Fort Worth goes Fantastic!

Fort Worth is on the western side of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. About 40 minutes from the D-FW airport, most visitors find the city a pleasure to visit. Much less traffic and expense than the big city to the east.

Our new star is the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Located on a hill overlooking downtown, the museum sparkles, surrounded by reflecting ponds. The architect, Tadoa Ando of Osaka, Japan, has created a building that is so incredible, you have to remind yourself to look at the art. This museum sits on the eastern end of the Cultural District. Put on your walking shoes. Across the street is the Kimball Art Museum, and about six blocks further up the hill is the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art. Take a break from the serious with a visit to the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Give yourself a treat and dine at some of our best restaurants. Yes, I''ll even give you clues on where to find a parking space -- even where you can buy a better pair of walking shoes. The children will enjoy the museum built for them with the Omni Theater. Open Tuesday through Sunday. No charge.

Quick Tips:

If you have only 6 hours in Fort Worth, dash to the new Modern Art Museum. Architecture as genius. That strange orange tower that looks like rusted steel from an old ship is the Vortex. Rising over 60 feet, it is a strange landmark for the new museum. Step inside; the Vortex has a remarkable echo. The Vortex by Richard Serra is over 67 ft. tall and about 20 ft by 20 ft at the base. A gift of the Burnett Foundation. Every museum view of art, water, sky, floor, and wall is interesting. Nothing is left to chance. Step outside to look back in. Linger by the reflecting pond. Take a rest in the cafe. Both the food and the views are wonderful.

Best Way To Get Around:

You can drive to the Cultural District, take a bus or a trolley from downtown or come by taxi. If you come early in the morning, you will find parking on the various museum grounds (it fills up fast). Larger lots are to the west, and there''s also the garage to the north. You will end up doing a bit of walking. Public transportation offers several stops in the Cultural District. My tactic is to make opening-hour stops at one particular museum and depart before the crowds arrive.

Joe T's as it is known in Texas is world famous. A very long history of family cooking on the north side of Fort Worth has amazed and gratified generations of diners. The original building is the old family home. Expansions of patios and new buildings have allowed this restaurant to grow a full block to the west. Plenty of parking. Open long hours. Reservations suggested on weekend evenings if you don't want a long wait.

Much of the seating area is outside on the patios, some near the swimming pool. The pool is not open for guest swimming, but now and then during a really good party someone ends up in the water. Hot in summer, chilly in winter, this is an authetic experience. Not a chair restaurant.

The menu is limited with a few lunch specials and a basic dinner menu that offers you a choice of beef or chicken for the meat in your main course enchilladas. Over the years a few dishes have been added to the menu, although regular diners know that it's best not to ask 'what's new?' The salsa is hot and spicy. The chips are a bit bitter. Plenty of drinks on the menu including gallons of ice tea, Margaritas and beers.

A very popular place for wedding dinners, high school reunions and VIP's. About a 10 minute drive straight north out of downtown Fort Worth on Main street to the 2200 block. Turn right at the big sign by the bakery. Free parking in large unpaved lots across the street from the restaurant. A Texas tradition.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, not Monday -- don't be disappointed. Always busy during lunch. Arrive early to purchase fantastic home-made baked goods: cakes, cookies, pies, breads, and pastries. A Fort Worth favorite for generations, this bakery/restaurant is in a strip shopping center about one mile west of University Drive and one mile south of I-30 West. A popular place for working folks, students, and professors from Texas Christian University and visitors. Food service is fairly fast at the tables, although sandwiches and salads are made to order. For a real treat arrive early and get the potato salad as soon as it is made. Impossible to get fresher! Sandwiches run from ham, corned beef and turkey to sausages. Don't kid yourself, people come for the desserts. No South Beach diet plan here!

Salvo and Donna Pampallona run this wonderful, upscale Italian trattoria. Salvo is the chef, while Donna does all else. There's a small number of tables, so you must make a reservation. (It doesn't take Donna long to remember which table you prefer.) It's located about 4 blocks north of the Kimball Art Museum in a strip shopping center.

The food is so fresh, especially the vegetables. My hubby always orders one of the veal dishes. I go for pasta or one of the vegetarian dishes. The restaurant has a quality but not extravagant wine list. It offers lunch and dinner service Monday through Friday, dinner only on Saturdays. Our first visit was on one of the coldest, most miserable nights of the year, when there were only a few people in the restaurant. I had cream of mushroom soup and a nightly special pasta dish named after Donna. The soup was the best I can remember having. Salvo cooked for the few of us as if we were royalty. Certainly I would return.

If you're coming out from downtown, the travel time is about 10 minutes.

Forgive me for taking this journal from the elegance of the new Modern Art Museum to the western/Texan atmosphere of this restaurant and bar. But people have to eat! Only about 3 miles north of the Modern, this place is not only fun, but also has a wonderful menu of steaks, roasted chicken, ribs, fresh rainbow trout, and often live Maine lobster.

There's free valet parking. The restaurant is next to the Stockyards Hotel, about 10 feet from the twice-daily longhorn-cattle-drive route. It's also on the trolley run that goes from downtown to the Cultural District and the historic north side of Fort Worth. It's both fun and has really good food. Give youself and your feet a rest after doing the museums.

