This small restaurant is the best we now have in Fort Worth. It is absolutely top grade, with chef Tim Love and his wife, Emilie, running the show. The menu features all sorts of wild game and exotic offerings, but I went there for the beef tenderloin--without a doubt, the best I have ever had.
In the historic stockyards in north Fort Worth, you must make a reservation (they will telephone you to verify). The long bar on your right as you come in is a nice place to have a drink while you wait for your table. The lights are dim (perhaps a bit too dim for older folk), and the place can get celebration noisy. The 14 or so tables are close together on the left side of the vintage building. Chef Tim comes out of the kitchen often to make sure everyone is happy.
Check out their website for the full menu at www.lonesomedovebistro.com. A full three-course meal and wine set us back at least $75 per person, quite a total for Cowtown but well worth it. Several times my hubby visited Lonesome Dove without me for business dinners and came home testifying about the beef tenderloin, so that had to be my main course for the evening. In fact, all four of us made the same decision. It was so tender you can just about give up using your knife. On this evening the vegetables were asparagus and west plain hash added to a large order of fried onions we got to share. A second choice for me was the New Zealand red deer, but I likely will order the beef again. It was that outstanding. Something to brag about in a town where we have many very fine beef cookers, including those of us who fire up the barbeque at home. You have to do it really well in a restaurant to get our vote! The beef tenderloin is sold by the ounce, with an 8-ounce minimum at $3.20 per ounce.
For the first course, three of my companions ordered the lobster cakes and raved about how good they were. For dessert we ordered a shared a variety of things in the sweet and sticky category, but frankly, we weren't that hungry by the time we got to them.
If you want a fine steak in Fort Worth, come to my house or go to Lonesome Dove. You can walk around the historic stockyards and enjoy the atmosphere before or after your meal. This isn't a theme-park re-creation of the real West but our authentic hometown. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, but telephone ahead. Don't count on being able to walk in and get a table, even on a Wednesday evening. There is valet parking at the door.