Crystal Wise
Fort Worth is proud of its homegrown talent – and that extends to bars and restaurants. We’ll gladly, proudly snub an out-of-town eatery or drinkery in the name of waving the 817 flag.
Food and Drink - The Greatest Hits - See the full list HERE
Exceptions do exist. A prime example is the Nickel City bar on South Main and its food-serving accompaniment, Delray’s Café. Both are Austin transplants, but both have been warmly welcomed by Fort Worthians.
Chalk it up to the bar’s laid-back, unpretentious atmosphere – chatty, loud, fun but never - what’s the best way to describe what it’s not? - oh, but never West Seventhy. It’s a nicer, more handsome, better-dressed Black Dog Tavern, if you recall the much-missed downtown spot, a place to drink, either in peace or surrounded by your loudest friends. Their signature frozen drinks are dynamite, to boot.
What makes Nickel City even better is Delray’s Café, which isn’t a café at all. It’s a bumble bee-colored food truck permanently parked right outside the bar; it’s open until 2 a.m. nightly. Patrons can order food from a server and have it delivered inside or simply order at the truck and eat at a communal table outside; you can also do call-in orders.
Developed by owners Travis Tober, Craig Primozich, and Brandon and Zane Hunt, the menu is made up of bar food staples but done with style and vivid flavors. They call their burgers “sliders” but ignore that; they’re big enough to be burgers. They’re inspired by the current smashburger trend and feature thin patties, American cheese, pickles and grilled onions, served on good, thick bread.
Elsewhere on the menu, wings are not the puny sort; they’re hefty and flavorful. A good side to go with them: cheese curds, which are absolutely perfect, their sheaths of batter giving way to a mouthful of unapologetically gooey cheese. Followers rave of the fried bologna sandwich, too, and the crinkle cut fries. If you don’t mind a mess, get the Midwest-inspired “loose hamburger": ground meat served in a hot dog bun and slathered with mustard, onions, and chili.
Opened two years ago in a historic 1925 building in the ever-growing South Main district, the Fort Worth location of Nickel City is a nearly mirror-image spinoff of an award-winning Austin bar of the same name, although the FW location is considerably larger. The Austin location has won rave reviews, from Esquire to Eater, and it, too, has a Delray’s, with a similar menu. Next time you’re in Austin, remember: it’s open late, too. Nickel City and Delray’s Café, 212 S. Main St., nickelcitybar.com
Crystal Wise
New Coffee Shop: Editor Pick - Casa Azul Coffee
Independent coffee shops freely flow on the east, west, and south sides of Fort Worth; only a few have ventured into the city’s north side.
Among them is newcomer Casa Azul Coffee, opened last year by Joseph and Anette Landeros at 300 W. Central Ave., where the storied Sammy’s Restaurant stood.
The usual coffeehouse drinks are available, from lattes to cappuccinos. But there’s a heavy Latin influence that makes the spot unique to Fort Worth’s coffee scene.
The house specialty, for instance, is Cafe de Olla, a blend of drip coffee and cinnamon sweetened with a cane sugar syrup made from Mexican brown sugar cones, called piloncillo. Other odes to Latin culture include latte flavors such as horchata, mazapan, and tres leches.
Casa Azul also serves pastries from nearby Esperanza’s.
“The north side of Fort Worth really needed its own coffeehouse,” Joseph says. “I know there are other coffee shops on the north side, but they cater to tourists. We want to cater to the neighborhood.”
The coffeehouse’s name translates to “blue house,” and that’s exactly what Casa Azul is: an old house updated in a bright shade of blue.
“We took a lot of inspiration from Frida Kahlo's Blue House in Mexico City,” he says. “When you drive by it, you can’t miss it; you can’t forget it.”
This is the couple’s first foray into the food and beverage world. Joseph says he worked in the public affairs realm for years, while Anette is president and CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“I’d been wanting to open a coffee shop for years,” Joseph says. “When this space opened up, we decided to take a chance and do it.”
Built in 1940, the multi-room, 2,000-square-foot bungalow is best remembered for two separate stints housing Sammy’s Restaurant from 1971 to 2008.
Joseph says he hopes Casa Azul will make its mark on the neighborhood, like Sammy’s did. The coffee shop has hosted several community events, including an artisan market. In April, Artes de la Rosa and Adam Werner, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art’s manager of community teaching programs, came together at the coffee shop to create a new mural that paid homage to well-known California artist Oree Originol.
