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June Naylor
Chicken sausage, goat cheese, mushroom, manchego pizza at Fireside Pies
For a Dallas company, Fireside Pies turned into a Fort Worth surprise.
"We weren't sure how Fort Worth would like the modernism and contemporary look," executive Tristan Simon said.
"The response has been terrific."
That's why Fort Worth will be the home of the first American F+B, a new concept from Simon's Consilient Restaurants.
American F+B -- the suddenly trendy abbreviation stands for "food and beverage" -- will be a close cousin to Dallas "urban tavern" The Porch.
But in spirit, American F+B will be more than halfway to Westwood in Los Angeles and Consilient's restaurant there, Westside Tavern.
"We're trying to do a menu than celebrates American dining more than a bar-and-grill," Simon said.
A working menu draft shows a range from Mediterranean and seafood dishes to enchiladas.
"The west Fort Worth customers are tremendously sophisticated about food," he said.
"We're finding customers who spent a significant amount of time in Italy or know their way around good food."
The emergence of nationally known local chefs such as TV's Tim Love helps create more excitement for other restaurants, he said.
Simon said Love's new Woodshed Smokehouse, opening Wednesday, will be "terrific."
He also mentioned Ellerbe Fine Foods, one of Bon Appétit's "10 Best New Restaurants in America."
"When you look at Seventh Street and then go over to Magnolia Avenue, Fort Worth is a dynamic place," Simon said.
American F+B will open this year at 901 Currie St., or try The Porch, 2912 N. Henderson St., Dallas; theporchrestaurant.com.
Not one but two smokehouses will make news in the next few days.
In Fort Worth, Love's Woodshed is scheduled to open Wednesday, bringing smoked meats and vegetables to a riverbank setting near Rogers Road.
The menu offers everything from smoked pork and game to paella, bulgogi and kimchee.
It'll be open Mondays through Saturdays for lunch and dinner; 3201 Riverfront Drive, 817-877-4545, woodshedsmokehouse.com.
In Roanoke, the newest Hard Eight BBQ is set to open Feb. 6.
The Nivens' Hill Country-style, open-pit barbecue restaurant will open at 201 S. Oak St., a block from Babe's Chicken.
Other Hard Eight locations are in Coppell, Stephenville and Brady; hardeightbbq.com.
Bud Kennedy's Eats Beat appears Wednesdays in Life & Arts and Fridays in DFW.com Weekend. 817-390-7538
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