Category Archives: Travel

FWFWF: Rise and Dine

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post however I did receive tickets to the event in return for the publication. As always, all opinions are my own. #FWFWF #RiseandDine #FortWorthTX

The weekend extravaganzas of the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival begin with the Rise and Dine event. What better way to start Saturday morning than with brunch. The greatest meal of the day exploded into a wide array of traditional breakfast options, pastries, seafood, pasta and even items with a kick (the shrimp and grits blew our minds). Plus, it’s never to early to pair your first meal of the day with a local brew, wine or champagne. Am I right? We all need to start the day off on the right foot and this was definitely the way to go!

Pastries are quick to be on the top of all of our lists, including mine. The only thing to pay attention to during this weekend of food and wine was where I can get these tasty options in the future. If there’s maple syrup involved, you’ve definitely caught my attention…

French Toast – Pacific Table

All I saw was real maple syrup being poured and I was sold. Maple syrup in Texas can sometimes seem like a lost commodity but if you’ve got it, you’ve got me. This french toast option (above) brought a crispy crunch coating the the bite and the small piece of bacon on top was the perfect extra flavorful bite that quenched the taste. I’m not going to lie, I went back for seconds (I wouldn’t even share this one with Spencer because it was so good).

The best presentation goes to #CastIronOmni. Chicken and Waffles! #riseanddine #fwfwf #fortworthfoodie

A photo posted by Diana Bockus (@downhometraveler) on Mar 28, 2015 at 9:57am PDT

The traditional Southern breakfast / brunch option was not amiss thank you to Cast Iron Omni. This was actually my first time trying chicken and waffles as well. Definitely one of the South.

With all of the food, we were sure that we always had a beverage in hand. It gets really hard to pick with so many options. We decided to just try a little of everything. Knob Creek, Tito’s, a beer garden and endless varieties of wine and champagne. It’s a good thing that we were surrounded by so much delicious food. Which came first, the drink or the plate?

Then came our most favorite, beyond favorite item of the event. We can’t even describe this one because it was so good. Some would say a party in my mouth perhaps. Bringing together a bit of the South, the spring, Louisiana, a little spice and huge kick of flavor, Shrimp and Grits by Buttons. Holy Cow. If only I could spoon feed you this dish through the screen. Ah, I can’t even talk about it, I’m getting hungry. Make your way to Buttons and try it for yourself. Plentiful shrimp, creamy grits, slices of jalapenos. Oh Lordy…

Here are a few other of our favorites…

Tillman’s Roadhouse

Steamed pork sandwich – Shinjuku Station

Have you ever had a steamed sandwich? A light bread, almost wet to the touch is light and fluffy. This was the first time I’ve ever had a steamed sandwich. Don’t go into it thinking it will taste like a real sandwich or even bread, it allows the flavors of the the filling to completely take over.

Green Eggs and Ham

Let’s go read the Dr. Seuss book and check this one off. Delicious. Dr. Seuss was onto something…

What is your favorite brunch location in Fort Worth?

A full recap of our experience at the Fort Wort Food and Wine Festival as well as links to the other events can be found, here.

FWFWF: Grand Tasting Event

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Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post however I did receive tickets to the event in return for the publication. As always, all opinions are my own. #FWFWF #GrandTasting #FortWorthTX

Everything is bigger in Texas, including quality. Where no holds bar, the Grand Tasting showcased the the most exceptional items at this year’s Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival. Including presentations from some of the area’s most elite restaurants, local breweries and North Texas wines and spirits there was no limitation of the items that can be devoured. Lobster rolls, smoked salmon, bread pudding and jalapeño beer. (Yes, jalapeño beer and it was phenomenal.) This was the event to dress up a little and be ready for a evening of treating yourselves.

With as much wine as food (let’s be honest, I’m convinced there was definitely more wine), the first stop had to be a wine table. With wines companies from all over Texas and all over the world, we can all find something that we enjoy. A great sommelier always finds something that you would enjoy. Keeping up with the wine selection was something of a challenge for me, I prefer Malbecs but it was great to try some wines that were new to me and to expand my pallet.

