The Vault re-visited…

We finally made it into the Vault last night to see (and taste) for ourselves. If you like a quiet atmosphere, stay upstairs in the dining room. If you are the life of the party (or just like to be around the one who is) the downstairs area may be more your style. Each floor has its own fireplace (okay, so what if we won’t get to use it until next February?)… and these are the only real fireplaces we have seen in the downtown area. When it was cold last winter we kept looking for a place to go warm up with a brandy in the evening, but we were disappointed in other restaurants/bars that what appeared to be a fireplace was all for show (no flue, no warmth).

The downstairs just screams “take me to the kasbah!” There are cool nooks and crannies to hold intimate conversations where you can hardly be seen, but there is also flatscreen tv for those inclined to stay glued to a screen. The food proved to be traditionally Mediterranean —- we were very happy to see a wide range of fish on the menu with few high-carb offerings —- which means we can go there after vacation and remain on a much-needed diet after living (and eating out in) downtown for the past couple of years! The tidbits we sampled had a burst of flavor worthy of making the mouth water just hoping for more — lamb with a honey-saffron coating, bruschetta and small but spicy potato pieces (that I couldn’t pronounce the name of much less spell). The menus are varied — lunch, tapas and dinner-sized plates — with plenty to please the palate whether you want a small or large meal, even including burgers for the kids and a steak for the meat-and-potatoes types. We can’t wait to get back from vacation and go downstairs for the actual Grand Opening!
http://www.PrudentialTexas.com/MarieFerguson

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!
http://www.PrudentialTexas.com/MarieFerguson

Security in the building…

When the Tower first opened, a friend asked me about the security in the building because he was working on plans to write a novel set in downtown Fort Worth and he wanted to have reliable information on how things operated here for the plot. I had explained that we have 24-hour concierge service and other amenities, with quasi-New York City style greeters at a desk (they don’t open the door for us like the doorman does …. yet anyway) and electronic key fobs that are required to unlock the doors to the building. You can’t get around easily anymore without one of those fobs to allow access — not just to outside doors, but to a different floor on the elevator. (This has caused a few moments of concern for many who have dropped their keys down the elevator shaft and couldn’t get to their floor and couldn’t get in their condos once they found someone to scan them up to their floor.) In the midst of telling my friend about the security in the building, I began to feel concerned that if he put too much information into the book it might urge a security breach by local ‘bad men’.

As time went on, I realized that it is only through elementary error that we have had any problems of this sort. All the common areas going from the elevator to the condo doors look exactly alike by design, as we are prevented in our condo agreements to place anything outside the door (like a doormat, maybe?), so it has happened on more than one occasion that a misguided resident would get off on the wrong floor, go to his door, find it unlocked, open it and then realize, ‘OMG this is not my condo!!!’ So far nothing detrimental has come from this, but I try to remember to keep the door locked, not because it is unsafe, but because there might be a surprise visitor otherwise! http://www.PrudentialTexas.com/MarieFerguson

Links to 76102 Downtown Fort Worth Condo websites

Links to 76102 property websites:

Le Bijou Townhomes: lebijoufw.com/

Montgomery Plaza Condos: www.montgomeryplaza.com

Museum Place Condos: www.museumplaceliving.com

S-T News article on One City Place: www.onecityplacefw.com/news_aug_01_04.html -

The Palisades Townhomes: http://www.palisadesfw.com/

Pecan Place Townhomes: pecanplacetownhomes.com/default.aspx

T&P Lofts: www.texasandpacificlofts.com

The Neil P Anderson: http://www.theneilp.com/news/08252004.phpOmni Residences: www.1301throckmorton.com/

The Tower: originally [www.livingatthetower.com – no longer in operation] call 817.291.8823 or www.PrudentialTexas.com/MarieFerguson

Villa de Leon Condos: www.villadeleon.com/

Westview Condos: http://www.condo.com/Pre-Construction_Condo_Fort-Worth_76102_Westview_1658234-TrackFrom=MapSearch

Note: Not all properties have their own website. Please go to www.PrudentialTexas.com/MarieFerguson for more information on those not listed here.

Public perception of what it costs (and why you’d want to)

It’s just one of those things that you either love or hate. Some people walk into our condo, see the long hallway with the beautiful floor-to-ceiling glass and head straight for the balcony to stand outside and gaze at the view, saying “Wow! I could SO DO THIS!!”

