Fort Worth foodieFallFall 20122012 COWTOWN’S FOOD TRUCK EXPLOSION HAS CREATED A NEW STANDARD FOR “FAST” FOOD THAT LEAVES ALL THE OTHERS IN THE DUST Keep on Truckin’ 7KH%DVWLRQ ȉȉ Ǩ Ǩ Ǧǡ Ƭ ͸ͻ Ǥ ͈͸ͶͶ ;Ǥ ǤǤ ǯ͸Ͷͷ͸ Ƭ ;ͷͽǦͿͷ͹ǦͼͿͽ͸ ǤǤ ͸ͷͶͶ ǡ 2 Fall 2012 • fwfoodie.com tCONTENTS 4 SPOTLIGHT KEEP ON TRUCKIN’ From tacos to tempura, Fort Worth’s food trucks are hitting the streets with gourmet eats. by Celestina Blok 8 AROUND TOWN 4 EAT THIS! Get the rundown on recent restaurant openings and a few that we are anticipating for the fall. by Josie Villa-Singleton 10 EASY ENTERTAINING FALLING FOR PECANS Add an earthy bite to sweet and savory fall dishes with these recipes featuring one of our favorite seasonal treats. by Callie Salls 12 CHEFS ON... OFF THE BEATEN PATH Local chefs let us in on restaurant picks that will make you a regular at these hidden gems. by Kevin Martinez 14 FOODIE FINDS 10 IT’S A TOUGH ROAD Get an inside look at what it is taking for our own staffer, Kevin Martinez, to get his food trailer up and rolling. by Natalie Lozano 15 EVENTS The heat is waning and lending itself to fall festivals that are bursting at the seams with food, wine, music and even chuck wagons. 16 FEAST YOUR EYES Taco Heads lets us in to capture an inside look at the daily grind. by Kari Crowe Seher 12 fwfoodie.com • Fall 2012 1 FROM THE EDITOR foodieFort Worth Editor-in-Chief Crystal Willars Vastine Managing Editor Matthew Vastine Design Director Cynthia Wahl Marketing Director Photo: KariSeher Crowe Photo: Micheline Hynes Copy Editor Evin Harano hen Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race hit the streets of Fort WWorth for a challenge in August 2010, I was in line (twice) for a Contributors taste of Vietnamese fusion cuisine from the Nom Nom truck out Celestina Blok of California. The show and the response from its fleeting two-day Natalie Lozano stint in Cowtown seemed to have sparked a mobile movement. Kevin Martinez Whether the abundance of trucks and trailers can be attributed to the Callie Salls show and its presence in Fort Worth is debatable. The one thing that is Kari Crowe Seher certain is that the floodgates are open and foodies are reaping the benefits. Josie Villa-Singleton It’s a phenomenon that many initially saw as a trend that would see itself out the door after a few months. Although we have seen many trucks come Cover photography by and go, countless others have weathered the ups and downs while gaining Kari Crowe Seher a loyal following. Food parks have popped up to give them a little piece of pavement to call their own and now throngs of happy customers fill the picnic tables with everything from hot dogs and tacos to steak frites and sushi. Published quarterly by The food parks themselves are new to Fort Worth, but we cannot forget Fort Worth Foodie LLC that there have been numerous trucks serving Cowtown for over a decade (like Tacos El Barrio featured on page 5). And while some may not consider ©2012 Fort Worth Foodie LLC them to be among the band of new “gourmet” trucks, they are still serving All Rights Reserved up the best tasting grub to come out of a kitchen with or without wheels. The options are endless and the trucks are geared up and ready for No part of this publication may cooler weather perfect for outdoor dining. No need to for reservations – if be reproduced without written you have ten minutes or two hours, there’s a truck with your name on it! permission from the publisher. Cheers! Comments concerning editorial content? email [email protected] For advertising inquiries contact: Sales Director Shirley Ben-David [email protected] Find us on Facebook|Follow us on Twitter 2 Fall 2012 • fwfoodie.com CONTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT CYNTHIA WAHL KEVIN MARTINEZ DESIGN DIRECTOR CONTRIBUTOR Cynthia comes to Texas Kevin keeps a full plate by way of Wisconsin (born serving as Chef de Cuisine at there) and Colorado (grew Tokyo Café and instructing up there). After spending 20 at the Culinary School of years as art director at the Fort Worth in classes on Fort Worth Star-Telegram, seafood, regions, and fusion. she decided to follow her Always looking for outlets epicurean passions. for his creative energy, Kevin Art and design are her founded Chefs Underground vocation - she also designs at Texas in late 2011. The 360 West magazine. But an group brings together adulation of Texas food and local chefs interested in wine was raised to a higher expanding their palates level when she became friends and talents by preparing Photo: KariSeher Crowe Photo: Photo: KariSeher Crowe Photo: with June Naylor during her meals together. After time at the newspaper. Together, they created Texas Toast Culinary preparing the meal and sharing tips and techniques, they