Although one reason for dining at Angeluna prior to attending a performance at the Bass Hall across the street is to use the valet parking, this restaurant has held up very well since its opening about 5 years ago. What to call the cuisine? How about complicated California American? Okay, so, you think that is funny, well, it's true. There is no short way around a recipe at Angeluna. Every dish comes with a complicated arrangement of spices, add-ons, and frills. Even the steak has a novel way of preparation and presentation. When it first opened, the prices in this restaurant were so non-Fort Worth, many speculated that it couldn't last long. However, the generally upscale crowd that visits the Bass Hall have kept the place rolling along.

My favorate meals are the Sunday brunch items, wildly creative versions of waffles, eggs, and other savories. Dinner time menu items range into the fishes, lamb, beef, pork and vegetable. However, as the menu changes seasonally, you might find that you are hungry for a pasta dish that you fell in love with only to find that it has vanished from the menu. The warm Thai beef salad that is my favorate comes and goes although serious negotiation with a waiter can sometimes result in one. The pork chops, extremely thick and rich in filling and sauce are best divided between two people. The waiter will put up with this sort of behavior if you order a salad and appetizer. Otherwise you may well earn one of those LOOKS.

If you have an 8pm curtain at the Bass, make that plain when you make your reservation or you will be sweating out the time and not enjoying your meal. Intermission 'betweens' and after-show snacks and drinks are a popular way of meeting folks. The valet parking at Angeluna is less expensive and handier than at the Bass.

This is an amazing place. You walk in, stand in line, and order your food. Pay and then you find your own table and wait for your beeper to flash. However, any idea of fast-food stops at that point. The quality of the food is absolutely outstanding both for eat-in and carry-out. There''s wine and beer available. My favorite dishes were the Niçoise salad ($7.95) and the incredible vegetable tart ($7.25). There are many toppings and dressings to add to your own salads. The desserts looked great, but I haven''t tried them as yet as the portions are huge. Beautiful decor too.

Very close to the Zoo, Log Cabin Village, and Texas Christian University. About 10 minutes from the Cultural District. Highly recommended!!!

Rick's is in the Cultural District, has a bar (smoking allowed) and keeps long hours. I hadn't been there for a while, so this is an update based on today's lunch. Burgers are great and quite large. Onion rings are very good. If you want a healthy lunch, the chicken taco salad is very tasty and meets that goal. Daily lunch specials vary daily hamburger steak, roast beef, chicken and pork.

The chili is excellent, but is far from low fat. It tastes good because it is extremely rich, dripping in fat.

Table service is given by waitresses who are quick and nice to deal with. The dining room is in the front of this old house and the bar is in the rear with its own entrance. As this restaurant is next to a large hospital, parking can be tricky during busy hours. A Fort Worth tradition that meets the requirements of being inexpensive, tasty and often deep fried.

Update: change of hours and prices. Telephone ahead. With a terrific location just east of the new Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the friendly place has the double bonus of great food and free parking. Well, add to that a super-friendly atmosphere while you admire all the goodies that Pop has schlepped home to Fort Worth from his years of world travel.

Does Pop look familiar when you walk in the door? Well, likely, as for years he had his own television program about traveling the world seeking out the best scuba diving. With his lovely wife Pat at his side, this place has become a very happy place to gather in the Cultural District in Fort Worth. Don't let the drab exterior turn you off. Follow your nose to the great food and wine. Did I mention the cigars? Yes, the bar sells and encourages the smoking of fine cigars which drifts into the restaurant, thus smoke is everywhere.

The Ionian Grill is a Greek style restaurant a few blocks from Texas Christian University that also serves some continental dishes. The food is fresh, the cooking excellent, and the prices are just fine! A family business, this place is very busy on Saturday night. Best call to book a table for that night!

Open for lunch 11am to 2:30pm, dinner 5pm to 10pm, and Sundays noon to 9pm. Also available for private parties by advanced reservation. Comfortable, friendly, and welcoming.

Favorite dishes: Well, let's get serious and start with soup, the incredible Avgolemono (egg and lemon soup). You can't have a meal there without it. For lunch, try the soup and one of their lunch specials. For dinner you have the choice of soup and salad (Greek and traditional Horiatiki). The entrees are cooked to order, fresh and wonderful. From the gyros plate to lamb chops and a daily special fish dish, it is hard to go wrong. The most special treat for me is the New York Strip steak, covered with cheese, served with the best roast potatoes you will ever have, and green beans.

Desserts include baklava and galaktoboureko (a flan), and they're all fresh and tasty.

Bring the family! Bring your friends! Enjoy!

Loafin’ Joe’s is both a fast food restaurant with great soups and sandwiches and a gathering place for folks who want to watch a sporting event. It’s just the ticket for guys whose families can't stand the TV being tied up for yet another game!

Our favorite sandwich is the 12" Reuben on white bread with a basket of yam chips. Be sure to ask for the ranch dressing to go with those chips. Everything is fresh, reasonably priced and very tasty. They serve fountain drinks of the Pepsi family and Coke products by the bottle.

