Crystal Wise
Tim Love Caterina's
Steven Magee, a writer and expert on human health, once said, “The key to being prolific is to take the routes that few have traveled.”
In the local restaurant industry, few have taken more chances — pulling the trigger on outside-the-box, road-less-traveled concepts — than the person who might be Fort Worth’s most prolific and recognizable chef, Tim Love.
From shipping-crate boutique hotels (Hotel Otto) to transplanting a Western bistro to New York City (Lonesome Dove), Love has never shied away from swinging for the fences — the occasional failure be damned.
You can consider his new Italian-American joint, Caterina’s, set to open July 27, as his latest cut at the proverbial baseball. The restaurant will mark the chef’s fourth restaurant opening in the past three years in Fort Worth — his latest in an impressive lineup of novel eateries that includes Gemelle, Atico, and Paloma Suerte.
Things seem fairly straightforward when one first walks into the new restaurant. The space, located in the bustling Mule Alley, is a small, intimate, and dimly lit space that would feel right at home in the Little Italy neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. Yet, here it sits, in the midst of a dozen steakhouses and burger joints in the Stockyards.
“You got to have more than steakhouses and burger shops; you got to,” Love says. "[The Stockyards] should have a Mexican place, an Italian place, and even a sushi place. And I know you're looking at me all crazy, but I'm just saying: [The Stockyards] should have something like the hand roll spot, Hatsuyuki.”
In addition to Caterina’s culinary palate juxtaposing the beef-heavy Stockyards fare, other differences arise when Love begins talking about the experience of dining at Caterina’s.
“Jacket required,” Love says nonchalantly.
In an era when casual dining has become not only the default but the expectation among foodies and restaurant-goers, Caterina’s — named after Love’s sister, Kathleen, who passed away during the pandemic — will stand out as Fort Worth’s lone purveyor of the upscale dining experience.
“Even my friends who I love dearly, they're like, ‘Really? You're going to make people wear a jacket?’ I'm like, ‘Yeah, I'm going for it, dude,’” Love says.
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While those dining might have to sweat for a few seconds before reaching the front doors of the restaurant —golf carts will greet patrons at the valet so people won’t have to walk — Love admits that his biggest hurdle will be requiring people to avoid using their cell phones.
Yes, you read that right, the booths, bar, and seats will be cell phone-free zones. Once one enters the restaurant, the host will “confiscate” devices — placing them in a bag and giving them back to the diner, only to be taken out of the bag once the person leaves the restaurant. The idea is to have patrons fully invested in the experience of dining at Caterina’s, ridding the restaurant of the annoyances a face-up smartphone brings to a dining table. However, if someone needs to get in touch with you, they can call the restaurant, and a host will bring a red rotary dial phone to your table — like the good ol’ days.
“The cell phone thing will no doubt be a hurdle, but I think people will thank me on the way out,” Love says.
Food-wise, the restaurant will serve up old-school American-Italian fare, as Love puts it.
“It’s very fine-dining,” Love says. “Really polished service, very slow. It’s not a spot to get a bite to eat and run. That not what it is; it’s a spot to enjoy the experience.”
Every restaurant-goer will receive a complimentary glass of rosé Prosecco, which, according to Love, will calm people down after having their cell phones placed in a locked box.
Menu highlights include Vitello Tonatto, thinly sliced poached veal loin in a creamy sauce used for tuna; Beef Carpaccio, thinly sliced prime meat with sliced cremini mushrooms and topped off with fresh black truffles; and numerous dishes featuring house-made pastas — including a traditional spaghetti and tomato sauce.
“Genuinely good Italian food is very simple,” Love says. “Most of the things have three or four ingredients. That’s it.”
The restaurant will also offer a full cocktail menu with six specialty cocktails and a robust wine list with exclusively Italian wines.
While Love’s concepts are no doubt unique to the area — taking a someone’s-gotta-do-it approach to Fort Worth’s restaurant scene — there is a method to his madness.
“What we do, is we try to recreate nominal experiences and then we create food to those experiences,” Love says. “Bar service is bar service, they all have the same shit, right? Tito’s Vodka here is the same as Tito’s Vodka anywhere. So, why’s it different? It’s the person serving it. It’s the way they shake or stir it. It’s the glass it comes in. It’s all those little touches that make restaurants great.”
128 E. Exchange Ave.
