Dayne’s Craft BBQ
Campo Verde, the Arlington Tex-Mex restaurant known for its blitzkrieg of Christmas decorations, closed in January. But the restaurant’s 200,000 lights will twinkle once again, thanks to Mouhssine “Moose” Benhamacht, the globetrotting chef and restaurateur who opened the excellent Farena Italian restaurant at the Loews Hotel in Arlington and now mans the controls of the equally great Cafe Americana in downtown Arlington. Moose, who has worked in restaurants around the world and now calls Arlington home, recently took over the restaurant and is in the process of revamping both its interior and menu, including its sacred queso, the recipe for which has been changed over the years, much to the chagrin of longtime fans. Moose told me he’s even looking into doing a community-wide queso taste test, to make sure the new version is to everyone’s liking. Look for a reopening sometime this summer.
Dayne’s Craft Barbecue, the super-cool ‘cue joint in Aledo run by Dayne and Ashley Weaver, is now hosting monthly classes in which pitmaster Dayne shares various tricks of the ‘cue trade. For April, he’s hosting a four-hour brisket class wherein he’ll walk participants step-by-step through his process of cooking his excellent brisket, from sourcing quality meat to pit management to trimming and seasoning. Price of the class, $175, includes much, much food, along with three complimentary drinks. The class will be held 4:30 - 8:30 p.m., Sunday, April 27, at Weaver’s restaurant at 100 S. Front St. in Aledo. daynescraftbarbecue.com
Capitalizing on the arrival of patio season, Emilia’s at The Crescent Hotel, recently named Texas’ top hotel by Condé Nast Traveler, has launched a brunchy/beachy weekly event called Patio Brunch with DJ Steffi. Held on the restaurant’s patio the first Saturday of the week through May from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the event will feature exclusive dishes, such as a bagel board and a build-your-own yogurt parfait, snazzy cocktails, and lively tunes from well-heeled Dallas DJ Steffi Burns. emiliasfortworth.com
Paco’s Mexican Cuisine, which served excellent Mex Mex and Tex-Mex on the Near Southside for nearly a decade, quietly closed earlier this year. But owner Francisco “Paco” Islas will launch a new concept in the same space by the beginning of April, he says. Shogun Taqueria, he’s calling it, and he’ll serve a unique style of food: a fusion of Mexican and Asian cuisine. We’re talking kimchi quesadillas, shiitake mushroom tacos, and menudo ramen. Keep an eye out for it at 1508 W. Magnolia Ave.
My good friend Scotty Scott’s Abe Fromage cheese-focused food truck can now be found on a regular basis at Tulips, the Near Southside bar and music venue. A lot of great stuff has happened to Scott’s homage to all things cheesy since I last talked to him. Twice he’s been featured on “The Today Show,” Texas Monthly wrote a rave review, he’s been mentioned in other fine pubs like this one — good stuff, all. For the uninitiated, Abe Fromage’s menu is made up of cheffy sandwiches and entrees in which cheese is often the star, like a gouda grilled cheese with truffle butter and honey crisp apples, and a smash burger with havarti cheese and caramelized onions. Some of his other dishes include a duck bacon BLT and a pickled shrimp po’boy. instagram.com/a.b.e.fromage
