Ate Days of Dinner and a Movie

A new movie about Anthony Bourdain opens in theaters next week, and it got us to thinking about all the rockstar chefs we know in Fort Worth, many of whom have upcoming culinary events on the books. After you read Kena’s review of Tony, stick around and see where you can dine with some local award-winning chefs as we revisit former Best Chef winners from past Best Ofs. — Elaine Wilder

Kitchen, Confidentially

An inspired slice of life from Anthony Bourdain’s 2000 memoir, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, the biopic Tony opens with a quote that serves as a disclaimer: “I was — to be frank — a spoiled, miserable, narcissistic, self-destructive, and thoughtless young lout, badly in need of a good ass-kicking.”

Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers, Oh. What. Fun.) masterfully portrays the beloved culinary bad boy in the ’70s as a moody and angry 19-year-old Vassar student on a quest to be a writer. He is convinced his journey is on paper, but just like the proposal he submits to the school’s fellowship committee, he has little more to show than bravado. He lies to just about everyone he meets, which karmatically results in many interpersonal conflicts.

Had it not been for this quote and the knowledge that Bourdain would turn out to be an infamously flawed yet lovable personality in the culinary world, a completely fictional Tony would have been frustrating as a completely invented character.

After bombing his fellowship hearing, Tony secretly follows Nancy (Emilia Jones) to Provincetown, Massachusetts, to win her over with more fabricated boasting but instead trips over his own ego, landing him on the street and onto the hammock of the man who would serve as his savior.

Written and directed by Matt Johnson (The Dirties, BlackBerry), Tony is seasoned with a few cinematic liberties in the characters of Chef (Antonio Banderas) and Sal (Leo Woodall). Chef serves as a mentor, taking Tony in and giving him purpose in the kitchen, being an all-knowing and forgiving angel on the shoulder. Sal does his best to lure Tony further into the dark side with drugs, booze, and an enviable success with women. Tony’s head swishes from one influence to the other as he struggles to hold on to the wild ride he stewed up.

The A24 film is beautifully shot, the lighting and contrasts nicely providing ambiance that depict Tony’s inner turmoil. The sound design was also lovely. There is music, but instead of a standard soundtrack, it feels more of a mood voyage. Deep tones and poignant notes strike, as if viewers are inside the protagonist’s head and heart as he carries the weight of his actions into the next scene.

What felt too tied up in a bow was that despite all the arrogance and costly mistakes, he is forgiven too quickly by everyone he wronged. That aspect felt too Hollywood because the amount of grace given is questionably generous. Despite this, watching Tony is witnessing the birth of purpose for Bourdain, discovering his love for food and merging it with his love of words. That alone is worth a contemplative watch.

We know how Bourdain’s fantastic life and conflicted journey ends, and if the character Tony is redeemable, we are all redeemable. We project and celebrate his redemption not because the film protagonist deserves it but because Anthony Bourdain does.

Bourdain was honest in the epigraph, making no excuses for himself. His willingness to be exposed instead of glorified makes him real, enhancing his jagged charm that enamored the world. What the film does right is provide a metaphor for context. After a spontaneous tuna fishing trip, Tony and Chef return to cook the fresh fish onshore. As they revel in the experience, Tony at one point claims the fish cooked on the seaside fire is burnt.

Chef responds, “Black doesn’t mean burnt.”

After an open-minded taste, Tony is astounded to find that what was underneath that layer was actually delightful. At this stage of his life, Tony appeared charred, but deep within him lay exquisite taste, passion, and charm, just beneath the fictional veil he thought he needed.

Like the problematic novel that Bourdain pitched to the fellowship committee, Tony is a cinematic bildungsroman. The film’s purpose is not to give him a free pass for character flaws but to experience him in a moment of pivotal growth — and perhaps, as Bourdain did in life, see past what appears burnt or odd and look for good taste in the world and in others. — Kena Sosa

Ate Days of the Best Chefs

Fort Worth has its own share of celebrity chefs, not famous for their antics but rather for their amazing food. Here are some past winners from our previous Best Of editions over the last 10 years and what’s happening at their joints this month.

Boozy Peach Cobbler at The Pantry on Magnolia

Chef Natasha Bruton, the 2024 Readers’ Choice for Best Chef, is still closely identified with Pantry on Magnolia (713 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 682-224-2381) and its pastry and globally influenced comfort-food program. For the end of summer, the focus is more local in influence: Boozy Peach Cobbler! The peaches are “swimming in cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bunch of Acre Distilling whiskey,” as a recent social post goes. Three whiskies to be exact: cinnamon, peach, and smoked flavored. The boozy, fruity concoction is then topped with house-rolled laminant dough and finished with The Pantry’s popular POM Caramel Sauce. A limited supply of this small-batch offering is available every weekend.

