Fans of the mohawked Fort Worth chef who helmed the kitchens of Max\u2019s Wine Dive, Wishbone & Flynt and Tre Mogli will find one of his staples on the menu at his new spot in Mineral Wells.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wings,\u201d Stefon Rishel said. \u201cI\u2019d get run out of town if I didn\u2019t bring the wings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rishel\u2019s new fine dining restaurant Oak & Third opened Nov. 6 at The Crazy Water Hotel in Mineral Wells.<\/p>\n
Sure enough, Rishel\u2019s wing lovers \u2014 hooked by his PB&J wings served with spicy Thai sauce, blackberry puree, chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro at Wishbone & Flynt \u2014 will find that flavor and others at the hotel.<\/p>\n
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Chef Stefon Rishel\u2019s wings, which he popularized at the Fort Worth\u2019s Near Southside Wishbone & Flynt restaurant \u2014 sold two years ago \u2014 are making a comeback at his new Oak & Third restaurant in Mineral Wells. (Scott Nishimura | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
Oak & Third took the place of Second Bar + Kitchen, the primary restaurant at The Crazy Water since opening in late 2023 under La Corsha Hospitality Group<\/a>, the hotel\u2019s manager. The hotel owners in late October took management, including food and beverage, in-house, and brought in Rishel to take over the restaurant.<\/p>\n Rishel refers to Oak & Third\u2019s concept as global cuisine with Texas ingredients. He estimates around 80% of food served is from Texas and coastal waters.<\/p>\n Thus, patrons won\u2019t likely find salmon on his menu, he said. But they will find pan-roasted grouper and smoked redfish dip along with other mains such as a Niman Ranch braised beef cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cI served that at my wedding,\u201d Rishel said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Patrons also will find a pan-roasted duck breast and a massive Niman Ranch tomahawk pork chop.\u00a0<\/p>\n From Fort Worth to Mineral Wells\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Rishel isn\u2019t the only new Crazy Water face known to Fort Worth. Bridget Shelton, a longtime hospitality manager in the region, has joined the hotel as general manager in the transition to in-house management.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shelton\u2019s husband, Fort Worth businessman Bric Shelton, helped manage the search for a new executive chef that landed Rishel.<\/p>\n Bric Shelton floated calls to come up with ideas of who the hotel should pursue. A call to Rishel turned up a surprising response when he said he was interested.<\/p>\n Rishel was working in his catering, private chef and consulting businesses but wasn\u2019t connected to a restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rishel was one of more than 50 candidates, Bridget Shelton said in an interview with the Report.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI had a chef from Dubai, a sous (chef) from The French Laundry, a chef from Caesars Palace,\u201d Shelton said.<\/p>\n She narrowed the field after the head of the hotel\u2019s ownership group said he wanted to taste the cooking of no more than three finalists, Shelton said. The three each had 90 minutes and a budget to create dishes for the tasting.<\/p>\n Rishel prepared foie gras, ricotta and focaccia \u2014 known among Tre Mogli patrons for its 72-hour cold ferment \u2014 mussels, duck puree and, for dessert, pot de creme and sticky buns.<\/p>\n \u201cChef Stefon just won everybody over,\u201d Shelton said.<\/p>\n After accepting the role, Rishel took on 19 Second Bar employees; all but one staffer came over in the transition, he said.<\/p>\n Rishel replaces chef David Bull, a multiple James Beard award nominee who founded Second Bar + Kitchen for La Corsha and brought it to The Crazy Water. Bull is building his nonprofit Mineral Wellness Center<\/a> in Mineral Wells.<\/p>\n The bigger picture\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Rishel wants to eventually expand service to seven days a week from the current Thursday to Sunday. Some expansion of days and hours are planned beginning in January.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHow do we create the culture downtown that justifies being open seven days a week?\u201d Rishel said.<\/p>\n With the reopening of the historic Baker Hotel and Spa planned in 2028 in downtown Mineral Wells, Rishel says the Oak & Third has a window to build its presence.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do we establish such a legacy now, so that when the Baker opens in three years, it doesn\u2019t cast such a shadow that nobody comes here?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Tapping the past for future success<\/strong><\/p>\n The Crazy Water\u2019s owners want to capitalize on Mineral Wells\u2019 history and view the city as an easy getaway for people from the Fort Worth-Dallas region.\u00a0<\/p>\n Celebrities like John Wayne, Bette Davis and Ronald Reagan flocked to the city in the early part of the 20th century for the perceived healing powers of the mineral water pulled from city wells.<\/p>\n The Crazy Water opened in 1927 and closed as a hotel in 1961. The hotel\u2019s owners are working on the next phase: a $2 million spa planned in the same basement that housed Crazy Water\u2019s spas. The project will include men\u2019s and women\u2019s spas with saunas, treatment rooms as well as hot and cold plunge pools served by mineral water from a new well.<\/p>\n Cody Jordan, project manager for the hotel, said the owners want to finish raising capital for the spas by the year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s our goal to have it finished by the fourth quarter of 2026,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The addition of a speakeasy in what used to be a basement bowling alley is under consideration.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to see how the spa goes,\u201d Jordan said.<\/p>\n The total hotel project will take between $20 million and $22 million in capital raised, Jordan said. The hotel attracted 88 initial investors, and now 93 are part of it, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe want 150 people to buy in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The hotel\u2019s occupancy has been running at 64%, including 100% on weekends, she said. That\u2019s running at about the same level<\/a> as U.S. hotel averages, she said.<\/p>\n Visitors now come from North Texas, Austin and Oklahoma, and even from Canada, where visitors are drawn to the region by their horse affinity, Jordan said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, the goal is to be a destination,\u201d Jordan said. \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/OakandThird-BeefCheek.jpeg\")
Chef Stefon Rishel\u2019s Niman Ranch braised beef cheek, with mashed sweet potato, roasted garlic demi sauce and crispy sweet potato helps occupy the beef lover\u2019s spot on the menu at Oak & Third. (Scott Nishimura | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/OakandThird-PimientoCheeseTots.jpeg\")
Chef Stefon Rishel\u2019s pimiento cheese tater tots, a creamy, crunchy concoction with yellow curry, Sriracha ketchup and dill buttermilk dressing, are a hearty shareable on the menu at Oak & Third restaurant in Mineral Wells. (Scott Nishimura | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
Current owners reopened the hotel in phases beginning in 2019. Today, the hotel has 64 guest rooms and 10 rental apartments.<\/p>\n
Scott Nishimura is a senior editor at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org<\/a>. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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