Fort Worth

(From September 2010) Crystal chandeliers, plenty of natural light, and an indoor reflecting pool draw you past the awesome wine cellar into the dining room. Taking advantage of a menu that goes way beyond steaks, we enjoyed a delicious salad of baby greens, candied pistachios, Oregon blue cheese, and Michigan cherries, followed by awesome bacon-wrapped scallops served with lemon butter sauce. A jalapeño-and-onion-crusted bass filet with a tequila–red chile cream sauce was a creative treatment (and not lethally hot). The boozy hot fudge sundae was good but handicapped by a second-rate brownie. Bar.

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(From October 2010) In this handsome neighborhood bistro, chef-owner Louise Lamensdorf promises to put “Paris on your plate.” We found the midweek specials do that very thing—and at a bargain too. Select bottles of wine are half off, and featured appetizers, entrées, and desserts are listed at reduced prices. We particularly enjoyed the very special crab cake, which came plated with the house salad, featuring red grapes and black sesame seeds. Perfect summer fare, with calories left over to enjoy crème brûlée topped with a dollop of chocolate mousse.

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(From May 2011) Handmade breads and pastries have moved into the TCU neighborhood. Concentrating on artisanal loaves of French, German, and Italian provenance, the bakery adheres to a production schedule, making basics like ba-guettes and sourdough daily and specialty breads (pain au fromage, brioche, etc.) on certain days of the week. Be sure to try one of the sandwiches too, like ham and Gruyère or goat cheese with black olive tapenade and roasted tomato. They make for a perfect picnic, particularly when you add a few freshly baked cookies. The lunch counter is laden with cakes, scones, and muffins just begging to follow you home.

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(From June 2011) This 77-year-old bakery recently moved a few blocks to the west, to a former 1920’s church building complete with oak pews and stained-glass windows. Now there’s a little more space for breakfasting on sausage rolls and muffins and lunching on chicken salad sandwiches with house-made chips. You may need absolution if you overindulge in cup-cakes, petits fours, and cookies.

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(From February 2012)

Refined Western decor sets the stage for some of the best wild game and fresh fish in the area. There are meats aplenty for the Texas he-man (or anyone who eats like one), including venison, beef, antelope, and buffalo. Venison tenderloin was lavished with a cocoa rub, wrapped in bacon, and grilled to perfection, while cobia, a warm-water white fish, was treated to a delicate herbed beurre blanc, a perfect choice that let the mild fish shine. Cleverly placed partitions allow for privacy, and the wine list contains many formerly obscure domestic labels, which the servers are well versed in. Bar.

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(From February 2012)

Chef-restaurateur Daniele Puleo, a native of Sicily, insisted on a proper wood-fired oven for the preparation of his signature pizzas, and we’re glad he did. The oven’s extremely high heat produces an evenly baked pie with crisp edges, a crusty bottom, and a supple center. The popular Brooklyn pie has mozzarella, slices of meatball, basil, and tomato, while Christina’s Favorite makes a nice vegetarian option, with its roasted eggplant, goat cheese, Parmesan, and balsamic reduction (there wasn’t a crumb left when we finished that one). Bar.

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(From November 2010) The interior is sleek, with brick columns, glass exterior walls, concrete floors, and hard ceilings, all of which tend to amplify any background noise. There’s no need for conversation, though, once the food arrives. Chef Casey Thompson, acolyte of Dean Fearing and “fan favorite” on the third season of Top Chef, has been busy, living in San Francisco and traveling around Central and South America, con-centrating on local food sourcing and honing the skills she now applies to a limited but highly selective menu. Striped bass came beautifully cooked, served atop “Texas succotash” and dressed with an apple-fennel slaw. From the “small plate” section, we got a pile of crispy chicken livers with hot pepper vinegar; the batter was nicely seasoned and the livers cooked to a still-moist medium. Our peach cobbler with buttermilk ice cream was meant for sharing, bubbling and flavorful and marred only by a stray bit of peel or two. Bar.

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(From June 2011)

For a restful stop in a serene setting, this circular room, with views of sculptures and a reflecting pond, would suffice even without the scrumptious food. But luckily for us, chef Dena Peterson chooses local ingredients and humanely raised animals (sans antibiotics and growth hormones), handles it all with a delicate expertise, and plates her food as artfully as anything you’ll see in the museum. Capellini with sautéed arugula, dried tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts came nestled around herb-grilled chicken and laced with lemon-garlic olive oil, while tender crepes enveloped goat and Swiss cheeses and sat atop creamy mushroom duxelles. Bar.

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(From November 2011)

When we're feeling New Yorkish, we head for this long-time deli on the south side, which features such delights as the Rachel (corned beef and turkey, melted Swiss, coleslaw on rye) and the Rebecca (pastrami, cream cheese, and smoked turkey with Russian dressing on egg bread). We accompany it with an imported beer or the featured wineby the glass, and we always save room for a slice of the to-die-for Key lime pie. Beer & wine.

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(From February 2012)

Chef Molly McCook’s preference for the produce of local farmers translates into well-articulated, always interesting seasonal menus. Squash was on our radar, with a roasted-squash-and-ricotta tart served with arugula, a cheesy squash fondue topped with buttery bread crumbs, and young, tender spears of fried okra. We still managed to consume every last bite of cornmeal-crusted redfish with crawfish étouffée. Beer & wine.

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