“I want it to be more than a coffee shop,” he says. “I want it to be a gathering space for the community." 300 W. Central Ave.
Crystal Wise
Italian: Editor Pick - il Modo
When il Modo opened last year in downtown, on the ground floor of the then-new Kimpton Harper Hotel, we couldn’t help but wonder how the modern Italian restaurant would fare. More to the point, we were afraid that you, Fort Worth, might not dig an Italian restaurant that didn’t act like an Italian restaurant. But with its more contemporary, sometimes edgy, approach to Italian fare, romantic atmosphere and five-star service, il Modo has become one of the city’s most popular restaurants.
The restaurant’s initial success can be partially attributed to the masterful dishes put out by executive chef Matt Williams.
Williams has since departed, but he left the kitchen in deft hands – those of Greg Pawlowski, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. The Detroit native spent eight years working for the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, sometimes side by side with the celebrity chef.
"Wolfgang,” says Pawlowski, “knows how to take good cooks and turn them into good chefs.”
After nearly a decade with Puck, Pawlowski, 40, headed to to Dallas to work at hotels such as the Westin Dallas Stonebriar, then to Fort Worth, where his first taste of the city was the Worthington. A few months later, the gig at il Modo opened.
The restaurant had already established itself for its housemade pastas and lively steak and seafood dishes, all made with seasonal ingredients. But little by little, Pawlowski began to make the menu his own. Earlier this year, he expanded it to include breakfast and weekend brunch.
In June, Pawlowski unveiled his summer menu, which includes an expertly cooked swordfish with asparagus, wild mushrooms, English peas and an addicting porcini sauce; housemade risotto with bay scallops; a satisfyingly rich rabbit pappardelle; and a rigatoni made with dry aged beef.
Pawlowski also made good on the restaurant’s initial promise to offer pizzas.
“Pizza’s kinda my thing,” he says. “I’ve probably made more pizzas than anyone could ever eat in their lives.”
His expertise becomes clear after you bite into one of his housemade pies, whose crusts are the ideal combo of soft and chewy. There are three pies from which to choose: wild mushroom, pesto and goat cheese; margherita; and a rotating chef’s special. 714 Main St., ilmodorestaurant.com
Crystal Wise
Craft Beer: Reader Pick - Maple Branch Craft Brewery
Stuart and Allyssa Maples have shared a love for craft beer since they were college sweethearts at TCU’s Neely School of Business. They’d find themselves at home most weekends while Stuart worked eight- to 12-hour days developing the perfect home brew recipe — or visiting Funkytown’s most notable breweries, hoping to discover their new craft beer favorite.
While a lot of work went into developing their passion, Allyssa says it truly began about a decade ago when Stuart tried his first sip of craft beer from Sierra Nevada, a brewery in Chicos, California. From then forward, he put his feet in the mud and won dozens of home brew competitions with his personal brews, including first place for his American Brown Ale at the 2018 Bluebonnet Brew-Off, the largest single-site home brew competition in the world.
“He just had this hilarious thought process and went from ‘Oh, I love this beer’ to ‘I think I can make this kind of beer,’” Allyssa says. “It really takes a rare person to make that jump, but it’s exactly what he did.”
And after about seven years refining their concept, the couple brought Maple Branch Craft Brewery to an ivy-covered warehouse formerly owned by legendary interior designer Joseph Minton.
Though it opened in October 2020 — when COVID-19 numbers escalated — Maple Branch Craft Brewery quickly became a sanctuary for beer lovers who preferred to distance themselves from others. Modeled after German biergartens, the 7,000-square-foot outdoor concept was the perfect safe haven.
Formerly a parking lot, the biergarten was a labor of love that they brought to life — with beer lovers, occasional wildlife, and newly planted bur oaks, live oaks, and, of course, maples to coincide with their namesake.
“We really love nature, so a big thing for us was planting the trees in our biergarten,” Allyssa says — adding that they also wanted to be able to incorporate their name into the business without it being too pushy. “That’s also how he came up with ‘Maple Branch.’ We just kind of want people to branch out.”
On any given day, Maple Branch has at least 20 beers on tap, though the number is usually higher. Her personal favorite is Monkey Business — a 5.4% ABV Hefeweizen, which recently won silver in the Texas Craft Brewers Competition. Stuart says they’re all his favorite. 2628 Whitmore St., maplebranchbrew.com
Crystal Wise
Taco Shop: Reader Pick - Guapo Taco
During a recent lunch rush at Guapo Taco, owner Angel Fuentes is, literally, a one-man show.
