National Margarita Day 2022

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HAPPY NATIONAL MARGARITA DAY!

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Arlington (@CreateArlington, 682-248-8424). Shop from local artists and hear Arlington-area bands for free at this family-/pet-friendly event.

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Cour tesy Facebook

NIGHT&DAY Brad Thompson wants you to have a great Friday night at Grand Cru.

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Sometime between 8am and noon, the final of this year’s four schools of rainbow Wednesday trout arrives at the Trinity Trails River Park Trailhead (3100 Bryant Irvin Rd, 817-335-2491) for the end of the Trinity River Water District’s 35th Annual Trout Season. This event is free to the public, but those 17 and older must have a current fishing license. (See where to get one at TPWD.Texas. gov.) The riverbank is spacious, so social distancing is not a concern.

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Thursday

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From 5pm to 8pm, head to 306 W Main St in Downtown Arlington for the Third Thursday Pop-Up hosted by Create

If you’re like me, Valentine’s Day passed you by, and you don’t really care that much. Who wants to go out on a Monday night anyway?

Friday If you do actually care, you can always make up for it with date night tonight. Grand Cru Wine Bar (1257 W Magnolia Av, 817-923-1717) — the independent wine bar/ shop in the heart of the Near Southside — offers wine by the glass and the bottle, craft beers, and an extensive small plate menu. At 6pm, Fort Worth singer-songwriter Brad Thompson (@BradThompsonMusic) will perform. There is no cover charge to attend.

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From 7pm to 9pm, the Arlington Museum of Art (201W Main St, Arlington, 817275-4600) hosts its Fourth Annual Saturday Eat Your ART Out event. Tickets are $100 per person and include sweet samples provided by a dozen local bakeries, savory bites via a charcuterie display by Inspirations Catering & Gourmet Shop (@ InspirationsCateringandGourmetShop, 682-270-8352), and a sushi bar featuring the work of two chefs from Piranha Killer Sushi (@PiranhaKillerSushiNArlington, 817-2611638). Guests will also enjoy complimentary champagne, coffee, and wine, and harpist Kela Walton will perform. For tickets, go to ArlingtonMuseum.org/Eat-Your-Art-Out.

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Magnolia at the Modern — an ongoing series featuring critically acclaimed films screened in the auditorium of the Modern Sunday Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell St, 817-738-9215) — is now screening The Worst Person in

the World. “This film is a modern dramedy about the quest for love and meaning in contemporary Oslo. It chronicles four years in the life of a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.” The movie is 128 minutes long, R-rated, and in Norwegian with English subtitles. Showtimes are 3:45pm, 6pm, and 8pm Fri; 5pm Sat; and 11:45am, 2pm, and 4:15pm today. Tickets are $10, but Sunday noon shows are always half price.

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From 6pm to 8pm, Our Revolution Tarrant County, a progressive, populist nonprofit, hosts the Fort Worth People’s Forum at Monday Tulips FTW (112 St. Louis Av, 817-3679798). Hear about the state of politics in Fort Worth, get to know the candidates, connect with other progressive people, and find volunteer opportunities with ORNTX and the various campaigns. For more info and updates on the names of the speakers, keep an eye on Facebook.com/ OurRevTarrant. There is no cost to attend, but RSVP is requested at Mobilize.US/OurRevolution/Event/434459.

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Today is National Margarita Day. Alert the media! Wait, we are the media.

Anyway, here in North Texas, we take Tuesday our margaritas very seriously. While you could spend a buck per drink at Applebee’s and get whitegirl-wasted, you could also treat yourself to the best the area has to offer. If you’re doing that, please check out ATE DAY8 A WEEK in Eats & Drinks today. We have eight stellar options for you!

By Jennifer Bovee

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Since margaritas are so popular here in Texas, pretty much everyone has an opinion on them. Year after year, Joe T. Garcia’s (2201 N Commerce St, 817626-4356) wins Readers’ Choice for Best Margarita in our annual Best Of edition.

However, the critics have their own ideas.

