A brunch adventure

            While half the world was clogging the streets to get to the Schwab golf tournament (hard for me to call it anything but Colonial) and the Fort Worth Zoo, Subie, Phil, and I headed in another direction for an adventure. We went to Magdalena’s for brunch.

I haven’t had time to get used to the concept of food trucks yet and along come pop-up restaurants. Just like the pop-up stores we’ve seen in the last few years, these restaurants are temporary, sometimes renting buildings, sometimes using quarters owned by other chefs, often providing a new and ambitious chef a start-the-career location. Having said that, Magdalen’s is none of those things, although its full meal offerings are much like the pop-up concept.

Magdalena’s on Fort Worth’s North Side (across from Oakwood Cemetery) is the creation of Chef Juan Rodriguez, formerly executive chef at Reata. He left Reata in 2015 to open his own catering service and supper club. Brunch is served occasionally (it’s a good idea to be on the mailing list so you can make those necessary reservations) and the supper club dinners are on weekends only.

We went to brunch filled with curiosity, no idea what we’d find. What we found was a delightful experience. Brunch was served in an industrial-modern building. About thirty of us sat at several long tables, so you got to know your neighbors while you dined. We sat at the end of a table—easiest for my walker and Phil’s guide dog. The couple next to us, from Arlington, proved delightful, and we talked about everything from restaurants (this was their second pop-up experience) to their two young children, the business climate (he works for a corporation hit by the tariffs), and nursing professionals—her field. (It was noisy but not so loud that I, with hearing problems, couldn’t understand most if not all.) The meals at Magdalena’s are BYOB, and they had brought a bottle of pre-mixed Manhattans, which they generously shared with Phil. Subie and I had declined to bring wine—10:30 seemed a little early in the day—but as I looked down the table I saw lots of champagne bottles. Next time I’ll bring wine, because the food deserves it.

This was one of the most creative meals I’ve ever been served. The menus at Magdalena’s reflect Chef Juan’s preference for Mexican and Spanish cuisine—as a child he often visited his grandmother in Mexico and absorbed her love for and skill with food.

We began with an appetizer—a mini Monte Cristo sandwich topped with a spoonful of picked strawberry jam. Delicious but a bit filling, and I thought I wouldn’t be hungry after that. Not to worry. A kale salad with lemon vinaigrette, cotija cheese, midnight mushrooms (new to me) followed. The main course was a cornbread waffle topped with barbacoa, pickled onions, a poached egg, avocado crema, and micro greens. (I didn’t get the menu memorized and may have missed a couple of ingredients, but you get the idea). All this was served on attractive crockery, with cups and serving bowls featuring Mexican motifs. The color, design, texture combination, and taste of the food we simply wonderful.

I think as we headed out this morning, we were a bit tentative about our adventure. Now we’re filled with enthusiasm and want to go back for dinner.