One of his employees called in sick, and when your kitchen is usually comprised of two people, well, there goes half your staff. Left to fend for himself, Fuentes spends the shift bouncing from the counter to the grill, taking orders while he’s making orders, a spatula in one hand, a cup of pozole in the other. He’s the cashier, the cook, the table busser and the dishwasher, all at the same time.
“I’ve had a lot of these days,” he says with a laugh while making an order of birria tacos, one of Guapo Taco’s must-get items. “I’m used to it.”
A day like this, a day spent in the weeds, perfectly illustrates Fuentes’ tenacity. Fuentes was once the head chef of the much-loved Mariachi’s Dine-In, a gas station taqueria, just east of downtown. The building’s ragged looks masked the high-quality food that Fuentes and business partner Ashley Miller were producing.
But last spring, the two went separate ways: Miller moved Mariachi’s to the west side, while Fuentes stayed behind, contemplating what he was going to do next — go back into his previous job as a computer programmer or continue pursuing his real love, cooking.
Luckily for Fort Worth, he chose the latter, revamping the old Mariachi’s space into a new taqueria called Guapo Taco. Many of the menu items from Mariachi’s remain, including the incredibly popular — and absurdly delicious — birria tacos, made with shredded beef cheek and a mix of melted mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese and served with onions, cilantro, and a cup of consommé.
Other items include street tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and other Mex-Mex and Tex-Mex standards, all of which are available in vegan and meat-based variations.
Texas Monthly recently took note of Guapo Taco with a story that cast a spotlight on Fuentes’ green chicken pozole.
Guapo Taco is your quintessential gas station taqueria. You order at the counter, then grab a seat at one of the few tables. The dining area offers ringside seats to the characters who float in and out of the gas station. Next to the seating area are a couple digital gaming machines that always seem to be occupied.
“I wasn’t sure what would happen after Mariachi’s, but I knew I wanted to keep cooking," Fuentes says. "I had a feeling I should keep doing it here.” 301 S. Sylvania Ave., facebook.com/guapotacofw
Crystal Wise
Nightlife and Entertainment - The Greatest Hits - See the full list HERE
As owner Bryan Lee puts it, at Curfew, there’s literally a disco ball for everyone to dance under. And, it’s true, it’s clear they pulled out all the stops for the dance floor, which is packed with disco balls, fog machines, and great beats. But, what makes it even more special is the diverse clientele you’ll find swaying to the jams well past midnight.
As you walk up to Curfew, patrons are greeted by two things: a bouncer and Zoltar, who will naturally tell you your fortune. The Zoltar façade gives Curfew a bit of a speakeasy vibe, but it’s also there to tell you that this is not your normal dance club. Bougie precedence and judgments that might come with many dance clubs are thrown out the window, and in the basement of the iconic Tower in downtown Fort Worth, you’ll find a dance club that’s inviting and manages to be uniquely Fort Worth.
The club doesn’t mince words when they tell customers — via a neon sign that adorns the walls — “Don’t Dallas my Fort Worth.”
“There’s no pretentious,” Lee says. “There’s no bartender that’s not gonna serve you because of the way you look or something like that. There’s no dress code — none of that kind of stuff where a business can tell people who can or can’t have a good time.
“And that’s what’s so special about [Curfew]. That’s why our mission statement is just to provide a great customer experience. And we do that through cocktails, through music, and through seating.”
The club has had to evolve over the course of the past couple of years, and it’s since carved out a nice niche in downtown.
“We opened up during COVID,” Lee says. “We initially ran it as a restaurant because that’s what people had to do to be open at the time. So we put a pizza program in place, and what’s now the dance floor was covered in lunge seating.
“Fast-forward, and what we started to see was all that energy from people at home, being locked up, and people just wanted to forget about everything. So, when it came to rebranding, our goal was to provide a place for people to come and be themselves. Whether they came after a hard day at work or on the weekend — it was a place to leave all your troubles at the door.”
