TV celebrity chef Graham Elliot joined Felipe Armenta’s restaurant empire late last year.
Photo courtesy of MasterChef
The chef/owner’s mother ship, Armenta Restaurant Group, owns and operates a diverse handful of eateries in Fort Worth — Tavern, Maria’s Mexican Kitchen, Press Cafe and Pacific Table — along with Cork & Pig Tavern in Southlake (operated under a different partnership).
It’s an incredibly productive pipeline of eateries that seem to become instant fan favorites. A West Texas outpost, Cowboy Prime, opened in Midland in late December, and now Armenta’s focus is on yet another culinary genre in Cowtown with Margot, a French bistro concept projected to open in February 2023 at the former site of Corner Bakery. Armenta also plans to stoke up whatever fire it takes to get F1 Smokehouse from a trailer at The Trailhead at Clearfork into its first brick-and-mortar location early in the new year.
But wait, we’re not finished yet. Cooking up more excitement, Armenta hired 2-star Michelin chef Graham Elliot, known for his 10-season judging stint on Gordon Ramsey’s TV series MasterChef and, subsequently, Bravo’s Top Chef, to help him wrangle new projects. Elliot will join Armenta in developing menus for The Duke, a new steakhouse, and is on board as head of culinary operations for all the ARG restaurants. As for The Duke’s opening date, no word yet.
Margot: 3150 S. Hulen St., Fort Worth
F1 Smokehouse: 517 University Drive, Fort Worth
The Duke: The new build will be located next to the Hyatt Hotel on East Exchange Avenue