Fort Worth Magazine - November 2019 by fwtx

Bone-in rib-eye from The Wicked Butcher, located in downtown Fort Worth's new hotel, The Sinclair

Theodore Takata, M.D.

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32 Steaks!

They don’t call us Cowtown for nuthin’. Whether your palate prefers high-end wagyu or a hefty sirloin, Fort Worth’s steakhouses are a showcase of cuts as well as character. Here’s our completely biased guide to the best ones in the city. Got beef with that?

by Malcolm Mayhew

the area’s hospitals, rehab, and cancer centers.

Culinary Clash

Cooking at home with this year’s Top Chef contestants.

by Tyler Hicks

The story of a Rwandan genocide survivor with the grit of a true Texan. by Shilo Urban

Effects

simple procedure involving transvaginal mesh scars a local woman for life.

by Linda Blackwell Simmons

Texasloves

#1 Italian Import | Serve Chilled and Enjoy!

Dickies Arena Fills Need for New Multipurpose Venue in Fort Worth The ribbon is cut, and the new arena is ready to rodeo.

Fort Worthian How Brooke Hamblet turned yoga from a business to a purpose.

‘What the Hell Is This?’ It’s ‘Mukbang’ Meet the local who’s eating up this quirky YouTube trend.

The Grand Finale His farewell season is anything but a ﬁnal bow for Fort Worth Symphony conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

Walking to the Top of Texas

An adventure to the summit of Guadalupe Peak.

Vitamin IV Under the needle with our editor.

Nish! Mediterranean Grill Middle Eastern-inspired ﬂavors make for a welcome addition to River Oaks’ burgeoning dining scene.

The Feed Vietnamese staple My Lan opens a second location in Colleyville that resembles the original in name only.

Things to Do in November It’s beginning to look a lot like...

Here’s the Beef

Corrections? Comments? Concerns?

Send to executive editor Brian Kendall at bkendall@fwtexas.com.

COMING NEXT MONTH

A Day in the Life of a First Responder, Top Attoneys, Shop Local Gift Guide

» I’ve had a couple failed attempts at becoming a vegetarian. I won’t go into the reasons for my being inspired to go the route of cutting meat from my diet, as this would be antithetical to the largest feature in this issue (an amazing write-up by Malcolm Mayhew on page 32). However, I will address why I was unsuccessful at vegetarianism: steak.

The absence of a medium-rare-cooked rib-eye, perfectly seasoned, charred on the outside, and tender on the inside, has remained far too seductive for my taste buds to ever leave. Though I grew up on a healthy dose of homemade pan-fried T-bones, Outback sirloins, and the occasional steak and eggs from Wafﬂe House — meals that might receive a cringe from those who frequent Del Frisco’s or Bob’s — it’s long been my favorite meal. My happy place is a steak, a loaded baked potato, and a salad with ranch dressing when it comes to cuisine; if ever I get the opportunity to request a last meal, I wouldn’t hesitate with my answer.

With this insight into my palate, it’s understandable why I love living in Fort Worth. Proving the worthiness of its nickname, the beef I’ve had in this town is second to none.

caught

cover, which is available on newsstands, shows a freshly cooked tomahawk steak from the recently opened Wicked Butcher, where members of our staff got a sneak peek at some of their delicious fare.

Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll get a recap of our annual Top Chef competition — the ninth year we’ve pitted four of the city’s best chefs against one another in a live event. While Jenna Kinard of 97 West took home top honors, it was hard not to be impressed by the culinary mastery of all chefs, and you’ll get a good taste of their personalities in our feature on page 46. We also got a chance to sit down with Miguel HarthBedoya (page 23), whose 20-year stint as the music director for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra comes to a close at the end of this season.

So, open a nice bottle of cabernet, and please indulge in every word, photo, and illustration of this fantastic issue.

Brian Kendall Executive Editor

VOLUME 22, NUMBER 11, NOVEMBER 2019

owner/publisher hal a. brown

president mike waldum

editorial

executive editor brian kendall

managing editor samantha calimbahin

online editor matt payne

contributing writers courtney dabney, tyler hicks, malcolm mayhew, linda blackwell simmons, shilo urban

copy editor sharon casseday editorial interns sadie brown, madelaine woodhouse

art

creative director craig sylva

senior art director spray gleaves art director ayla haynes

advertising art director ed woolf

photographer olaf growald

contributing photographers rodger mallison, richard rodriguez, truitt rogers

advertising

advertising account supervisors gina burns-wigginton x150, marion c. knight x135 account

x141 brand

scott mobley x140 customer support amanda kowalski x155

marketing

director of events & marketing natasha freimark x158 digital marketing & development director robby kyser

corporate

in action while creating one of her winning dishes. Our second

Talk to Us

Reader comments on some of our latest stories.

Keep It Moving, Fort Worth: City Launches New Traffic Communication Network

Plus, using Trinity Metro’s bus routes, as well as the TRE and TEXRail whenever possible, all make for terrific and relaxing ways to get around Fort Worth and Tarrant County in order to help reduce car traffic and road congestion, as well as to help improve air quality and regional mobility!

— Paul McManus

The Exit Interview

It’s inspiring to see someone embrace every minute and cherish it as it should be.

—Jo Hatchell

My BFF’s father-in-law. I learned a lot about him with this read. If you’re in realty, you’ll find it interesting. The world will be a sadder place without him.

— Ginger Carroll Morris

Enchiladas Olé Makes a Move

Yummmmm. Great food, great owner, just downright good people, and the food is wonderful. I’m so hungry.

— Robert Holmes

Get Published, Go Shopping

It’s a win-win, right? Starting this month, the photographer whose image appears in the Close section of the magazine gets a $150 gift from Arlington Camera. Submit your photo for a chance to be featured in our next issue and get new photo gear — on us.

fwtx.com/forms/photo-upload

You’ve Got Mail

Keep your finger on the pulse of the city — or at least, your thumb on the screen of your smartphone. Sign up for our newsletters to get the latest on food, culture, home design, and more happenings around town. fwtx.com/newsletters

HOME Design Awards

Design junkies, this one’s for you. The Fort Worth HOME Design Awards is set for Dec. 3 at Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. Check our website for more info. fwtx.com/home-design/homedesign-awards

Lone Star

Film Festival

If you need help navigating LSFF on Nov. 13-17, visit our website for a guide to the films you can’t miss — plus go behind the scenes on how the festival curates its selections.

What’s Online

Visit fwtx.com for the full story.

» Crockett Row Lands Hiatus Spa + Retreat

The 5,000-square-foot day spa is offering special perks for those who come to de-stress through Dec. 15.

DIGITAL EDITION: The virtual editions of both current and previous issues are available on our website. Flip through the pages to read more about the great city of Fort Worth by visiting fwtx.com.

urrent ity of

» Ascension Coffee Sets Opening Date at WestBend

The long-awaited Ascension Coffee opening in WestBend rolls into town on Jan. 2.

Compass Concierge

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Montrachet

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The allure of this enchanting location is boundless – its availability will not be. A limited number of exclusive lots are now being reserved. Join the consideration list today for your chance at this once-in-a lifetime opportunity.

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Compass Fort Worth

817.247.6464 | john.zimmerman@compass.com

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BUZZ | PEOPLE | TRENDS

» High Calories, High Subscriber Count. Ashley Bell, known to nearly 50,000 YouTubers as Cuzzo AB, has cultivated a cult following creating “mukbang” videos ... wait, what?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 »

Dickies Arena Fills Need for Catchall, State-of-the-Art Venue in Fort Worth

BY MATT PAYNE

» In case you haven’t noticed the dearth of cranes silhouetting the sky in the Cultural District, construction of the new Dickies Arena, which was approved for construction in 2014, has completed, and the new multipurpose arena is set to host its first events in November.

The arena superdome, located right next to the Will Rogers Memorial Center campus, held a grand opening Oct. 26, in which Mayor Betsy Price, Ed Bass, and The Beck Group CEO Peter Beck helped welcome the arrival of the long-sought facility.

The new venue will house a multitude of events, such as live music, sports, and rodeo performances.

“Dickies Arena is the result of a pioneering public-private partnership between the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, the State of Texas, and a group of private-sector participants, including foundations, individuals, and organizations,” arena staff said in a news release. More than $450 million from both taxpayers and private investors has been poured into the project.

An array of different employment options has also been posted for Dickies Arena. Job applicants can register for any upcoming job fairs and see available positions at dickiesarena.com.

City Launches New Traffic Communication Network

BY SADIE BROWN

By the end of September, the City of Fort Worth linked more than 700 traffic signals within a new communication network that enables greater traffic control, according to the Department of Transportation and Public Works.

The Traffic Signal Communication Network project upgrades aging timed clocks in traffic signals to a modem-based system combating traffic congestion, emissions, and the cost of manpower. Transportation and Public Works staff say the project will update the remaining signals in Fort Worth by the end of the year.

“Our overall vision is to ensure safety by taking advantage of any technology that improves the safety of all users,” says Tanya Brooks, assistant director of traffic management.

The technology has been around since the late ’90s, according to UTA Transportation Engineering expert Taylor Li, PhD. Still, he doesn’t discount the city’s efforts to modernize.

“If this is the first ATMS (Advanced Traffic Management System) from Fort Worth, it will be a big leap for the traffic signal operations,” Li says.

The average commuter in U.S. urban areas wasted around $1,000 in 2017 on extra gas and time due to traffic congestion, according to the 2019 Urban Mobility Report published by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

The centralized control system aims to reduce this cost by more efficiently managing the needs of commuters in real time, lowering the number of stops and delays. The system will also reduce the number of traffic officers required to manage congestion, saving the city money and preserving officer safety.

Funding for the project comes from the 2014 Bond Program Proposition 1 and carries a price tag of some $2.8 million with an additional $1.5 million allocated to “Signal System Software and Monitoring.” That project’s projected end date is November 2020, and its current status on the city’s website is listed as “Design on hold.”

BY THE NUMBERS:

The Transportation and Public Works department responded to requests for the project’s proposal and budget by saying a review of files did not produce any information matching the request. Additional departments that also received the request have not responded.

Brooke Hamblet

Yoga and wellness entrepreneur

BY SAMANTHA CALIMBAHIN

It’s easy to assume Brooke Hamblet knows a thing or two about balance — the notably conﬁdent, seemingly do-itall entrepreneur has built a career running Indigo Yoga and the Brooke Hamblet Teacher Training School, not to mention teaching around the world and being a mother to her two sons.

But several years ago, Hamblet battled her own struggles behind the scenes, dealing with an alcoholic mother who eventually succumbed to an overdose. In an effort to understand her mother’s struggle, Hamblet reached out to MHMR of Tarrant County, an organization that offers services for mental health and addiction, to teach yoga to its clients.

Then, Hamblet’s classes took on a deeper purpose. MHMR began to notice a change in its clients; and through the Blue Butterfly Memorial Scholarship (offered through Hamblet’s outreach program, the Blue Butterfly Project) a few graduates of MHMR’s Pine Street Rehabilitation Center have qualified for teacher training at Hamblet’s school.

And through it all, Hamblet has learned a bit more about herself, what balance truly means, and how she plans to share that with others.

Q. You started Indigo Yoga out of a garage apartment 13 years ago. What would you say was your “big break” in business?

A. There have been a lot of turning points and tipping points in Indigo’s history. I think one of them was when I decided to be a Baptiste afﬁliate and not have all different styles of yoga. I had a great mentor who really guided me and said, “Brooke, pick one thing and be the best at it. And dive deep.” That’s when I knew I will be a Baptiste yoga

teacher, a Baptiste afﬁliate, and we’re going to be the best one there is.

Q. What makes Baptiste yoga unique to others?

A. Logistically, what makes it unique is that it’s based on a sequence of poses called Journey Into Power, which was created by my teacher, Baron Baptiste. Most studios are heated anywhere from 96 to 100, give or take.

At the same time, we teach everywhere. We teach at Indigo; we also have a thriving outreach program, where we teach over 80 classes a month for MHMR of Tarrant County. We’re teaching in crisis respite units, alcohol and drug detox centers, veteran’s units, and adolescent crisis respite units. It’s not exclusive to a studio, and it’s not exclusive to a heated room. As my teacher often says, it’s a practice that was created to be accessible to everyone. It doesn’t really matter how good you are at it; it doesn’t matter if you’ve been doing it one day or 10 years. We want you to be a part of this.

Q. Tell me about the Blue Butterﬂy Project. I understand it was inspired by your mother?

A. My mother was an addict and an alcoholic. She died seven years ago. There were many, listen, many years that I didn’t understand it. I felt resentful and frustrated because, unfortunately, my mother never got any help. I decided, I’m going to understand this instead of ﬁght it. We made a phone call down to the Billy Gregory Detox center — which is also commonly referred to as Pine Street, down off of Lancaster — and asked if they would like to have a yoga class. We started teaching once a week. Then

before we knew it, they were like, “Can you come every day, because whatever it is you’re doing in there, is working. What we’re noticing is, if our clients go to yoga class before they come to group session, they’re less combative, they’re more responsive, they get along better with the people in the session, they’re more open to feedback.” They wanted us more and more.

In a lot of ways, it’s like, just by shifting perspective, which I could’ve never done without all of my yoga training, I’m able to take a situation that was really hard and turn it into something that has a wide impact, that helps our community and gives people hope.

Q How does yoga inﬂuence your daily life in general ?

A. That’s a really big question — because it’s in every moment. I can’t be one person at work, then another person with my kids, then another person at the yoga studio. I have to be the same. I’m either completely authentic in all places in my life, or I’m not. There’s really no gray area.

Q What are the challenges of running Indigo Yoga, your teacher training school, and everything else in between?

A I would say the biggest challenge is time. I look at how I’m managing it, and I’m doing a great job — but only because I have a great team. I have the most stellar, steadfast, loyal team. How do I do it all? I do it all with the help of others.

Q Got a favorite yoga pose ?

A. My favorite yoga pose is and always has been Upward-Facing Dog. Any time you’re back bending, there’s a sense of vulnerability, but there’s also this sense of power, because it takes a lot of upper body strength to do an Upward-Facing Dog.

Q. How are you working to build your personal brand, one that’s bigger than just yoga?

A . People come to yoga class initially just for the workout, just for the physical aspects of it, maybe for stress-coping skills, things like that. What they ﬁnd is that there’s this shift in their whole life. All aspects of their life start changing, from their diet to the way they have conversations, to their relationships, to their health habits, their daily habits, their goals, their ambitions — it becomes this whole lifestyle. What I see myself really doing is being a leader of a movement of lifestyle change.

saying it doesn’t run, smear, smudge, or clump — even after hot yoga.

1. Under Armour Athlete Recovery Pajamas. The cooling fabric helps muscles recover after a workout.

2. Chef Tim Love’s Fueled With Love green juice (Back Down South Lemonade). Brooke’s post-yoga beverage.

3. Phoenix Roze gold initial “B” necklace.

4. CliniqueFIT Workout 24-hour Mascara. Brooke swears by this mascara,

5. Sweaty Betty Power Leggings.

6. Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss No. 722. Her favorite shade.

7. Illesteva York Sunglasses (pine).

8. Doterra Peppermint Beadlets. Breath freshener made of essential oils.

9. Lululemon “The Mat” mat.

10. Paleo Magazine. Brooke has adopted a paleo eating lifestyle.

‘What the Hell Is This?’ It’s ‘Mukbang’

The viral video genre that’s helping native Fort Worthian Ashley Bell fight depression.

BY MATT PAYNE

It’s no secret that sit-down meals with family and friends are often a daily ritual at the core of human nature. Loved ones spin tales about the events of their day around the dinner table, perhaps sharing exhilarating news from work or apprehension toward tomorrow. Vulnerability is spread out alongside hot plates of food.

That experience with a complete stranger outside your inner circle may prove uncomfortable.

“What the hell is this?” Those were the first words to enter Ashley Bell’s mind whenever she stumbled upon the first handful of YouTube videos featuring content creators sitting across from a camera, holding conversations with viewers, and loudly chowing down on food — complete with the lip-smacking, finger-licking, and crunching some vehemently hate.

Thing is, Bell sat for hours in fascination in the midst of her deep dive into “mukbang,” a word you probably don’t know, a genre of video sweeping social media, and the catalyst for Bell’s now 46,000-subscriber online alter ego, Cuzzo AB.

Boiled down, Dictionary.com tells us the mukbang trend began around 2010 in South Korea, and the word itself is a portmanteau of the Korean words for eating (meokneun) and broadcast (bangsong). With roots in Korean TV variety shows following guests around wherever they eat, mukbang was born whenever live-streaming began to pick up steam early in the decade.

Bell sat for hours watching content from Bloveslife, the “most famous” mukbang YouTuber with more than 2 million subscribers. Bell was motivated to launch Cuzzo AB on YouTube in January after she was both fascinated by the copious food and various conversations she shared with her viewership.

Bell was also coping with depression at the time, during which she experienced immense difficulty eating.

“I couldn’t eat … I had a horrible time eating,” Bell says about her depression. “So, I thought, Well, if I do mukbangs, I have to eat … Even if I eat a little bit, it’ll start progressing to eating.”

Making her first video? Scary. In fact, so scary, Bell sat in front of her humble camera setup and ate without saying a word. Ten minutes of footage were whittled down to a mere three minutes.

creating mukbang videos.

“It was the scariest thing in the world … then, I just did it,” Bell says. “I started YouTube because I was depressed, and I would listen to everybody’s conversations. And I was like, ‘Oh man, they’re so inspiring.’ I thought maybe I could inspire other people.”

Boiled down, Dictionary.com tells us the mukbang trend began around 2010 in South Korea, and the word itself is a portmanteau of the Korean words for eating (meokneun) and broadcast (bangsong).

“I was so uncomfortable. It was the scariest thing in the world,” Bell says. But eventually she would see through her paralysis in front of the camera and focus on what attracted her to this content genre in the first place: the fact that YouTubers invest hours of labor into

Since Bell hit her stride around March, it’s been all smiles painted across Cuzzo AB’s YouTube channel. “YA FAVORITE CUZZO” flies above Bell’s dozens of videos on her page’s header image, welcoming anybody online as family. Bell invests a lot of resources into her channel. Good seafood can be about $200, and she says a good video altogether costs around $250. Of note, perhaps contrary to popular belief, Bell doesn’t have a strong appetite, but what fuels her hunger to keep producing lies within viewer reception.

“The comments section is probably the greatest thing after you record the video,” Bell says. “It’s incredible to see so many people of diversity — blacks and whites, it doesn’t matter who you are — to just come together and be a family.”

live

CULTURE | TRAVEL | HEALTH

» Encore! The outgoing music director of the

Orchestra isn’t bidding adieu to Bass Hall just yet. »

Fort Worth Symphony

The Grand Finale

Miguel Harth-Bedoya may be leaving his position as music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, but he’s not leaving Fort Worth. Or the symphony. At least, not really.

BY SADIE BROWN

The yawn of awakening instruments as they are pulled from their cases blends with the low din of conversation and shuffling about as musicians settle down to practice. Warm light beams into the lower level of the Maddox Muse Center through street-level windows and falls onto sheet music glowing against black stands. Open cases display photographs, stickers, and keepsakes — symbols of individuality in an industry that prizes cohesiveness and unity.

The session — a conductor lab with newly appointed conducting fellows Alex Amsel and Stephanie Rhodes Russell — is something like a peek into the future for Miguel Harth-Bedoya, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s outgoing music director. Though he may be in his final season, his legacy is far from complete. Sure, he’s savoring the culmination of his 20-year tenure with the esteemed musical powerhouse he helped shape, but he’s also shifting focus to education and civic engagement in Fort Worth.

“I get to become a citizen of Fort Worth,” Harth-Bedoya says. “Everywhere I go, I have been the music director of the Fort Worth Symphony, but now I’ll get to be nobody.”

The lab session has Harth-Bedoya directing Amsel and Rhodes Russell through scores of Tchaikovsky and others — at times, physically correcting technique or asking questions about the emotional content of the score. He stands behind them as their metronome, tapping against their spines as if creating a second heartbeat so

the fellows instinctively feel the music.

