A taste of Fort Worth

 

No, I haven’t been to the annual event by that name, but I’ve been doing some tasting, both commercial food and at home. The other night, we ordered curbside pick-up from Bonnell’s. For those not from Fort Worth, Bonnell’s is a twenty-some-year-old upscale restaurant that specializes in farm to table food, wild game, and seafood fresh from the Gulf of Mexico. It has long been one of Fort Worth’s best restaurants. During pandemic, owner and executive chef Jon Bonnell established a take-out program for diners who were quarantining. It was so successful, it continues to this day. Because the restaurant is on a frontage road, he calls his customers Frontage Road Warriors, and the lines to pick up sometimes stretch a mile or more. We had wanted to try it for some time but one thing or another stopped us.

Last week, the stars were in alignment, and we ordered a smothered pork dinner. The pork chops were indeed smothered with a mushroom cream gray. The dinner for four included mashed potatoes, succotash (I’m sure you’ll believe me when I say I’m the only one who relished succotash, though I wished it didn’t have tiny bits of bacon in it), a good green salad, bread, and cookies for dessert. It was delicious down to the last bite, so good it had me gnawing the last bit of meat off the bone. We’ll do that again, just not on a night they offer a shrimp dish (I’m allergic). And to boot the price is right—a bargain dinner for four.

Last night I went with friends Carol and Lon to dinner at the Paris Coffee Shop. That coffee shop is a Fort Worth institution, dating back to the 1920s when Vic Paris established the small restaurant on Magnolia Avenue. In my memory (and that’s a good fifty years), it was always run by Mike Smith. It was a breakfast all day kind of place, with chicken-fried steak and homemade pie. I once ordered tuna, which was a huge mistake. A year or so ago, Mike sold it to young restaurateurs who upgraded the interior, pretty much kept the menu, and installed a full bar. At first the new owners served breakfast and lunch, but in the last couple of weeks they opened for dinner.

The new décor is bright, open, airy, and clean with enough retro touches to tie it to the original. Somehow it made me think of the famous Edward Hopper painting. But even early there was a full parking lot and a good crowd. Not being hungry enough for chicken-fried steak I had a huge Caesar salad with more brioche croutons than anyone could possibly eat—it was a really good salad. There was a bit of flurry when Lon ordered a Black Russian, but they got it worked out. The chicken-fried steak was good (Carol gave me a bite), not great, and Lon pronounced his caldo a bit mild but good. A pleasant evening with good conversation.

Meanwhile, on the home front, Christian and I collaborated on air fryer chicken wings and drumettes. I marinated them for eight hours in a garlic/olive oil/lemon sauce, and Christian cooked them in his air fryer. One of my favorites, and a great meal with a big tossed salad.

Tonight I was on my own for dinner, so I toasted a piece of artisan bread, spread it with crème fraiche, loaded on thin slices of smoked salmon, and topped it with homemade pickled red onions. My kind of dinner! Dessert was a mini chocolate éclair from the freezer.

I have been absorbed the last two days by articles about the Queen, the monarchy, colonialism and the stain on the monarchy, and the future under King Charles III. Tonight I read an article from a feminist point of view, with the point that Elizabeth’s reign would have been different—and not so beloved by many—if she had been a man. I haven’t sorted out my thoughts on all that, so I’ll save them for another day. I think the news will reverberate with consequences of Elizabeth’s death for many days to come. I have time to think about it.

Tomorrow is a powerful anniversary for our country: September 11. Much has been written about how that terrible terroristic attack unified us as a country and how easily that unity disappeared until today we are horribly divided. I read a post on Facebook that suggested unity was easier in Britain. When the country becomes divided, all they have to do is trot out the royalty in a golden carriage and all of a sudden, it's, “Hail, Britannia!” Tongue in cheek, no doubt, but there’s also a kernel of truth to be considered. The monarchy is far from completely ornaental, and America could use some similar symbol to draw us together. At this late date, I’m not sure September 11 can take us back to the days of unity.