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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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And It’s All for a Worthy Cause
Everybody wins during Restaurant Week: Metroplex restaurants get a larger-than-usual mid-August crowd, deserving charities like Lena Pope Home and the North Texas Food Bank get a cut, and Chow, Baby gets to eat — well, “cheap” is not the right word, but $30 isn’t bad for a meal at the likes of Cacherel, Lonesome Dove, Fizzi, Pegasus, or Cattlemen’s Steakhouse. Unfortunately, those places were booked up by the time Chow, Baby got on the horn for reservations, thus spoiling its goal of eating at all 17 Tarrant County participating restaurants and its secondary goal of inducing a heart attack in Hi Bob, Fort Worth Weekly’s general manager, with an expense report of $654 (with tax and tips). Maybe next year.
Luckily, the world-fusion cuisinartists at Angeluna had a Monday-night opening. Chow, Baby arrived at a quarter ’til Neville Brothers, who were bringing their signature New Orleans R&B/funk to Bass Hall across the street. Four dozen jazzed-up diners sounded like an overcrowded schoolyard at recess, but the crowd thankfully departed as Chow Baby’s appetizer arrived. This simple plate of sliced seasonal tomatoes was so astoundingly fresh that Chow, Baby imagined the kitchen conversation: “Give me the binoculars —I see the Chowbabymobile on I-30 — yes, it’s at Riverside Drive — what are you doing! Don’t pick those tomatoes yet! I’ve told you, when the patrons exit the highway and not a moment sooner!” Next up was macadamia-crusted pork tenderloin with wasabi mashed potatoes, and finally a blueberry tartlet with lemon buttermilk ice cream. Everything was delicious, beautifully presented, and modern without being trend-silly.
A few days later at Texas de Brazil, Chow, Baby filled one stomach compartment from the best salad bar in town: buffalo mozzarella, jumbo asparagus, roasted eggplant, sautéed portobello mushrooms, and some two dozen additional yummies. It was a (doomed) plot to get Chow, Baby to fill up before the meat-servers started dancing around with their skewers of parmesan pork loin, Brazilian sausage, chicken breast, garlic picanha, and sirloin. The food was almost as good as Chow, Baby remembered from its last visit a couple of years ago, and the service wasn’t nearly as snotty. If Texas de Brazil no longer enforces its dress code or its no-screaming-babies policy, well, it’s still one of the classiest all-you-can-eat buffets around.
Next year’s Restaurant Week goal: Fifteen restaurants in six days. Betting opens Aug. 1.
Chow, Baby Culpa
Told you Chow, Baby didn’t know much about art: Turns out all those wonderful paintings at Coffee House Gallery are actually the work of Lance Jones, who (at least via e-mail) is just as nice and probably as handsome as the inaccurately credited Gregory Story. Chow, Baby regrets the error.
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