“This one is a bulldog that runs and jumps and bites!” says Harth-Bedoya, waving his hands in the air.

Harth-Bedoya has always been a teacher, so say the musicians who’ve worked under his direction. They describe him as a “visionary” with “natural talent” and comment on his high expectations and willingness to push boundaries.

“I was playing flute in the orchestra, and then he decided to designate me the piccolo player, which I had never done before — I didn’t even have a piccolo,” says Pam Adams, who has been with the orchestra since 1991. “But as long as I was as committed as he was to the overall artistic growth and improving, he gave me time to learn.”

Veteran bass trombone player Dennis Bubert has watched Harth-Bedoya mature over the 20 years they have worked together and now considers him one of his greatest teachers.

“I find him very easy to work with,”

“I get to become a citizen of Fort Worth. Everywhere I go, I have been the music director of the Fort Worth Symphony, but now I’ll get to be nobody.”

Miguel Harth-Bedoya

Bubert says. “He is demanding but never harsh. I would describe him as ‘laidback intense.’”

But the orchestra has grown more than just musically during Harth-Bedoya’s leadership. Over the past 20 years, the symphony’s budget has increased by around $4 million, and the number of full-time positions in the orchestra has increased by 25 percent, according to a FWSO press release. The orchestra has performed shows at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center and released 13 recordings. Even during the symphony’s stickier moments — like the strike over musicians’ wages in 2016 — HarthBedoya stuck through it with an unwavering commitment to Fort Worth.

“We have gone from being a good chamber orchestra to being a worldclass orchestra with incredible players,” Adams says.

Harth-Bedoya proves that to perform at an elite level, one doesn’t need to be a child prodigy. He grew up in Peru with a single mom who happened to be a music teacher and choral conductor, but Harth-Bedoya says he didn’t become interested in music and performance art until his first job working as a stagehand in a local theatre.

“That’s how I got hooked with not only music but also drama, words, libretto, acting,” Harth-Bedoya says. “I found it fascinating. So, I would do homework in the theatre.”

From there, passion, grit, and help from

his future wife, Maritza, fast-tracked Harth-Bedoya to the Curtis Institute of Music and The Julliard School to study orchestral conducting. At age 19, he made his debut with the national orchestra of Peru, just four years after choosing to pursue conducting professionally.

Reflecting on his leadership at the FWSO, the retiring music director says that he has “grown as an artist and a person.” His programming stems from his curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. Regarding the broad range of new music Harth-Bedoya has brought to Fort Worth, he says that the value of the work defies classification.

“I still believe that every artist is unique despite gender, citizenship, age, because art is that,” Harth-Bedoya says. “It’s ageless; it’s void of everything. The piece of art stands for itself.”

Stepping down as music director doesn’t mean Harth-Bedoya is leaving the Fort, however. Despite being seasoned worldtravelers, Harth-Bedoya and his wife found an unexpected connection to Fort Worth and want to continue raising their three children here. After the initial shock of moving to Texas wore off, Harth-Bedoya says, “You cannot get my wife out of Fort Worth.”

“The backbone of our life will be our family,” he says.

He’s not quite leaving the symphony either. After an impressive career of musical exploration, expansion of the symphony’s repertoire, two Grammy nominations, and an Emmy, HarthBedoya will not only continue conducting

in the U.S., Europe, and around the world — he’ll also become Conductor Laureate with the FWSO and focus on training the next generation of conductors.

“We are lacking that dramatically in this country,” Harth-Bedoya says. “The early stages of orchestral conducting have pretty much disappeared in the country in the last century.”

Harth-Bedoya’s teaching is as dynamic and sophisticated as his conducting. The lines on his face reveal a lifetime of intent listening and furrowed brows of concentration, while his mouth and eyes are a roadmap of smiles.

During the conductor lab, he catches the fellows off guard by an exercise in conducting to a silent orchestra and gives Amsel a playful swat on the belly after telling him to relax.

“What the conductor does is really an illusion because we don’t really do anything,” Harth-Bedoya says. “The musicians are the ones playing the piece of music that somebody else wrote. So, we are just there — a little bit like a coach that puts all the dots together and connects all the musicians, the work of the composition, and the audiences.”

Harth-Bedoya says he’s grateful for his time with the FWSO and the relationships he has developed. He feels a sense of accomplishment yet embraces imperfection as a natural part of the human experience.

“I can’t conduct every piece of music; I am not capable of it,” Harth-Bedoya says. “I hope nobody is capable of playing every piece of music because that would make us machines.”

Harth-Bedoya Bids Farewell

Miguel Harth-Bedoya’s final shows as conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony. Ticket information is available at fwsymphony.org

The Music of Selena

Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Bass Performance Hall

Home for the Holidays

Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 1 at 2 p.m.

Bass Performance Hall

New Year’s Eve

A Gershwin Celebration

Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Bass Performance Hall

National Geographic: Symphony for Our World

Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Bass Performance Hall

Greig’s Piano Concerto

Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 12 at 2 p.m.

Bass Performance Hall

Immortal Beloved at 250

A Very Special Gala with Midori and Beethoven 5

Feb. 8 at 7:00 p.m.

Bass Performance Hall

Beethoven’s 9th

Apr. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Apr. 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Apr. 5 at 2 p.m.

Bass Performance Hall

J.S. Bach’s St. John’s Passion Apr. 11 at 5 p.m.

Arborlawn United Methodist Church

Harth-Bedoya and Hadelich

A Grand Finale

May 15 at 7:30 p.m.

May 16 at 7:30 p.m.

May 17 at 2 p.m.

Walking to the Top of Texas

Our editor took a memorable trip to the highest point in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, and left his hiking shoes at home.

BY BRIAN KENDALL

Guadalupe Peak sits 8,751 feet above sea level in West Texas. Hidden behind the more prominent El Capitan in Guadalupe Mountain National Park, Guadalupe Peak is the highest natural point in Texas (I am admittedly still trying to figure out if an unnatural location exists that exceeds this height). While this high spot in Texas is a mile in elevation away from being classified a fourteener — a peak that’s 14,000 feet above sea level (96 exist in the U.S., making this a natural bucket list item for hyperactive climbing enthusiasts) — and nor does it require more than a pair of shoes, some water, and a few hours of your time to tackle, there remains something oddly fulfilling about making it to the top of your home state. To claim in a brief moment that you were standing above everyone else in the largest state in the contiguous U.S. strokes the ego just enough to bring a smile to one’s face. Such a reward piqued my interest, and in April of this year, I packed my toiletry bag, a couple shirts and pairs of socks — leaving behind my hiking shoes in a regrettably irresponsible move — and left for Carlsbad, New Mexico (a 6-hour drive from Fort Worth), the closest thing to the national park that resembles civilization.

A quick aside about Carlsbad: This is an incredibly interesting city. Being the only place one can sleep, eat, or get gas near the geographical holy trinity of Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National Monument, and the Guadalupe Mountains, the city is frequented by recreational vehicles, rookie spelunkers, and novice hikers. Despite its label as a tourist destination, Carlsbad seems forever frozen in 1956. The motels and diners that line the city’s busiest street all have midcentury modern design elements and their original retro signage — with lights sparingly operational. Similar to many places in our neighboring state of New Mexico, there’s something jarring and creepy about it. Nonetheless, its convenience makes the city’s Cavern Inn an obvious spot for me to rest my head after a day of hiking — complimentary shampoo and conditioner be damned.

The mountain range, which stands prominently next to the juxtaposed salt flat graben, is actually an exposed ancient reef barrier, the result of evaporation, tectonic shifts, and other geological activities that far exceed what I learned in my freshman geology class at Angelo State University. However it came to be, nature created one of our state’s most jaw-dropping land formations.

Peak Trail — is a rocky path that switchbacks through 8 1/2 miles of multiple ecosystems and three false peaks.

The opening mile of the climb is the most difficult. Beginning adjacent to the park’s visitor’s center, it’s easy for one to return to an air-conditioned building if they quickly realize the hike’s steep grade is too much for them to handle. It was at the end of this difficult section that I immediately regretted my choice of shoes. Wearing a CamelBak, Patagonia quandary pants, and SPF 45 sunscreen, my footwear was the only thing that screamed “newbie outdoorsman.” Making the mistake of forgetting my trail runners, I was stuck with my everyday footwear: low-ankle Chuck Taylors. Despite blisters surely being in my future, I pressed on.

I was fortunate enough to tackle the hike on a clear, beautiful day. Even with the elevation changes, I left my jacket in my bag and required only globs of sunscreen for my pasty complexion. The cooperative weather made the views awe-inspiring.

As mentioned before, the hike contains three false summits. And, as the trail’s steep grade makes the four-mile trek seem double the distance, it’s easy to get caught in the false hope that you are almost to the top. This hope, naturally, led to more frustration and disappointment than anything else.

As I got sweatier, more out of breath, and the blister on my left foot ever closer to popping and exposing tender skin, I got in the habit of asking every passing hiker how far the summit was. Without exception, every passerby laughed and exclaimed, “You’re not even close, dude.” One fellow trailblazer decided to open up about his own frustrations: “I thought it was just around the corner, but it’s, like, 100 corners away.”

The exhaustion and irritation, however, were allayed by gorgeous scenery. Every turn seemed to present an entirely new ecosystem with surprising flora. Tall varieties of pines, meadows, and dry treeless spots all make an appearance. There are times you’ll feel you’re in the Appalachians, and others you’ll feel you’re in Sierra Nevada; the drastic changes in diverse environments are enough to give a hiker whiplash.

There’s an article on Texas Monthly’s website, dated 1969, that asks “Why climb Guadalupe Peak?” While some might say it’s semantics, I will argue that making it to the summit of Guadalupe Peak is not a climb, but a walk. To claim I climbed to the top of the mountain would be disingenuous; there was no climbing. My hands, outside of moments when I sat Indian-style on the ground, never touched rock; upperbody exertion was never the culprit for my shortness of breath; and Sherpas were not necessary for navigation. Though it’s undoubtedly a difficult walk, with most steps hammering away at the hike’s 3,000-foot elevation gain, it is a walk on a well-traveled trail nonetheless. The trail — the Guadalupe

If you’re going to walk to the top of Guadalupe Peak, here’s what to pack:

• 4 quarts of water (I recommend filling a CamelBak)

• Hiking boots/shoes or trail runners (this is a must)

• Light jacket

• Sunscreen

• First-aid kit with Band-Aids

• Snacks (granola bars and dried fruit are what I brought)

• Hat

A short scramble and one is suddenly at the summit. There’s no giant archway or finish-line tape to welcome you for your accomplishment. Rather, a pyramid erected in 1958 to commemorate overland stage and air travel serves as the selfie spot. Of course, those who make the top are also greeted with a view that, for lack of a better word, is majestic. To the south is the peak of El Capitan, and to the west is a 180-degree view of the Salt Basin Dunes, which disappear into the horizon. A small green book and pen rest in the small monument, where hikers who dared to make it to the top can write their names. Hundreds upon hundreds of names filled the pages, and as I flipped through, I realized it only went back three days. I am merely one of thousands to trek these slopes a year. Though grasping the fact that I’m not that special certainly deflated my ego a tad, it didn’t waiver my feeling of accomplishment.

• Plastic bag for trash (leave no trace)

Vitamin IV

Taking an infusion of supplements straight to the vein turns out to be a bit of a wake-up call.

BY BRIAN KENDALL

The yellowish fluid dripped rapidly through the IV line — the room temperature of the liquid making my arm feel cold. The bag, which once held a liter of every vitamin, supplement, and mineral you may or may not know — a concoction of what one might deem as food for superhumans — deflated at an unexpectedly quick rate. I was told my skin turned a pinkish hue as my veins opened up to this medical brew. The medical brew in question is called the Texan, the most expensive ($259) IV drip offered at Replenish IV Hydration & Vitamin Therapy, located off Magnolia Avenue.

While I couldn’t immediately feel a difference, the list of supposed positive effects from my undergoing this treatment was as long as the list of ingredients of a classic mole sauce: hydration; energy; skin,

nail, and hair growth; increased metabolism; anti-inflammation; improved sleep; immune system support; detoxification; etc.

“The way people react to IV therapy is different for everybody,” Chad Boulden, office manager at Replenish IV in Fort Worth, says. “Some people feel immediately energized, but I usually notice that it helps me sleep, which ultimately helps with my energy levels.”

It turns out Chad and I have the exact same reaction to the therapy. My muscles didn’t immediately grow to Hulk-like status, my energy didn’t reach the levels I typically have after a cup of nitro cold brew, and I didn’t even have to pass water an abnormal amount despite receiving a full liter of liquid. Instead, for the weeks that followed, my sleep patterns became far more regular, and, thus, my energy, alertness, appetite, and overall health were greatly improved.

There’s a slight stigma that IV therapy is more a cure for hangovers than anything else, but, according to Chad, such people make up a minority of their customers.

“Most people come in monthly,” Chad explains. “And we’ve also had a steady increase in customers over the past months, thanks to increased awareness about this form of hydration therapy.”

Yet, the idea of IV hydration therapy has been around since the 1970s when Dr. John Myers developed the Myers’ Cocktail, a blend of magnesium, calcium gluconate, vitamin C, vitamin B complex, and other multisyllabic ingredients I wouldn’t dare attempt to pronounce. You see, when you receive an IV hydration drip, which usually takes anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, it is administered in a medical environment. Those who administered my drip were registered nurses, and a physician checked my vitals and listened to my heart to ensure I was able to receive the IV.

According to Chad, the primary reason to receive IV therapy over taking a fistful of supplements via GNC or Sunflower Shoppe, is that your body will absorb 100% of the vitamins and minerals, thanks to the intravenous delivery.

Replenish is only one of several places that administers IV hydration therapy, and most offer a full menu of vitamin cocktails to fight dehydration, illness, and sleep deprivation. I just don’t recommend such therapy for those who fear needles.

Myers’ Cocktail

The first IV hydration therapy cocktail

Magnesium chloride hexahydrate 20% 2–5 milliliters

Hydroxocobalamin 1,000 mcg/mL (B12) 1–3 milliliters

Pyridoxine hydrochloride 100 mg/mL (B6) 1 milliliter

Dexpanthenol 250 mg/mL (B5) 1 milliliter

B complex 100 (B complex) 1 milliliter

Vitamin C 222 mg/mL (C) 4–20 milliliters

PHOTO BY OLAF GROWALD

IN THE SPIRIT OF TEXAS, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse features a dramatic, yet intimate, ambiance. Nestled in the heart of downtown on 8th and MainStreet, our historic building stands proud after decades of service and countless unforgettable memories made.

Our warm mahogany-lined walls showcase hundreds of photographs that capture friends and fans of ours, throughout the years, creating an atmosphere unlike any other steakhouse in Fort Worth.

private rooms that can accommodate your group of up to 90 people.

We boast a wine list of over 1600 labels, serve the best cocktails and offer the most delicious steaks in town.

OUR INCREDIBLE AND CARING TEAM LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU SOON.

Steaks!

Cowtown lives up to its name with these stellar steakhouses that serve up some mean meat.

WORDS BY MALCOLM MAYHEW | PHOTOS BY OLAF GROWALD

For many of us, our first bite of steak carries the same amount of emotional weight as our first kiss, our first job, our first bike ride without someone holding us up. Is this the case in other cities? Who knows?

But in Fort Worth, a city practically raised by cattle, your ﬁrst taste of steak is often burned into your psyche, just like a good sear.

My ﬁrst bite remains crystal clear. Age: 10. Restaurant: Sizzler. Steak: a T-bone. Sizzler, mind you, was not a high-end restaurant. We wore our blue collars proudly, dining mainly at home or at fast-food places and, every once in a while, decent midgrade steakhouses like The Rig, Bonanza, or Sizzler.

My mom cut away at her T-bone, hacking off a piece for me. She put it on my plate, next to my hamburger, and told me to eat it. “It’s the same thing as your hamburger, kind of,” she said.

a tiny squiggle of fat on the other. I gobbled it down and asked for more. And just like that, another steak-lover in Fort Worth was born.

Through the years, the city’s steakhouse scene has grown to epic proportions. Not-sopricy steakhouses still exist (Hoffbrau comes to mind), but beef’s business is booming in grand-scale ways. The Wicked Butcher, a lavish steakhouse in the new Sinclair Hotel, will soon rise downtown, where it will join heavyweights such as Grace, Del Frisco’s and The Capital Grille. Fort Worth does not lack for steakhouses.

There are so many, in fact, a guide is required. Thusly, welcome to Fort Worth Magazine’s completely biased, highly opinionated guide to the city’s best steakhouses. Dig in.

I’d had burgers before and barbecue but nothing like this tiny chunk of meat with a night-black char on one side,

(Editor’s Note: You’ll likely notice a dearth of chain restaurants that are usual suspects when one thinks of steakhouses. While this subjective list is not meant as a slight on these establishments, we tried to keep the restaurants as local as possible or, if they’re not local, of a certain caliber that is, again, completely subjective.)

B&B Butchers & Restaurant

Words such as “opulent” and “grandiose” were invented to describe restaurants like B&B, the anchor eatery in Fort Worth’s upscale Shops at Clearfork dining and shopping mecca. Come as you are, certainly, but expect fivestar service, a double- (and sometimes triple-) digit menu, and food as luxurious as the cars parked in the restaurant’s valet. But yes, B&B insists, shorts and flip-flops are totally cool.

A meal here is more of an event. Just perusing the large menu will take some time — there are more than 20 cuts of beef, from Texas wagyu to USDA prime.

B&B is one of the few restaurants in the country to serve certiﬁed Japanese Kobe beef. If you’re looking for the fanciest steak in town, splurge on the unbelievably rich A5 Kobe ($220 for 4 ounces). When money matters, the more bang for your buck is the 40-ounce porterhouse, dry-aged in-house for 28 days. Technically, it’s for two, but it’ll take three or four to conquer this beautiful hunk.

5212 Marathon Ave., bbbutchers.com

Bob’s Steak & Chop House

Bob’s dates back to 1993, Dallas, when entrepreneur Bob Sambol and Del Frisco’s founder Dale Wamstad opened Bob and Del’s in the original Del Frisco’s location on Lemmon Avenue.

By the Glass

A GOOD STEAK DESERVES A GOOD GLASS OF WINE.

Bob's Steak & Chop House

STEAK: T-bone

WINE: Italian red, 2002 Sasella Rocce Rosse

Mercury Chophouse

STEAK: Filet

WINE: Spanish wine, 2004 Ontañón

The brand was eventually sold to Omni Hotels & Resorts; the downtown Fort Worth Omni houses the city’s lone location.

It’s a classic steakhouse — all dim lights and class, as one would expect from a restaurant tucked inside one of Fort Worth’s prettiest and priciest hotels.

The Omni has added touches here and there to the menu, but the quality and personality of the original Bob’s comes through. Most steaks — carved out of corn-fed, Midwestern prime beef — come with the famous glazed carrot, a delight to some, a headscratcher to others.

ly bar scene, punctuated by Corvette-red barstools.

Many steaks are decorated with an accoutrement of some sort. The restaurant’s signature steak, a dry-aged New York Strip, has a crust of Kona coffee.

Capital Grille’s showstopper is the porcini-rubbed, bone-in rib-eye, laced with ground mushrooms and a 15-year-aged balsamic.

