September is here, and that’s surely a good enough excuse to get out and try something new on the Fort Worth dining front. Four of five of these eateries can be classified as new, including two Asian restaurants, one Cajun restaurant, and one coffee spot.<\/p>\n
But there’s also one restaurant on this list about to take its bow, and they’ve kindly given ample warning, for those who want to visit one last time \u2014 saving us all the embarrassment of having to comment after the fact, “If I had only known.”<\/p>\n
Here’s where to to eat in Fort Worth right now:<\/p>\n
Branch & Bean<\/a> Captain LA Fish and Chicken<\/a> Cat City Grill<\/a> Hokkaido Ramen & Sushi<\/a> Ichiro Izakaya Yakitori<\/a>
The folks behind award-winning Fort Worth craft beer brand Maple Branch Craft Brewery have expanded into a new category of brewing: coffee. Branch & Bean is a new coffee bar next to\/inside the brewery at 2624 Whitmore St. in mid-August, where they’re taking the same discerning approach to coffee they’ve taken with beer. That means coffee and espresso-based drinks made with exacting care, fresh-roasted coffee beans roasted in house, plus accompanying snacks such as breakfast tacos, croissants, muffins, and coffee cake.<\/p>\n
Recently-opened fast-casual spot in Arlington, at 2424 W. Division St., has roots in Bossier City, Louisiana. Maybe that helps explain their selection of Gulf seafood \u2014 oysters, catfish, shrimp \u2014 along with po’boys, Philly cheesesteaks, gyros, wings, and tenders. This is also the rare place doing chicken livers and chicken gizzards. They’ve got all the fun fried appetizers: fried okra, onion rings, fried mushrooms, fried zucchini, fried pickles, and fried tomatoes. And some decadent desserts including banana pudding and honeybun cake, just like homemade.<\/p>\n
Magnolia Avenue institution is closing<\/a> after 15 years, with a closing date set for September 28. So often, restaurants close without notice, but this gives fans the chance to get in for one last meatloaf, one last chicken-fried steak, one last glass of wine raised. The restaurant, which first opened in July 2009, became a Cheers of sorts for the neighborhood and hosted many customer-friendly weeknight offerings \u2014 from taco nights to nightly specials like bacon grilled cheese sandwich with tomato basil soup, patty melt on Texas toast, and chicken Marechiare with mussels & shrimp.<\/p>\n
Ramen spot in a former Pei Wei in Watauga opened<\/a> in May with a menu of sushi, ramen, and hibachi. Hokkaido has roots in Japan as well as branches across the U.S., including Houston, Austin, Denton, Arlington, McKinney, and Fort Worth. (The company also has a sibling, Kobayashi Noodle U.S.A., which provides the ramen noodles that are a Hokkaido staple item.) The menu places a special focus on the tonkotsu pork broth ramen found on the northern island of Hokkaido in Japan. Local franchisee is Louie Lou, who also owns locations in Arlington and City View Towne Crossing in Fort Worth. The Watauga location alone features an expanded selection of Chinese dishes such as beef with broccoli and sesame chicken.<\/p>\n
Fort Worth skewers joint which just opened<\/a> in August in the former Black Cat Pizza space is doing skewers of all kinds, cooked over a charcoal grill. Skewer options include chicken in a dozen varieties and body parts: drumette, thigh, and wings. There are also skewers of rib-eye, duck breast, Japanese-style pork sausage, shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli & tofu, grape tomatoes, and grape tomatoes wrapped in bacon. Chef-owner Vy Ton is a self-taught cook who learned the art of grilling while on camping trips. He imbues the restaurant with a personal touch including a menu that walks diners through an unofficial omakase-type experience with multiple courses.<\/p>\n