Roots Coffeehouse
Kudos to you, reader. You’ve stumbled upon installment No. 1 of Fort Worth Magazine’s brand new, weekly column: 4 on 1.
In 4 on 1, our four always-busy editors — Brian Kendall, Samantha Calimbahin, Scott Nishimura, and Matt Payne — perform something of a small miracle in wrangling together our four, individual answers to one question, ranging a wide array of queries we’ve all got on Cowtown. We aim to get to the bottom of Fort Worth culture and happenings, like what attracts folks to our fine city, our go-to joints for a bite to eat — so on and so forth.
In case you haven’t noticed from news reports (or even traffic gridlock), the population is booming in Fort Worth. An uptick in the number of residents within a community means an uptick in development, something numerous locales within the city have seen. So, for our inaugural week, we had our editors mull over this: What Fort Worth neighborhood do you think shows the most potential for development over the next few years?
Brian: Am I showing my hand as a neighborhoods novice for thinking it’s the North Side? Perhaps I’m blinded by the “cuteness” aspect, but the neighborhood’s proximity to the West 7th, the Foundry District, and Downtown should make it desirable real estate. The infrastructure looks solid — with major neighborhood roads having that “parkway” feel with a median of grass — and many of the houses seem primed for an episode of “Fixer Upper.” Whether people gutting or demolishing houses and increasing the property value is a good thing is a whole ’nother conversation. But it wouldn’t shock me if this area experiences some changes.
Samantha: I'd place my bet in East Fort Worth — namely, East Rosedale. Ben's Triple B and Black Coffee are just the beginning, and with Texas Wesleyan concentrating efforts to develop the area through the Rosedale Renaissance, it'll be interesting to see what this neighborhood will look like in the next five years. Also, people in the neighborhood are still nostalgic over the defunct Ashburn's Ice Cream. The sign is still up. Maybe there's someone out there who's sweet enough to bring ice cream back to the space?
Scott: West Meadowbrook on Fort Worth’s East Side continues to find increasing popularity for its modestly priced homes and leafy lots. It’s not unusual to find a Near Southsider who’s cashed out of those expensive zip codes, found a lot of house for a lot less money in West Meadowbrook, and had money left over for renovations and the kid’s college funds. The neighborhood, bisected by Oakland Boulevard and Meadowbrook Drive, is close to plenty of recreational spots, like Meadowbrook Golf Course, Oakland Lake Park, and Tandy Hills Park. The Trinity Trail is just north on Oakland north of Interstate 30. Fort Woof, Fort Worth’s first dog park, is a short drive away inside Gateway Park. The neighborhood is short on services, so you’ll have to drive a bit to get to grocery stores, the neighborhood’s at least close to I-30 and Loop 820. It’s developed a small, but interesting, cluster at Oakland and Meadowbrook, with the La Rueda Tex-Mex restaurant and Coffee Folk coffee bar, located in a fixed trailer outside the Firehouse Pottery & Gallery. You’ll find fast food on the nearby Lancaster Street, mixed in with some notable local independent joints like Smokies BBQ.
Matt: I keep convincing myself to burn more fuel in my car for the drive to South Main Village. Dope venues have flocked en masse in recent months, Black Cat Pizza and Roots Coffeehouse being among my favorites. I’m encouraged to see classics keep up with the times, too, like The Bearded Lady’s recent facelift. Traffic and construction as they stand make for a somewhat wacky layout, but I suspect logistical woes will begin to ebb as the locale gets more polish.
