The West Side will soon get its first gourmet doughnut shop, courtesy of Dough Boy Donuts. Melvin Roberson is hoping to have the brick-and-mortar version of his popular food truck open sometime later this month in the West Side spot once occupied by Leah's Sweet Treats. Baking will be done on-site, Roberson says, and the doughnuts themselves will be prepared as they're ordered. "That's the thing that people really like about our doughnuts - they're so fresh and warm, the glaze is dripping off of them," he says. "It's a different experience than picking them out of a display case." At first, the shop will offer yeast doughnuts, in flavors such as Butterfinger, cheesecake, cookies and cream and Sriracha maple bacon, then eventually cake doughnuts. Roberson is also planning on serving a handful of specialty items he wasn't able to make on his truck, including doughnut bread pudding.
4910 Camp Bowie Blvd. doughboydonutsdfw.com
Fort Worth-based chef Victor Villarreal, who has worked at some of the city's top restaurants, including Grace and Clay Pigeon, has started a pop-up series at not one but two spots: Rosen House Inn in Fort Worth and Off the Vine in Grapevine. Villarreal, the executive chef at Savor Culinary Services (which recently snagged Fort Worth Magazine's Best Caterer Award in its annual Best Of issue), says the monthly dinners will reflect the type of food he dearly loves. "What I really want to do is maintain the preservation of Old World-style food," he says. In Villarreal's hands, that means smoked tomahawk steak with albufera sauce, bourbon-brined pork belly, duck pappardelle and coconut green curry with roasted eggplant. Jennifer Smith, Villarreal's sous-chef at Savor, is lending Vic a hand with the events and also contributing her own dishes.
For more info, visit savorculinaryservices.com or follow Vic on Instagram @vicv10009.
One of the co-founders of Fort Worth gastropub Pouring Glory is opening a new spot in downtown Arlington. Part of the Urban Union complex, a burgeoning mixed-use development, The Tipsy Oak comes from longtime restaurateur and former Pouring Glory co-owner Kevin von Ehrenfried and his wife, Julia. The couple started the restaurant from scratch, tearing down an old home and replacing it with a new building designed to look like a vintage, Craftsman-style house, complete with a wraparound porch and picket fence. "Unfortunately, the old home just wasn't salvageable," Kevin says. "But we were able to save some old wood, which we used to build out our bar." The Tipsy Oak won't sway too far from Pouring Glory's elevated bar food. The menu will include items such as brisket nachos, beer-battered fish and chips, a chicken Reuben sandwich, a brisket grilled cheese, and burgers of both the straightforward and chef-inspired variety. "You'll be able to come in and get a burger and a Coke for $9," he says. "But if you want to spend $13 on a gourmet burger, you can do that, too." Of course, there will also be craft beer on tap and in bottles, along with a full bar.
Look for it this month at 301 E. Front St., Arlington. facebook.com/tipsyoakarlington
One of Weatherford's best-kept secrets is Italian restaurant Mamma Monica, opened nearly two years ago by northern Italy transplant Monica Russo, who makes her pastas by hand. Now comes her sophomore outing, Zeno's on the Square, a more date-nightish Italian spot that recently opened in the Houston Place development, a new business and retail complex in downtown Weatherford. While Mamma Monica's has a family-friendly vibe and is BYOB, Zeno's is designed more for a night on the town. The atmosphere is cozier and more intimate, and there's a full bar. Overseeing the kitchen is Italian chef Massimiliano Zubboli, whose menu features seafood and meat dishes, including braised red snapper with prosecco and shrimp fritters with garlic mayo, along with Russo's handmade pasta.
102 Houston Ave., Weatherford.
817-757-7552.
The latest addition to the WestBend shopping area is Bartaco, an upscale taco spot with a coastal vibe. It has a few things going for it, namely decent prices. Street-style tacos, stuffed with ingredients such as chorizo, ancho-crusted tuna, angus ribeye, glazed pork belly and cauliflower in romesco sauce, range from $2.50-$3.50. Sides include freshly made guac, black beans with smoked pork shoulder, and chipotle slaw. There are some cool decor elements that'll probably only appeal to antiques nuts like me: outdoor pendant lights from an old ammunition manufacturing facility and a huge old factory cart, from an autobody repair shop, that's now being used as a water station. A nice patio faces the Trinity.
1701 River Run,