In a Texas town, a James Beard-honored chef stars at Second Bar + Kitchen restaurant
Five months after a renowned Texas chef chose Mineral Wells for his newest restaurant, Second Bar + Grill is hitting its stride.
David Bull, a James Beard Award semifinalist known for his work at hotels like the Driskill in Austin and the Stoneleigh in Dallas, moved to Mineral Wells to help draw guests and diners to the 97-year-old Crazy Water Hotel.
The idea of dining out an hour’s drive west of Fort Worth doesn’t look so crazy after all.
The dining room and bar were full Saturday night and again for brunch Sunday. It draws a mixture of large parties, traveling families and couples from Aledo or Fort Worth for steaks with green-chile polenta, half-pound burgers and black truffle-blue cheese-pork belly pizzas.
“I’m really happy with Mineral Wells,” Bull said on a brief spin through the dining room.
For one thing. his commute to and from work is 10 minutes instead of an hour — like adding almost an extra day of free time every week.
Second Bar + Kitchen lined up local providers for meats and vegetables and a local baker for its buttermilk pie and almond-buttercream cake.
When you walk from the Crazy Water’s historic boutique hotel lobby into Second Bar + Kitchen, it’s like walking from Mineral Wells 1927 into Austin 2024.
The restaurant is identical to Bull’s “SBK” restaurants in east Austin and a former location in downtown Austin at Congress Avenue and Second Street — thus the name.
In Mineral Wells, Second Bar + KItchen is actually at the corner of First Avenue and Third Street. Officially, the address is 401 N. Oak Ave., the east door of the Crazy Water.
The dinner menu reaches high with a $155 dry-aged tomahawk rib-eye for up to four people. But the most common orders are the simplest: burgers and pizzas, $15-$25 at night or $10 at a midafternoon happy hour.
A roasted beet salad ($14) compared with any big-city version. An appetizer order of Buffalo fried pickles with Bull’s special Buffalo sauce and Gorgonzola ($10) turned out to be the surprise of the night.
A Reuben — with roast turkey subbed for the house-made corned-beef on the “burger of the month” — was meticulously sliced on rye and topped with arugula plus just enough sauerkraut, Swiss and Thousand Island (with fries, $16).
Sunday brunch now features a choice of more than 12 entrees, including the popular chilaquiles verdes with eggs from Austin ($14), a short rib-egg-jalapeno-pimiento quesadilla ($14) and the regular menu of breakfasts, salads and burgers.
Second is open for dinner Thursdays and for lunch or brunch and dinner Fridays through Sundays; 940-464-9989, secondbarkitchen.com.
