a quieter respite, try the lounges in the Embassy Suites (an excellent tapas bar), the Ashton Hotel and the Renaissance Americana Hotel.
Topping the list, with various live bands on weekends (and sometimes during the week), is 8.0. Most of the eating establishments have a lounge, but usually not live entertainment.

Private clubs in the downtown area include: the Fort Worth Club (which has been around for 150 gillion years, originally started by the likes of Will Rogers…..maybe even Ben Franklin showed up there once….oh, no, it couldn’t have been. Anyway, it is the original deal when it comes to private clubs in Cowtown, and even offers ‘a club within a club,’ hosting events specifically for downtown residents in their “102″ Club. Not quite as old is the Petroleum Club of Fort Worth, which has also been around a long time, and has a live band with ballroom dancing on weekends. The youngest of the private clubs downtown is the City Club, an elegant venue originated by the Basses, and maintained in part by their generosity.

Yeah, so I know there are a lot of other really great bars downtown, even some with special themes like Embarcado, based on the decor of Cuba. There are more coming online in the next few months which I’m sure will deserve mention here as well, such as the Vault located in the Tower. Visit my website!

Best Restaurants in downtown Fort Worth ~ good grub!

There are….. ummmm….. 60+ something restaurants downtown…. which is not exactly the Weight Watcher’s dream. But if you like to party, you know you are in the right place. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, more locally known as the “Startle-gram”, recently reported that there will soon be 11 steak houses in the downtown area……ok, gimme a break. The last time I went to Eddie V’ Edgewater Grille in Austin they MIGHT have had one steak on the menu for those who don’t like the best seafood around, but I doubt if many people actually order it. And the up-and-coming, highly touted, much anticipated Vault on the street level of the Tower was listed as a new steak house by the S-T, but the wording on the signage says it will serve Mediterranean cuisine, not steak.

Our faves (of presently open venues):
Steak….. still Del Friscos, with the newly opened Ruth’s Chris running a close second presently
Seafood…. Daddy Jack’s has a knock out menu, and be sure to try Dominick’s Special Salad
Mexican…. Cantina Laredo (which evacuates to our SB level during storms, complete with margaritas and tablemade guacamole — see previous blog entry)
Italian…. ok, this is hard, because I have to separate dinner from brunch. And from pizza….Anyway, we love both Ferre, across from Bass Hall, which offers a bit more gourmet pizzazz, but we actually enter through the back door at Taverna, which has the best Sunday brunch around for the money.
Brunch…. Taverna Ristorante for the price, quality of food and bottomless Bellini’s and Mimosa’s. We also love their pizza and other Italian menu.
Pizza…. now there’s a surprise involved in this one. There are all kinds of great pizza places downtown, from Sammy’s, Taverna, Uno, and (really!) the Fox and Hound’s pizza is excellent, but the hippest place with great pizza and wine is Zambrano’s.
Asian…. nothing else is like Piranha Killer Sushi —- we also love to go to PF Chang’s, but since we believe the hotter, the better —- none of this “Yankee-fied” Mexican or Oriental is good enough for us! FYI – outside of the downtown area, if you really want some great Thai cuisine, go to our old hang-out “Thai Chili” in Southlake Town Center.

There are lots of other fantastic eateries in Fort Worth, but if you live downtown, they don’t really count if you have to get the car out!!! (OK, only on special occasions!) Happy eating!
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