TX Whiskey and Tito’s were available with areas for themselves. Enjoy the Tito’s bar room with specialty mixed cocktails or swing over to TX Whiskey (our favorite) for their delicious TX Whiskey Grapefruit Honey Water. Talk about something to cool you off this summer on a scorching day! If you are unfamiliar with TX Whiskey, they have a pretty unique distinction. Every bottle has a different leather top. Collect a few, display them. It’s a great characteristic to add to their label.

Then, I came across my favorite of the night. In fact, I’m just as surprised that I loved this beer as much as I did. Jalapeno beer by No Label Brewing Company. As soon as I had a sip, I couldn’t wait to be sitting outside with a beer in one hand and a great burger in the other!

To the food!
The food was amazing! With some of the best restaurants in Fort Worth gathered in one room, you are bound to just wear pants that are a little loser or for the ladies, just go with a dress. You will want to try everything! It’s even better to run into friends while you are there (or make new ones) and hear about their favorites. Here are a few of the finds that we found along the way with some of our favorites for the night!

Our Favorites
Let’s be serious and ask where do we even start with this?
Bonnells Pork and Jalapeno, Cafe Modern Pork Sandwich and one table had a great cornbread (we lost track of who but I’ll try to figure it out – if you know please comment).
Plus the following…

Pacific Table – Salmon

Smoked Salmon

Capital Grille – Lobster Roll

Whiskey and Rye – Bread Pudding with Whiskey Ice Cream

Honorable Mentions and Other Dishes From the Evening:

Seafood Tamale

This event was really fantastic. It not only brought together the elite fine dining restaurants of Fort Worth but exposes you to previously unaware options. The hard part is it’s created a new bucket list of places to check out. SO many choices, so little time. It’s a good thing we like to run at the parks!

What was your favorite option at the Grand Tasting? What would you like the most?

A full recap of our experience at the Fort Wort Food and Wine Festival as well as links to the other events can be found, here.

FWFWF: #LateNight Dessert After Dark

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Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post however I did receive tickets to the event in return for the publication. As always, all opinions are my own. #FWFWF #DessertAfterDark #FortWorthTX #LateNight

The second day of the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival consisted of the Grand Tasting and for those with a sweeter tooth, Dessert After Dark. Held at the astounding 802 Vickery venue, an evening of TX Whiskey based desserts and cocktails ensued.

Dessert After Dark held one rule constant, each item featured had to incorporate Fort Worth’s own TX Whiskey into the mix. With creativity and ingenuity, these chefs and bartenders stepped up to the plate and delivered some incredible items. Each guest was given two voting chips when they arrived to the event, one for a favorite beverage and the other for their favorite food.

Where to start? Let’s just start out with the food. Everything from ice cream, pies, macaroons, chocolate and pies. It’s a dessert heaven! There’s a key to all of these, take a small bite of each in order to experience them all! (My favorite? The whiskey ball featured above.)

802 Vickery, Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival, FWFWF, TX Whiskey

Dude, Sweet Chocolate

We can’t forget our beverages can we? The the desserts, each mixed cocktail must feature TX Whiskey. This is where everyone became really creative and where we realized that grapefruit is the perfect addition to a whiskey beverage (and it can be used in so many ways!). If there’s grapefruit, that means we can just have one of these for breakfast, right?

Our favorite drink of the evening!

The event was a fantastic way to end the evening. With plenty of room, an amazing outdoor venue, friendly people – if this sounds like your kind of party, this is the event for you. Our only fore-warning is the beverage lines took a little time as drinks were being prepared fresh. On the flip side, drinks were being prepared fresh!

Did you attend the #LateNight Desserts After Dark? If so, what was your favorite?

A full recap of our experience at the Fort Wort Food and Wine Festival as well as links to the other events can be found, here.