In the heart of the famous Sundance Square area of downtown Fort Worth, this lively restaurant is very popular with those who work downtown and the increasing number of downtown residents as well as visitors. The food is fresh (excellent salads) and the big windows give you great views of the active street life in our little city on the western prairie.

Seafood, you say? Well, airplanes fly in from all over the world to the giant Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, only a 30-minute drive away. Members of my party had the fresh blue crab fingers from Maryland, salmon from Alaska, and absolutely wonderful salads and freshly baked bread. The service was attentive without being oppressive. Our waiter didn't want to be our new best friend, only to see us through a wonderful dinner.

This restaurant is open for lunches with a lower-priced menu of selections, but our dinner items were not expensive. The salmon with baked potato, green beans, and a nice sized filet was $17. The large salads were only $6, which has to be a major league bargain for a downtown restaurant. The portion of crab fingers easily served four, with plenty of butter sauce for dipping with the fresh bread. We had a very nice evening.

This restaurant is a delightful addition to the West Side of Fort Worth. Look for it on the back side of the main part of this multi-building shopping center. The food is varied in type, style and method. Many of the items are typical British pub food (fish & chips, bangers & mash) while others have a Southwestern and Texas theme. My sweetie pronounced his fish & chips 'absolutely wonderful, the best he's ever had!' At $10 a real fine meal! I had Shepherd's Pie with a very tasty group of freshly cooked green beans and roasted potatoes. The main part of my 'pie' had ground sirloin, vegetables, and cheddar cheese with onion gravy and topped with mashed potatoes. $8. How could I not like a meal with two kinds of potatoes?

For dessert we shared a very rich and very nice festival of chocolate cake $5. This restaurant is open long pub hours with light bites and pub food available at all hours. Lunch is served from 11 am to 2 pm daily with Happy Hour starting at 2pm. Full dinner service. Plenty of free, at the door parking and delightful friendly service.

The interior decor is a tidied up version of a British pub with pub signs, photos and antiques. A very pleasant place for a meal, drinkies and to have long chats with friends.

Update March 10, 2006: a new restaurant, Baker Bros. American Deli has opened in the same shopping center. These 2 restaurants are in no way related. The 'deli' is just open, self serve style and doesn't sell liquor. If you are planning to meet friends at the Baker Street Pub & Grill, explain that the Pub is on the back of the shopping center.

The best seafood, in the Fort Worth area, can be found at Pappadeaux next to I-30 midtown at the Forest Park Exit. It is worth the trouble of trying to find your way to their parking lot, a possible wait in line, and the noise of a festive restaurant.

I would dine there any time for the salmon on a cedar plank, a huge piece of fish and a pile of asparagus for about $20. Yes, you can get all the traditional Cajun stuff you might be hankering for, but the quality of what they serve is demonstrated by this outstanding dish. Absolutely wonderful!

Consider outside dining on nice days and evenings for the views of the river, the park (the highway) and some quiet. Inside can be pretty wild and very happy, especially on weekends.

Don't skip the desserts, absolutely have one! We were completely delighted with the banana pudding served in a Mason jar with seven layers of fresh and wonderful flavors.

All ages enjoy this restaurant. It is very popular for family gatherings. Do make reservations for large parties and on weekends. Several locations in other Texas cities, but this one is our favorite. Superior high quality seafood, enjoy!

The bar does a huge business with a variety of drinks at typical prices. For what you get, all the prices on the menu are fair and reasonable.

Frankly I am so pleased and happy about having this new museum in my little city that I feel so lucky. The building is incredible. I enjoy photographing it; no photos are allowed inside, however. When spring comes, I''ll be doing a lot of photography in the area of the building that contains the supurb reflecting ponds.

When things start to green up, I''ll add a lot of photos to this journal.

A special way of getting around town is on the green trolleys that are reproductions of those than ran in Fort Worth in the early part of the 20th century. An all-day ticket can be purchased on the trolleys or at the Intermodel Transportation Center (ITC), at 9th and Jones streets downtown. This is the station where the Trinity Railway Express stops.

At this time, an all-day bus/trolley ticket costs $2--a bargain for sure!

There are three routes. Route 16 covers downtown, the downtown hotels, and offers a free lunch shuttle up and down the major streets of downtown. Look for route numbers 7, 15, and 16 at bus stops. The "T" bus stops are clearly marked with a silver "T" over a blue star.

Route 7 runs to and from downtown out to and through the Cultural District. Avoid hunting for a parking place. Ride the green trolley! The trolley can also help you get up the long hill from the Museum of Modern Art to the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art.

From both downtown and the Cultural District, you can catch Route 15 that runs out to the Historic Stockyards District. Some of the trolley drivers on this route are famous for singing cowboy songs, and they tell you about the sights.

If you want to take a direct route from downtown to the Historic Stockyards District, you can take a bus marked Route 1, which runs from downtown around the Tarrant County Courthouse and then straight north. It takes about 20 minutes from the south end of downtown.

The trolley drivers are fine tour guides and many speak several languages. They are more than willing to give advice on where to visit and how to get there.

The trolleys are air-conditioned and heated.

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