In celebration of National Margarita Day on Tue, Feb 22, let’s revisit eight critically acclaimed ’rita makers on the town. Here’s what the critics had to say.

1.) Best Margarita 2013 was Chuy’s (2401 W 7th St, Ste 110, 817-332-2489). “Many restaurants and bars rely on a margarita mix that involves a lot of Green Dye No. 6, but not Chuy’s. The Texas-based franchise’s ratio of silver tequila to freshly squeezed lime juice to ice is a closely guarded secret.

During happy hour, the frosty beverage is only $3.95, and you also get free queso.

Besides two Fort Worth locations, there are also Chuy’s in Arlington and Denton.

Visit Chuys.com/locations.”

2.) Best Margarita 2016 went to El Gabacho Tex-Mex Grill (2408 W Abram St, Arl, 817-276-8160). “There are two special margaritas at El Gabacho worthy

Cour tesy Facebook

people made by Esperanza’s. This $7.95 gangbuster blends Cazadores Reposado with house mix and is served frozen or on the rocks in a chunky smoked glass. Two of these delicious Diablos will blow your huaraches clean off. After all, that is surely what margaritas are all about.”

Add a swirl of mango, peach, pomegranate, sangria, strawberry, or watermelon to your margarita at Shaw’s Patio Bar & Grill.

of your attention. A skinny, top-shelf spicy cucumber one and a mango variety join the already good original frozen margarita and the sangria swirl. And if you make it to the restaurant before 7pm on weekdays, your original or swirl is only $5.”

3.) Best Margarita 2019 was won by Esperanza’s (1601 Park Place Av, 817923-1961). “Do you want a craft margarita mixed from scratch for north of $12? This is a thorny subject, right? That’s your inalienable right. Three years ago, our critic’s award went to a margarita of the

4.) Best Margarita 2015 winner was Shaw’s Patio Bar & Grill (1050 W Magnolia Av, 817-926-2116). “Continuing in the tradition of excellent margaritas not found at Mexican restaurants, the ones at Shaw’s are for purists. They are not blue or green but cloudy like an overcast day.

That’s because they’re made with three simple ingredients: tequila, lime, and a little sweetness. Shaw’s ’ritas also come in pint glasses (salted or not), and the price is right: $4 during happy hour (3-7pm Tue, Thu-Fri) and $5 all day Saturday.”

5.) Best Margarita 2018 was won by Taco Heads (1218 Montgomery St, 817-6159899). “The best margaritas use freshly squeezed juices and good tequila and are equal parts strong and sweet — never cloying or masquerading as a dressedup shot. No one mixes the most popular cocktail in Texas better than the staff at Taco Heads, whose version is perfectly balanced, fresh-tasting, and reasonably priced for the quality.”

6.) Best Restaurant Bar 2021 was a new category won by Tinie’s Mexican Cuisine

(113 S Main St, 682-255-5425). “Tequila’s not the easiest spirit to make a cocktail out of, but Tinie’s, famous for its zesty, elegant food, also boasts a creative bar that can serve up a banana-flavored Tónico de Plántano, a Desnuda with chartreuse and Aperol, or a chocolate-tinged Juan Valdez. Or you can just grab a superlative margarita, if the tried-and-true works for you.”

7.) Best Margarita 2020 was won by Velvet Taco (2700 7th St, 817-887-9810). “Let’s be real for a minute. If you’re looking for something cheap, strong, and tangy, you can’t go wrong with a margarita from Velvet Taco. During these trying times, the VT staffers are being real and offering margaritas to go, so you can have your tequila and drink it, all while staying responsible and socially distanced.”

8.) Best Margarita 2021 for both the readers and the critic was Yucatan Tequila Bar & Grill (909 W Magnolia Av, Ste 10, 682-3859395). “Light, refreshing, not too acidic, not too sugary, Yucatan has the ideal mainstream margarita if drinking isn’t your side job and just another something to do that’s fun. What we’re probably trying to say is that while it’s certainly not the fanciest margarita in town, it sure does hit the spot. And when you think about it, isn’t your palate the best judge?”

By Jennifer Bovee

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