800 Main St., thecapitalgrille.com

Cattlemen’s Steak House

Grace

STEAK: Rib-eye

WINE: Italian red, 2001 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse

STEAK: Porterhouse

WINE: Cabernet, 2017 Silver Ghost

The Capital Grille

STEAK: New York Strip

WINE: Cabernet, Orin Swift Papillon

Quite the sight is the Tomahawk rib-eye, with its vivid veins of marbling and succulently rich ﬂavor. There’s also a super-sized ﬁlet mignon, a whopping 16-ouncer, and a veal porterhouse chop, two steaks you don’t see on many steakhouse menus. 1300 Houston St., bobs-steakandchop.com

The Capital Grille

This Rhode Island import is a part of downtown’s steakhouse lane, a strip of Main Street where there are four formidable steakhouses within feet of one another: Del Frisco’s, Grace, Ruth’s Chris, and The Capital Grille. The latter does a good job holding its own against its ﬁerce competitors, catering not only to the dinner crowd but also to high-rolling lunchers, who have money and time to burn. There’s also a live-

For many, Cattlemen’s is the Joe T. Garcia’s of steakhouses — a rite of passage every Fort Worthian must experience and a whereto-eat essential for out-oftowners hungry for meat. The Stockyards restaurant is one of the oldest in the city, having opened in 1947, and tourists dig the cowpoke décor and saloonstyle bar area.

Just about every cut imaginable is here, in one form or another: an 18-ounce sirloin; an 18-ounce, bone-in rib-eye; even a Kansas City strip sirloin, a blast from the steakhouse past.

Smartly, Cattlemen’s warns newcomers and tourists not to order its charcoal-broiled steaks cooked beyond medium. Like most steakhouses, Cattlemen’s insists on serving its steaks mediumrare to medium, to retain ﬂavor and juiciness.

2458 N. Main St., cattlemenssteakhouse.com

10 OZ NEW YORK STRIP SIRLOIN

CATTLEMEN'S STEAK HOUSE

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse

Opened in the mid-’90s, Del Frisco’s helped bring a certain touch of class and sophistication to the city’s steakhouse scene.

Housed in a historic building downtown, across the street from the convention center and the hotel where JFK spent his last night alive, Del’s is now a part of a monolithic corporation, but the Fort Worth location has held onto its charisma, a combination of white glove and work glove. You’ll be pampered in a rustic,

Grand Opening

Texas atmosphere.

Even with so much competition, much of it within the same block of Main Street, many local steaklovers still consider Del’s to be the best, both in terms of service and quality of food.

Fans rave of the handson, highly informed servers, the handsome atmosphere, and the vast collection of steaks. Choose from wet and dry-aged steaks, Australian wagyu and Japanese wagyu, Akushi rib-eye and American rib-eye. It’s a dizzying prospect, but one thing is for certain; no

The Wicked Butcher

Easily one of the most anticipated restaurant openings this year, The Wicked Butcher is set to open in November as part of the new Sinclair Hotel. A Marriott Autograph Collection property, the Sinclair Hotel is taking over, appropriately enough, downtown's historic Sinclair Building, a towering art-deco beauty. A modern steakhouse, The Wicked Butcher will be the hotel's primary dining option and the fourth downtown Fort Worth restaurant from Dallas-based DRG Concepts; the company is also behind Chop House Burger, Wild Salsa, and the forthcoming Oven and Cellar, all located within feet of each another in a northwest pocket of downtown.

According to DRG, The Wicked Butcher will feature a star-studded culinary team that will include Luigi Iannuario, who most recently worked at Da Mario, the Italian restaurant at The Star in Frisco; Richard Triptow, whose resume includes stints at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek and the prestigious Pine Creek Cookhouse in Aspen; and Austin Carlson, who will oversee The Wicked Butcher, as well as the food and beverage service at The Sinclair.

matter what you choose, it’ll be the right decision. 812 Main St., delfriscos.com

Grace

Occupying the ground level of downtown’s 777 Main building, where its dining room peers onto Main Street, this exquisite 11-year-old American restaurant doesn’t advertise itself as a steakhouse. But it offers a half-dozen of the city’s ﬁnest steaks — no surprise, since owner Adam Jones was once the general manager of nearby Del Frisco’s.

Executive chef Blaine Staniford’s menu features three ﬁlets, ranging in size and price. The go-to is the 6-ounce, all-natural ﬁlet from 44 Farms. The restaurant’s pride and joy: a 20-ounce, dry-aged, bone-in rib-eye.

Toppings and sauces go against the grain of the norm. There’s an espresso horseradish sauce, cognac peppercorn marrow, housemade thick-cut bacon and black trufﬂe butter. 777 Main St., gracefortworth.com

Wicked Butcher’s menu will feature domestic and international premium cuts of beef. Fort Worth Magazine was given a special sneak preview of several menu items, including oysters and various cuts of both wet- and dry-aged steaks. Everything sampled was top-notch. Seafood will also be prominently featured, with items such as sushi, oysters, lobster, and swordﬁsh. Sides will include crawﬁsh maque choux, Yorkshire creamed spinach, and corn crème brûlée. An impressive wine program will feature bottles from around the globe.

The restaurant's decor will echo the building's Art Deco design, with glossy white brick and tile and brass ﬁxtures.

Up 17 ﬂights will be a gorgeous rooftop bar, offering drinks, light bites, and incomparable, full-circle views of downtown.

512 Main St., marriott.com

12 OZ SMOKED SIRLOIN

HOFFBRAU STEAK & GRILL HOUSE

H3 Ranch

H3 may not be the ﬁrst place you think of for steak in the Stockyards, but you should think of it. There’s a vast selection from which to choose, and the open dining room employs an upbeat, hustle-bustle energy that feels more roadhouse than steakhouse. For brunch, the place is a real gem, offering left-of-center dishes like a red pepper omelette and rainbow trout and eggs.

Steaks are prepared over a hickory-fueled wood grill and include standards such as a porterhouse, bone-in rib-eye, and New York Strip. A center-cut tenderloin is uniquely presented: on ﬁre, thanks to a dousing of rum. A 12-ounce smoked sirloin may be your best bet. It’s moderately priced at $28; slow-smoked, it’s as tender and ﬂavorful as any highend steak that costs double. 109 E. Exchange Ave., h3ranch.com

Hoffbrau Steak & Grill House

The local Hoffbrau twins — the three decade-old original in Fort Worth and a new Benbrook location — are the closest things we’ll come to the approachable (and affordable) steakhouses of yesterday, places like Sizzler. Both locations offer a family-friendly atmosphere, one-part Texana, one-part sports bar. And both know how to put out good steaks. Steaks are certiﬁed angus and are offered in multiple cuts: a coffee-rubbed rib-eye;

a pepper-crusted sirloin; a 6-ounce center-cut ﬁlet topped with poblano sauce; and a simple chopped steak topped with sauteed onions.

Servers are incredibly attentive here, making sure your steak was cooked per your request — a nice touch that even high-end places sometimes miss. Multiple locations, hoffbrausteakandgrill.com

Lonesome Dove

Local celebrity chef Tim Love's ﬂagship restaurant — a year away from turning 20 — is known for unusual game dishes, such as kangaroo carpaccio, elk sliders, and rattlesnake sausage. Those dishes often overshadow the attention Lonesome Dove pays to plain ol' beef. In an atmosphere both romantic and rustic, Love offers a handful of handcut steaks, tenderloin, New York Strip and wagyu Tomahawk among them; the latter is an enoughfor-two monster priced at $115. The tenderloin is also featured on the regular menu, wherein it comes stuffed with roasted garlic and is served with a side of hashbrowns spiked with sweet red peppers, cabbage, and jalapeños. 2406 Main St., lonesomedovefortworth.com

Staking Their Claim

The best steaks don't have to come from steakhouses.

BONNELL'S FINE TEXAS CUISINE

Jon Bonnell's namesake restaurant in southwest Fort Worth is known primarily for one thing: meat. So it makes perfect sense his west side spot would serve a great steak. Try the wagyu rib-eye, dry-aged for 35 days and weighing in around 12-14 ounces — enough for two. bonnellstexas.com

ELLERBE

This New Orleans-inspired restaurant on the Near Southside isn't exactly known for steaks. But regulars know chef Molly McCook serves an absolute stunner of a sirloin. Called a "baseball cut," it's cut from the center of the top sirloin and is unbelievably tender. McCook serves the steak year-round, dressing it in an everchanging landscape of seasonal veggies. Right now, those include squash and roasted Brussels sprouts. ellerbeﬁnefoods.com

EDDIE V'S

Although known primarily for seafood, the stylish, museum district location of this national chain serves an impressive selection of hand-cut steaks, including a USDA prime, bone-in New York Strip. Splurge the extra bucks and get it with the cracked black peppercorn cognac sauce. eddiev.com

CLAY PIGEON FOOD & DRINK

Just north of downtown, local chef Marcus Paslay's popular homage to American classics includes a New York Strip and a 36-ounce porterhouse, served with trimmings such as creamy horseradish and roasted garlic aioli. claypigeonfd.com

REATA

Forget the tenderloin tamales just this once and try this downtown institution's charbroiled rib-eye; you may never go back to those tamales. Well, that may be overstating it. Those tamales are damn good. reata.net

M&M Steak House

Since 1951, when it opened under the name Papa Joe’s, this charmingly rustic hole in the wall on Fort Worth’s North Side has sated the appetites of steak lovers of all ages, races, and economic situations. It’s the Fred’s of steakhouses, a place so Fort Worth, it’d die an instant death if you picked it up and put it in, say, Hurst. Taxidermy lines the walls, an old jukebox plays Loretta Lynn and George Strait, and waitress Debbie Hall waxes nostalgic about her grandparents, who met while working at the old Swift Armour in the Stockyards nearly 100 years ago. “That’s how I learned so much about meat,” she says. Order your steak medium-rare, she’ll wink and retort: “That’s the best way.”

Each of the restaurant’s cuts — three T-bones, ranging in size from 16 to 26 ounces, sirloin for two, ﬁlet mignon, and rib-eyes — are sprinkled or showered with a housemade garlic seasoning. You decide how much you want — light, original, or heavy. No matter what you choose, it will come with a baked potato, wrapped in tin foil, Texas toast, green beans, and a salad topped with housemade Ranch dressing. You’re told from the get-go, there are no additional salad dressings. It’s ranch or nothing. Only in Fort Worth.

1106 NW 28th St., 817-624-0612

Mercury Chophouse

After 17 years on Main Street, this underrated steakhouse moved into new digs in 2016, taking over the ground-level floor of downtown’s The Tower. Removed from the nuttiness of Main Street, it’s now an oasis of quiet, where first dates and personal triumphs are celebrated with the clinking of wine glasses and the ordering of New York strips and broiled lobster tail. The diagonally positioned, floor-to-ceiling slabs of concrete, left behind from the building’s original bank tenant, remain a cool architectural wonder, not to mention a way to get a bit of privacy.

Owner Zack Moutaouakil, who purchased the restaurant from the M Group (owners of nearby Taco Diner and Mi Cocina), has barely touched the menu over the years, keeping the focus on steaks, as well as seafood, wine, and decadent desserts.

From the half-dozen steaks, the 18-ounce, bone-in veal chop is the must-do. It’s a tender and ﬂavor-packed wonder, with a silky-smooth texture and irresistible buttery taste. 525 Taylor St., mercuryfw.com

Riscky’s Steakhouse

There are so many great steakhouses in Fort Worth, you almost forget about the one right smack dab in the middle of where Fort

Worth’s long tradition with beef began. Theo's Saddle & Sirloin Inn opened in the early 1920s at the location where Riscky's Steakhouse is now, on Exchange Avenue in the Stockyards. Theo's was the ﬁrst restaurant in the U.S. to offer calf fries on its menu — it sold the “calf fry sandwich” for 15 cents.

Riscky's bought Theo's Saddle & Sirloin Inn in 1993, changed the name to Riscky's Steakhouse, but kept all the original recipes. The restaurant’s signature steak is Riscky's Steakhouse' Cowboy Bone-In Ribeye, a 17-ounce, Certiﬁed Angus prime, bone-in rib-eye, with a short frenched bone and generous marbling. It comes seasoned with the restaurant’s “Wally Dust,” a blend of salt, pepper, and garlic. 120 E. Exchange Ave., risckys.com

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Every steakhouse has its rabid followers, and the Fort Worth location of this New Orleans-born chain, found in the Hilton downtown, is no different. Fans eagerly ﬂock here for its wide drink selection, romantic atmosphere, and the “sizzle” component of its steaks. Before each steak leaves the kitchen, a tablespoon of butter is added to each plate, which is always hot, creating a sizzling sound similar to the crackle of fajitas.

The restaurant special-

17 OZ COWBOY BONE-IN RIB-EYE RISCKY'S STEAKHOUSE

izes in USDA prime steaks. Artfully presented, ready to be Instagrammed, the cuts include a beautiful Tomahawk rib-eye, a 40-ounce monster a table of four could handle; a beautifully marbled rib-eye; and the restaurant's signature steak, a 19-ounce, bone-in New York strip. The latter goes well with the Oscar-style topping of a jumbo lump crab cake, asparagus, and béarnaise sauce. It's every bit as decadent — and delicious — as it sounds.

Silver Fox

From the outside, this longrunning TCU-area steakhouse, part of the same corporate restaurant group that owns El Chico, Cool River Cafe, III Forks and others, looks wholly unassuming, like a doctor's ofﬁce or bank. Once inside, though, you'll comfortably cascade into the familiar conﬁnes of a classic steakhouse: low lights, buzzing, attentive servers, the smell of meat.

Servers here are exceptionally well-trained in the art of selling the restaurant's USDA prime meat. They'll most certainly talk up their well-marbled ribeyes but the undiscovered gem may be a new item: a bone-in ﬁlet, not exactly a common cut. For a side, try the smoked mac and Gouda cheese. The restaurant is also well known for its extensive wine cellar, more than 2,600 bottles strong. 1651 South University Drive, silverfoxcafe.com

Sides What

makes a killer steak even better? A killer side.

Of course, the obligatory — and, for some, mandatory — side is the baked potato, loaded with butter, sour cream, chives, and even more butter, sour cream, and chives. It’s the steak’s lifelong partner — till death do they part.

Calf fries

RISCKY’S STEAKHOUSE

Even if it’s just a tiny nibble, you gotta try the calf fries at Riscky’s — a Fort Worth food experience as essential as a sandwich at Carshon’s or a burger at Fred’s. The restaurant batters and deep-fries the bovine testicles to a golden brown, adds seasoning, then tops them with housemade country gravy. The meat is tender — some compare it to veal. C’mon, just one bite?

Mac

and cheese

GRACE

Grilled asparagus

THE CAPITAL GRILLE

Those who insist on having something green on their plate cannot go wrong with The Capital Grille’s grilled asparagus, lightly drizzled with lemon and sprinkled with ﬂeur de sel, a hard-to-ﬁnd French sea salt.

Potatoes au gratin

DEL FRISCO’S DOUBLE EAGLE STEAKHOUSE

For many, mac and cheese is becoming the side dish du jour for steaks, and there’s not a better rendition in the city than the one dreamed up by Grace chef Blaine Staniford. His M&C is laced with a pair of secret weapons: caramelized onions and Anaheim peppers, a one-two punch of sweet and heat. For a few bucks more, the mac and cheese is crowned with a dollop of crab meat. Of course, you want to do that.

Corn soufﬂé

B&B BUTCHERS & RESTAURANT

No slight to this essential pairing, but there are other sides in the sea. For those burned on bakedp's, here are five fine alternatives: one aniford. t naheim and and rab ost er is nd et the fflé. d with combo cream, and baked in a roux of melted butter, finely chopped bacon, green onions, and some very, very good aged cheddar.

Order potatoes if you must at Del Frisco’s, but make sure they’re the right potatoes. Del Frisco’s take on this classic dish forgoes potato slices in favor of cubes and onions in favor of bacon. This is more like a traditional baked potato, diced and bathed

If you ask your server at B&B to recommend a side, he or she will most likely ask you: “Are you looking for something healthy?” The right answer is “no.” You can eat Brussels sprouts and roasted cauliﬂower any time. Here, get the restaurant’s signature side, corn soufﬂé. Picture a cornbread casserole topped with the restaurant’s version of “rajas,” a combo of poblano peppers, heavy whipping cream, and pepper jack cheese.

Riscky's Steakhouse, Calf Fries

MEAT THE EXPERTS

Exclusive from B&B Butchers & Restaurant

K

obe Beef comes from isolated Japanese valleys near the port town of Kobe City where these tajima-gyu cattle have grazed completely untouched for generations. Only 3,900 head of cattle qualify as Kobe Beef each year, due to Japan’s intense beef certification system and strict classification standards. To provide perspective, only 400 pounds of this highly sought-after meat, widely considered the best beef in the world, is shipped to the U.S. each month to licensed members of this exclusive group. The highly-coveted beef is known for its evenly dispersed shimofuri marbling characteristics that produce an exquisitely rich and rare flavor, tenderness and juiciness.

KOBE

A5 Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

(100% Tajima cattle, the rarest & most exclusive beef in the world)

Tenderloin/New York Strip/Ribeye/Rib Cap

Despite many misconceptions and menu misrepresentations surrounding Kobe Beef, it was only in August 2012 that small amounts of certified Kobe Beef were first imported into the U.S.

With locations in Houston and Fort Worth, B&B is proud to be 2 of 29 U.S. members of the Kobe Beef Association in Japan, allowing us to offer authentic, certified A5 Kobe Beef.

Approximately 22,400 ounces have been purchased in Fort Worth since opening.

A5 Kobe Tenderloin from The Butcher SHOP at B&B

CULINARY CLASH

With fresh faces and a new batch of culinary obstacles, this year’s Fort Worth Magazine's Top Chef competition turned up the heat.

WORDS BY TYLER HICKS | PHOTOS BY OLAF GROWALD

As the ominous announcement of a two-minute warning reverberated throughout the cavernous River Ranch Stockyards, the four seasoned pros scrambled across their playing field. The fans, eyes wide, mouths agape, and cowboy hats askew, fixed their eyes on the action. Some of them had their favorites, which was evident from the fog- and music-heavy intros that accompanied the pros’ entrances. But at this stage, as the action was reaching its zenith, all of the fans were focused on one question: How can anyone turn leftover pizza and wings into something worthy of a “Top Chef” title?

The playing field on this night was a stage, the pros were four seasoned chefs from various revered restaurants across Fort Worth, and the fans were the faithful foodies in attendance for Fort Worth Magazine’s ninth annual Top Chef competition. But as is the custom, these chefs were not preparing the kinds of dishes that had earned them a rightful place in the hearts and bellies of Fort Worth denizens. Instead, tasked with few ingredients and little time, they had to devise dishes that were palatable to a panel of past Top Chef winners.

“This is not easy,” veteran chef Jon Bonnell reminded the panel as they sat in a private judges’ room away from the frenetic fervor of the contest. “Listen to that crowd out there. The pressure is on these chefs.”

This year, the four pros were Kobi Perdue from Paris 7th, Keith “Button” Hicks from The Rim, Max Zubboli of Zeno’s on the Square, and Jenna Kinard of Hotel Drover. In the moments before these four took their stage beneath the spotlights, Bonnell and emcee Scott Murray amped up the eager crowd with a laundry list of the chefs’ accomplishments. The atmosphere resembled that of a football game, with fans divided into factions to support their favorite chef, and walkout songs like “Welcome to the Jungle” setting the mood as the four chefs trotted on stage to start the foodie festivities.

“I’m excited, but, man, it’s gonna be a challenge,” Hicks said, eyeing the sparse ingredients he had at his disposal. “It’s a test of your ability to withstand adversity.”

Kinard agreed.

“This pulls the rug out from under you,” she said. “We’re all so used to being in our own places, our own kitchens, and this is something entirely new with a fraction of what we normally have.”

As the games got underway, the chefs were forced to make do with a hodgepodge of mismatched ingredients, including one challenge that included capers, bison, spinach, nuts, and duck. The contest consists of two main food feats: the aforementioned “Making Leftovers into Magic” and “Thinking on Your Feet,” a challenge whereby chefs chose five ingredients but were then given an assortment of others at random and allotted a brief amount of time to design an edible dish. These dishes received mixed reviews from the judges in the back room, with 2018 winner Bria Downey repeatedly remarking, “I have no idea what this is” at the sight of several creations.