enjoy the Tours in 2009 and have introduced hundreds of hungry followers to fruit of their labor. Martinez describes the experience as “chefs a new level of culinary curiosity. They guide locals through Feeding pushing each other forward.” Kevin’s has been married to high school Frenzies visiting multiple restaurants in one night, go on road trips sweetheart, Christy, for 7 years. Their two boys Eli and Alex (ages to culinary destinations throughout Texas, and create Iron Chef- 3 and 1) are fond advocates of bacon and crispy chicken skin, not style team building programs for organizations. See what’s coming to mention steamed dumplings. With a constant desire to test his up next at www.texastoastculinarytours.com. Cynthia is married abilities, Kevin has competed in several cooking competing statewide to a native Texan, and has two teenage sons who eat an awful lot. and was voted one of Fort Worth Magazine’s Top Chefs in 2011. SPOTLIGHT Jose Luis Ponce serves elote, left, a Keep on combination of whole kernel corn, cream, white cheese and spices. His Tacos El Truckin’ Barrio food truck By CelestinaCelestina Blok has been around PhotographyPhotography by KarKarii Crowe SeheSeherr over a decade. Tacos El Barrio 1300 Lee Ave., Fort Worth, 76106 (at Supermercado Monterrey) It’s just a few minutes before 11 a.m. and customers are already waiting outside the Tacos El Barrio food truck. The unadorned mobile kitchen is parked in the Supermercado Monterrey parking lot at Northside Drive near North Main Street. One of the truck’s staff members sets up a small table with three chairs before raising the truck’s awning, revealing a menu of tacos, tortas, quesadillas and more, complete with colorful photos showcasing each item. The ordering begins and will continue until late into the evening, just as it has on a daily basis for years. It’s been more than a decade since Jose Luis Ponce opened FROM TACOS his food truck, long before it was the trendy thing to do. The Mexico City native, who also works as a welder, has TO TEMPURA, been in the United States for nearly 30 years and serves true street tacos just like those he remembers from his homeland – soft corn tortillas, double-stacked and filled with FORT WORTH’S savory, mouthwatering meats like barbacoa, pastor (roasted pork), fajita and lengua (cow tongue). They’re substantially- FOOD TRUCKS sized and topped with chopped white onions, fresh cilantro and piquant salsa, and are a steal at only $1.25 each. ARE HITTING THE His quesadillas, just $2.50, are arguably the best in town, offering a grilled flour tortilla folded in half and stuffed with STREETS WITH meat, cabbage, avocados, cilantro and onions. From elote, whole kernel corn served in a cup with cream, white cheese and spices, to Jarritos, a fruit-flavored Mexican beverage, everything on GOURMET EATS Tacos El Barrios menu is authentic to Mexico. And a feast big enough to feed four hungry Foodie girls cost less than $15. “The tacos are my favorite. They’re a Mexican custom,” said Ponce, who also owns his three-year old El Barrio restaurant on North Main Street. “But I love the tortas, too.” Often degradingly referred to as “roach coaches,” trucks like Ponce’s have been cruising the streets of Fort Worth for years, commonly unrecognized by press and the general public. But those who’ve looked past the language barrier and the trucks’ unelaborate exteriors have long found incredibly delicious cuisine that could be sold for triple the price in more upscale neighborhoods. The fact is, the food truck phenomena is not new, and guys like Ponce have been trucking it right under our noses for years. “It’s the consistency in our product that’s kept business good,” Ponce said. “I want to continue to keep serving more.” 4 Fall 2012 • fwfoodie.com Chef Scott Kaiser of Bento Box Food trucks keeps it fresh with a Japanese- inspired menu that includes in Fort Worth this Dynamite Shrimp Bowl. Think you know all of Fort Worth’s food trucks and trailers? Here’s a guide to get you started on the usual •Fred’s Truck Wagon suspects and where to find them. Cowboy chef Terry Chandler’s longhorn-adorned truck allows The Originals the famous Fredburgers to hit the streets. www.fredstexascafe.com •Juanito’s Fort Worth Food Park Make your way to the Fina sta- tion on Hemphill to fill up •Sassy Hot Dogs on tortas and quesadillas. These dogs get sassy with va- 2240 Hemphill St. rieties like the Chopper, with •Taqueria Rio Grande smoked brisket and raspberry barbecue sauce, and the PMS, Some tout these tacos as some with chili, tamale and fried egg of the best in Fort Worth, with all topped with “hell sauce.” grilled white corn tortillas, www.sassyhotdogs.com cilantro, onions and seasoned Various locations meat with a smoky kick.