Duchess’ frites reminded the author of McDonald’s in the best way.
Photo by Emmy Smith
Duchess at The Nobleman, 503 Bryan Av, Fort Worth. 682-432-3000. 6:30am-10:30am, 4:30pm-10pm Sun-Fri; 7am-11am, 4:30pm-10pm Sat. Bar 4pm-11pm daily.
South Main Village has more than established itself as a hot spot for nightlife, with popular bars like Nickel City and The Cicada slinging some of the city’s best drinks in a hip, unstuffy atmosphere. Regretfully, I’ve always found the food options to be somewhat lacking by comparison. Much love to Tinie’s, Wishbone & Flynt, and the legendary Bearded Lady, but three solid picks do not variety make.
Duchess at The Nobleman, an elevated but approachable new American restaurant inside a swanky Bryan Avenue hotel, is more than worthy to be added to that list.
The husband and I had been to Duchess once before but partook of a holiday preset menu (which had been delicious). That night, it had been eerily quiet in the dining room. It was a few days before Christmas, and I guess I had expected people to be out enjoying the holidays. We vowed to go back soon because, if you’ve lived in Fort Worth long, you know you have to actively support restaurants you like. You can’t assume they won’t be taken from you at any moment.
Thankfully, the bar on this pre-ice-storm Thursday was pleasantly bustling with hotel guests and locals. Leather placemats and coasters and glowing reata sconces on the walls convey a subtle Texas theme in the bar, which is unique and possibly a little out of place for the Southside, which tends to eschew all things Cowtown. A guitarist played classic rock and country in the corner, which we learned was part of a Thursday music series. The impressive but not imposing strumming helped our happy-hour Old Fashioneds go down smoothly.
Happy hour at the Duchess bar is worth a visit on its own. Photo by Emmy Smith
From the bar bites menu, we chose grilled artichokes, two whole artichokes perfectly charred and topped with mint salsa and preserved lemon aioli. As it’s not available in the dining room or anywhere else in town, the unique starter is well worth a visit to the bar on its own.
The dining room, located across the lobby from the bar, is about as large as the bar itself, and thankfully we weren’t the only ones in it this time. In fact, it was an opposite problem. Apparently, a group of 20 individuals from a nearby gym had showed up without a reservation, and most of the tables were pushed together to accommodate them. Despite this, the friendly and attentive staff didn’t miss a beat throughout our meal.
Duchess is helmed by Dallas-born Chef Casey Thompson, a fan favorite on the long-running Bravo reality show Top Chef, as well as Chef Mark Kopplin, who has put his stamp on some of Fort Worth’s most celebrated restaurants, like Piattello Italian Kitchen, Clay Pigeon Food and Drink, and the dearly departed Shinjuku Station. Duchess’ menu, which changes regularly with the whims of the chefs, leaned more Funkytown, unlike the décor.
From the varied cocktail menu, I selected the wintry Spiced Pear, a shaken mix of vodka, pear liqueur, spiced honey, and fresh lemon juice. My husband, a more adventurous drinker, chose the Harlem Nocturn, a Manhattan-esque concoction of rye, vermouth, espresso liqueur, Cointreau, and chocolate bitters.
It’s clear the chefs really like to flex their muscles in the starters section of the menu. Some of the inventive apps, like short-rib croquettes and Gulf snapper crudo (crudo is a Top Chef staple), we saved for next time. Instead, we wanted to see what the pastrami beef carpaccio was all about. A fun play on traditional beef carpaccio, featuring ribbons of raw steak, this generous portion instead stars cured pastrami (not raw) along with the traditional flavors of a classic Reuben: sauerkraut, whole-grain mustard, and a drizzle of truffle aioli because why not. It seemed only seconds went by before we’d gobbled the whole thing up.
Who needs rye bread when you can have a Reuben in carpaccio form? Photo by Emmy Smith
For his main, my husband selected the mezzaluna carbonara, housemade cheese-stuffed halfmoons generously topped with guanciale (cured pig cheek, similar to bacon) and a creamy Parmesan black pepper sauce. He practically licked the plate clean.
My steak frites arrived with a perfectly medium-rare and sliced cut of beef topped with horseradish crème freche, alongside thin-cut French Fries that reminded me of McDonald’s in the best way. Stuffed from the artichokes and the huge plate of “carpaccio,” I ate the rest the next day.
To find Duchess, you must enter the Nobleman Hotel, a Hilton property, where you can admire the cleverly restored interior of the building, which housed the original No. 5 Fire Station — a landmark from 1911 whose resident firefighters inspired the hotel’s name. This being a hotel restaurant, breakfast is served daily from 6:30am, by far the earliest you can sit down for a meal anywhere in South Main.
The argument could be made that a fine-dining(-ish) establishment inside a hotel operated by a major chain and named for an aristocratic British title doesn’t fit the vibe of the area, but look beyond aesthetics to the magic happening inside the kitchen before casting judgment. She is sure to surprise you.
Duchess at The Nobleman
Steak frites $45
Mezzaluna carbonara $28
Pastrami beef carpaccio $24
Grilled artichokes $10
Harlem Nocturn $15
Spiced Pear $13
House Old-Fashioned $9
House red wine on tap $8
Served with tender morsels of guanciale, the homemade mezzaluna pasta was tender and delectable. Photo by Emmy Smith