At times, Bonnell gleefully threw other curveballs at the four chefs vying for the crown, including an incident where he asked each of them to step in the spot to the left, thereby giving them a whole different set of ingredients with which to work. The chefs took each of these tests in stride, but as time wound down and the contest reached its climax, the harried professionals were dripping with sweat, clearly frazzled by hours of frantic cooking. Each of them looked delighted as the contest ended, and Bonnell bounced on stage to announce the winners.

The fan texts had been tallied, and those who voted for Perdue were delighted when the soft-spoken chef took home the “People’s Choice” title. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for. An anxious crowd held its breath as Downey took the mic and prepared to pass the torch. Following a drumroll and a dramatic beat, Downey and Bonnell announced the winner of Top Chef 2019: Jenna Kinard. A Texas native who is less than a year into her post at the Hotel Drover, Kinard has overcome ample adversity to attain Cowtown acclaim. Elated and overcome by emotion, the chef lifted her hard-earned plaque over her head as beatific expressions of relief and triumph washed over her face. And the crowd went wild.

JENNA KINARD

97 WEST | AGE: 28 | HOMETOWN: WALLER, TEXAS

Since Jenna Kinard’s last rumble on Top Chef, two years ago, the former execut ive chef at Max’s Wine Dive has, to borrow a restaurant term, been in the weeds. In a good way, though. She cooked with culinary personality Paula Deen; ﬁlmed a TV pilot with Deen’s daughter-in law; and shot another TV pilot that, ﬁngers crossed, will air next year. Busy, busy, busy. But Kinard is most excited about her new restaurant. Earlier this year she was named executive chef at 97 West, the restaurant inside the forthcoming Hotel Drover, a boutique hotel from Marriott Autograph that will be part of a $175 million redevelopment in the Stockyards; the hotel and restaurant are slated to open next year.

Q: What can you tell us about 97 West?

The focus is elevated Southern cuisine. We’ll have items for people who don’t like to share, but I want to emphasize small plates. You’ll be able to try four, ﬁve, six dishes without breaking the bank. Other chefs are doing them with this type of food in Texas but not in Fort Worth, so it’ll be a super cool experience for people here. We’ll have brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. I can’t speak about the menu items just yet, but some of the dishes will be inspired by real drovers — the people who would herd cattle over long distances.

Q: I’ve never heard of your hometown, Waller, Texas. That’s not surprising. It’s a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, about 45 minutes outside of Houston. The closest gas station was about 15 minutes away, and when we bought groceries, I think we drove about 45 minutes to get to the nearest grocery store.

Q: Not much of a restaurant scene in Waller, huh? We never ate out. There was nowhere to go. So, my parents cooked every single night together. We all did. My brother and I were always tasked with making the salads and sides. Dinner was a big deal in our house, a special time for us. No TV, no phones. Just family having dinner together.

Q: What was your favorite dish? My mom’s spaghetti. I’d beg to have it at least once a week.

Q: How’d your parents take the news that you were going into the restaurant

business? They were absolutely elated. Early on, I wanted to pursue acting and modeling. I thought that was going to be the end-all for me. I was great in theater and the arts and felt like I didn’t excel at anything else. I fell into the pageant world at a young age and did very well. But I was always surrounded by girls who were thinner than me. I thought I had to look like them. As a result, I dropped all this weight and stopped eating. It got to the point where I developed an eating disorder, and eventually, I had to be hospitalized. I realized at that point I had to walk away from that world, that lifestyle. So, yes, to answer your question, my parents were thrilled I wanted to become a chef.

Q: You’re married now. Where do you and your husband like to eat out? We are both into health and ﬁtness, so we try to eat at home as much as possible. We do love pizza and pasta. I love making pasta from scratch, and my husband is getting good at smoking meats.

Q: But at what restaurants do you like to eat? We don’t really go out to eat anywhere. We love Joe T’s but mainly for the margaritas. We’re just not that exciting.

Q: I’m not buying it. You HAVE to go eat somewhere, sometime. Are you hiding something from me? OK, OK, I didn’t want to tell you this because it’s our little secret, and I don’t want to ruin it. But we really love this place called the Beacon Café. It’s this tiny restaurant at the Hicks Airﬁeld. That’s where we love to do brunch. Their pineapple upside down pancakes are amazing. But don’t make me talk about it!

MAX ZUBBOLI

ZENO’S ON THE SQUARE | AGE: 42 | HOMETOWN: PISA, ITALY

Pisa, Italy, is a long way from Weatherford, Texas — 5,481 miles to be exact Not just a stroll around the corner. But dine at Zeno's on the Square, and you'll witness the culinary handiwork of one Max Zubboli, born and raised in — and stolen away from — Pisa by Weatherford restaurateur Monica Russo. Zubboli sheds a little light on his trip abroad.

Q: How does a chef in Pisa, Italy, wind up a chef in Weatherford, Texas?

I was working in a restaurant called Ir Tegame Spaghetteria in Pisa where we made the pasta ourselves by hand. Customers could watch the chefs prepare it. Monica Russo happened to be in the area and came to my restaurant and watched me cook. She told me about her restaurant (Mamma Monica Italian Restaurant), where she, too, makes the pasta fresh, and we hit it off immediately. She said she was going to open another restaurant, and would I be interested in opening it with her. So, I came to Weatherford — it was my ﬁrst time to Texas, and I fell in love in with it. Weatherford and Fort Worth remind me of Pisa and Florence. It feels very comfortable here.

Q: Being from Italy, your take on Italian food must be vastly different than what is served in most local Italian restaurants. Yes, the Italian restaurants here in America are serving American-Italian food — that is another kind of cuisine. It's not truly Italian. It's made by traditional Italian recipes adapted to American taste. Our philosophy at Zeno's is to create dishes with Italian techniques and recipes using the best ingredients that Texas has to offer, combining the best of the two states. We make every dish from scratch. The focaccia is homemade, like the pasta, the sauces, and everything else. We can satisfy any kind of request — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free.

Q: What was growing up in Pisa like?

Growing up with my grandmother was not easy, but it was awesome. Your world revolves around food. You wake up, and she is cooking. You come home from school, and she was ready with lunch — and afterwards, the afternoon snack and dinner. I never ate anything packaged when I was a child. My mother and grandmother made everything from scratch. They smelled like food — good food, the smell that you will never taste again. They introduced me to the culinary arts and were probably the reason I wanted to become a chef. My father put me in school to study, but my passion was food. Instead of going to university, I started culinary school in Pisa, and then I started to work in restaurants.

Q: What type of approach do you take to cooking? I try to keep it simple. I don't use more than three or four ingredients per dish. A tomato, zucchini, a piece of fish — each ingredient has its own personality, its own taste. I don't want to cover up those flavors in heavy sauces or a lot of additional ingredients that will take away from the flavor. Simple is best.

Q: What has been your favorite experience since you and your wife moved to Weatherford? I think to move to another country is like to begin another life. Every day is a new experience. But my favorite experience has been the warm welcome and friendship we receive every day from Texans. It's unbelievable how nice Texans are.

KEITH HICKS

AKA: "BUTTONS" | THE RIM IN BURLESON | AGE: 56 | HOMETOWN: HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA

Some people know Keith “Buttons” Hicks from his time working in downtown restaurants such as Ellington’s Chop House. Others remember him from the much-missed west side spot Ovations, where he ﬁrst introduced his signature chicken and wafﬂes. But most associate Hicks with the acclaimed soul food restaurant that bears his nickname, Buttons. After a falling out with new owners, though, Hicks left there earlier this year and joined the crew at The Rim, a newish concept from Rio Mambo owner Brent Johnson, who just happens to be the guy who hired Hicks at Ellington's two decades ago.

Q: Tell us about The Rim. It’s such a cool, cool spot. The kitchen is inside an old Airstream trailer. They actually built the restaurant around the Airstream, and then put the kitchen inside the Airstream. It’s like eating at a food trailer but inside an air-conditioned building, surrounded by good drinks, big TVs and a cool atmosphere. There ain’t nothing else like it out there.

Q: At Ovations and Buttons, you helped popularize chicken and waffles. How do you feel about it being served practically everywhere now? Oh, man — Dairy Queen, KFC, they all got it now. It’s weird, it’s really weird. I mean, I didn’t invent chicken and waffles, but I was the first to do it here, so, yeah, it’s kinda like what the what? But it’s all good. Everybody puts their own spin on it, which is exactly what I did.

Q: Your journey to becoming a chef is a little different than most. I’m not classically trained. I never went to cooking school. My ﬁrst cooking gig was after I got out of the military in 1995. The mess hall where I had been stationed was in need of a cook and I needed a job. I thought to myself, I always wanted to learn how to cook.

It was not easy work. You’d get there at 4 in the morning and have to have 20 pounds of French toast ready to go when the guys came storming in ready to eat. It was go, go, go. After breakfast, it didn’t let up. Because then you’d have to turn right back around and do lunch. But I fell in love with it. I began to ﬁnd my foot-

ing as a chef, tasting this, experimenting with that. I tell people I didn’t go to culinary school. I went to the school of tastebud-ology. I tasted my way through all of this.

Q: How’d you know you made the right decision? Because I worked, all the time. I can’t think of a time when I wasn’t working. I worked in a few places in California, including one of Wolfgang Puck’s restaurants. In Fort Worth, I worked at Ellington’s Chop House, Mambo’s Cantina, Sal’s Italian Villa, the Gunsmoke Grill & Saloon, behind the original Fuzzy’s Tacos. That was a cool place. I remember it was named by the Dallas Morning News as one of the top 10 new restaurants that year. It was the only place in Fort Worth to make the list.

Q: Buttons was the game-changer. Man, we had so much fun in the early days. Here was this upscale soul food restaurant, bringing in people of all ages and races and economic backgrounds, and no one batted an eye at each other. It was such a cool, welcoming atmosphere. I remember [then-] Mayor Moncrief came in one night and said, “Thank you for what you’ve done for the city of Fort Worth.” I won’t ever forget that.

Q: Favorite restaurants in Fort Worth? Asia Bowl on the west side. It's a cool little spot that not a lot of people know about. Joe’s Pizza on Sycamore School Road. Out of all the Joe's around here, their pizza is the best. And of course, Wafﬂe House. That’s my date night, man!

KOBI PERDUE

PARIS 7TH | AGE: 30 | HOMETOWN: GRAND PRAIRIE

If there was an underdog in this year’s Top Chef competition, it was Kobi Perdue, a low-key chef who has quietly made a name for himself in Fort Worth food circles. But don’t let his modesty fool you. For the past six years, the Fort Worth Culinary School grad has been honing his skills at two of the city’s top restaurants, Bernard Tronche’s twin French spots, Saint-Emilion and Paris 7th; Perdue is now executive chef at the latter. That’s no easy feat, considering the notoriously prickly nature of French cooking. Meet this force to be reckoned with.

Q: What was the very ﬁrst thing you ever cooked? Back when I was a kid, my mom showed me how to make a French rolled omelette with chives. I can still remember how it tasted. I remember sitting at the table eating it. It was good — simple but delicious.

Q: Do you come from a family of cooks?

My mom was always in the kitchen, and I was always in there, too, helping her out. We had a lot of ﬁsh fries at my grandma’s house. We ﬁshed a lot and hunted a lot and ate whatever we caught.

The funny thing is, when I was a kid, maybe 4 or 5 years old, my cousin and I would talk about having a restaurant together. I never thought anything of it. Then when I was 16, I entered the Tri-County Cooking competition in Hudson Oaks, and I wound up winning ﬁrst place overall. It was then I thought, I might have something here.

Q: What were your winning dishes? A little stuffed mushroom for an appetizer, balsamic glazed chicken with rice pilaf for an entrée, and for dessert, a chocolate mousse parfait. Not bad for a kid.

Q: What was your ﬁrst restaurant job?

This place in Granbury where my dad ate all the time, a Thai restaurant called Ya Ya’s. That means “grandma.” My dad knew the owner and told her I needed a job, and she put me to work. It’s actually where I learned the most about working in a restaurant. I did everything

from washing dishes to food prep to waiting tables. She made me do everything, and I’ve always been grateful for that.

Q: You work in the restaurant industry when you’re in high school; you miss out on being a high schooler. Yeah, that’s true. My friends would go out and party, and I’d go to work. Over time, my friends’ list became shorter and shorter. It was one sacriﬁce after another. You do this for a living; you make a lot of sacriﬁces.

Q: You and your family live in Benbrook. Where do you eat in Benbrook? I don’t eat in Benbrook. Nothing over here except Benbrook.

Q: Where do you go? My wife and I really like Thai food, so we eat at Thai Terrace a lot. And Thailicious. For Vietnamese, Pho Hung off Camp Bowie. I’ve been a fan of Blaine [Staniford] over at Grace for a while. We go to Jon Bonnell’s places. He’s a friend of my wife’s family. I’ve known him since I was in high school.

Q: Has your cooking changed over the years? I’d say it’s gotten a lot simpler. Not dumbed down but more focused. Less ingredients but more attention toward them. I see a lot of younger chefs overload your palate with all kinds of things on the plate, all kinds of accents and ingredients. To be honest, you don’t really need all that stuff to make a good dish.

CHEF MICHAEL PITRELLO is now at the helm as executive chef at Del Frisco’s Grille in Sundance Square and guides guests through a social culinary journey with each and every experience, no matter the occasion. He is focused on bringing Fort Worth a hospitable and stylish dining experience with dishes featuring bold encouraged by his mom and later, his time spent in a close family friend’s New inspiration is showcased in the delectable

When he isn’t busy perfecting the Grille’s preparing a Del Frisco’s heritage Prime,

Chef Michael joined Del Frisco’s in March 2019. Prior, he spent 17 years with The

Culinary Operations. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and lives in Fort Worth with his family.

to the Fort Worth community, including recent partnerships with Casa Manana, A Warm Place, Wishes with Wings, and the Ronald McDonald House.

Stop by and meet Chef Michael and the rest of the Del Frisco’s Grille team.

At just 10 years old, Valentine Iribagiza suffered through one of the most brutal ethnic cleansings in human history, the Rwandan genocide of 1994. She watched bloodcrazed killers butcher her family in a church. She lost half of her right hand to a machete. She hid among dead bodies for 43 days as the murderers returned again and again. She finally escaped, but her climb out of the nightmare of trauma had only just begun. Valentine’s extraordinary story of survival touches the darkest evils of humankind — and her inspiring choice to forgive illuminates the divine abilities within us all to heal from unspeakable pain.

Facing the Apocalypse

With a radiant beauty that belies her hellish past, Valentine has been a Texan for the last four years. She lives in Bedford with her husband, Francois, and their two young children, 5-year-old daughter, Shalom, and 3-year-old son, Trevor. Now 35 years old, Valentine spends her days like most of us: She works, goes to church, and tries to keep up with her children. She likes walking in the park, and she loves eating barbecue. Valentine has found a new home and new hope in Fort Worth, but only after clawing her way back from absolute despair.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, MASS GENOCIDE SWEPT ACROSS THE COUNTRY OF RWANDA, LEAVING A MILLION CORPSES IN ITS WAKE. Tensions had been building for centuries, and perhaps millennia, between the area’s two main groups: the Hutu and Tutsi. Since at least the 1700s, the minority Tutsi had been dominant. Historians debate whether Hutu and Tutsi represent different races or just different social classes; their origins are unknown. We do know, however, that the two groups speak a common language, share the same traditions, and live side by side in Africa’s mountainous Great Lakes region. Rwanda is one of the smallest countries on the continent and also one of the most densely populated, with 1,326 inhabitants per square mile in 2019 (compared to 93 people per square mile in the U.S.).

When European powers sliced up the map of Africa in 1884, Germany drew the lot for Rwanda. German

colonists favored the Tutsi, whom they considered ethnically superior. Germany ruled through the existing hierarchy of the Tutsi monarchy, providing military strength and social preference to the Tutsi while ignoring Hutu disenfranchisement.

Belgian forces took over in World War I and continued the trend until the 1950s when they flipped sides to align with the Hutu. It was a desperate grasp for control as revolution broke out, inciting new clashes between the Hutu and Tutsi.

Rwanda became an independent country in 1962, and the Tutsi monarchy was replaced by a Hutu-led republic. Sporadic attacks between the two groups plagued the nation for the next three decades, finally erupting into the Rwandan Civil War in 1990. Hutu extremists began planning a “final solution” to exterminate the Tutsi, stockpiling machetes, arming farmers, and training youth for combat. When Rwanda’s Hutu president was assassinated on April 6, 1994, the violent reaction quickly combusted into full-scale genocide.

For the next 100 days, Hutu soldiers and civilian militia massacred every Tutsi they could find. Many of the perpetrators were ordinary citizens, neighbors who murdered the people they had lived next to for years with machetes, saws, and clubs. Babies and children were killed in front of their parents. Systematic rape was employed as a weapon of war on half a million women. HIV-infected men were recruited out of hospitals to

Hiding under the rotting corpses, a little girl lay perfectly still. Her head bled profusely from the deep slices of her neighbor’s machete. The fingers on her right hand were so beaten and broken that she would later lose them all. She had watched her father and brother die. Her mother’s body lay on the floor beside her. She was surrounded by thousands of dead bodies and completely covered in blood.

intentionally spread their infections.

The Tutsi army finally put an end to the madness three months later. Seventy percent of the Tutsi population had been annihilated, along with thousands of moderate Hutu who refused to participate and 30 percent of the Twa, an aboriginal pygmy people. Two million refugees fled the country. Hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans were left behind in the carnage, including one Tutsi girl who somehow managed not only to survive — but to forgive.

After the bloodshed began in her village of Nyarubuye, Valentine ran to the Catholic church with her parents, two sisters, and four brothers. ONLY TWO OF THEM WOULD EVER LEAVE. The family believed that the building’s sanctity would protect them from harm, as did 5,000 other Tutsi who joined them in hiding. But the mob of Hutu that surrounded the church complex showed no mercy. Led by the mayor, they broke down the doors and rampaged inside for four horrific days. They tossed grenades into the crowd. They hacked with knives and smashed skulls with stones. At night, they rested. When the orgy of violence finally ended, the killers had slaughtered almost everyone inside. Almost.

But Valentine was alive. SHE WAS AMONG THE HANDFUL OF NOWORPHANS WHO LIVED THROUGH THE MASSACRE BY PRETENDING TO BE DEAD AS THE MURDERERS CAME BACK OVER AND OVER. Feigning death wasn’t that difficult

for the severely wounded child. “I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t do anything physically or mentally,” Valentine remembers. She prayed that she would die. Valentine hid among the bodies for the next six weeks. She drank rainwater and searched for food scraps, only able to drag herself with immense pain. She fought off stray dogs at night and grew weaker by the day. After an eternity, the Tutsi army arrived, and Valentine was found by a French journalist. The nightmare was over — but her ordeal had just begun.

Valentine spent half a year at a nearby hospital before discovering a miracle: Her younger brother, Gahini, had also survived. The siblings’ bond proved to be instrumental on the arduous road to recovery that was to follow. They were among the youngest children in the orphanage where they lived, and both had been seriously wounded. Valentine was gradually adapting to life with half a hand. “We were struggling,” she says. “I was kind of strong a little bit, but my brother was traumatized all the time.” They cried together. They prayed together. “Some days we just asked, ‘Why God? Why did you let this happen?’”

After months of baby steps, Valentine realized that survival wasn’t enough for her — she wanted to heal and with her brother by her side. A fierce determination set in. “We decided to do whatever we can do … to grow,” she says. “Heavy or not heavy, we can do it … no matter what, we will do our best, nothing else.” They took care of each other and relied on themselves. School became their new priority. “We didn’t need a lot of help. We just needed to do it ourselves: Go to school, be serious and study, come home and see what there was to eat on our own. And we did,” she proudly recalls. “That’s how we coped.”

