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The Feed
In what will probably be the best barbecue news you’ll hear all year, BBQ on the Brazos is moving to Fort Worth. Listed in Texas Monthly’s coveted Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas bible, John Sanford’s popular ’cue joint in Cresson has found a new home on the Benbrook traffic circle in the space most recently occupied by the Royal Falcon Pub. Sanford says he’s hoping to open in August for lunch, then breakfast and dinner later this year. Not long after opening in 2013 in a Texaco in Cresson, BBQ on the Brazos quickly made a name for itself for craft-inspired barbecue. Last year, nearly to the day, Sanford and co-owner Kathryn Warren abruptly closed after a dispute with new landlords. Roosters BBQ from Granbury took over the space while Sanford, Warren, and Sanford’s son, John Jr., sold barbecue out of their food truck nearby. Sanford says he had always planned to come back to Fort Worth, where he worked in the restaurant biz for most of his life. Now that he’s found permanent digs here, he’ll completely pull out of Cresson. John Jr. will take over the mobile kitchen (he’s currently scouting locations in Aledo) while John Sr. focuses on the Fort Worth location. 3803 Southwest Blvd., bbqonthebrazos-cressontx.com
Acadia Parish Crawfish, a local food truck specializing in Cajun fare, has graduated to a brick-and-mortar on Fort Worth’s east side. Owner and Louisiana native Daniel Demaline has moved into the same building as long-running Smokey’s Barbecue; the two are under one roof but have different menus. Demaline is serving most of the dishes from his truck, including meat pies, chicken and sausage jambalaya, and beignets, along with new items such as fried catfish and deviled egg potato salad. That potato salad is, alone, worth a visit. 5300 E. Lancaster Ave., acadiaparishcrawfish.com
Options are few for Filipino food in Fort Worth, but Arlington has several noteworthy choices, including a new spot called Salu Salo Filipino Cuisine. Tucked into a strip mall, it’s a small, family-owned restaurant, light on atmosphere and pizzazz but heavy on flavorful food. We loved the sinampalukang manok, a chicken soup made with tamarind leaves; tocino, a pork dish similar to barbecue pork belly; and adobong pusit or boiled octopus. Hours are a little unusual: The restaurant opens early for breakfast at 8 a.m. and closes by 8 p.m. 7401 Matlock Road, Arlington.
I’ve always been a fan of Buffalo Bros, and I have a feeling many others will soon join me. For the past decade, local chef Jon Bonnell’s lively sports bar, located across the street from TCU, has served excellent wings, plus very good pizzas and “beef on weck,” a roast beef sandwich topped with kosher salt and doused in super-spicy horseradish. But because parking’s a pain and frat kids are, too, the place never found its footing with the food-forward crowd. A new second location downtown — where In The Sack and before that, Oliver’s Fine Foods, once stood — should help change that. With nearly 100 TVs and more than 50 beers on tap, the new Buffalo Bros is, without question, a sports bar in the same vein as the original. Just don’t overlook the food; it’s some of the best sports bar-fare in town. 415 Throckmorton St., buffalobrostexas.com
Couple new spots in the West Seventh area. Punch Bowl Social, a chain out of Denver, has opened in the old Times Ten Cellar space, touting souped-up bar bites like chorizo fries, along with arcade games, dart boards, and a 900-square-foot patio. 1100 Foch St., punchbowlsocial.com. Also new is Toasted Coffee + Kitchen, a spinoff of the Dallas original that opened in 2016. The menu spotlights toasts of both the sweet and savory variety, with toppings such as salmon, avocado, and white chocolate sauce. There are also burgers, soups, and sandwiches, along with all-day breakfast options that include steak and eggs and, duh, French toast.
2972 Crockett St., facebook.com/toasted.coffee.kitchen
Knife Burger, we hardly knew ya. John Tesar’s fantastic burger spot at the Food Hall at Crockett Row closed in July but was quickly replaced by another strong North Texas burger joint: Hooker’s Grill, winner of this year’s Readers’ Choice Award for best burger. This is the second location of the Hooker family’s popular burger spot; the original opened in the Stockyards two years ago. The Food Hall location will feature nearly the same menu, including hand-cut fries and, the restaurant’s signature item, burger patties stuffed with onions and jalapeños. 3000 Crockett St., crockettrow.com
