| by Nicole Crites |
Inside the prestigious, modern walls of Fort Worth's Kimbell Art Museum hang artistic masterpieces from all over the world – as one might expect at an art museum. A little more unexpected is the delicious and refreshing café tucked away on the second floor of the Kahn building.
The Kimbell Buffet Restaurant continues the building's modern style, but creating an interesting juxtaposition, ancient Roman mosaics by unknown artists line the walls of the indoor dining area. Natural light from the glass-walled courtyard fills the room, which, combined with the high, rounded ceilings and sleek stoned walls, makes the overall atmosphere very light and airy.
The menu even mimics the café's ambience. Menu choices differ each week but include light options like soup, salad, sandwiches, quiches and dessert. Essentially, it is your mom's ideal "ladies lunch" spot. Also (and to my disappointment as a Dr. Pepper addict), the buffet restaurant does not offer any soft drinks. It's strictly water, iced tea, lemonade, coffee, beer or wine.
Every week a new menu is introduced which features recipes by Shelby Schaffer, the museum's director of food services and author of The Kimbell Cookbook. The buffet-style dining allows customers to purchase plates determined by sizes (small, medium or large) then choose preferred food as they travel down the line.
When I tackled the buffet bar, my medium plate piled up quickly. I skipped the chilled guacamole soup and salad options and went straight for a scoop of fiesta chicken salad, half of a turkey sandwich with herb mayonnaise, a slice of broccoli corn cheddar quiche, a cup of fresh fruit, and a couple of bread rolls on the side, of course.
The sandwich was lackluster, giving me flashbacks of plastic wrapped sandwiches at my elementary school cafeteria, but the fiesta chicken salad was delicious – quality chicken salad with a little kick to it. However, the best part of the meal was devouring the cheesy quiche and relishing every bite of its light, buttery crust. Then, as any normal sane person should, I went back for dessert and picked up a piece of the cranberry coconut pie. For the record, it was sugaryand delightful, and I left lunch feeling anything but "light."
The Kimbell Buffet Restaurant does not operate during a restaurant's typical long business hours, so catch it while you can. Lunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays to Thursdays and Saturdays, and from noon to 2 p.m., Fridays and Sundays. Dinner is served on Friday nights from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Dinner at the Kimbell is served in an entrée style rather than buffet and uses Schaffer's recipes that can range from baked chicken casseroles to brisket tacos.
Location: 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd.
For Info Call: 817.332.8451
Price Range: $
Hours: Tue.-Thu., Sat. 11:30am-2pm; Fri. & Sat. noon-2pm. Dinner served Friday nights from 5:30-7:30pm.