But the siblings’ paths would soon diverge. Valentine, along with

thousands of others, had provided an eyewitness account of the massacre to Rwanda’s national genocide memorial. A group of student filmmakers from Vermont found her testimony online and searched for its author. SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT VALENTINE WAS STILL ALIVE, THEY TRAVELED TO HER HOME TO VISIT HER FACE TO FACE AND FURTHER DOCUMENT HER EXPERIENCE. “I couldn’t speak any words in English,” she says. She could only tell her story through the words of a translator, and the students wanted to change that. After Valentine graduated from high school in 2004, the group arranged a student visa — and her healing journey brought her to America. When she first arrived in the U.S., Valentine studied English at the University of New Hampshire in Durham and then at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston. New England was “very different” from her current home in Texas, she says. “The people living in Boston, some of them don’t even know how to drive.” In 2008, she was granted permanent political asylum in America and has stayed here ever since. But her brother, Gahini, still lives in Rwanda. Unable to acquire a visa to travel, he hasn’t seen his sister in years. “He graduated two years ago; he does everything good,” she says. “He’s a man now.” Gahini still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly in April.

Valentine’s recovery from her traumatic past has been empowered by her conviction to share her story with whoever is brave enough to listen. She was profiled by The New York Times and dubbed the “Girl Who Refused to Die” on the PBS documentary television show “Frontline.” She has recounted her experience in videos and interviews and traveled to speak with audiences across the U.S. and Europe. By 2012, Valentine was living in Wisconsin where she found someone new with whom to share her story: her husband, Francois.

The two had long been friends. “We knew each other in Africa when I was young. I knew his family; he grew up in Congo.” Like Valentine, Francois came to America as a university student. “At that time, I was just his friend … just a friend of his family.” Love blossomed from friendship and marriage followed. But there was one serious problem.

“He didn’t like the snow,” says Valentine. “I like snow so much … but he said he cannot handle it.”

The couple moved south to North Texas, where Francois’ sister lived with her husband and two children. Soon Valentine would have two children as well. Her family grew even larger when she joined a weekly support group of genocide survivors in Fort Worth. The group’s 50 members come from many different places in Rwanda, but they share a common wound. They also share their stories; talking together helps everyone to heal.

“We like to share how we have overcome,” Valentine says. “We have to talk to each other … we have to share our stories, because we have to open up [about] our problems before we can grow.” The group is growing, too, recently celebrating the arrival of new babies and a wedding in August.

THEY THROW EACH OTHER BABY SHOWERS AND WITNESS EACH OTHER’S MILESTONES. “That’s what we need … to help each other, to talk to each other. To know each other … sometimes, I just need someone to understand.”

Like Valentine, every member of the group is Tutsi. “We don’t meet with Hutus … our survivors don’t want to share with them how they killed us. No.” Rwanda’s government has encouraged the opposite approach between the two groups, making reconciliation the cornerstone of its efforts to rebuild. After the genocide, the country’s judicial system was overwhelmed with more than one million accused perpetrators. Many were processed through traditional community courts, where they were

encouraged to confess their crimes and ask for forgiveness directly from the people whose families they killed. After doing so, thousands of low-level convicts were released from prison with work sentences and ordered to reconstruct the communities that they had destroyed. IN MANY CASES, VICTIMS AND PERPETRATORS ARE NEIGHBORS ONCE AGAIN.

Valentine feels positive about the situation in Rwanda today. “After [the] genocide, it was just … night. But now is clear,” she says. “They grew a lot.” Following the events of 1994, aid flowed in from a guilt-ridden global community that had turned a blind eye as the genocide unfolded, including the U.S. President Clinton had feared a repeat of the Battle of Mogadishu, which had taken place in the African country of Somalia just a few months before — and had ended with the bodies of Americans being dragged through the streets. It wasn’t an image that Clinton wanted to repeat. He would later refer to our government’s failure to intervene in the Rwandan genocide as one of his biggest regrets.

International aid funded numerous programs to assist the countless widows, orphans, and traumatized survivors left in the aftermath of the genocide. In addition to the human toll, Rwanda was also physically destroyed. Houses and schools were demolished. Churches were burned to the ground. The country is rebuilding even today, but considerable progress has been made. Children with no living memory of 1994’s horrors study in new classrooms, happy to go to school.

“Rwanda now is such a beautiful country,” says Valentine, who longs to return for a visit. She hasn’t been back since 2008. “I wish I could go now, but I need to wait [for] my kids to grow a little bit.” And when her children are ready to hear the story of their mother’s survival, she will tell them, with the same serene acceptance that she speaks with today.

Valentine’s sense of peace with

her past stems from her remarkable choice to forgive the people who maimed her and murdered her family. “I am able to forgive because as a normal person, I believe that I cannot do revenge … I cannot do something bad back to someone,” she says. “That’s how I survive. That’s how I’m able to forgive.” Her religion has played a crucial role in her recovery; as a Christian, forgiveness is at the heart of her faith. “I go to church and I listen to the Word, and they always teach you how to love each other and how to forgive.”

Valentine grew up Catholic, attending the village church where her family would later perish. Some genocide survivors turned away from their religion, unable to reconcile the slaughter they saw (by Christians of Christians) with the values that the faith espouses. It wasn’t easy for Valentine. “I changed religion a little bit,” she explains, shifting from her childhood Catholicism to a nondenominational faith.

Pope Francis formally apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in the violence in 2016. In the decades leading up to the genocide, the church’s sincere efforts toward social justice for Hutu had produced unintended consequences. Missionaries seeking to help underprivileged Hutu inadvertently fostered a powerful group of elites that sparked the ethnic cleansing. Many priests, clergymen, and nuns took part in the bloodbath themselves.

RESENTMENT STILL LINGERS, BUT NOT FOR VALENTINE. Her reasons for adopting a more inclusive faith were more practical. “At the time I arrived here, I didn’t find Catholics around me … and I didn’t have a car to drive.” She now attends Impact Mission Church in Hurst, where the focus is on local and global outreach. Valentine is an active member of the congregation, an usher, and a deacon.

She takes the same active approach to forgiveness, epitomizing the words

of Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.” And for Valentine, it’s fundamental. She has seen the effects of anger destroy the lives of fellow survivors. “It’s better to forgive … [it] helps me to heal,” she says.

Healing from trauma can be a difficult journey, but stepping onto the path toward recovery is the most important choice that a survivor can make. Trauma became part of the American lexicon after the Vietnam War when so many soldiers returned home suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD and related anxiety disorders can develop after terrifying events like natural disasters, sexual assault, or car accidents — as well as from ongoing interpersonal trauma such as domestic violence, emotional abuse, or childhood neglect.

More than 50% of women and 60% of men will go through at least one trauma in their lives, and every one of them will deal with it differently. Many heal by finding meaning in their painful experiences or by turning to religion and forgiveness like Valentine. Choosing to face a troubling past takes great courage. Some survivors lose themselves along the way to numbness, distraction, or denial — which our modern society provides at every turn.

Each of us possesses the power to heal ourselves, but only when we take ownership of the process. “They can come teach us the therapies and teach us the psychologies,” says Valentine, but the key to recovery is found within: “It is a person’s choice.”

But taking ownership of your healing journey does not mean traveling alone. Social support is essential, as it has been for Valentine. Her relationships with fellow survivors, along with her personal experience, have provided Valentine with unique insight for others who want to reclaim their lives from trauma.

“They need to be patient,” she says. “They just need to try their best to not hold the anger, to not let

anything get them down. And to try to love. I’m not saying to love. Loving someone who didn’t do good to you is not easy. Just try.” We may never be able to understand why something horrible happened, but we can always choose forgiveness — or at least, we can try.

With new roots in North Texas, a new family, and new faith in the future, Valentine has come a very long way in the last quarter-century. She hopes that she has found a permanent home here in Fort

Worth. Although there are many more people in the city compared to her village in Rwanda, “… they are good. If I see my neighbors, they are kind. When I go to work, the people are kind.” But Texas’ legendary friendliness isn’t the foremost reason why Valentine likes living here.

“First of all is the weather,” she gushes, perhaps the only person in the state extolling its climate in the middle of September’s extended heatwave. “I’m not wearing boots anymore. My boots and my scarf,

I threw them away. I say no more boots,” she laughs. We may not see Valentine Iribagiza in cowboy boots anytime soon. BUT HER INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AND DETERMINATION TO SURVIVE AGAINST THE ODDS MAKE HER MORE OF A TEXAN THAN ANY COWHIDE EVER COULD. Her story will live on — and her courageous choice to heal and forgive will forever shine a light for others who walk the path of trauma recovery.

SideEffects

A doctor convinced Jennifer Snowden to undergo a simple procedure to help urinary incontinence. She awoke from the surgery screaming in pain and her life forever changed.

BY LINDA BLACKWELL SIMMONS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY OLAF GROWALD

Jennifer Snowden has the vivacious, bubbly personality of a typical 30-something millennial. And her past corroborates this first impression; she moved from her hometown of Arlington to the Hawaiian island of Oahu in 2010, where she worked part time and savored her free hours on the beach or hiking through the Ko’olau Mountains. But this undoubtedly adventurous and active spirit would soon end up suffering an adverse reaction to what should have been a simple procedure, and she now requires the assistance of a cane to walk.

Jennifer suffered from severe menstrual cramps since early adulthood and received a cervical cancer diagnosis just before she departed for Hawaii. The cancerous cells were removed, and for a number of years, all seemed well.

JJennifer returned to Arlington in late 2017, and less than a year later, she received another abnormal pap smear. Wanting to avoid years of biopsies and having already made the decision not to have children, she and her doctor decided a hysterectomy was the answer. She selected a local surgeon of obstetrics and gynecology to perform the procedure.

During a preoperational discussion with the surgeon, Jennifer commented that when she laughed or sneezed, she sometimes experienced urinary incontinence — although the problem had never been great enough for her to bring it up with her regular doctor. The surgeon surmised that Jennifer was too young to be suffering from this problem and that it would only worsen with time. The surgeon suggested that a transvaginal mesh sling would alleviate the incontinence, and since Jennifer would already be under anesthesia, this would be the opportune time to perform the procedure.

Jennifer remained unsure and even brought a family member in to discuss the operation with the surgeon. Up until the day of surgery on March 7, Jennifer remained hesitant yet had to make a decision before going under anesthesia.

“Yes, get it over with,” Jennifer told the medical staff. Those were the last words she recalls before the operation.

“I remember waking up screaming, not knowing what they had done to me,” Jennifer says about awaking from the operation. “I was scared to death.”

“The hospital staff became impatient, and the surgeon told me that it was typical surgery pain and that I must have a low

pain tolerance. They continued to give me pain medicine, and finally on day five, they released me. On day six, I was back in the emergency room. Again, I was released and stayed at my mother’s home, unable to walk much further than the bathroom 10 steps away, and then only with the assistance of a walker. I took multiple medications every four hours and prayed for any kind of recovery. They kept saying they wanted to refer me to pain management but offered little reason for my post-operative pain. It felt like my doctors were not listening to me.”

Mental relief came when the surgeon finally agreed the mesh needed to come out. They were going to fix the root of the problem. Doctors performed a second surgery, April 9, attempting to remove the mesh.

What Jennifer did not know at that time is that there are only a few reconstructive surgeons who are qualified to remove mesh. A urologist — a colleague of the original surgeon — performed the removal operation, but Jennifer later learned that he was able to remove only about one-sixth of the total implant. She was told the rest was not found; it is possible that it was seen but deemed too difficult to remove.

“I started physical therapy shortly after my second surgery but had to stop six weeks in because even though my leg was getting better, the groin pain was getting considerably worse,” Jennifer says. “Additionally, rashes began to appear, I became more sensitive to the sun, and fatigue was severe. Although I had graduated to using a cane just before the second surgery, I began using the walker again and could only sit leaning to one side to ease the pain.”

It was at this point that Jennifer found what ultimately helped liberate her and grant her hope — an online support group. Other women were writing about the horrors of mesh implants — the same symptoms, the same pain, the same unforeseen agony — that she was experiencing. She was not alone. It was this organization that introduced her to what was really happening, and

this is when she began looking for specialized medical help.

“I used the walker for about a month while my leg healed and then began using the cane again for the fatigue and slow gait in walking. I was totally dependent on extra support for at least two to three months.”

The Federal Drug Administration banned certain kinds of mesh intended to treat pelvic organ prolapse, but the type used on Jennifer remains on the market. Called Abbrevo, it is manufactured by Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary. It is a 12-centimeter strip of blue mesh placed through an opening in the groin to reach the back of the pelvic bone, where the flat ends of the strip are intended to wrap behind the pelvic bone to adhere on its own. The mesh contracts as it degrades in the body, causing compression and pulling of tissues and nerves.

In 2015, a jury awarded Coleen Perry, a resident of Bakersfield, California, who received an Abbrevo mini-sling in 2011, $5.7 million from Ethicon. According to court documents, Perry suffered chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia, mesh erosion, shrinkage of the mesh, and scar tissue formation. She, like Jennifer, underwent the procedure as treatment for incontinence.

Another trial, which as of press the judge has yet to deliver a verdict, is the first trial involving a state attorney general asserting false marketing claims against a pelvic mesh manufacturer. The product in question is Ethicon’s Prolift pelvic mesh device. Five other states have joined California in filing lawsuits against Ethicon for pelvic mesh-related false marketing claims.

“The mesh was the true culprit,” Jennifer says. “Foreign body reaction, autoimmune disorders, chronic inflammation, mesh migration, mesh erosion, recurring infections, bowel perforation, nerve damage — all were ailments I never imagined I would have to personally learn about to be able to advocate for myself,” she says.

Jennifer began researching doctors, not only in Texas but across the country, who were widely known in the meshaffected community to see what could be done to escape the despair. After

her initial visit with a surgeon in Dallas didn’t work out, a surgeon in Houston told her that her kind of mesh was too difficult to remove; he refused to attempt such a procedure. Desperate for relief from the pain she was enduring, she then underwent a nerve block, applied and used several different creams and supplements, took pain killers to make it through a normal day, and tried whatever else she could to manage the constant and increasing pain.

One day in early June, with the help of her support group and her own research, Jennifer found Dr. Dionysios Veronikis, who practices at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis and has performed over 7,000 total mesh removals.

However, as has become commonplace, there was a problem of money. Insurance had already paid in-network costs of $290,000 through the second surgery, and Dr. Veronikis was out-of-network. She needed to raise the money herself to cover the third surgery. In addition to the operation, there was airfare, hotel, rental cars, medical supplies, and consults from other out-of-network physicians. Total expenses were adding up fast.

Through her own determination and hard work and the help of family and friends, Jennifer raised over $16,000 through online fundraising and a well-attended raffle party at a local restaurant.

Jennifer’s third surgery took place July 31, and the removal procedure was delicate and took longer than expected. The St. Louis doctor discovered that the left side of the mesh had embedded in Jennifer’s bladder. The material had to be carefully dissected, and then her bladder repaired — altogether a three-hour operation. All the mesh was removed, including a large amount of scar tissue.

“I remember waking up screaming, not knowing what they had done to me. I was scared to death.”

Today, almost nine months later, Jennifer continues to suffer from nerve damage and other bladder pain issues, and she continues to walk gingerly and with a cane. Though she does not expect to return to her pre-mesh lifestyle, the constant bruised feeling that she lived with for months has lessened. The stabbing and severe aches have subsided, and the grip and pull on the hip is gone.

While she hopes to one day get transvaginal mesh off the market, Jennifer tells her story with hope that other women will take control of and advocate for their own health before being caught in the torment that turned her life upside down.

aging well

CALLING A PARTICULAR STAGE OF LIFE THE GOLDEN YEARS ONLY MAKES SENSE IF THESE ARE THE YEARS THAT ONE IS AT THEIR HAPPIEST AND MOST AT PEACE. This, of course, requires financial planning, an active lifestyle that contributes to good health, and the freedom to do what you want when you want.

Such planning can take years, even decades, so it’s never too early to think about the boxes you need to check so you can fully enjoy the final years of your life — a time considered to be a favorite among many.

We’re fortunate enough to live in a city that offers its residents all the services necessary to ensure a positive transition from one stage of life to the next. And no stage requires more foresight and thought than the last.

While you’ll want to make sure you speak to a financial planner and a primary care physician about your wealth and health, here are four basic tips to help you make the golden years, your best years.

1

Set a financial goal: You’ll want to build a nest egg before you call it quits on the job. Thus, it’s important to know the amount of money you’ll need saved to have a comfortable retirement. Do this earlier in life so you can prepare yourself via occupational choices and investments. You’ll also want to consult with a financial advisor to select a figure that’s attainable. One way to find this figure is to multiply your annual expenses by 25. So, if your annual expenses amount to $50,000 per year, you’ll want to save a minimum of $1.25 million.

Cope with change: While one ages, the world around us continues to change and evolve. People get younger, advancements happen at breakneck speed, loved ones grow, friends and family members pass on, and physical abilities become more limited. It’s important not to dwell on these things that we cannot control, to focus on the positive, and to find the silver lining in even the bad.

3

Get active: If you’ve never exercised a day in your life, now is the time to start. After all, according to a recent Swedish study, exercise is the number one contributor to longevity — you can’t possibly be surprised by that. Whether swimming, cycling, picking up yoga, or playing racquet ball, exercise will help you maintain strength, vitality, agility, boost immune system, and fight clinical depression. The best way to enjoy mental happiness is if you are physically healthy.

Take advantage of government benefits and stay invested: Make sure to apply for government programs designed to assist those over a certain age. Programs such as the Reverse Mortgage Program can get seniors over the age of 62 who own a home a guaranteed monthly income, and Medicare provides senior citizens with comprehensive medical and hospital insurance benefits so you no longer have to go through the marketplace. It’s also important to not rest on your financial laurels and stay invested in the marketplace. This will allow the money you’ve saved the ability to grow.

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Medical Guide

A guide to Tarrant County area hospitals, rehab, and cancer centers.

HOSPITALS

Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth

1400 Eighth Ave. Fort Worth 76104

817.926.2544

bswhealth.com/fortworth

538 beds, 1,100 physicians

Baylor Fort Worth offers a comprehensive range of services including programs in cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, and women’s services.

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Grapevine

1650 W. College St. Grapevine 76051

817.481.1588

bswhealth.com/grapevine

302 beds, over 1,000 physicians

Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine is a full-service hospital offering advanced cardiovascular and women’s services, diagnostic imaging, orthopedics, spine, oncology, neurology, intensive and emergency care, and a Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

(NICU). Verified as a Level II Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons.

Baylor Scott & White Surgical

Hospital – Fort Worth

1800 Park Place Ave. Fort Worth 76110

681.703.5600

bshfw.com

34 beds, 183 physicians

Baylor Surgical Hospital is an affiliate of United Surgical Partners International. Specialty areas include orthopedics; pain medicine; urology; general surgery; gynecology; ophthalmology; pediatric surgery; plastic surgery; podiatry; oral surgery; and ear, nose, and throat surgery.

Cook Children’s Medical Center

801 Seventh Ave. Fort Worth 76104

682.885.4000

cookchildrens.org

430 beds, 405 physicians

Cook Children’s Health Care System is a not-for-profit, nationally recognized pediatric health care organization comprising eight entities —

a Medical Center, Physician Network, Home Health company, Northeast Hospital, Pediatric Surgery Center, Health Plan, Health Services Inc., and Health Foundation.

JPS Health Network

1500 S. Main St. Fort Worth 76104

817.702.3431

jpshealthnet.org

578 beds, 600 providers

A highly regarded teaching hospital, JPS is home to nine residency programs and is the only Level I Trauma Center in Tarrant County and the only Psychiatric Emergency Center in the county.

Kindred Hospital – Fort Worth

815 Eighth Ave. Fort Worth 76104

817.332.4812

kindredfortworth.com

54 licensed beds, 155 physicians

Kindred Hospital Fort Worth is a transitional care facility that specializes in treatments such as chronic cardiac conditions and neuromuscular, complex orthopedic conditions, multi-

system organ failure, multiple intravenous therapies, and organ transplant care.

