By Natalie Lozano Trimble
Photography by Thanin Viriyaki
What Chef Casey Thompson calls liquid gold — Sungold tomato confit in beef tallow — is part of a pasta dish showcasing Duchess’ strengths: colorful plating, working with local farmers, making pasta in-house and borrowing the smokers at neighboring Panther City BBQ.
The sauce is served with Texas corn and ricotta-stuffed farfalle and topped with basil leaves and a beef cheek marmalade.
“It’s just fun to get that challenge. This corn’s really good during a certain time of year and you only have a few weeks to use it,” Executive Chef Marcus Kopplin says.
He and consulting chef, Thompson, are creating something fresh but approachable at their new Near Southside restaurant inside The Nobleman Hotel. The menu includes traditional Fort Worth favorites like steaks, tacos, and a burger, alongside creative dishes for vegetarians (fried eggplant schnitzel and ricotta gnudi with navy beans) and the gluten-free (whole rainbow trout and a half buttermilk-brined roasted chicken).
“It’s such a labor of love,” Thompson says. “To me, as a chef, these are the dishes that you remember forever.” The Lucky Pig is one of Kopplin’s favorite dishes on the menu right now, with tortillas made in-house, served with pork belly, smoked next door. Kopplin’s longstanding friendship with the kitchen manager at Panther City BBQ allows him access to the smokers. The two friends met when Kopplin was serving and bartending at Chuy’s, before he knew he wanted to be a chef.
Once the kitchen won him over, Kopplin attended Dallas’ Le Cordon Bleu and spent time at Shinjuku Station and Piatello before becoming the Chef de Cuisine at Clay Pigeon — his first Executive Chef role in Fort Worth.
He was working in Dallas when Thompson announced her involvement with Duchess. He immediately reached out, earning the spot over three other finalists with a cooking audition.
Kopplin says he and Thompson have similar cooking styles, and they text daily to collaborate on seasonal dishes since she lives in Sonoma and travels often.
Thompson sees her trips as a chance to take the restaurant on the road. “It’s not a surprise that people say, ‘I’m in Fort Worth all the time. I’d love to see the restaurant, especially since Duchess is in a hotel.’”
A Dallas native who began her career at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, Thompson was working at Shinsei before Top Chef convinced her to audition for its third season in 2007. Fort Worth has missed her since she left the West 7th Brownstone, consulting for other hotels in the years since.
Thompson named the restaurant Duchess as an ode to female chefs and the strength of the female spirit, an intentional contrast to the masculinity of the fire station. She and Kopplin are both hoping to catch the attention of Michelin with the goal of a Bib Gourmand, the guide’s designation for a restaurant serving quality food at a great value.
“The food is imaginative, but it’s technical,” Thompson says. “I 100% believe we can achieve that.” Her most recent venture in California’s wine country, Folktable, was awarded a Bib Gourmand four years in a row before closing late in 2024.
Thompson’s time at Folktable, amidst its many farmers, influenced the Duchess’s menu. “You can see a lot of that vegetable and fruit- forward playfulness that I felt was missing when I would come home to eat,” Thompson says.
Duchess’ bar is just across the hall from the restaurant, serving a different menu with a range of snacks, like chicharrones and chili lime peanuts, and heartier options, including beef tartare on hash browns and avocado pizza. You can also grab the Duchess, their girl dinner for two, which includes Caesar salad, house fries and two martinis, either classic or espresso. Duchess is inside The Nobleman Hotel at 503 Bryan Avenue. You can make reservations at resy.com for breakfast or dinner.
Find the recipe for Duchess’s Ricotta and Corn Stuffed Farfalle here.