Lee says they have a few announcements coming that no doubt will be of interest to their loyal customers. And, asked whether Curfew is a speakeasy, Lee replies, “Ask Zoltar.” 350 W. 5th St., curfewbar.com
Crystal Wise
Live Music: Editor Pick - Tulips
Whether we like to admit it or not, voids exist in Fort Worth. Like all cities, there remain certain things the city, as it currently stands, isn’t equipped to provide its residents. One such void that perpetuated after the turn of the century was a solid music venue that could attract diverse, genre-defying, nationally recognized artists. Sure, the city’s racked up plenty of stages for country cover bands, but trendier artists had no place to call home. Tulips has filled this void.
Like air conditioning on a sweltering summer day, Tulips provided relief to a massive city starving for a good live music scene. Acts that would hit up the Austin/Houston/Dallas triumvirate would routinely skip Fort Worth. Now, artists like Guided by Voices, Wavves, Shaky Graves, Ezra Furman, and Shannon and The Clams see Cowtown as a city with a killer music venue and an enthusiastic audience to boot. Add a couple more spots like Tulips, and Fort Worth just might replace Dallas as North Texas’ requisite stop for hip musicians.
Tulips opened its doors just a couple years ago — at the height of the pandemic — when there was a legitimate fear mass gatherings and live music were going the way of the dodo. But the venue remained defiant, much like the boxer that adorns the south wall of the building — a mural painted by local artist Ariel Davis. The boxer in the painting is owner Jason Suder’s grandfather, a five-time Golden Gloves winner who also serves as the establishment’s namesake — tulips were his favorite flower.
While Jason appreciates the plaudits of our magazine naming his business best music venue in Fort Worth, he sees Tulips as a space that promotes more than just music; it promotes culture. Jason can casually run through the dozens of artists Tulips has showcased over the past two years, including featuring murals by local artists Mariell Guzman, Jana Renee, and Shasta Haubrich, just to name a few. Tulips also regularly partners with ArtTooth to serve as a gallery space and hosts exhibits for local artists.
From country to rap to podcasts to food trucks, every week, Tulips provides a diverse and intriguing lineup of activities.
“Our goal is to continue to foster the concept of ‘welcome home,’” Jason says, alluding to the reader board sign that says “Welcome home” near the venue’s entrance. “If we are to be the space where the disparate sides of Fort Worth can come together to find common ground, it has to be home to everybody.” 112 St. Louis Ave., tulipsftw.com
Crystal Wise
Shopping and Services - The Greatest Hits - See the full list HERE
In 1995, Keith and Susan Maddox were heading to Billy Bob’s when they drove past a building for lease. They’d been considering selling cowboy hats, so they inquired about the building the very next day. The following March, they opened The Best Hat Store in the Fort Worth Stockyards.
What started as a small inventory of hats, stacked on folding tables covered in sarape blankets, has grown into a booming business. At The Best Hat Store, there’s over 7,000 hats to choose from, hand-shaped in-store for each customer by the best hat-shapers in the business.
Together, Danny Adams, Ryan McBride, Jace Savoie, and Andy Henson have over 50 years of experience shaping cowboy hats. The hats sold here are exclusively from the American Hat Company (made in Bowie, Texas), and every hat, whether felt or straw, begins as a blank canvas that’s open and flat.
“At the end, it looks nothing like when they start open and flat,” Susan Maddox said. “The next time you look, [the hat] is perfectly shaped to your face.”
Customers can flip through a catalog to find a style they enjoy, or they can scroll through The Best Hat Store’s Instagram feed to get a few ideas. Susan and Keith’s oldest daughter, Treasure, manages the store’s social media presence and public relations. Their youngest daughter, Mercedes, helps with accounting.
Keith passed away in 2019, but his personality shines through their daughters, and his legacy lives on at the store.
What started as a mom-and-pop operation has become a destination for anyone who wants a cowboy hat. Many travelers have planned their trips to Texas around visiting the Best Hat Store.
“We recently had a guy come in who said, ‘Bear with me, I’m kind of picky, and it usually takes a long time to get my hats right,'” McBride says. “I got done shaping his hat in less than 10 minutes. He put it on and never touched it again. He said that’s never happened.”
Adams, McBride, Savoie, and Henson shape around 80 hats a day. On weekends, it’s normal to find a crowd of people in the store, laughing with one another like old friends, bonding over hand-shaped cowboy hats.
“When you buy a hat, you become a member to an exclusive club,” Adams says. “Not everybody has a cowboy hat. We call it the ‘hat factor.’”