Kindred Hospital Tarrant County-Fort Worth Southwest 7800 Oakmont Blvd. Fort Worth 76132

817.346.0094

kindredhospitalfwsw.com

92 beds, 100-plus physicians, all specialty physicians on staff Kindred Hospital is a longterm acute care hospital that specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of medically complex patients who require an extended stay in a hospital setting. Kindred offers a wide variety of OP services such as wound care, hyperbaric, infusion, endoscopic procedures, permacath placement, pulmonary rehab, CT and radiologic exams.

Kindred Hospital Mansfield 1802 Highway 157 North Mansfield 76063

817.473.6101

kindredmansfield.com

55 beds, 107 physicians

Kindred Hospital Mansfield is a transitional care facility that specializes in ventilator

74. HOSPITALS | 76. DIAGNOSTICS | 78. CANCER CENTERS | 80. REHABILITATION CENTERS

dependency, wound care complications, chronic cardiac conditions, multi-system organ failure, complex orthopedic conditions, dysphagia management, postoperative complications/trauma care, multiple intravenous therapies, chemotherapy, preoperative and postoperative organ transplant care, chronic nutritional management, and total parenteral nutrition.

LifeCare Hospital of Fort Worth

6201 Overton Ridge Blvd. Fort Worth 76132

817.370.6078

lifecarehealthpartners.com

80 beds, more than 160 physicians

LifeCare specializes in the treatment of medically complex patients who require extended hospitalization. Services include nursing, case management, pharmacy, nutritional services, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, hyperbaric therapy and wound care, recreational therapy, social services, and psychological services.

Medical City Arlington 3301 Matlock Road Arlington 76015

682.509.6200

medicalcenterarlington.com

342 beds, 700 physicians

Medical Center Arlington is Arlington’s first certified Chest Pain Center, Tarrant County’s first designated Primary Stroke Center, Arlington’s only trauma designated hospital (Level III), Primary Cancer Center certified, and the official hospital of the Texas Rangers.

Methodist Mansfield Medical Center

2700 E. Broad St. Mansfield 76063

682.242.2000

methodisthealthsystem.org/ mansfield

254 beds, 243 physicians

Methodist Mansfield Medical Center is a modern acute-care hospital that has served the community since 2006 and is among the top performers nationwide in both patient satisfaction and quality care.

Medical City North Hills 4401 Booth Calloway Road North Richland Hills 76180

817.255.1000

medicalcitynorthhills.com

164 beds, over 300 physicians North Hills Hospital is an acutecare hospital that offers a wide range of services from 24-hour chest pain emergency care to diabetes education and a senior health clinic.

Medical City Fort Worth 900 Eighth Ave. Fort Worth 76104

817.877.5292

medicalcityfortworth.com

320 beds, 675 physicians

Medical City Fort Worth is a teaching and research hospital with six graduate medical education programs. Research focuses on cardiovascular, electrophysiology, and neurological medicine. Medical City Fort Worth is also the only comprehensive stroke center in Fort Worth.

Texas Health Huguley Hospital Fort Worth South 11801 S. Freeway Fort Worth 76028

817.293.9110

texashealthhuguley.org

More than 350 beds,

more than 350 physicians Operated as a joint venture of Texas Health Resources and Adventist Health System, Texas Health Huguley is an acute-care hospital with a cardiovascular critical-care unit, behavioral center, and a top-ranked wound center.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance

10864 Texas Health Trail Fort Worth 76244

682.212.2000

texashealth.org/alliance

101 beds, 500 physicians

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance offers services like acute care, neonatal intensive care and occupational health and wellness programs to communities in North Fort Worth, Keller, North Richland Hills, Haslet, and the surrounding areas.

Texas Health Arlington

Memorial Hospital

800 W. Randol Mill Road

Arlington 76012

817.960.6100

texashealth.org/arlington

Over 350 beds, 677 physicians

Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital is a full-service medical center, a Cycle IV Chest Pain Center, nationally accredited breast center, and a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology.

Texas Health Hospital Clearfork 5400 Clearfork Main St. Fort Worth 76109

817.433.7000

texashealth.org/clearfork

54 beds, 12 operating rooms

Texas Health Hospital Clearfork specializes in joint replacement and is a licensed department of Texas Health Southwest Hospital Fort Worth, which is located less than five miles away.

Texas Health Heart and Vascular Hospital Arlington 811 Wright St. Arlington 76012

817.960.3500

texashealthheartand vascular.org

48 beds, 400 physicians

Texas Health Heart and Vascular Hospital Arlington is a joint venture by Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital and participating physicians on the campus of Texas Health Arlington Memorial. The hospital is a Cycle IV Chest Pain Center and is certified as a full atrial fibrillation facility by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Azle

108 Denver Trail Azle 76020

817.444.8600

texashealth.org/azle

36 beds, 267 physicians

Texas Health Harris Methodist Azle is a community-based hospital with 24-hour emergency services, diagnostic imaging, endoscopy services, and afterhours urgent care.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne 201 Walls Drive Cleburne 76033

817.641.2551

texashealth.org/cleburne

137 beds, 286 physicians Serving Johnson County, Texas Health Cleburne is an accredited Level IV Trauma Center, Chest Pain Center and designated as a “Baby Friendly” facility by the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth 1301 Pennsylvania Ave. Fort Worth 76104

817.250.2000

texashealth.org/fortworth

720 beds, 1,328 physicians

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth is a Magnetdesignated hospital and is Tarrant County’s largest hospital and regional referral center.

Texas Health Harris

Methodist Hospital HurstEuless-Bedford

1600 Hospital Parkway Bedford 76022

817.848.4000

texashealth.org/heb

396 beds, 679 physicians

Texas Health HEB offers a Level III Trauma Center, a Cycle IV Chest Pain Center and Heart Failure Center, and has been certified as a Primary Stroke Center and designated as a “Baby Friendly” facility by WHO and UNICEF.

Texas Health Harris Methodist

Southwest Fort Worth 6100 Harris Parkway Fort Worth 76132

817.433.5000

texashealth.org/southwestfw

245 beds, 645 physicians

Texas Health Harris Methodist

Southwest Fort Worth is a Texas Ten Step that offers a range of comprehensive services including 24-hour emergency service, surgical and imaging services, orthopedics and sports therapy, a Level IIA neonatal ICU, adult critical care, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiovascular services.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville 411 N. Belknap St. Stephenville 76401

254.965.1500

texashealth.org/stephenville

98 beds, 186 physicians

Texas Health Stephenville has received national accreditation as a Level IV Trauma Center, Cycle III Chest Pain Center, and Breast Imaging Center of Excellence.

USMD Hospital at Arlington

801 W. I-20 at Matlock Road Arlington 76107

817.472.3400

usmdarlington.com

30 inpatient suites, 16-bed day surgery, four-bed SICU, 418 physicians

USMD Hospital at Arlington is equipped with the latest technology that allows the hospital to perform leading-edge spinal procedures, gastric sleeve and bypass surgery for obesity, and robot-assisted prostate and gynecologic procedures.

USMD Hospital at Fort Worth

5900 Altamesa Blvd. Fort Worth 76132

817.433.9100

usmdfortworth.com

Eight inpatient suites, six operating rooms, more than 100 physicians

USMD at Fort Worth is part of a growing network of physicianowned hospitals that serves both pediatric and adult patients. The hospital also has diagnostic imaging and an emergency department.

UT Southwestern Moncrief Medical Center at Fort Worth

600 South Main St. Fort Worth 76104

817.882.2400

UT Southwestern Moncrief Medical Center focuses on outpatient care and offers consultations in 12 different areas, including allergy and immunology, pharmacy and rheumatology.

WellBridge Healthcare

6200 Overton Ridge Blvd. Fort Worth 76132

817.361.1991

info@wellbridgefortworth.com 48 beds

WellBridge provides 48 geriatric beds in a secured unit for ages 55 and above who require inpatient hospitalization for psychiatric illness.

DIAGNOSTICS

Free Pregnancy Testing Center

1115 E. Pioneer Parkway, Ste. 143

Arlington 76010

817.460.1147

freepregtestcenter.com

Medical Center Arlington offers free pregnancy testing with no appointment necessary, free physician referrals, free Medicaid application assistance, as well as free childbirth education.

Touchstone Imaging Southwest Fort Worth 6900 Harris Parkway Fort Worth 76132

817.294.1131

touchstoneimaging.com

Touchstone Medical Imaging LLC is a leading provider of diagnostic imaging services in the United States. Diagnostics include High Field 1.5T MRI, 3T MRI, Open MRI, CT, PET/CT, Ultrasound, Digital Mammography, Bone Density, Fluoroscopy, and walk-in X-ray.

Additional Locations: Downtown Fort Worth Rosedale

1701 W. Rosedale St. Fort Worth 76104

817.922.7780

Touchstone Imaging Southlake 925 E. Southlake Blvd. Southlake 76092

817.424.4800

Touchstone Imaging Grand Prairie 2740 N. State Highway 360, Ste. 200 Grand Prairie 75050

972.579.4480

Touchstone Imaging Keller 601 South Main St., Ste. 100 Keller 76248

817.482.2000

Touchstone Imaging Arlington 601 W. Arbrook Blvd. Arlington 76014 817.472.0801

Touchstone Imaging Fossil Creek 5455 Basswood Blvd., Ste. 550 Fort Worth 76137

817.428.5002

Touchstone Imaging Hurst 1717 Precinct Line Road, Ste. 103 Hurst 76054

817.498.6575

Touchstone Imaging Burleson

665 NE Alsbury Blvd. Burleson 76028

817.447.3443

50,000 new cancer patients every year. 1 Texan back to leatherworking.

At Texas Oncology, our patients are as remarkable as our care. That’s why we do more than help them fight cancer; we treat every treatment like a breakthrough. With 460+ physicians, 210+ locations statewide and thousands of patients on clinical trials, we provide leading-edge care for more than 50,000 Texans every year — including gifted patients like Dave. After beating cancer, he got back in the saddle — one he made himself. See his story at TexasOncology.com/Dave.

Medical Guide

CANCER CENTERS

JPS Oncology and Infusion Center

1450 Eighth Ave. Fort Worth 76104

817.702.8300

jpshealthnet.org

The JPS Oncology and Infusion Center provides medical oncology/hematology, including chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, clinical research, pain palliation, hospice care, and radiation therapy for Tarrant County residents.

UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Institute

400 W. Magnolia Ave. Fort Worth 76104

817.288.9800

moncrief.com

One full-time physician Moncrief Cancer Institute, affiliated with UT, focuses on cancer prevention, survivorship, research, and cutting-edge clinical trials. Its new facility features a fitness area free for all cancer survivors, genetic testing and risk assessment, psychological counseling, free nutrition classes, and breast screening for insured and uninsured women.

Texas Health Harris Methodist

Hospital Fort Worth Klabzuba Cancer Center

1300 W. Terrell St. Fort Worth 76104

817.820.4848

texashealth.org

The Klabzuba Cancer Center is recognized by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons as an approved comprehensive community cancer program, ranking it among the best cancer treatment facilities in the country.

Texas Health Harris Methodist

Hospital Hurst-BedfordEuless Oncology Care Unit

1600 Hospital Parkway Bedford 76022

817.848.4000

texashealth.org/heb

19 beds

Texas Health Harris Methodist

Hospital Hurst-Bedford-Euless

Hospital Oncology Care Unit offers inpatient and outpatient services to patients who require all aspects of cancer care.

Texas Oncology-Fort Worth Cancer Center

500 South Henderson St. Fort Worth 76104

817.413.1500

texasoncology.com

13 physicians

Texas Oncology is united with The US Oncology Network and participates with the largest network of clinical research trials nationally to provide high-quality care in communities throughout the state.

Additional Locations:

Texas Breast SpecialistsArlington

902 W. Randol Mill Road, Ste. 150 Arlington 76012

817.664.9600

Texas Oncology-Arlington North

902 W. Randol Mill Road, Ste. 150 Arlington 76012

817.664.9600

Four physicians

Texas Oncology-Arlington Cancer Center North 906 West Randol Mill Road Arlington 76012

817.261.4906

Seven physicians

Texas OncologyArlington South 515 W. Mayfield Road, Ste. 101

Arlington 76014

817.664.4400

Five physicians

Texas Breast SpecialistsBedford

1609 Hospital Parkway Bedford 76022

817.662.0008

Two physicians

Texas Oncology-Bedford 1609 Hospital Parkway Bedford 76022

817.359.9000

13 physicians

Texas Oncology-Cleburne 191 Walls Drive Cleburne 76033

817.648.0120

Two physicians

Texas Oncology-Southwest Fort Worth 6500 Harris Parkway Fort Worth 76132

817.263.2600

Texas Oncology-Granbury 1310B Paluxy Road, Ste. 2000 Granbury 76048

817.579.3700

Two physicians

Texas Oncology-Grapevine 1631 Lancaster, Ste. 150 Grapevine 76051

817.251.9080

Eight physicians

Texas Oncology-Mansfield 252 Matlock Road, Ste. 140 Mansfield 76063

817.435.5800

Three physicians

Texas Urology SpecialistsMansfield

252 Matlock Road, Ste. 140 Mansfield 76063

214.948.3101

One physician

Texas Oncology-Keller 100 Bourland Road, Ste. 130 Keller 76248

817.359.9000

Nine physicians

Texas OncologyTrophy Club

2800 E. Highway 114, Ste. 200 Trophy Club 76262

817.543.3300

Texas OncologyWeatherford 911 Foster Lane Weatherford 76086

817.597.7900

Three physicians

The Center for Cancer and Blood DisordersCentral Campus 800 W. Magnolia Ave. Fort Worth 76104

817.759.7000 thecentertx.com

23 physicians, nine advanced practitioners

The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders provides patients with services that include medical oncology, radiation oncology, cyberknife, hematology, and a wide array of patient support services. Additional Locations:

The Center at Arlington 515 W. Mayfield Road, Ste. 102 Arlington 76014

817.333.3300

Three physicians

The Center at Arlington USMD

811 W. Interstate 20, Ste. G-14 Arlington 76017

817.759.7000

Two physicians, one advanced practitioner

The Center at Burleson (Texas Health Resources Huguley Hospital Fort Worth South)

11805 S. Freeway., Ste. 201 Burleson 76028

817.551.5312

Six physicians

The Center at Fort Worth Southwest (THR Harris Methodist)

6100 Harris Parkway, Ste. 260

John Ryan Building

Fort Worth 76132

817.333.3282

One physician

The Center at Granbury Lake Granbury Medical Center

1308 E. Paluxy Road, Ste. 205 Granbury 76048

817.573.7338

One physician

The Center at Mineral Wells

400 SW 25th Ave. Mineral Wells 76067

940.325.0627

One physician

The Center at Stephenville 150 River North Blvd. Stephenville 76401

866.454.6560

One physician

The Center at Weatherford 920 Santa Fe Weatherford 76086

817.759.7000

Five physicians

USMD Imaging Center for Breast Health

811 W. Interstate 20, Ste. G40 Arlington 76017

817.505.1400

usmdimagingcenter.com

USMD Breast Health Center is the only breast center in North Texas that can care for patients from diagnosis, to treatment, to recovery. USMD provides patients with integrative care comprised of physical, mental, and spiritual elements, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, nutritional therapy, counseling, and massage therapy.

USMD Prostate Cancer Center

801 W. Interstate 20, Ste. 1 Arlington 76017

817.784.8268

uant.com

USMD Prostate Cancer Center offers comprehensive prostate cancer treatment and

management, with an allinclusive facility for prevention tactics and diagnostic procedures in addition to a wide variety of treatment options.

REHABILITATION CENTERS

Fort Worth Carter Rehab

1400 Eighth Ave. Fort Worth 76104

817.922.7105

bswrehab.com

Baylor Rehabilitation System is a network of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs and services located across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Cityview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

5801 Bryant Irvin Road

Fort Worth 76132

817.346.3030

regencyhealthcare.com/ locations/cityview

190 beds, three physicians

Cityview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center offers services including in-house physical, occupational, and speech therapists; stroke care; cardiac care; diabetic care and management; among others.

Emerald Hills Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center

5600 Davis Blvd. North Richland Hills 76180

817.503.4700

emeraldhillsrehabhcc.com

Emerald Hills Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, with its partner Rehab Pro, offers physical, occupational, and speech rehabilitation in a patient-centric approach.

Fort Worth Transitional Care Center

850 12th Ave. Fort Worth 76104

817.882.8289

regencyhealthcare.com/ locations/fort-worth 136 beds, 34 physicians

The Fort Worth Transitional Care Center offers various services including in-house physical, occupational, and speech therapists; post-surgical care; and orthopedic care.

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Arlington 3200 Matlock Road Arlington 76015 encompasshealth.com/ arlingtonrehab

Encompass Health offers various rehabilitation services for amputations, brain injuries, stroke, trauma, and other conditions.

EncompassHealth

Rehabilitation Hospital of Cityview 6701 Oakmont Blvd. Fort Worth 76132 817.370.4700 encompasshealth.com/ fortworthrehab

The hospital holds the Joint Commission Disease-Specific Care Certification in Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Stroke Rehabilitation.

Southwest Nursing & Rehab Center 5300 Altamesa Blvd. Fort Worth 76133 817.346.1800 southwestnursing andrehab.com

Southwest Nursing & Rehab Center specializes in individualized treatment programs with a team of

occupational therapists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, and speech language pathologists.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance 10840 Texas Health Trail Fort Worth 76244 682.212.2000

texashealth.org/alliance

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance’s therapy center offers programs in occupational, orthopedics, and physical therapy; sports medicine; aquatics; women’s health; and others.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth 1301 Pennsylvania Ave. Fort Worth 76104 817.250.2760

texashealth.org/fortworth/ services/rehabilitation

The Therapy Services Center at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth offers various treatment programs and facilities equipped with a heated indoor pool and advanced therapy equipment.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital HurstEuless-Bedford Pulmonary Rehabilitation 1600 Hospital Parkway Bedford 76022 817.848.4296

texashealth.org/heb/services/ pulmonary-care

322 beds for entire hospital Programs center on education and progressive exercise designed to help those who have chronic lung disease to return to an active and enjoyable lifestyle.

ALL UNDER ONE ROOF

Medical Guide

Texas Health Harris

Methodist Hospital HurstEuless-Bedford Cardiac Rehabilitation

1616 Hospital Parkway Bedford 76022

817.848.5600

texashealth.org/heb/ services/heart-andvascular/cardiacrehabilitation

The cardiac rehabilitation program offers one-onone consulting, classroom sessions, and exercise.

Texas Health Harris

Methodist Hospital

technology and equipment for patient evaluation and treatment coupled with a team of professionals who oversee a patient’s rehabilitation.

Texas Rehabilitation Hospital of Arlington 900 W. Arbrook Blvd. Arlington 76015 682.304.6000

texasrehabarlington.com 66 beds

vestibular rehab, pelvic ﬂoor dysfunction/women’s health, and fall prevention programs.

Southwest Fort Worth 6100 Harris Parkway Fort Worth 76132

817.433.1600

texashealth.org/ southwestfw/services/ rehabilitation

Texas Rehabilitation Hospital of Arlington is an acute rehabilitation hospital that helps patients recovering from stroke, brain injury, trauma, and other issues.

Texas Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Worth 425 Alabama Ave. Fort Worth 76104 817.820.3400

texasrehabhospital.com 66 beds

A team of physical and occupational therapists and speech pathologists provide patients comprehensive therapy in a 7,000-squarefoot facility. Services include sports medicine and orthopedic services, occupational and physical therapy, speech therapy, sports rehab, certiﬁed hand therapy, and vestibular and balance therapy.

Texas Health Neighborhood Care & Wellness Burleson

2750 SW Wilshire Blvd. Burleson 76028

817.782.8000

texashealth.org/locations/ texas-health-burleson Services include comprehensive outpatient physical therapy, sports therapy, hand therapy, and cardiac rehabilitation. The center features advanced

Texas Rehabilitation is designed for patients recovering from major illnesses, traumas, or surgeries. It is a joint venture between Texas Health Resources and Centerre Healthcare Corp.

