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Thanin Viriyaki
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Thanin Viriyaki
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Thanin Viriyaki
Fort Redemption owner and chef Tony Chaudhry.
Anyone who frequented the west Fort Worth location of Mariachi’s Dine In, or Mariposa’s Latin Kitchen before it, will most likely do a double take when they first set foot into the restaurant that now occupies that Locke Avenue space.
Fort Redemption, a new American restaurant that now resides in this west Fort Worth spot near Camp Bowie Boulevard, looks and feels nothing like its predecessors. With its purple and gold color scheme, snug, well-appointed booths, attractive floral arrangements, and midcentury-style high-top tables and chairs, the room exudes a classy vibe — a definite change of scenery from the restaurants that came before.
The menu, too, is a major departure for this pocket of Camp Bowie. Owner and chef Tony Chaudhry specializes in upscale American fare, with a small menu that includes a handful of steaks, such as a 16-ounce rib-eye, artfully presented rack of lamb, their bones jettisoned into the air, crisscrossing like lovers, and an ahi tuna salad drizzled in honey lemon vinaigrette.
His steaks are worth getting just for an irresistible sauce — a “bastardization,” he calls it, of steak au poivre and pan sauce made with bourbon instead of cognac and infused with juices culled from smoked brisket, one of his culinary calling cards.
For those in the know, Fort Redemption isn’t entirely new. A native of the southern Russia city of Astrakhan, Russia, Chaudhry grew up on the west side of Fort Worth, the son of renowned Western wear designer Vera Vasiley.
After spending 25 years working in some of the city’s most well-known steakhouses and high-end restaurants, he struck out on his own five years ago with a food truck, also called Fort Redemption, and began to develop a following for forward-thinking takes on burgers and barbecue. His brisket mac and cheese quickly became a signature item, alongside towering burgers and sandwiches filled with keenly smoked meats.
While he’s certainly turned a page from his food truck days, he hasn’t abandoned the dishes for which he was known. Smoked meats continue to play a prominent role on his menu, turning up in the form of sandwiches or toppings on other dishes, and his terrific cheeseburger is available at lunch and dinner.
But he’s certainly branched out. On his weekend brunch menu, for instance, you’ll find items such as a salmon Benedict and tenderloin and eggs — dishes he couldn’t exactly serve from a food truck.
There’s also a full bar with a small wine list, beer, and cocktails.
“In a way, it’s been liberating, going from a food truck to a restaurant,” he says. “There were a lot of things I wanted to do in the food truck but couldn’t, just because it’s a food truck and you’re limited. I have a lot more freedom in what I can do, but I still want to keep the menu small and focus on what I do best.”
Fort Redemption, 5724 Locke Ave., instagram.com/fortredemption