Says Susan: “A cowboy hat is the most recognizable piece of apparel in the world. Anyone can put a pair of jeans and boots on, but when a person puts a hat on their head … they know that they have a presence.” 2739 N. Main St., besthatstore.com
Crystal Wise
Record Store: Editor Pick - Record Town
A cultural institution is defined as an organization (or business) within a culture or subculture that works for the preservation or promotion of culture. While the technical definition targets public and charitable organizations, those that qualify can be pretty broad. Given the definition, it’s no stretch to claim Record Town is a cultural institution.
Record Town, initially owned by the Bruton family, first opened its doors on University Drive in February of 1957. It remained there for 61 years and garnered a legion of devoted customers that included the likes of T Bone Burnett and Leon Bridges — two of Fort Worth’s most iconic members of the music industry. In fact, a young Burnett first heard the songs he would use on the soundtrack for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” at the small vinyl shop.
A family-owned and -operated establishment, those who frequented the record shop during its days on University Drive will recall Sumter III — the oldest son and heir apparent of the Bruton family. According to Record Town’s current owner and longtime customer, Bill Mecke, Sumter would curate record selections for frequent customers. Mecke recalls Sumter would have multiple records of must-haves and peculiarities that he surmised Mecke would like based on his buying habits.
“He’d say, ‘You don’t have to buy all this stuff; I just know what you like; and I found this for you,’” Mecke says. “But I’d always end up buying the whole stack.”
In 2018, with the shop looking worse for the wear and rent prices forcing a move, Mecke purchased Record Town with Tom Reynolds and moved the brick-and-mortar to the Near Southside.
“We actually feel like, for the future of Record Town, we’re in a better location,” Mecke says. “We think the Near Southside and South Main area has a better feeling to it; it’s got a great casual, communal feel to it.”
While the digs are new, Mecke wanted to make sure Record Town kept their staff with a near-legendary encyclopedic knowledge of music, new and old.
Record Town currently employs two longtime music fans of near legendary status: Gerard Daily, who’s been with Record Town since 1974, and Michael (Cadillac) Johnson — so named by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons who once called Johnson the Cadillac of bass players. The name stuck. 120 St. Louis Ave, Suite 105, recordtowntx.com
Crystal Wise
People and Culture - The Greatest Hits - See the full list HERE
The Stockyards were transformed into a Hollywood backlot as stars rode into town, but actor and recently adopted Fort Worthian Eric Nelsen barely had to leave his backyard to get on set.
Nelsen recalls how he nearly fell out of his chair when writer/director Taylor Sheridan told him his first day of filming for his new show, “1883,” would be 15 minutes from where he lived. Nelsen has his wife, Sainty — who was born and raised in Fort Worth — to thank for introducing him to Cowtown. In 2020, the pair — who have two children —moved from LA to Fort Worth to be closer to her family and find a place to call home.
“I fell in love with this town in 2013,” Nelsen says. “I am obsessed with the people, and I am obsessed with the history, the culture, the energy, and everything about it. Of course, I fell even more in love with the city after moving here and being surrounded by all of the wonderful people. I truly think this city has the greatest people in the world.”
In the highly rated show, which serves as a prequel to “Yellowstone,” Nelsen plays Ennis, a young cowboy who serves as an escort of the wagon train that includes the show’s main characters, the Duttons. The handsome cowboy naturally becomes a romantic lead when he develops a relationship with one of the Dutton’s daughters.
The role, as it turns out, wasn’t much of a stretch for the Tony Award-winning actor, whose family trained thoroughbred horses. It’s safe to say Nelsen had a grasp on cowboy culture before he ever put on the hat and boots for the show.
“This was my first show where my entire family was a fan of the project I was doing,” Nelsen says. “Taylor [Sheridan] can rope in any type of person to become his audience. People unfamiliar with Western backgrounds or people who don’t have any experience with cowboy culture or horse life, it doesn’t matter; he ropes them in. He creates this whole new fan base of cowboy-crazy fans who feel part of this Western world for the first time and love it.”
Once the show wrapped, industry zines and blogs started throwing Nelsen’s name around — his turn as Ennis received much praise and adulation. And the opportunity seems to have opened a few doors for the actor; he currently has three movies in the works — none which, sadly, take place in Fort Worth.
“The town has been so supportive of the filming process and so encouraging,” Nelsen says. "I truly think the whole state, but specifically Fort Worth, has opened its arms to me and embraced me. It’s just been the most incredible experience I’ve had.”
