Long before the "regular dinner," Joe T. Garcia was a barbecue guy.
But when his family celebrates nearly 80 years of success Monday at his namesake restaurant, barbecue will be only the beginning.
Chef Lanny P. Lancarte II, the great-grandson of founders Joe T. and "Mama Sus" Garcia, will serve lemon sole and rack of lamb along with beef brisket in a pasilla chile sauce and pork ribs adobo.
The dinner is a special event for Foodways Texas, a University of Texas-backed organization studying the state's food history and culture.
The Joe T.'s history started July 4, 1935, when the family opened a tiny barbecue shop in a former Greek-owned grocery store on North Commerce Street.
The restaurant's namesake had worked in Stockyards packinghouses. But we are not sure exactly what he barbecued.
"We're trying to figure out whether he might have been one of the first to serve barbecued brisket," Lancarte said.
Many chefs used beef shoulder and other cuts until the 1950s, although at least one Dallas grocery deli served brisket in the 1930s.
The Garcia and Lancarte families' oldest menu lists "sliced beef -- sliced pork -- lamb -- enchiladas -- tamales."
"We'll re-create a few of those dishes the way my family remembers them," Lancarte said. Other dishes include ceviche, lemon sole and grilled corn.
The dinner is limited to 200 customers and will include a presentation to Garcia's daughters, Hope Garcia Lancarte and Mary Garcia Christian, and a video by university historians.
Tickets are $45 at foodwaystexas.com.
The phone didn't work on opening day at Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Grapevine.
But that didn't matter.
"They just opened the doors, and it filled up right away," said Dallas publicist Martha Tiller, a spokeswoman for the now-Arizona-based chain of original Brooklyn coal-fired pizzerias.
Grimaldi's will add lunch hours Monday after opening only at dinner this weekend.
By Monday, the phone should work: 817-488-4547. 1401 William D. Tate Ave.; grimaldispizzeria.com.
One more pizza note: Fireside Pies now serves lunch daily in Fort Worth; 2949 Crockett St., 817-769-3590, www.firesidepies.com.
With its new brunch menu a success, Six 10 Grille in the Ashton Hotel has updated its dinner offerings.
The new menu includes a Niman Ranch beef tenderloin or pork chop, Westchester lamb chops, and a New York strip with Rahr beer-braised onions; 610 Main St., 817-332-0100, theashtonhotel.com.
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