Hell or High Watermelon at Ellerbe

Chef Molly McCook, the 2020 Critics’ Choice for Best Chef, is still just fine at Ellerbe Fine Foods (1501 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-926-3663). This award-winning restaurant highlights the freshest local, seasonal ingredients in an elegant setting. One thing in season right now is watermelon. On Wed, Aug 26, Ellerbe will host Hell or High Watermelon, a guided tasting featuring Waterloo gins and specialty cocktails like the one pictured, which is made with Waterloo Prickly Pear & Rose Gin, watermelon, lime, and rose water. Complimentary passed appetizers will be served from 5 to 6pm, followed by the tasting from 6 to 7:30pm. The cost is $40 per person. Reserve your seat on Resy.

Monday Wine Nights at Piattello

Chef Marcus Paslay was the 2023 Readers’ Choice winner for Best Chef for his From Scratch Hospitality concepts: Clay Pigeon, Piattello Italian Kitchen, Provender Hall, and Walloon’s. All four places are alive and well, although Piattello is slated to move this November. Meanwhile, try housemade pasta, like the saffron linguine or hand-tossed pizza at Piattello’s current location at the Shops at Clearfork (5924 Convair Dr, Ste 412, Fort Worth, 817-349-0484), maybe on Mondays when wine by the bottle is 50% off. The restaurant’s blog suggests pairing wine with Italian cuisine elevates every bite and recommends Cabernet Sauvignon for hearty pasta or braised meats, Sauvignon Blanc for seafood and lighter dishes, and sparkling wine to go with appetizers and pizza.

The Next Supper (club) at Magdalena’s

Chef Juan Rodriguez, the 2019 Readers’ Choice and 2024 Critics’ Choice for Best Chef, grew his Magdalena’s (502 Grand Av, Fort Worth, 817-740-8085) into a thriving catering, event space, and supper-club model in the years between the one win and the next. Last October, the concept hit a milestone: the 10th anniversary of Magdalena’s Supper Club (“Full Stomachs, Happy Hearts,” Oct, 8, 2025). The next two supper club dates are Fri, Aug 21, and Sat, Aug 22. Tickets are $75 per person at ExploreToch.com/Magdalenas for a five-course menu of crispy-skin quail breast on a yucca nest; pineapple-kaffir grilled tiger prawn; an Oceania mosaic with three kinds of fish and dirty couscous; coffee-rubbed smoked rack of elk; and chocolate turtle mousse.

Smoke & Fire at Tokyo Cafe

Chef Kevin Martinez, the 2018 Readers’ Choice and 2025 Critic’s Choice for Best Chef, is still at the helm at Tokyo Café (5121 Pershing Av, Fort Worth, 817-737-8568) whipping up his popular Asian-fusion cuisine. The critic who chose him last year thought his philanthropic work set him apart. “The executive chef and part-owner of Tokyo Café fed hospitality-industry workers for free during COVID while continuing to cook for other noble charitable causes. Martinez proves it’s one thing to be efficient in the kitchen, but it’s more important to be a kind human.” On Mon, Aug 31, Tokyo Cafe has a special one-night-only dining experience: the Smoke & Fire Omakase. At 7pm, they are serving a curated multi-course menu of bold, smoked flavors paired with classic Japanese techniques, including grilled edamame, smoked octopus salad, grilled Spam musubi, Nigiri Duo (a smoked hamachi with jalapeno tare, tobiko, and cilantro alongside smoked duck and cheese with sweet tare), fried oyster, and grilled rice cake dumplings. Tickets are $86.60 per person at Toast.app/r/tokyo-cafe-5121-pershing-avenue.

And Then, There’s Jon Bonnell

Chef Bonnell has won five Best Of awards over the past 10 years, including four Readers’ Choice awards for Best Chef, plus one Critic’s Choice award for Best Pandemic Pivot in 2020. While his Jon’s Grille concept closed in July, Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, Buffalo Bros (both of them), and Waters are all still delicious local dining options. For an August/September outing, go with Bonnell’s (4259 Bryant Irvin Rd, Fort Worth, 817-738-5489), take advantage of DFW Restaurant Week, and help a good cause now thru Labor Day (Mon, Sep 7). The three-course dinner is $59 per person. For the first course, choose either the house salad (mixed greens with baby heirloom tomatoes, jalapeno-garlic vinaigrette, and queso fresco) or roasted tomato-and-jalapeno soup. For the main course, there’s grilled salmon (with confetti rice, green beans, and lemon butter) or a 5-oz filet (with shoestring fries, green beans, and whiskey cream). Then for dessert, you have your choice of a slice of buttermilk pie or Texas sheet cake with pecans. If you’d like a signature drink with each course, upgrade to the Signature Experience for $99 per person. For the full dish on DFW Restaurant Week, visit DFWRestaurantWeek.com and follow them on socials.

Who’s the next Best Chef? You tell us! Now thru midnight Sun, Sep 13, make your voice be heard by participating in our online-only write-in ballot to determine the Readers’ Choice winners for all our Best Of sections: Getting & Spending, People & Places, Arts & Culture, Good Grub, and On The Town. Best Chef is in Good Grub, BTW. For information, including the rules, all the categories, and how business owners can promote themselves, go to Bit.ly/FWW_BestOf2026. — Elaine Wilder