Crystal Wise
Art Gallery: Editor Pick - DANG GOOD CANDY
When you ask a layman or a non-ordained Fort Worthian about art in the city, he or she might point you toward one of the bevies of internationally recognized art museums that calls Cowtown home — the Kimbell, the Modern, etc. It’s not their fault that such institutions have become synonymous with art in this town — they are, after all, phenomenal showcases of world-renowned geniuses. However, when one peels back the framed Monets and Michelangelos of this city, it’s not hard to find a vibrant and prolific community of local artists.
Jay Wilkinson, himself being one of Fort Worth’s most celebrated artists, opened DANG GOOD CANDY, a studio and gallery located in the heart of Sundance Square, as a way to showcase this community.
But, really, he never meant to become a gallerist. Wilkinson’s always been an outsider — initially showing his art via parties he’d throw in the Near Southside with his former partner in crime, the late Jeremy Joel.
“This was 10 years ago, and we didn’t have a lot of academic roads into galleries,” Wilkinson says.
Coming back to Fort Worth following a short stint in New York City — the pandemic brought him back — Wilkinson received a residency with the Bass family and moved his studio into the space that DANG GOOD CANDY now occupies.
“It was such a beautiful space,” Wilkinson says. “I always liked showing artists, so I just kind of started the gallery. We built temporary walls, and I just started showing local artists I know and admire."
Wilkinson eventually branched out of his comfort zone and began looking for other artists whom he felt were doing interesting things. You’ll see a lot of Wilkinson’s tastes with the artists he curates — he admittedly enjoys humor in art.
“I love controversy. I love pushing the boundaries,” Wilkinson says. “I also think a lot about being in the middle of Fort Worth and wondering what might be good for the city to discuss.
“I like an outsider’s perspective and an outsider’s energy.”
DANG GOOD CANDY has already showcased such artists as Colton Batts, Kate Stipp, Gwen Meharg, Mike Lopez, and AHK.
Ultimately, Wilkinson says he doesn’t have aspirations to turn DANG GOOD CANDY into a “full institutional gallery,” as he puts it.
“I don’t want to represent any artists,” Wilkinson says. “I just want to be a step for them. I just enjoy playing host.” 402 Houston St.
Crystal Wise
Musician/Music Group: Reader Pick - Summer Dean
One seasonal tour down — and fueled by jet lag — country artist Summer Dean returns to her home in Fort Worth.
Dean shined as a songwriter at an early age and started performing the moment she could, mostly singing in churches — her mother played the piano in church for 40 years. The first time Dean performed outside of a church was in junior high school, and before taking the stage, her father told her to hold onto the microphone stand if she got nervous. Dean remembers never once touching the stand but, instead, stepping off the stage and into the crowd.
“I performed for a while in college and then stopped,” Dean says. “I thought that maybe I’m not good enough. But then I realized, it’s better to just go for it. I’d rather go for it and fail than not even try.”
It wasn’t until Dean was 39 that she decided to quit her job and focus solely on her music career. A genre that defies classification, Dean attempts to describe her style as authentically old-school country. Regardless, it’s a specific and peculiar sound that speaks to both her and her audience.
“I’m trying to make sure I represent who I’m writing for,” she says. “There are women who come up to me after shows and talk about different songs I’ve written and what it means to them, so now I feel like there’s a little responsibility with it. But it’s a welcome responsibility.
“You have to know how to express yourself, how you feel, how you worship, where your emotions go to when writing.”
After releasing her debut full-length album, Bad Romantic, last year, Dean recently finished a month-long tour along the Pacific Coast opening for Jesse Daniel. She hits the road again in August. Dean claims that when she’s on the road, her hometown of Fort Worth is always a conversation piece.
“Fort Worth is very supportive of me and they help,” Dean says. “I’m proud to be out there representing. I talk about it on stage all the time, and people come up after shows and ask for recommendations. They want to know where they should eat, what they should do, and that’s always fun.”
Dean went to school in Lubbock and moved to Dallas before settling in Fort Worth.
“I moved to Fort Worth and felt like I was woven right into the denim of the town,” Dean says. “I’ve always felt completely comfortable here; I’ve lived in other cities and never belonged. I’m grateful to have been embraced by the city. I’m not going to leave. I’ll always come back home to Fort Worth.” summerdeanmusic.com
Crystal Wise
Beauty and Wellness - The Greatest Hits - See the full list HERE
This is a fairly new category. After all, the decades leading up to the turn of the century weren’t particularly kind to the hemp and marijuana industries. Let’s face it, we’re not that far removed from documentaries like “Reefer Madness.” While laws have no doubt relaxed, the bigger win is the cultural acceptance of cannabis (hemp and marijuana are technically the same species) as a plant that offers numerous health benefits. A business like Thrive Apothecary, whose target demographic is people over the age of 45, would have once been the most taboo shop in town. Today, its parking lot is routinely full of sedans and SUVs.
