Inspired by the 2003 rom-com Love Actually, our cover image and these listings feature some great chefs celebrating love and food. This who’s-who of local luminaries will be hosting and toasting at their best this weekend, and you should, too. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday, the pressure is on!
From a quiet night at home to a full-blown staycation experience, these chefs’ restaurants (and many more) have ideas for your consideration. Plus, if you make it to the end of this article, you’ll find details on a contest you can enter to win dinner and a movie, compliments of the Weekly. #winning
Courtesy Los Guapos
A Quiet Night In
Looking for that ever-popular heart-shaped box of tacos you’ve seen all over your socials? There are local options. The special at Los Guapos (2708 W 7th St, Fort Worth, 817-877-0008) includes six tacos your way, chips and queso, and two drinks for $30. Quantities are limited, so you’ll want to call ahead and place an order. Tacos el 24, with three locations in Arlington and one in Grand Prairie, also offers a $28 option. Find the location nearest you at TacosEl24.com.
Enchiladas Ole recently moved to the Near Southside (1208 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-751-5556). When you dine there, you can try Chef Mary Patino Perez’s “Mexican done better” or items from her Holy Que Texican Bar-B-Q menu. For this weekend, you might consider Mary’s Family Meals for carry-out. For $69.99, you can feed 4-6 people with 12 enchiladas or tacos, served with rice, beans, chips, and salsa, or with arroz con pollo (grilled chicken over rice), served with chips, salsa, and queso. For more info, visit EnchiladasOle.com.
Start your celebration early with a pasta class at iL Modo (714 Main St, Fort Worth, 817-415-0144) on Thursday and leave with a recipe card to recreate the Valentine’s Day Heart-Shaped Ravioli at home whenever the mood strikes. Start the class with a glass of bubbles, then step into the kitchen with the culinary team to learn how to make the ravioli from scratch, with chef tips and tasting along the way. Tickets are $80 per person at ow.ly/bARK50Y4UEO.
Soul-food favorite Drew’s Place (5701 Curzon Av, Fort Worth, 817-476-1857) is offering a sweet take-away deal for Valentine’s Day (literally), but you have to act fast. Order 12 chocolate-covered strawberries for $35 or six for $20 and receive a complimentary custom message. Text “ORDER” to 817-988-8440 by Wed, Feb 11, for Fri-Sat pickup. Be sure and come back to Eats & Drinks next week to read more about Drew’s in our annual Black History Month Issue.
Courtesy iL Modo
Keep It Casual
Rex’s Bar & Grill (1501 S University Dr, Fort Worth, 817-968-7397) can be as chill or as fancy as you want. By sitting at the bar, in the dining area, or on the patio, you can create whatever vibe you like. From Friday to Sunday, you can enjoy an elevated night out there with a chef-curated dinner for two for $99. First course is two jumbo Maryland crab cakes with mustard sauce and citrus slaw, followed by Surg & Turf: two 5-oz glazed beef filets with caramelized garlic-onion butter and crab-stuffed jumbo shrimp served with Yukon mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Reserve your table at RexsFTW.com.
How about a romantic, candlelight dinner in a cozy diner atmosphere? That’s what’s happening this Saturday at Tom’s Burgers & Grill (1530 N Cooper St, Arlington, 817-459-9000). For $110 per couple, enjoy ribeye steaks with shrimp, loaded baked potatoes, and salads, plus a slice of triple-layer chocolate to share. Wash it all down with two complimentary beers or glasses of wine per person. Call the restaurant for reservations.
Courtesy Rex’s Bar & Grill
Fancy, Don’t Let Me Down
The teams at Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine and Waters are preparing for a busy weekend without their popular owner. Chef Jon Bonnell has recently been battling cancer and is recovering at home. We wish him all the best. He’s a great chef but an even better human.
Bonnell’s (4259 Bryant Irvin Rd, Fort Worth, 817-738-5489) has a dine-in Valentine’s meal for $150 per couple: honey-nut squash bisque, braised lamb shank with green-chile cheese grits, étouffée, and chocolate ganache cake with cherries.
