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photo by Olaf Growald
Chef Stefon Rishel
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photo by Olaf Growald
Peanut Butter and Jelly Wings, Wishbone & Flynt
Fort Worth first fell for chef Stefon Rishel when he was executive chef at Max’s Wine Dive. With a big personality and mohawk that changes colors more often than a chameleon, he could have been all show. But the Michigan-born chef’s avant-garde takes on American classics are what made him one of Fort Worth’s top chefs — a description that took on literal meaning in 2015 when he won Fort Worth Magazine’s annual Top Chef competition.
Five years later, after working for others in a string of restaurants from here to Houston, Rishel has now opened his own place. Nestled in a snug, warmly decorated spot in the South Main area, his newly opened Wishbone & Flynt focuses on “global cuisine made with Texas ingredients,” he says.
Think pan-seared duck breast with parsnip purée, drizzled with pomegranate molasses; wagyu tenderloin saddled with horseradish whipped potatoes; and chicken wings slathered in a spicy Thai peanut sauce, blackberry coulis, chopped peanuts, and cilantro. An accompanying bar, called Amber Room, features a similar menu of small plates.
Rishel dished with us about his new venture:
Q: Did this take forever or what?
A: You know how restaurants go. From start to finish, this has been about a two-and-a-half-year project, so, yeah, it feels like it’s taken forever. Originally, we were going to open in Arlington, close to where we live, but in the end, we couldn’t make the numbers work. Our broker knew of this place and this area, and we looked at it and said, “It’s perfect.” Plus, it’s Fort Worth. I love it here.
Q: How do you describe the type of food you’re doing?
A: Global small plates. It’s the style of food I was doing at Max’s, just more elevated. Elevated and refined, yet affordable. There’s nothing on the menu over $22, and 75% of the wine is less than $80 a bottle.
Q: You were once crowned Top Chef by this magazine. One thing you wished you knew back then?
A: You’re not as good as you think you are [laughs]. I was just talking to my wife about this — the best thing to happen to me was winning Top Chef, and the worst thing to happen to me was winning Top Chef. It opened so many doors, but I was too big for my britches back then. My clientele wound up hating me because I was making what I thought they wanted. I wasn’t listening to them. That was one important thing that I learned — listen to your clientele.
Q: What are they saying?
A: Before opening this place, I did a bunch of pop-ups and crowdsourcing to get an idea of what people want. And what I heard, over and over, was there’s not a place in Fort Worth for upscale fine dining that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Q: In addition to lunch and dinner, you’re doing breakfast, too. That’s gutsy.
A: All of my investors are orthopedic surgeons. They said, “You open for breakfast — we’ll bring you our nurses.” We’ll be offering a small, six-item breakfast menu with things like breakfast tacos. And of course, we’ll have brunch on Saturdays and Sundays with items like gluten-free wild rice and blueberry pancakes, tiramisu French toast with espresso syrup, and roasted chile rellenos. I can’t wait. I’ve absolutely missed doing brunch here in Fort Worth.