Sports Rehab Specialists 1901 Cooper St. Fort Worth 76104 817.877.8977

sportsrehabspecialists.net

Sports Rehab Specialists is a privately owned outpatient physical therapy clinic. Programs and services include general orthopedic and post-surgical rehab, spine stabilization, manual therapy, returnto-work programs, custom shoe orthotics, vertigo/

FOCUS

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

The partnership between you and your doctor is one of the most vital pairings for a happy and fit lifestyle. In matters of health, you should never settle. Selecting the right practitioner can make all the difference. To aid in choosing the perfect person for your medical needs, a few local physicians have purchased space to tell you more about themselves, their practices and how partnering with them will improve your quality of life.

The information in this section is provided by the advertisers and has not been independently verified by Fort Worth Magazine.

Accent on You Cosmetic

Surgery Center and

Medical

Spa Y. Anthony Nakamura, M.D., P.A.

SPECIALTY: Plastic Surgery. EDUCATION: B.A., UT Austin; M.D., UTMB, Galveston; Intern resident and general surgery, LSU School of Medicine, Charity Hospital New Orleans; Plastic Surgery resident, UTMB, Galveston. CERTIFICATION: Board of Plastic Surgery. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS: -

Surgeons, Dallas Society of Plastic Surgeons, Fort Worth Society of Plastic Surgeons. WHAT SETS US APART: contouring part of aesthetic surgery, as well as 30-plus years of experience in knowing what works and what doesn’t. COSMETIC SURGERY CENTER SERVICES: MEDI SPA SERVICES:

®, CoolSculpting®, AquaGold® PATIENT CARE: My goal is to create

CHARITABLE WORK:

CONTACT INFORMATION:

FOCUS | HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

Fort Worth Fertility, P.A.

Dr. Robert A. Kaufmann and Dr. Biren V. Patel

SPECIALTY: Reproductive Endocrinology. EDUCATION/ CERTIFICATIONS: Robert A. Kaufmann, M.D., HCLD. Biren V. Patel, M.D. AWARDS/HONORS: Fertility Clinic of the Year - Texas, 2019; Top Doc Fort Worth Magazine, 2005-2019; Top Doctors 360 West Magazine, 2017-2019; Mom Approved Doctor in Fort Worth Child Magazine, 2017-2019; Best Doctors in America, 2003-2017; Texas Super Doctors, 2011-2018; Patient’s Choice Award, 2009-

2017; Most Compassionate Doctor Award, 2009-2017. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: “Contributing to the research and advancement of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, resulting in better pregnancy rates for our patients going through in vitro fertilization.” – Dr. Kaufmann. “Each time a patient gets pregnant through fertility treatments is always an achievement.” – Dr. Patel. INNOVATIONS: Fort Worth Fertility leads the way in pre-implantation

genetic diagnosis for patients at risk of passing on genetic disease or wanting to screen embryos for genetic abnormalities. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: Fort Worth Fertility’s physicians and staff are dedicated to your success. Dr. Patel and Dr. Kaufmann both have a passion for staying on the cutting edge of fertility treatments and

PICTURED:

CONTACT INFORMATION: 1800 Mistletoe Blvd. • Fort Worth, Texas 76104

817.348.8145 • Fax 817.348.8264

245 W. State Highway 114, Ste. 100 • Southlake, Texas 79062 817.993.5020 • Fax 817.912.1648 fwivf.com info@fwivf.com

Diane Blaising, Au.D. Cityview Audiology & Hearing Aids, Inc.

SPECIALTY:

23-plus years. Expert advice in hearing aid product comparisons and technologies; tinnitus evaluation and treatment. EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS:

MEMBERSHIPS:

TIONS:

DFW Center for Spinal Disorders

SPECIALTY: Spine Surgery. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: Not all patients require surgery. Our team uses a multidisciplinary approach to improvement. INNOVATIONS: Performing minimally invasive spine surgery with a focus on the least amount of post-operative pain and all efforts concentration on eliminating the need for further procedures. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: Tinley ‒ Cervical Spine Research Society, North American Spine Society, Tarrant County Medical Society, International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and American Medical Association. Happ ‒ North American Spine Society, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics. Shah ‒ North American Spine Society, International Society for the Advancement of Spine Sur-

gery, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and American Medical Association. Patel ‒ American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, North American Spine Society and New York Medical Association. FREE ADVICE: Minimize your risk factors with proper diet and exercise. Also, avoid nicotine. PICTURED: (left to right) Vishal Patel, M.D.; Chris Happ, D.O.; Jason Tinley, M.D. (Founder, DFWCFSD); Neil Shah, M.D.

CONTACT INFORMATION: 817.916.4685 • Fax 817.769.3718 dfwspinecenter.com Arlington • Burleson • Irving • Flower Mound • Fort Worth • Las Colinas • Southlake • Weatherford

Sona Dermatology & MedSpa Fort Worth

SPECIALTY: Dermatology. EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS: University of Oklahoma, Bachelor of Arts; University of North Texas Health Science Center, Master of Sciences and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine; Saint Joseph Hospital, Internship in Internal Medicine; University of North Texas Health Science Center, Dermatology Residency; American Osteopathic Board of Dermatology Certified. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: My greatest professional achievement has been graduating valedictorian of my medical school class. I went on to score in the top 1% nationally on all three medical licensing exams. INNOVATIONS: We offer Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) for hair loss, acne scarring and skin rejuvenation. PRP has been utilized in orthopedics for many years but is a novel treatment in the field of dermatology. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: By thoroughly discussing patients’ diagnosis and treatment options, I empower

patients to make informed decisions about their care. My approach is to create a partnership in which patients can make the most informed decisions about their care. FREE ADVICE: Don’t ignore a skin concern. The worst thing you could do is put off the diagnosis of a skin cancer that could easily be cured when caught early. For conditions other than cancer, such as eczema and psoriasis, we have many excellent treatment options that can significantly improve the quality of life of those affected.

PICTURED: Heather Reagin, D.O., and Amanda Zuniga, Practice Manager.

CONTACT INFORMATION: 2421 W. Seventh St., Ste. 205 • Fort Worth, Texas 76107 817.439.7662 • Fax 817.984.4216 sonaskin.com

Heather Reagin, D.O.

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS |

Martin Reinke, M.D.

SPECIALTY: Ophthalmology: Cataract Surgery, Premium Lens Implants (Crystalens, ReStor, Tecnis, Toric Lens), Laser Refractive Surgery (LASIK with Intralase, VISX, Allegretto), Diseases of the Retina and Vitreous, Diabetic Retinopathy/Lasers, Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma Treatment. EDUCATION: B.A., Magna cum laude, Harvard University, 1986; M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, 1990; Ophthalmology Residency, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, 1995; Vitreoretinal Fellowship, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 1997.

CERTIFICATIONS: Board Certified, American Board of Ophthalmology. AWARDS: Physician’s Recognition Award, American Medical Association. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS: American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Texas Ophthalmological Association, Texas Medical Association, Tarrant

County Medical Society. AFFILIATIONS: Baylor Surgical Hospital at Las Colinas, Baylor Scott & White-Grapevine, Baylor Scott & White-Irving, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. PATIENT CARE: A commitment to excellence in eye care is enhanced by our outstanding, caring staff. Dr. Reinke is a uniquely talented surgeon who personally provides all preoperative and postoperative care.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

1310 N. White Chapel Blvd. • Southlake, Texas 76092

817.310.6080 • Fax 817.310.6014 1916 Central Drive • Bedford, Texas 76021 817.283.6607 • Fax 817.283.2674 reinke.southlake@gmail.com dfwlasercataract.com

FOCUS | HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

MEDICAL SPECIALTY: Professional Weight Loss, Nutrition and Fitness Consulting. EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS: Bryce Calvillo

– Doctorate of Chiropractic; B.S., Health and Wellness. Angela Calvillo

– B.S., Nutrition; B.A. Psychology. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL

ACHIEVEMENTS: First weight loss clinic in Fort Worth to incorporate 3D Body Scanning, DNA Nutrition and Fitness Testing, and direct one-on-one consulting with educated and professional staff. INNOVATIONS: SciFit Center utilizes state-of-the-art technology such as the Fit3D Body Scanner to monitor patient progress and DNA Nutrition and Fitness Testing to identify the most effective strategies for particular genetic profiles. The technologically advanced body scanner will provide you with the most accurate body composition data, such as body fat percentage, muscle mass, and anatomical measurements.

UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: SciFit’s scientific approach focuses on

working smarter, not harder, and effectively balancing healthy eating while still enjoying life’s indulgences. Through specifically formulated nutrition and fitness programs that are tailored best for you, see results in as little as two weeks. FREE ADVICE: The key to any weight loss journey is consistency and sustainability. You should approach your goals with an enjoyable and manageable lifestyle change, rather than a difficult to execute fad diet that keeps you from enjoying life.

PICTURED: Dr. Bryce Calvillo; Angela Calvillo.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

2408 Forest Park Blvd. • Fort Worth, Texas 76110 817.975.7583 SciFitCenter.com HealthyLife@SciFitCenter.com

SPECIALTY: Hand Surgery. EDUCATION: Undergraduate, Indiana University; Medical School, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine; Internship, Metropolitan Hospital/MSU SCS; Residency, Mt. Clemens General Hospital/MSU SCS (Orthopedic Surgery); Fellowship, Tampa General Hospital/Florida Orthopedic Institute, Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children (Hand Surgery); Fellowship, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC (Reconstructive Microsurgery); Certifications, Orthopedic Surgery and Hand Surgery (Certificate of Added Qualifications). AWARDS/HONORS: Educator of the Year, Fort Worth Orthopedic Residency Program/JPS Hospital. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Every time, I get a “thank you,” handshake, or hug from a patient. INNOVATIONS: An extensive physician-administered patient education program to ensure that each patient understands their diagnosis, the evaluation and treatment options and recommendations, and their prognosis including

recovery time expectations — while having had the opportunity to have all their questions answered. UNIQUE PATIENT CARE: Each patient’s specialized hand care is our focus. Despite similar diagnosis, the expression and impact of a specific diagnosis is unique to each individual patient and therefore requires a personalized approach. Dr. Tobias evaluates all patients, presents them with an individualized treatment plan, and then performs all aspects of their care. FREE ADVICE: Expect more than a brief diagnosis, a hurried prescription, or a quick surgical recommendation. Seek an explanation, obtain a management strategy, and be part of the decision-making process in your care. PICTURED: Brian Tobias, DO.

CONTACT INFORMATION: 7201 Hawkins View Drive, Ste. 151 • Fort Worth, Texas 76132 817.263.0200 • Fax 817.263.7206

Brian Tobias, DO

FOCUS | HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

Woerner Physical Therapy

SPECIALTY: Our practice specializes in Physical Therapy for Women’s Health and Pelvic Health-related issues including Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. Our patients typically experience urinary leakage; urinary urgency; pain including hip, low back, and/or pelvic pain; pelvic pain during pregnancy, which includes pubic symphysis pain or sciatica; postpartum; diastasis; C-section scars; pre- and post-prostatectomy; mastitis; pain with intercourse; pelvic organ prolapse; pediatric constipation; urine leakage and bedwetting; and lymphedema. EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS: Allison Ball, DPT ‒ Doctorate of Physical Therapy; Marie Woerner, PT, DPT, WCS, CLT ‒ Doctorate of Physical Therapy, Board Certified in Women’s Health, Certified in Lymphedema; Tonda Berry, PT, DPT ‒ Doctorate of Physical Therapy. AWARDS/HONORS: DFW Child “Mom Approved,” 2019. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: American Physical Therapy Association and Texas Physical Therapy Association. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Being able to provide one-on-one

care in a comfortable, safe environment. INNOVATIONS: We provide evidence-based care to help patients return to life as soon as possible.

PATIENT CARE: We make all patients feel comfortable, informed, and involved in their care with the focus on each patient’s individualized goals. FREE ADVICE: It is not normal to experience pain, leakage, and difficulty performing exercise because you had a baby or surgery.

PICTURED: Allison Ball, PT, DPT; Marie Woerner, PT, DPT, WCS, CLT; Tonda Berry, PT, DPT.

CONTACT INFORMATION: 2901 Cleburne Road • Fort Worth, Texas 76110

Coming soon • 1000 Bonnie Brae Ave. • Fort Worth, Texas 76111 682.235.3816 • Fax 817.887.2719 woernerphysicaltherapy.com frontdesk@woernerphysicaltherapy.com

» Coming full c ircle. While gyro and falafel often get the spotlight in Mediterranean cuisine, River Oaks’ newest eatery delivers on dessert. »

FOOD | NEWS | REVIEWS

Pictured: Kanafeh

PHOTO

Nish! Mediterranean Grill

The new(ish) restaurant that offers Mediterranean fare gives Fort Worthians another reason to dine in the burgeoning River Oaks area.

BY COURTNEY DABNEY

There has been a lot of talk about the River Oaks area lately. While no one is ready to call it the River Oaks “Renaissance” or the River Oaks “Rebirth” just yet, this long-forgotten stretch is catching its second wind, thanks to all the growth on nearby White Settlement Road.

As you drive past aging strip malls, you might miss the new Nish! Mediterranean Grill that popped up last April on Ohio Garden Road.

With a few buckets of wine-red paint, woodwork, and a lot of elbow grease, owner Anwar Khalil transformed the former

Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Store in eight months to an attractive diner.

From the moment you enter Nish! Mediterranean Grill, Khalil will greet you as if you’re a long-lost friend; the owner greets everyone personally with a warm smile and a hearty, “Welcome, my friend,” then follows up with each table throughout their meal. It’s worth the drive just to make the acquaintance of this Palestinian immigrant from Silwad — which lies north of both Ramallah and Jerusalem.

Marrying his own family recipes with regional nuances, the Middle Eastern fare is on point. Kahlil’s daughter came up

with the name Nish!, which is Arabic slang for roasting and grilling meats — or what we might refer to as barbecue.

The lunch buffet ($12.98 including a drink) is a great place to start your exploration, but the full menu is vast.

Classic dips like creamy hummus and baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant) are excellent. The tabbouleh is mostly parsley with a hint of bulgur wheat and plenty of lemon, just as it should be. The Arabic salad is called fattoush, which is similar to fresh chopped pico de gallo dressed in olive oil and lemon. The cucumber and yogurt salad was wonderful as well, with just enough fresh mint.

An interesting collection of appetizers had its hits and misses. Arrayes is meat-stuffed pita bread cut into triangles and served alongside tzatziki sauce. It was bland and underseasoned, saved only by the garlicky sauce. Dolmas, or stuffed grape leaves, were basic, as was the kebba (or kibbe), which is seasoned meat molded around bulgar wheat dough and fried in a torpedo shape.

The nanakeesh and the falafel, however, were great. Manakeesh is crunchy, baked pita dough dusted liberally with a ﬂuffy topping of

Greek Salad

PHOTO BY OLAF GROWALD

Strawberry Pineapple

Smoothie

El Capitán, Mi Capitán

Nothing beats savoring the El Capitán on Salsa Limón’s Magnolia Avenue patio or between the concrete pillars of its downtown location, but sometimes, you find yourself craving that buttery tortilla and tangy slaw at midnight on a Tuesday — or you’re somewhere far from the Fort with no good, authentic street tacos within the next 30 miles. So, for those days, Salsa Limón is sharing the recipe for an El Capitán that you can make at home.

Ingredients:

Flour tortillas (Central Market brand preferred, can also use multigrain tortilla)

Ribeye steak (around 1 1/2 pounds)

Cabbage

Carrots

White vinegar

Water

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

Oaxaca cheese

Grated Monterey Jack cheese

Onion

Cilantro

Lime

Butter

Hot sauce

1. Thinly slice cabbage and grate carrots, then pickle cabbage and carrots with 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup water, and one teaspoon salt.

2. Season steak with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Let steak soak in the salt, minimum 10 minutes.

3. Grate Oaxaca cheese and mix with grated Monterey Jack cheese.

4. Finely chop onion and cilantro.

5. Grill steak to taste. Let cool, then chop up.

6. Line hot skillet with butter. Cook tortilla to taste on skillet.

7. Place chopped steak in tortilla. Top with cheese, cilantro, onion, and strained cabbage slaw. Serve with a lime wedge and add hot sauce if desired.

Nish! Mediterranean Grill

Location: 4913 Ohio Garden Road

Hours: Mon. – Sat. 11 a.m. –10 p.m., Sun. Noon – 7 p.m., Mon. – Fri. lunch buffet 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Phone: 817.615.9292

What We Liked: The falafel is heavenly with floral notes, and the awama dessert has a heavy dose of rose water and lemon juice syrup.

What We Didn’t: Many of the meats lacked the telltale flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine: cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice.

Recommendations: The lunch buffet is fun to explore, but some of your favorite dishes may only be available when you order off the menu.

mouthwatering, and when I eat Arabic food, I want those spice concoctions to hit hard.

olive oil and zaatar spices. The falafel were crispy fried discs with perfectly seasoned, pillowy interiors, and amazing floral notes. I also loved the fried eggplant, which simply melts in your mouth.

The traditional sliced gyro meat was tender and flavorful. But I was disappointed by both the chicken and beef kabobs, which are ground, seasoned, and formed around traditional metal skewers to roast. The seasoning was missing, leaving the beef tasting like boring hamburger meat. The kabobs were a disappointment for the same reason.

Perhaps in an attempt to Anglicize the menu and make it more palatable to Americans, Nish! decided to go sparingly on the spices.

While the garlic, lemon, and mint were present and prominent, some of the other telltale flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine were simply missing, like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice. That spice mix is what makes nearly every meat preparation so

So, ramp up the spices; we can handle it. In fact, for those of us who have lived in or traveled to the Middle East, we are constantly in search of a good kick. We want to eat what your grandmother is cooking, not what you think our grandmother is cooking.

For dessert, the thick rice pudding blended with sweetened condensed milk and topped with pistachios was just as anticipated. My favorite finale by far was the awama, which are bite-sized balls of fried dough soaked in rose water and lemon juice syrup.

A sampler of Nish!

Mediterranean Grill’s offerings

Nish Family Feast

Can the city’s best Vietnamese restaurant duplicate itself? That’s what I wondered as I made my way to Colleyville to the newly opened second location of My Lan. Didn’t seem very likely. The original, on the border of Haltom City and Fort Worth’s east side, has a wildly unique personality that has made it one of my favorite restaurants in and around the city. For the uninitiated, it’s in a strip mall crowded with other restaurants and questionable retail stores. The dining room is always chaotic. Service can sometimes be slow or amusingly surly. And the food is always, always, always fantastic. I thought it impossible to recreate. And I was right. Owners Lan Trinh (the “Lan” in the restaurant’s name) and Thu Pham took a completely different approach to the Colleyville location. Instead of trying to replicate the original, they went in the opposite direction, creating a sleek, modern restaurant that only resembles the original in name and particular menu items. The menu at the Haltom City store is several pages long. The new location

The Feed

A taste of what’s new and notable.

BY MALCOLM MAYHEW

serves an abbreviated version of it. I don’t know what your fave My Lan dish is (well, I do know a few of yours), but both of mine made the cut: the crispy chow mein noodles and the grilled pork with eggrolls. When I bit into those during my recent visit, I felt like I was back at the Haltom City store. Most of the pho and vermicelli dishes are on the new menu, too.