Co-founded by husband-and-wife duo of Trey Phillips — a former sergeant in the Fort Worth Police Department — and Dr. Lisa Gardner, Thrive opened its doors five years ago — a forerunner to the wave of CBD stores that started popping up more rapidly throughout the city. But what separates Thrive Apothecary from others is its knowledge and vast product selection — which includes its own line of products that are of exceptional quality. Lisa, who’s a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and a licensed medical marijuana doctor in the state of Texas, has also been one of the region’s leading CBD advocates, having appeared in numerous publications as a subject matter expert — present publication included.
Located next to the popular wine bar 38 and Vine, over the past few years, Thrive Apothecary’s small brick-and-mortar has become a staple of the Foundry District. The shop offers various products and services that highlight the numerous benefits associated with CBD and cannabis in general. Products include creams, sprays, and gels for hair, skin, and body; edibles; Delta-8 and Delta-9; inhalers, and even products for your pet — oils, shampoos, edibles, and skin care. Similar to humans, studies show pets that are given a daily regimen of CBD showed significant improvement in pain relief and overall quality of life.
The store’s most popular products include Delta 8 and Delta 9, both THC products that are derived the hemp plant (not marijuana), and neither requires a prescription. However, six months ago, with Gardner a fully licensed medical marijuana doctor, the store began seeing clients — those who might have ALS, multiple sclerosis, cancer, epilepsy, or any one of the qualifying conditions — in need of medical marijuana cards. The store offers physician appointments with Gardner who can write prescriptions for those who qualify. Customers who want to get evaluated just need to visit thrivemedicalcannabis.com. 212 Carroll St., Ste. 120, thrivemedicalcannabis.com
Crystal Wise
Personal Trainer: Editor Pick - Tripp Miller
Personal trainer, exercise physiologist, expert anti-ager, life coach – Tripp Miller does it all. No wonder the fitness pro won Best Personal Trainer.
The Fort Worth native, who works out of Goss Fitness, a boutique gym located at Mont-Del Plaza off Southwest Boulevard, shared some of his time, and secrets, with us.
FW: How long have you been a personal trainer?
Tripp Miller: Working in a gym setting, about eight. I’ve been in the fitness world since 2005. I started out teaching yoga. I got my master’s in exercise physiology about six years ago. I also teach kinesiology at Tarrant County College.
FW: What is exercise physiology?
TM: It’s basically the study of exercise – the biomechanics of it, which is how the body moves. Then there’s the physiological side – what's underneath the skin, what’s in your cells, how they work and they react to the environment and to the foods you eat and to your sleep patterns. What I do is take exercise physiology a step further by also teaching my students about anti-aging – how to keep the body feeling better for longer as we age.
FW: How old are you?
TM: 42.
FW: Ha, I thought maybe 22.
TM: Anti-aging — I’m telling you, it works.
FW: Really? I just turned 50, so everything hurts. But actually, I haven’t felt good since, like, 1998.
TM: I hear that all the time. “I just turned 40,” “I just turned 50,” “I’m in all this pain.” Pain doesn’t mean you’re getting older. It means something’s wrong. I help people structuralize their lives — how they exercise, how and what they eat, their mental outlook. We can all be 90 years old and kicking ass and taking names.
I specialize in reducing pain in people’s bodies. I use an FDA-approved infrared laser for muscle pain and trigger point therapy, as well as specific mobility drills to get people out of pain permanently.
FW: How do you keep your students on track?
TM: Part of my job is to be your life coach. If we start working together, you can call or text me any time during the day and, if I’m available, I’ll help you.
FW: I write about food. I feel like I’m a lost cause.
TM: I love to cook. I’m a self-proclaimed chef, so I get it. I’ve been obese. I still have the stretch marks on my side and belly. It’s all about self-regulation, and I can help with that. Tripp Miller can be reached at Goss Fitness, 6445 Southwest Blvd., Benbrook, gossfitness.com
Crystal Wise
Home and Garden - The Greatest Hits - See the full list HERE
Sometimes, when a building is deconstructed, the wood panels and doors are thrown away. Or, the pieces are reclaimed and used for one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture. For customers looking for rustic, hacienda, Southwestern-style furniture with a history, there’s no better place to go than Rios Interiors.
