Here’s a look at Fort Worth’s new restaurants: flashy Asian, French and vegan dining
Three major restaurants have opened in Fort Worth in recent days, with news of another yet to come.
New Asian fusion and French restaurants bring high energy and craft cocktails to those cuisines, bringing new life to a former downtown bank vault and a Tanglewood shopping center.
Joining them is the region’s first high-end vegan restaurant, offering a chef’s tasting menu of specialties without a tenderloin or chop in sight.
Here’s a quick first look at the new openings:
MUSUME
The newest opening is Musume, the Asian sushi-and-sake restaurant in the basement and former bank vault of the historic W.T. Waggoner Building downtown, 810 Houston St.
It’s the second Musume — “moo-soo-may” — and also serves as the restaurant for the Sandman Signature hotel, in a 103-year-old skyscraper.
First, you have to find Musume. Go into the Sandman and circle back to your left to a narrow stairway down. The elevators weren’t working without a room key this week, but maybe that’ll be fixed for basement access.
Downstairs is a cozy sake bar, sushi bar and dining room, with a private dining area actually inside the former vault of Continental National Bank.
Notable menu items: sushi by chef Yuzo Toyama, black cod marinated in sweet miso, basil-steamed red snapper, lobster fried rice and Thai coconut curry soup.
It’s open daily now for lunch and dinner and will launch breakfast and weekend brunch with mochi waffles and koji steak-and-eggs in the next few days; 682-842-9355, musumedallas.com, reservations at OpenTable.com.
LE MARGOT
Executive Felipe Armenta and chef Graham Elliot have made French dining a fun adventure.
Le Margot, 3150 S. Hulen St., offers classics such as sole meuniere, crab salad Nicoise and filet au poivre, all with a lively bar and nightly specials to keep diners coming back.
It’s like a French version of Armenta’s other restaurants, such as Maria’s Mexican Kitchen, The Tavern or Pacific Table. The bar scene is busy. But early reviews say Elliot’s menu is solid.
It’s been crowded and loud. The sole sells out by mid-evening some nights. The early word is to go around the 5 p.m. opening time for dinner, enjoy oysters or caviar and don’t be afraid to order French onion soup or a tongue-in-cheek “Royale with cheese” brie burger.
Reservations are on a newer site, Tock.com; 817-720-9060, lemargottx.com.
Notably, the more quiet and romantic Paris 7th, 3324 W. Seventh St., has rebranded that restaurant as Paris 7th Restaurant Francais. It rolled out a flashy new menu with roasted chicken, seafood, scallops and specials such as crab claw fondue, along with souffles.
MAIDEN FINE PLANTS & SPIRITS
The most exclusive new restaurant is also the most mysterious.
Maiden Fine Plants & Spirits, 1216 Sixth Ave., is hush-hush about what’s served on its $150 nightly dinners, a six- to eight-course chef’s tasting menu that changes monthly.
It’s decidedly adult-only — children 12 and younger are not allowed — and devotedly vegan, described on the website as “tender-hearted,” “kinder” and “cruelty-free.”
The website promises a Saturday tea time at which children will be allowed but does not yet give a price, menu or a way to book a table.
The bar and patio are open for signature cocktails, beer and wine, so that’s a way to at least take a look around.
Maiden is open for dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays; 817-953-8327, maidenvegan.com, reserve and pay in advance at tock.com.
It’s next door to Dreamboat Donuts & Scoops, a vegan doughnut shop at 1204 Sixth Ave.; dreamboatdonuts.com.
EMELIA’S
Now we know when the new Crescent Hotel is opening: tentatively, in mid-September.
And we know the restaurant, Emelia’s, will offer Mediterranean dishes by chef Preston Paine.
No menu or reservations link yet, but watch as it gets closer at 3300 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Another new hotel nearby, the Bowie House, Auberge Resorts Collection, has yet to announce a restaurant format or chef.
