The nicest part of Restaurant Week is that it is nearly Restaurant Month.
The Wild Mushroom Steak House in Weatherford and 12 other Tarrant County restaurants will extend the $35 dinner special through Labor Day, meaning more good food for us and more charity money for the Lena Pope Home and the North Texas Food Bank.
Mushroom chef Jarrett Joslin wanted to offer a choice of something besides steak-and-potatoes, so he marinates skirt steak and serves it tandoori style with chimichurri. Just call it South Asian barbecue.
Other highlights include a tandoori chicken kebab, Thai curry clams, a creamy jalapeño soup or an orange-walnut "Waldorf" salad, and a mascarpone ice cream-brownie dessert.
"We have so many regulars -- we want to make Restaurant Week something special," said Joslin, drawing crowds even on perpetually-under-construction South Main Street.
"There are lots of places to get steak. We want to do something extra."
Wild Mushroom is at 1917 Martin Drive, just north of Interstate 20; 817-599-4935, thewildmushroomrestaurant.com.
In Northeast Tarrant County, Ferrari's, Kirby's, Silver Fox and Truluck's are all extending the special through Labor Day.
Truluck's offers one of the most extensive menus, with a choice of four soups or salads and entrees including crab Alfredo or a blackened "Texas redfish" with crawfish, shrimp and crab in a Creole sauce.
Desserts include carrot cake, chocolate malt cake or sugar-free coconut cream pie; 1420 Plaza Place, Southlake, 817-912-0500, trulucks.com.
Cacharel in Arlington also stretches Restaurant Week.
The menu includes a ginger salmon fillet, eggplant-Parmesan-crusted chicken or beef medallions with a chipotle sauce, plus (of course) Cacharel's chocolate souffle; 2221 E. Lamar Blvd., 817-640-9981, cacharel.net.
Austin cult favorite Torchy's Tacos will open a second Dallas store Thursday, with more coming to Arlington and Southlake.
The new Torchy's is at 5600 SMU Blvd., near Greenville Avenue.
Torchy's will open next to Babe's Chicken in Arlington and in a Southlake center with Snappy Salads and Zoë's Kitchen.
Also coming to Southlake: a Daddy Jack's Lobster & Chowder House in Southlake Town Square and a Bonefish Grill in The Shops at Southlake.
Bud Kennedy's Eats Beat appears Wednesdays in Life & Arts and Fridays in DFW.com Weekend. 817-390-7538
Twitter: @eatsbeat
