Crystal Wise
Those of you kicking off the new year with a resolution to eat healthier, cleaner, whatever, take heed: There are a few more details about a trio of new vegan restaurants opening in Fort Worth and Arlington this year. All three come from the same team behind Spiral Diner & Bakery in Fort Worth.
First to open will be Dreamboat Donuts and Scoops, an ice cream and doughnut shop that makes its namesake dishes with vegan ingredients. With pink Formica countertops and white tile floors, the interior will hark back to midcentury, but Spiral Diner executive chef Parker Howard’s menu is planted in the here and now, with soy milk- and plant-based ice cream, doughnuts and other pastries, including apple fritters. Look for other items such as Earl Grey lavender doughnuts, doughnut ice cream sandwiches, and doughnut cakes. Located at 1204 Sixth Ave. and slated to open early spring, Dreamboat will be a part of the new PS1200 mixed development space on the Near Southside. dreamboatdonuts.com
Opening this summer will be Maiden: Fine Plants & Spirits. What sounds like a nursery with a bar in it, Spiral Diner founder Amy McNutt’s vegan fine dining restaurant is the first of its kind in Texas. There’s no menu yet, but there is a press release with a lot of trendy keywords such as “global flavors,” “modern cooking techniques,” and “imaginative experience free of pretension and full of beauty.” Maiden will also be a part of the PS1200 development. maidenvegan.com
Finally, a new location of Spiral Diner & Bakery will open in Arlington late ‘23, at 500 E. Front St., in downtown Arlington near Hurtado BBQ and Legal Draft Beer Co. The menu at the Arlington location will be similar to that of the Fort Worth original, with items such as pancakes, burgers, and nachos, all made with vegan ingredients. spiraldiner.com
Jube’s BBQ, a terrific east side barbecue joint run by local pastor Patrick Joubert (whom I profiled in these pages back in ‘19), closed recently due to problems with the longstanding building where the restaurant was located, Joubert says. “It’s just an old, old, old building that continuously needed a lot of work,” he says. Joubert says he may reopen somewhere in Arlington. In the meantime, his excellent food is still available via catering orders, for groups both small and large. Call 817-779-0235.