Food-wise, the new spot doesn’t miss a beat. Is it worth a visit if the original is closer? Yeah, definitely — it’s a completely different experience — and depending on your disposition in life, you may enjoy the new spot more so than the original. 5307 Colleyville Blvd., my-lanrestaurant.com

Last month I brought you news of Spiral Diner’s new breakfast menu. This month, I bring you double the breakfast news: Two of my fave spots have both introduced breakfast menus. Taste Community Restaurant, the pay-what-you-can American restaurant on South Main, has launched a daily breakfast menu that includes

items such as dulce de leche pancakes, huevos verdes (sweet potatoes, bacon, two fried eggs, housemade green salsa, and tortilla shells all mixed together), and brown sugar oatmeal topped with roasted cinnamon apples. Breakfast gets going at 7 a.m. Tuesday – Friday. 1200 South Main St., tasteproject.org

Derek Allan’s Texas Barbecue recently introduced a breakfast menu, available 7 – 10:30 a.m., Tuesday – Saturday. Items include wagyu brisket, eggs, housemade breakfast sausage, and combinations thereof, along with breakfast tacos. 1116 Eighth Ave., facebook.com/ derekallansbbq

Shrimp doesn’t always get the accolades it deserves. For the past

three years, Jordan Barrus has been helping change that, running one of North Texas’ most popular food trucks, the Hawaiian cuisine-inspired Coco Shrimp, a truck solely devoted to shrimp. Now comes the next step in Coco Shrimp’s journey: a brick-andmortar. Slated to open any day now, it’s one of the most anticipated new restaurants in the South Main area.

Like some of its neighboring restaurants, Coco will occupy a small footprint, about 1,200 square feet, with both indoor and outdoor seating. Four types of shrimp will be available: coconut, butter-garlic, lemon herb, and a spicy rendition. 318 Bryan Ave., facebook.com/ cocoshrimp1

Sweet Liza’s Greek Delights is a charming new spot on Vickery Boulevard that specializes in baklava. Owner Liza Democritou makes the Greek pastry in flavors both ordinary and not: s’mores, Nutella, chocolate chip, and cereal flavors such as Frosted Flakes. Her spot is part of

Freelance food writer Malcolm Mayhew can be reached at malcolm.mayhew@hotmail.com or on Twitter at @foodfortworth.

the new 76107 Collective co-working space.

3930 W. Vickery Blvd., lizasgreekdelights.com

The Capital Grille gets a lot of love from us elsewhere in this month’s issue for its terrific steaks. I’ve got another reason to give them a plug. From now until Nov. 17, you can get one of their gourmet burgers plus a glass of wine for $25 — a steal at Capital Grille. The restaurant’s annual Wagyu & Wine event brings together three wagyu burgers and three wines, paired specifically with one another. The cheeseburger with a fried egg and Havarti cheese is paired with Stags’ Leap “The Investor” Bordeaux blend; a mushroom burger with soy-braised shiitake mushrooms, truffle aioli, and Jarlsberg cheese is joined with a pinot noir from Beaulieu Vineyards; and a burger topped with grilled onions, Vermont white cheddar, and CapGrille steak sauce is married to a cab from Beringer, Knights Valley Reserve. The offer is only available at the bar. 800 Main St., thecapitalgrille. com

2018 Awards & Recognitions

U.S. Chamber of CommerceMinority-Owned Business Achievement Award

FW Inc - Top 400 Most Influential People

FW Inc - Entrepreneur of Excellence Finalist

Dallas Business Journal

North Texas’ 13th Largest Hispanic-Owned Businesses

ENX Magazine - Elite Dealer

Just a few of our 2017 Awards & Recognitions

Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce2017 Small Business of the Year

North Dallas Chamber of CommerceNorth Dallas Business of the Year

Fort Worth Business Press - Minority Leader

Dallas Business Journal - Minority Leader

Euless Award Program - Best of Euless Award

Vistra Energy - Gold Star Legacy Award

SHARP - Platinum Level Service Provider

ENX Magazine - ENX Difference Makers

NOV. 10, 24

Silent Disco Yoga

Pump up the music — through noise-canceling headphones — while doing yoga on the patio at Punch Bowl Social.

Punch Bowl Social 1100 Foch St., 817.769.8109 karmakosha.com

NOV. 11

Tarrant County Veterans Day Parade

A celebration in honor of Tarrant County’s 100th year hosting Armistice and Veterans Day parades.

Downtown Fort Worth Main Street, fw2019vetparade.org

NOV. 13-17

Lone Star Film Festival

Texas cinephiles’ annual pilgrimage to Fort Worth is upon us once again, this year featuring a curated lineup of shorts, documentaries, Spanish-language films, and features — a total of 136 independent films from 19 countries — and, as always, interactive sessions with the filmmakers.

Sundance Square

See website for screening locations, 817.924.6000 lonestarfilmfestival.com

NOV. 14

The Simon & Garfunkel Story

The story of the iconic folk-rock duo told through a theatrical production that feels like a concert.

Bass Performance Hall

525 Commerce St., 817.212.4325 basshall.com

NOV. 16 The Women of the Pulitzer: The Music of Julia Wolfe, Caroline Shaw, and Jennifer Higden

Three of the eight women who’ve won the Pulitzer Prize for Music share their work as part of the Cliburn Concerts series.

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. 3200 Darnell St., 817.212.4280, cliburn.org

NOV. 15-16

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live

Tricks and stunts performed by larger-than-life-size versions of your kid’s Hot Wheels trucks.

Dickies Arena 1911 Montgomery St. hotwheelsmonstertruckslive.com

NOV. 16

Foam Glow

A 5K run frothing with glowing foam.

Texas Motor Speedway 3545 Lone Star Circle foamglow.com/fortworth

NOV. 21

TX Whiskey and Meat Church Present: BBQ & Grilling Class

Learn the art of brisket and prime rib.

Firestone & Robertson

Distilling Co. 4250 Mitchell Blvd. 817.840.9140 frdistilling.com

NOV. 22 - JAN. 20

Panther Island Ice

Fort Worth’s annual pop-up ice-skating rink — probably as winter as it’s gonna get this holiday season.

Coyote Drive-In 223 NE Fourth St. 682.704.7711 pantherislandice.com

NOV. 22 - DEC. 22

“If Scrooge Was a Brother”

Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” set to a gospel, R&B, and reggae soundtrack.

Jubilee Theatre

817.338.4411, jubileetheatre.org

Sundance

Square Christmas Tree Lighting

DEC. 6

Red

Party:

Night at the Kasbah

A Morocco-themed gala at the Kimbell Art Museum beneﬁting Kimbell Kids Education Programs. Kimbell Art Museum. 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., 817.332.8451, kimbellart.org/theredparty

Santa, live music, and the annual lighting of Sundance Square’s 50-foot tree.

Sundance Square Plaza 201 Main St., 817.255.5700 sundancesquare.com NOV. 23-24

Japanese Fall Festival

The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is taking its celebration of Japanese culture beyond the grounds of the Japanese Garden. This year, even the surrounding gardens will feature vendors, performers, and cultural booths, courtesy of the Fort Worth Japanese Society. Sugoi, y’all.

Fort Worth Botanic Garden 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd. 817.392.5510, fwbg.org

NOV. 24

GM Financial Parade of Lights

This year’s parade will have local musicians playing mini sets while riding among the more than 100 ﬂoats illuminated by over 12,000 lights.

Sundance Square 201 Main St., 817.336.2787 fortworthparadeoﬂights.org

NOV. 24

Veterans Chili and BBQ Cook-off Championships

Local veterans show off their barbecue chops in hopes of being crowned district champion.

Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. 701 Galveston Ave. 817.810.9266, rahrbrewing.com

DEC. 3-21

A Dean Martin Christmas

Sip a cup of (spiked) hot chocolate while Dean Martin classics pipe across an old-school cabaret — Casa Mañana’s Reid Cabaret Theatre plays host to this intimate show celebrating the King of Cool. Sway along to Christmas favorites like “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and “Marshmallow World.”

Casa Mañana 3101 Lancaster Ave. 817.332.2272, casamanana.org

Wild Game Dinner

The Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth held its annual Wild Game Dinner Sept. 13. Guests dined on an exquisite wild game buffet; sipped cocktails; bid on hunting, ﬁshing, and travel experiences; and took their best shot to win bucket rafﬂe prizes.

Clay Shoot

The Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star clay shoot was held Aug. 24 at the Alpine Shooting Range. Mike Moreno and Eddie Harmon from Buyers Barricades won the tournament, and Rick Jenkins was the 2019 Chairman.

Kayla, Carl, & CT GrifﬁnCourtney & Damian Lewis

Kim & JC Johnson

Back Row: Dan Hendricks, Gaylan Hendricks, Taylor Martin, Scotty O’Bryan. Front Row: Sean Hendricks, Shawna Hendricks, Emily Hawkins, Jonathan Hawkins

Mike Moreno, Eddie Harmon

Alan Parchman, Rick Jenkins, Abi Jenkins

Jesse Borries, BBBS Tarrant County Little Brother

Donna Elam

Event Stafﬁng

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (required by 39 U.S.C. 3685). Title of Publication: Fort Worth Magazine Publication No. 1536-8939 Date of filing: 10/1/19 Frequency of Issue (Monthly) Number of issues published annually: 12 Annual subscription price is $23.95 Complete mailing address of Publication: 6777 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste.130, Fort Worth, Texas 76116 Complete mailing address of Headquarters of general business office of publisher: Panther City Media Group, LP, 6777 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste.130, Fort Worth, Texas 76116 Names and complete mailing address of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor, Publisher: Hal A. Brown, 6777 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste.130, Fort Worth, Texas 76116, Editor: Brian Kendall, 6777 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste.130, Fort Worth, Texas 76116 Managing Editor: Samantha Calimbahin, 6777 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste.130, Fort Worth, Texas 76116 Owners: Panther City Media Group LP, 6777 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste.130, Fort Worth, Texas 76116, Hal A. Brown, 6777 Camp Bowie Blvd., Ste.130, Fort Worth, Texas 76116. Known bondholders, mortgages and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amounts of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None Tax status: has not changed during preceding 12 months Publication Title: Fort Worth Magazine Issue date for circulation: 10/2019 Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months Total no. copies printed (Net Press Run) 16,740 Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution(By mail and outside the mail): Mailed Outside-County Paid/Requested Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541: 9,380 Mailed In-County Paid/Requested Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541: 0 Sales through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales and Other Paid or Requested Distribution outside USPS: 1,184 Requested Copies by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS: 0. Total Paid Distribution (Sum of 15b, (1), (2), (3) and (4): 10,564 Total Nonrequested Distribution: Outside County Copies stated on PS Form 3541: 1,566 In-County Nonrequested Copies included on PS Form 3541: 0 Nonrequested Copies Distributed through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail: 1,986 Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: 0 Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d, (1), (2), (3) and (4): 3,552 Total Distribution (sum of 15c and 15e): 14,116 Copies not Distributed: 2,624 Total (sum of 15f and g): 16,740 Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100): 74.8% Requested and Paid Electronic Copies: 1,673 Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a): 12,237 Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a): 15,789 Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies)(16b divided by 16c x 100): 77.5% No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest To Filing Date: printed (Net Press Run) 15,259 Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By mail and outside the mail): Mailed Outside-County Paid/Requested Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541: 8,547 Mailed In-County Paid/Requested Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541: 0. Sales through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales and Other Paid or Requested Distribution outside USPS: 1,240 Requested Copies by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS: 0 Total Paid Distribution (Sum of 15b, (1), (2), (3) and (4): 9,787 Total Nonrequested Distribution: Outside County Copies stated on PS Form 3541: 1,635 In-County Nonrequested Copies included on PS Form 3541: 0 Nonrequested Copies Distributed through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail: 647 Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: 0 Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d, (1), (2), (3) and (4): 2,282 Total Distribution (sum of 15c and 15e): 12,069 Copies not Distributed: 3,190 Total (sum of 15f and g): 15,259 Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100): 81.1% Requested and Paid Electronic Copies: 1,600 Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Requested/ Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a): 11,669 Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) + Requested/ Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a): 13,669 Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies)(16b divided by 16c x 100): 83.3% Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the November 2019 issue of this publication. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: Hal A. Brown Date: 10/01/2019 I certify that all information furnished in this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties.)

Best

Tori

Best

Shauna

Tori

Best

Tori

OUR CHARITY PARTNERSHIPS

THIS MONTH:

NOV. 6

Hoot ’n Holler

ACH Child and Family Services

NOV. 7

Delicious Wishes Make-A-Wish

NOV. 9

Fort Worth Margarita Ball Children’s Charities

Give Back Calendar

NOV. 10

Light the Night Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

NOV. 12

Heart for the Homeless Union Gospel Mission

NOV. 13

Bring the Conversation to Light Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation

NOV. 16

Artists’ Christmas Art & Gala Camp Fire

DEC. 6

Celebrity Cutting Careity

DEC. 6

Home for the Holidays Gala

Presbyterian Night Shelter

DEC. 7

Breakfast with St. NICUlas Texas Health Harris Methodist

Give Back Calendar

There’s nothing more rewarding than giving back and making a difference in the lives of people in this great community. As the city’s magazine — which has the eyes and ears of some of Fort Worth’s most affluent and philanthropic citizens — we feel a responsibility to give back to the people of the city that is our namesake, which is why Philanthropy is one of our core values.

Every year, Fort Worth Magazine sponsors more than 100 charity events, which range from luncheons to black-tie galas. The following promotional section is devoted to these charities and their fundraisers. We invite you to consciously peruse and consider lending a helping hand by either making a donation or attending these events.

These are a few of my favorite things…

$180 Allows one middle or high school student to attend summer school.

$500 Supports the Airpower Foundation mission wherever a military family might need help.

$50 Provides financial training course materials for five Gatehouse women.

$30,606 Contribute to each organization and each project in The Catalog.

$150 Helps grant an “emergency wish” for a child facing an urgent life-threatening situation.

$ 60 Provides five sessions in the social engagement group for one person recently diagnosed.

$140 Provides meals for a client for one month.

$500 Provides continuing education for board-certified therapists who deliver Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy.

$ 0 Be a Big. We need incredible people who want to change a child’s life. Please contact our office to find out how. give back

These are 9 of the 83 great ways to help in the community this year through The Greatest Gift Catalog Ever®. Each organization has matching funds available through the catalog to make your contribution go even further. For more information visit tggce.org or call 817-922-8297.

Over 3000 ser vices provided in 2018!

For Burleson and Johnson County. Inside The Center For Cancer and Blood Disorders

ANNUAL SERVICES

CANCER NAVIGATION

700+ Patients!

A cancer patient navigator is an oncology nurse who is trained to help identify and resolve real and perceived barriers to care, enabling patients to adhere to care recommendations and thus improve their cancer outcomes. They help patients by meeting with them and their families, calling them and going to doctors visits with them when needed. Personal guidance is provided to patients as they move through their cancer journey. Patients who have nurse navigators are more involved in their care, more informed as to how their cancer affects their life, and are usually better prepared to deal with their cancer.

DIETICIAN SERVICES, NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

390+ Services & Supplements

Nutrition plays an important role in cancer treatment and recovery. Registered and licensed dietitians help patients in their fight with cancer. A good nutrition plan helps keep the body stronger. Nutritional supplements are also provided to economically challenged patients.

PATIENT GAS CARDS

290+ Gas Cards

Cancer patients quite often exhaust their finances due to loss of employment, loss of insurance or lack of both. Many patients in our community have very long distances to travel for treatment and doctor visits. Radiology patients face a situation of having to commute to treatment on a daily basis for a long period of time. Many are forced into a position to choose between food and fuel. Our team of social workers determine the needs of economically challenged patients within our community.

MAMMOGRAMS, DIAGNOSTICS, BIOPSIES AND SURGERIES

150+ Medical Procedures

Careity offers free early detection and a critical comprehensive indepth program for patients who are diagnosed. Access to our team of physicians for consults and surgery is rapid. A timely communication of treatment plans is vitally important. Within 48 hours of diagnosis, patients are contacted by a Patient Coordinator, through our team at The Center For Cancer and Blood Disorders. Careity patients are also eligible for clinical trials.

PSYCHOTHERAPY, SOCIAL WORKER AND CHAPLAIN SERVICES

1020+ Patient Services

Psychotherapy counseling sessions are offered to cancer patients and their families as they are dealing with various emotional issues stemming from their cancer diagnosis. Depression, anxiety, grief, anger, fear, stress, insomnia and feeling overwhelmed are typically addressed.

MEDICAL MASSAGE THERAPY, REFLEXOLOGY, ACUPUNCTURE

390+ Patient Treatments

These medical therapies are provided to patients to help them manage and better tolerate pain and nausea. It gives them a better opportunity to consider the positive aspects of the drugs in spite of some of the negative impact on the body.

Amanda and family

Celebrity Cutting

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2019 – 7:00 PM

Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum • Fort Worth, Texas

PARTICIPATING CELEBRITIES

Taylor Sheridan H Nicole Sheridan H ”Rip” Cole Hauser

Cynthia Hauser H “Mo” Oglala Lakota H Frank Hannon

Monica Russo H John Clay Wolfe H Amy Gunter MD

Tom Watson H Hilary Watson H Katie Keenie

Jay Novacek H Malone H Jaida Dreyer H Cody Johnson

Sonny Burgess H Jolie Holiday Burgess H And more

L-R: Monica Russo, Mike Waltrip, Cynthia Hauser, “Rip” Cole Hauser, Taylor Sheridan, Nicole Sheridan, Beverly Branch, Lyn Walsh

Kolby Stewart EVENT CHAIR

SATURDAY | 10:30AM | JANUARY 4TH, 2020 AMON G. CARTER STADIUM

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY AT: ARMEDFORCESBOWL.COM/ TICKETS

EVEN SUPER H EROES NEEDAngels

give back

Jewel Charity Angel donors are the cornerstone of our organization. Your Angel gifts provide access to care for patients at Cook Children’s.

Our Angel donors will be honored at the 66th Annual Jewel Charity Ball. Save the date for Fort Worth’s largest and longest-standing black tie event. LEAP DAY 2.29.2020

FOUNDED MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO by Ed and Gloria Shipman, Happy Hill Farm continues to welcome kids into a totally unique setting:

A 500-acre functioning farm with cows, horses, and other animals

An accredited college-prep boarding and day school for kids K–12

A place where each child receives love, mentoring, and personal attention to discover their dreams and build character to become a future leader

Help a child with a difficult past envision a hope-filled future at Happy Hill Farm!

Happy Hill Farm exists entirely without federal funding and NEVER TURNS A CHILD AWAY FOR INABILITY TO PAY.

EVERY GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

$25 provides a Bible and other devotional materials to build character

$50 can give books and supplies for a life-changing education

$100 supports Future Farmers of America program for kids

$250 provides a laptop computer

99% of our graduates go on to college or into the military.

If you believe that every child deserves the chance to realize his or her potential, join the Happy Hill Farm community of support by visiting HappyHillFarm.org/donate TODAY!

THANK YOU TO OUR CHEFS

Juan Rodriguez, Lead Chef

PRESENTING

POINSETTIA

Paul Dorman and Terri Anderson

Holly

Anne and John Marion

Jere C. Robertson

Virginia Street Smith

Carol Sweeney

Mistletoe

Frost Bank

Dan Lowrance

Ivy Balcom Agency

Bourland, Wall, and Wenzell, P.C.

CliftonLarsonAllen LLP

Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation

Joy and Scot Pierce

Michele and Fred Reynolds

Sanders Travel

Sam and Zoe Sexhus

Jodi and Todd Spake

» Sculptor Jonathan Borofsky’s “Man With a Briefcase” has long stood over Burnett Park, representing the Fort Worth business community with his iconic fedora and briefcase in hand. But the aluminum-plated silhouette inspired photographers Chris Clements and Uriel Dominguez in a different way as they took a photo walk downtown. “I told [Dominguez] that I could jump through the statue,” Clements says. “He told me to prove it but wanted to capture the moment in case I didn’t make it through … I did make it through! But if you look really closely, you’ll see my cell phone flying out of my pocket. Luckily, it had a case on it.”

you’ve

@uriel_817

PHOTO BY URIEL DOMINGUEZ

TARYN A. WILSON

KELLY JORDAN

GWEN HARPER

Arenna.

SHARION BOSTIC

DEBBIE MASON

LAURIE BRANTSCLAY BRANTS

VIRGINIA DURHAM

GRADY SHROPSHIRE

RENEE EIBAND

KATIE ROBERTS

LISA BANKS

At Park Place, our commitment to personal service goes beyond our luxury dealerships. It’s also what drives our support for the arts, medical research, children’s advocacy and education. Making Park Place Your Place for a total dedication to the community.