From weathered wood to leather, iron, and turquoise, Natividad Ríos, president of Rios Interiors, knows how to integrate a variety of materials (such as old church doors from Mexico) into unique pieces of furniture that stand out in any home — or hotel. Many of the pieces that guests see in Hotel Drover’s rooms are custom designed by Ríos, as is the beautiful Veranda Bar found on the patio outside of 97 West.
Rios Interiors Showroom is located in the Stockyards, a short walk from Hotel Drover. The 20,000-square-foot showroom is filled with unique pieces that are designed by Ríos, who creates seasonal lines of furniture as well as custom pieces. A large majority of his custom work, and what’s seen in the showroom, is handcrafted in Mexico.
“I work with the most skilled craftsmen,” says Ríos. “Combined, they have hundreds of years of experience. They are families who pass the trade from generation to generation.”
Ríos, who is from the central part of Mexico, works directly with talented craftsmen who bring his designs to life. The pieces he creates are not only well-made and handcrafted, but reasonably affordable for quality hacienda, Southwestern furniture.
No matter which room customers are looking to furnish, they can rest assured that Ríos will help them create or find the perfect piece to accent their home. Pieces from Rios Interiors showroom can be shipped directly to customers’ homes, and if someone wants to create a custom piece, Ríos has an eye for putting materials together that will stunningly fit their taste.
“I see beauty in every piece of material,” says Ríos. “With a little bit of creativity, you can make any piece look like a million dollars.”
Rios has been creating beauty at Rios Interiors for over 20 years. He first envisioned opening his own business while working at Martinek Design Studios, and in 1999, he brought Rios Interiors to the Dallas Farmers Market. Eight years later, he opened his store in the Fort Worth Stockyards and has remained a staple there.
“To other people, Rios Interiors might be a big furniture company, but in reality, it’s still my baby,” says Ríos. “I feel like it’s a small thing that I need to take care with. To me, [Rios Interiors] is something very personal. I’m always looking to make something different that touches other people’s lives.” 2465 N. Main St., riosinteriors.com
Crystal Wise
Plant Shop: Editor Pick - Ephemera Terrariums!
From the sidewalk of Magnolia Avenue, hundreds of plants, succulents, and cacti can be seen covering the large windows of Ephemera Terrariums. Although it may be otherwise, it isn’t your everyday plant shop.
Initially founded in Brooklyn, the quaint store — located in the heart of Near Southside — combines plants, terrariums, and comics.
“On paper, it sounds strange, this combination of things,” says co-owner and co-founder Frank Garcia, who opened the business with his wife, Suz Reyes, in 2014. “But I knew that if we could just put it in front of people, that they’d support the vision.”
Although called Ephemera — which describes objects that can only be enjoyed in short term, such as memorabilia and letters — the lively plant shop contradicts its namesake with a welcoming atmosphere and products that can be loved for a lifetime.
While the cozy plant shop does sell several rare and “luxury” plants, the shop also offers easy-to-grow tropical plants for those who require more accessible options. Plus, it encourages more people to bring plants into their home as they work to cultivate their green thumb, Garcia says.
“We really try to make it accessible to people who haven’t really gotten into plants yet,” Garcia says. “We explain what’s going on with the plant, how to care for it, and how to provide long-term plant support.
Garcia says Ephemera Terrariums isn’t just for plant lovers, however, but fosters a euphoric delight for almost everyone who walks in. For him, a perfect day for everyone would include a visit to Ephemera for make-it-yourself terrarium classes between shopping at Panther City Vinyl and a meal at Spiral Diner.
“I’ve seen plenty of people walking in skeptical,” Garcia says. “You know, they’re not there for themselves but because someone else brought them. But everybody always leaves with a smile.”
Along with the plants they sell, Ephemera has quickly grown since opening the business eight years ago and recently was voted the best plant shop in Fort Worth.
“We started in a very, very small space at the front window, which we still have — that little less than 10-by-10 space,” Garcia says. “But you know, we both put work into it every day, and we made it here. We also couldn’t have done it without the support of our customers and the whole community around us. 1208 W. Magnolia Ave., Ste. 106, ephemeraterrariums.com