Specializing in international small plates, Cafe Americana (403 E Main St, Arlington, 682-270-0041) and Chef Wendy Felix are serving up a four-course meal on Friday and Saturday for $125 per person. As a welcome cocktail, the First Kiss Prosecco includes elderflower, lemon, and rose petals, or there’s a nonalcoholic hibiscus-and-ginger sparkling mint soda. The appetizer course includes either a crab cake or a spring vegetable and mushroom tart. Next, choose either a local burrata or a duck confit fritter. Entrees include three options: Chilean sea bass, an 8-oz filet, or a morel-and-truffle risotto. The fourth and final course is dessert: a dark chocolate-and-strawberry love bomb or a panna cotta. Reserve your table at CafeAmericanaTX.com/reservations.
At Clay Pigeon Food & Drink (2731 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth, 817-882-8065), Chef Marcus Paslay is serving a Valentine’s prix-fixe on Saturday featuring seasonal soup or salad; your choice of ribeye, braised short rib, or scallops; and a dessert for $110 per person. To make a reservation, visit ClayPigeonFD.com.
Saturday reservations are already gone at Ellerbe Fine Foods (1501 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-926-3663). However, there is still room for you at the table on Friday, and they guarantee to deliver the same finely crafted four-course Valentine’s menu at $120 per person. Start with an amuse-bouche of housemade profiterole, followed by your choice of smoked tomato bisque or a winter lettuce-and-feta salad. For the entrée, choose between seared mahi mahi with roasted cauliflower and sautéed winter greens or a red wine-braised Texas Wagyu short rib. Finish the meal with a housemade Dubai chocolate cake. Call the restaurant for a reservation.
Magdalena’s, the family-owned catering and event company specializing in upscale American, Mexican, and global cuisine, is the life’s work of Chef Juan Rodriguez, and his monthly Magdalena’s Supper Club (502 Grand Av, Fort Worth, 817-740-8085) is basically a pop-up that serves a different menu every time. For February, it’s a dinner inspired by Like Water for Chocolate. Amor en la Cocina at 7pm Sat features a welcome cocktail, chocolate and caviar tarts, lobster carpaccio, quail medallions in rose petal sauce, carnitas rolls, dry-aged picaña, and a heart-shaped Mexican hot chocolate mousse for $105 per person. Book your reservation at MagdalenasTX.com.
Chef Richard Sandoval is bringing a Latin-fusion twist to his Valentine’s event at Toro Toro (200 Main St, Fort Worth, 817-975-9895) in Sundance Square 5pm-10pm Sat. For $94 per person, enjoy a three-course dinner, including an heirloom beet salad; a Wagyu, halibut, or prawn entrée; and a red velvet tres leches dessert. There are à la carte options as well. Reserve a table at ToroToroFortWorth.com/valentines-day.
Stay for Awhile
In addition to the pasta class on Thursday, iL Modo is setting the table for romance all weekend long. From Friday to Sunday, Chef Irine Garza will serve an Italian-rooted Valentine’s dinner with “lingering conversations, thoughtful courses, and a celebration best enjoyed together.” Begin with mixed greens accented by marinated strawberries, whipped goat cheese, and candied pecans, followed by delicate lobster ravioli finished in a rich lobster coulis. End the night on a sweet note with a shared dark-chocolate molten cake, paired with chocolate or vanilla gelato.
Well, actually, iL Modo is located inside the Kimpton Harper Hotel (714 Main St, Fort Worth, 817-332-7200), so the night doesn’t have to end there. For a restaurant reservation, call 817-415-0144. If you’d like to stay for the weekend, check out the current offers at TheHarperFortWorth.com/hotel-deals.
You could also do a staycation at the Sandford House Inn & Spa (506 N Center St, Arlington, 817-861-2129) and enjoy Chef David Pacheco’s contemporary American cuisine at the inn’s Restaurant506 (817-801-5541). This bed-and-breakfast, situated in a hidden historic neighborhood west of AT&T Stadium and just north of Downtown Arlington, is worth checking out. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so: Valentine’s weekend is sold out.
However, restaurant reservations and hotel accommodations are available starting next weekend. Hopefully, your love will last. For more information, visit TheSanfordHouse.com. There are also gift certificate options available at SanfordSpa.boomtime.com/lgift.
Now, About that Contest
Happy Valentine’s Day! If you’re interested in winning a gift card to Rex’s Bar & Grill (1501 S University Dr, Fort Worth, 817-968-7397) or Terra Mediterranean (2932 Crockett St, Fort Worth, 682-224-2687), a copy of the movie Love Actually on DVD, and other cool prizes, register for our email newsletters using the QR code below, then check your inbox on Galentine’s Day. (That’s Friday, y’all.)
