After 30 years in Texas, Del Frisco's finally figured out we like beef.
The now-Southlake-based chain will open not one but two Del Frisco's Grille restaurants here this year, bringing a casual version of its clubby steakhouse.
New Del Frisco's Grilles will open in both Sundance Square and Southlake Town Square, promising "classics" in a bar-and-grill setting.
The Sundance location will open this fall in The Commerce, a new office-restaurant building at 420 Commerce St., between the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium and Bass Hall.
That location will have a sprawling patio and a second-story bar.
(Next door, Dallas restaurateur Shannon Wynne will turn the old Saucer location into Bird Cafe. Sundance's other new anchor is a Taco Diner on the Houston Street side.)
Opening by next spring, the Southlake location of Del Frisco's Grille will be slightly smaller than its Fort Worth cousin -- 8,000 square feet instead of 9,000 -- but will have a large second-story patio overlooking the corner at 1200 E. Southlake Blvd.
Del Frisco's Grille's publicity mostly brags about the lemon doberge five-layer cake with pudding, a New Orleans original. But don't underestimate the burgers, flatbreads or chipotle macaroni-and-cheese.
Until the Tarrant County locations open, try Del Frisco's Grille for lunch or dinner daily at 3232 McKinney Ave.; 972-807-6152, delfriscosgrille.com.
Speaking of Del Frisco's: Easter lunch has become prime beef time.
All three steakhouses on downtown Fort Worth's "beef block" will be open for family lunches on the March 31 holiday.
The newest, Capital Grille, will open first at 11 a.m., followed by Ruth's Chris and then Del Frisco's Double Eagle at 1 p.m.
Hunter Brothers H3 Ranch is among other steakhouses open for Easter lunch.
Gogo Gumbo is going all-day.
OK -- not exactly. The popular New Orleans-style Wise County restaurant will add a sandwich and lunch cafe next door.
Former country-club chef Kraig Thome draws a line out the door for his 3-year-old seafood restaurant specializing in scallops, sea bass, gumbo and desserts such as whiskey-chocolate mousse pie or the "2Die4" cream-cheese mousse with berries.
His new cafe next door will be named Canteen.
"We hope to change the culinary landscape at lunch," Thome wrote by email, "the same way we changed the conversation about dinner."
Gogo Gumbo is open for dinner only and only Tuesdays through Saturdays beginning at 4 p.m.; 116 W. Rock Island Ave. (Texas 114), 940-433-3474.
20 years after the first indie coffee cafes opened here , Imbibe magazine says Fort Worth has two of the best in Texas.
Busy Avoca Coffee at 1311 W. Magnolia Ave. made the list, along with smaller and cozier Buon Giorno Coffee at 915 Florence St. downtown (and also in Grapevine).
Bud Kennedy's column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 817-390-7538
Twitter: @budkennedy
