Fort Brewery expands its space and its menu

Having outgrown its home on Fort Worth’s Magnolia Avenue, the brewery, restaurant and entertainment venue brings new life this month to a 25,000-square-foot former candy factory. Located in a Fort Worth warehouse district near the Trinity River, its neighbors include Autobahn’s multiple dealerships. The big bonus is a huge patio covered by a retractable roof. “That outdoor space is very important,” says Corrie Watson, who owns the brewery with twin Will Churchill. “We can work with all kinds of weather.

Curbside service is still popular, so our drive-thru lets customers get everything to-go.” “Everything” includes executive chef Evan O’Connor’s wide variety of pizzas, from meaty to vegan and gluten-free. All are scratch-made, including the cured sausages, sauces and plant-based meats and cheeses. The menu doesn’t stop there: Double-decker Texas akaushi burgers crowned with spicy mac and cheese, garlicky dough braids topped with cheese and spices, burnished pretzels and baked fries (there’s no fryer on-site) are among lunch and dinner options. Weekend brunch promises avocado toast with eggs, candied bacon and cinnamon rolls.

Head brewer Kevin King contributes two decades of Old World and West Coast brewing experience. Utilizing malts from Germany and Belgium, King’s team brews 30 kegs at once in the ample space. (Take-away options include cans, growlers and crowlers.) Taps at the inside bar dispense 14 beers — from IPAs and lagers to pilsners and blondes — and two hard seltzers, including rutabaga-strawberry and mojito. As a sister business to Cadillac Wines (and formerly to Kent & Co.), Fort Brewery offers a strong wine program, too, with more than 200 wines and a VIP room for everyday tastings. “Our wine list includes everything from Armand de Brignac Champagne to Seghesio Old Vine zinfandel to Domaine Drouhin pinot noir, Rombauer chardonnay, to Prisoner wines.

There really is something for everyone at any price point,” Watson says. Patio pluses include window ordering (even for soft-serve ice cream), private cabanas and pup-friendly environs with a menu for all-natural doggy meals. Open daily for lunch and weekends for brunch; dinner is served Wednesday through Sunday. Find event info on social media at facebook.com/fortbrewery and instagram.com/fortbrewery.

2737 Tillar St., Fort Worth, fortbrewery.com

School is in session, and we’re already feeling the pressure that comes with a new season. When we need to fuel up for the day, we want carbs and coffee.

Dan’s Bagels A good bagel can be a unicorn, and most of us are willing to put up with subpar products. If you want the real deal, head to a small shop in Trophy Club for fresh, chewy bagels made by a guy who craved what he used to buy at 42nd and Broadway in the Big Apple. They’re perfect with a schmear, but we really like the smoked pastrami sandwich with plain cream cheese, red onions and capers. The egg salad is pretty tasty, too. Buy a dozen bagels to take home and freeze (follow the handy instructions); they reheat nicely. Toppings also are sold separately. They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

301 Trophy Lake Drive, dansbagels.com

Parlor Doughnuts Lake Worth is the first place in Texas to score this Indiana-based chain. And the shop has been doing big business with its moist, flaky doughnuts made to order with lots of topping options. They also have cream-filled, keto and gluten-free versions. Buy a dozen to try as many flavors as possible (each one easily serves two), and trust us: You’ll need both hands to balance that big, sturdy cardboard box. The coffee, hot and cold, is pretty good, too. Open seven days.

6547 Lake Worth Blvd., 682-224-6540, parlordoughnuts.com

RH Rooftop

The showrooms dazzle at RH Dallas, The Gallery on Knox Street, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, but on the third floor, the Rooftop Restaurant and Wine Bar beckons with its garden setting, complete with huge olive trees. Retractable glass walls within the climate-controlled atrium allow fresh air in when the weather’s temperate, and a rooftop park is filled with furnishings from RH Outdoor, trellised London plane trees, sculptured evergreens and trickling fountains. A corner banquette is a prime spot for people-watching while sipping elegant wines and champagnes; after dark, chandeliers add a lot of twinkle. The food keeps pace with the setting: Check out the crispy-fried artichoke hearts with lemon-rosemary aioli; a crunchy, colorful shaved vegetable salad (the fennel and rainbow radish are exceptional); and the prettiest, tastiest lobster roll this side of New England. Reservations at the only RH restaurant in Texas don’t come easily. You have a better chance of getting in if you reserve a midafternoon time slot. And you can still enjoy the view. Valet parking available. Open for lunch and dinner daily; book tables at opentable.com.

3133 Knox St., Dallas, 214-520-7255, rh.com

Taco Heads Stockyards now serving

While the Cultural District location remains under construction, check out the new location on Fort Worth’s Northside. The corner spot features a spacious patio shaded by a big, beautiful tree and plenty of seating indoors. The brick building, also home to Western-wear retailer Tecovas, is easy to spot due to its sloped roof; the eye-catching Taco Heads signage also helps. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available off the familiar menu. The bar is accessible from the outside, too, with margaritas-to-go. And don’t miss the photography wall on the way to the restrooms.

2349 N. Main St., Fort Worth, tacoheads.com

Harper’s makes its Epic debut

Equal parts cocktail lounge and restaurant, this Deep Ellum newcomer from restaurateur Imran Sheikh and his Milkshake Concepts (Citizen, Stirr, Vidorra) debuted last month as an anchor of The Epic, a new mixed-used development on the edge of downtown. Banquettes, dark wood and an enclosed patio create an appealing space for food and cocktails — try the Barcelona Pickpocket made with Glenmorangie 10-year-old Scotch whisky, Ramazzotti amaro, truffle honey, lavender bitters — by barman Kamakana Holly. Food ranges from a fancy burger and a shellfish tower to pizza.

2525 Elm St., Dallas, 469-998-0013, harpersdallas.com

Zero Gradi Gelateria and Dessert Bar: A sweet taste of Europe

Looking for authentic Italian croissants called cornetti or Australia’s espresso-and-steamed-milk coffees known in Dallas as flat whites? Find them at Zero Gradi, a bakery, coffee bar and gelateria. Australian chef Johnny Di Francesco, a world-champion Neapolitan pizza maker, is the culinary powerhouse behind the concept and nearby sister restaurant 400 Gradi, a well-regarded Italian restaurant with locations in Australia, Kuwait, New Zealand and, since 2019, downtown Dallas. (The name Zero Gradi is a nod to the optimum temperature for making and holding gelatos — 0 degrees Celsius — while 400 gradi is the ideal wood-fired oven temperature for Neapolitan pizzas.) Pastry chef Lizzy Ramirez and her staff turn out scratch-made Italian pastries and nearly two dozen different gelato flavors daily, from a rotating recipe collection that includes chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio, coconut, amaretto and stracciatella, which features chocolate shards in vanilla ice cream. The cafe’s full espresso bar also serves lattes, cappuccinos and affogatos.

2000 Ross Ave., Suite 170, Dallas,  972-803-3792