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closeWednesday, Oct. 07, 2009
At Z’s Cafe, a 'food, family, friends’ philosophy goes a long way
At Z’s Cafe, a 'food, family, friends’ philosophy goes a long way toward a lovely lunch experience
ByJUNE NAYLOR
Special to dfw.com
Star-Telegram/Rodger Mallison
Fruit, a chicken salad sandwich and a "Salmon-tini," from left, at Z’s Cafe Star-Telegram/Rodger Mallison
Going out to lunch at Z’s Cafe, the newish dining spot in the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, is so much more than it sounds.
Janet Z. Capua and son Carlo Capua co-own the cafe, expanding on Janet’s catering business. Janet works as chef and Carlo manages the place, which functions not only as a lovely place to eat a good meal but also as a social service operation.
In opening Z’s Cafe, they created jobs for residents of Samaritan House, a nonprofit that assists people living with HIV/AIDS. The restaurant helps people get on their feet and teaches them business skills in the kitchen and in the restaurant. Such experience bolsters a résumé and makes them employable.
The Capuas apply their "food, family, friends" philosophy in visible ways. They greet every customer, including newcomers, like long-lost pals, but best of all is watching them interact with their employees: You get a sense there’s a lot of caring at work here, and the response is touching. At being treated like part of the family, employees’ faces seem to light up with what must be hope.
Opened last spring in the community arts center, Z’s brings a pleasant lunch option to the museums. You can sit inside, where sunlight bathes tables through soaring windows, or you can sit on the porch, gazing across the lawn at Will Rogers Coliseum and the Amon Carter Museum, and catching breezes that skim across the shellstone.
The first of two recent lunch visits revealed the reason for the fuss over Z’s chicken salad: Chopped, dried cranberries add a tart pop to the fresh mix, which is blessedly light on mayonnaise. It comes on a selection of breads, including a croissant, or on a bed of lettuce; like all of Z’s sandwiches and salads, it’s offered with a side of chips or fresh fruit for $5.99.
Daily specials included a light, deep-dish quiche on my first visit. This fluffy egg pie came full of yellow and white cheeses and bacon, perfect with a fresh green salad tossed with feta and vinaigrette and steamed asparagus. Like all specials, it’s $5.99 and includes two sides.
On another visit, we liked the turkey-apricot wrap, a flatbread cylinder rolled up with deli-sliced turkey breast, a little apricot spread, honey-Dijon, cream cheese and baby spinach leaves. Perfectly acceptable but less stellar, the pimento cheese sandwich is another regular offering. A stick-to-your-ribs side that visit was an especially creamy mac and cheese.
Sweets get showcased at the end of the counter where you place your order and pay for lunch. On one visit, a lemon poundcake was both sweet and tangy; another day, the powdered sugar-dusted brownies were dense (99 cents per serving).
Z’s keeps the beverage choices simple: coffee, iced tea, soft drinks, Perrier and juice. If you’re just stopping between museum visits, drop in for coffee and a sweet. You’ll be doing a good deed that tastes good.
1300 Gendy St. (inside the Fort Worth Community Arts Center)
Fort Worth
817-989-2233
Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Cuisine: Casual American
Essentials: No bar; smoke-free; major credit cards; wheelchair-accessible.
Entrees: About $6
Signature dishes: chicken salad; quiche; lemon poundcake
Recommended for: Eating an honest, affordable lunch in pretty surroundings while doing a good deed.
Good to know: Lovely patio seating; specials change daily; catering available.
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