Others cringe as soon as the door opens, get that wide-eyed deer in the headlights look on their faces and ask if we feel the building sway, what we did with all our stuff from the house in Colleyville, and can’t wait to set foot on the ground level again.

Whether it is a fear of heights or claustrophobia, some people just have to have some dirt to dig in — we know of several couples who lived in the Tower for a couple of years, then sold and moved so they could grow a garden again or have space to entertain the grandkids, cook large Christmas dinners, etc.

Downtown living is not for everybody, but if you think it might be for you, go check out what some of the properties have to offer. Not all are highrise, not all are small, not all are particularly pricey, but you will have to choose how important particular issues are for your circumstances.

A friend recently called me to ask about seeing some property downtown. I asked what was most important to her, what kind of place she wanted. Her reply summed up public perception. ‘I want to be high up, with lots of twinkling lights and I need a minimum of 1600 square feet —- I’d like to get that for about $200,000-$225,000.”

Have you ever heard the adage in business, ‘fast delivery time, best price, highest quality — pick any two’? That pretty much works here, too. You can have more space and be up high, but it’s pricey. You can have a larger space for less money, but you’ll have to walk a good way to get to Sundance Square. You can have a smaller space in the clouds for less money, too. So you have to decide what is really important for you and what you can afford. Space in the Tower ranges from around 800 sf to 4500 sf for a penthouse —- with prices ranging from vaguely over $200K to around $2 million, and the prices for an equal number of square feet go up a bit the higher into the clouds you go. Go to www.PrudentialTexas.com/MarieFerguson to check out MLS listings and prices for zip code 76102.

Away from Sundance Square, and not in the clouds, there are lots of other locations that give more space for less money (but some cost more) — of course, you may have to drive to get to the downtown action, which kind of defeats the purpose. My husband and I joke that we never get in the car together unless we are going on vacation. There is very little we need to do that is not in walking distance (except for work in some cases).

Watch for related links to downtown properties. http://www.PrudentialTexas.com/MarieFerguson

Not all the gas in Fort Worth comes from the Mexican food…

Yeah, OK the Mexican beans can have some ill effects on the digestive system… but one of the things that is keeping Fort Worth way more than solvent right now is the Barnett Shale. It’s gonna last for years, and hopefully will get us through the credit/lender epidemic that plagues much of the country. Sideways drilling, duh….. I guess if you live downtown you don’t have enough acreage to make any money from the drilling…..maybe you kept your mineral rights when you sold before moving here. At least your not sitting in the traffic anymore. Meet me at Cantina, Mi Cocina or (OMG I’d have to get in the car) Joe T’s….. and let’s have some good ole Mexican beans!!! http://www.PrudentialTexas.com/MarieFerguson

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!
Visit my website!

The Tower ~ Fort Worth’s highrise hot spot!

Setting: Downtown Fort Worth, Texas, 76102 ~ Time: March 2000 ~ Place: Bank One Tower ~ Action: a tornado

The winds were deafening that early evening when the tornado hit. No one was killed, thank God, but the building would never be the same again. It was like a scene from the Wizard of Oz. And when it was over, the businesses housed in the Bank One Tower on Throckmorton had no place to go. One of the trendiest restaurants in town, Reata, perched on the top floors of the building had an uncertain future. The owners of the building didn’t have it in them to restore it, and so it sat there for years as the butt of jokes, earning the name ‘the birdhouse’ because of the broken windows, covered with wood to keep some of the birds out. We even made reservations to watch the implosion from the nearby Fort Worth Petroleum Club —- and then things changed. A developer decided it was worth much more as the city’s first highrise condominium project, and The Tower was born.

In the winter of 2004, the rush to own a piece of downtown’s premier homesite caused the developer to sell (rather than lease half of) the entire building. The location certainly didn’t hurt sales! Many buyers chose their unit based on the direction their windows would face — they wanted to watch the buzz of Sundance Square from their living rooms. In May of 2005 the first residents moved in, and homelife took on a new direction.

This space is dedicated to the urban lifestyle that downtown residents know and love, and a few things they love to hate, as well. For more information go to www.PrudentialTexas.com/MarieFerguson and come back often to learn about downtown residents, the best places to eat, best bars, best places to hear great live music (besides Bass Hall), etc.