Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Category: Fort Worth (Page 3 of 6)

Woodshed Smokehouse

When friends and family visit Rebekah and I in Fort Worth, one of our favorite places to take them is the Woodshed Smokehouse.  However, it always comes with a disclaimer:  This is not your typical Texas Barbeque hole-in-the-wall.

On one occasion, my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bob traveled from Pennsylvania just to come to the Woodshed!  Well, maybe their trip also had something to do with my cousin (their daughter) Lynn, her husband Nick and their boys that live on the other side of the Metroplex.  Anyway, our whole group loved the meal, including my two young nephews, who nibbled the very last specks of corn off the leftover cobs.

Recently, Rebekah and I hoped to share a delicious dinner with Rebekah’s close friend, Mary Beth during her Fort Worth visit.  Again, the atmosphere, food and service (by our server Taylor) did not disappoint!

The Woodshed's Woodshed

The Woodshed’s Woodshed

Actually, the Woodshed may not even be a Barbeque restaurant, with offerings as varied as bulgogi (Korean) beef tacos, red fish, 3 kale salad, and even paella, a Texan take on the traditional Spanish recipe, including mussels, clams, shrimp, rabbit-rattlesnake sausage, and game bird.  Nationally-known chef Tim Love takes a new perspective on Barbeque.  This is the only pit experience that comes complete with linen napkins!  But different can be equally delicious!  The Woodshed serves the barbeque staples:  brisket, sausage and ribs, each smoked with different woods (pecan, mesquite, oak and hickory), pairing the meat and wood perfectly.  As you can see, the Woodshed does not mess around with their food.

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Chasing Caravaggio – The Cardsharps

Every Friday we take a break from our regular blogging schedule to allow the authors an opportunity to feature a certain topic they are passionate about. Through this and other future posts we hope you’ll enjoy reading, we hope to share with you our personalities, passions, and interests on a more personal level.

As part of our continuing desire to bring beauty into focus, From Texas to Beyond will periodically feature brilliant pieces of art that have influenced our lives.  We are excited to showcase these universal works of beauty with you.

As a follow-up to my earlier review of the Kimbell Art Museum, there is one artwork by one artist in particular that I absolutely love:  The Cardsharps by Caravaggio.

Discovering Caravaggio

Caravaggio’s creations reignited my love of art.  As a child, I always loved art.  However, in 8th grade, I quickly learned that others were much more talented than myself.  Gradually I lost interest as I realized I would never be a great artist.  Or a good artist.  Or even a mediocre artist.

What I learned recently is a simple truth: you do not have to be an accomplished artist to appreciate the artwork of others.

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Martin House Brewing Company

When I moved from Austin a couple of years ago, with so many choices for Texas Craft Beer, I could not believe that there was only one craft brewery in Fort Worth.  At the time, Rahr & Sons Brewing  was the only option.  Rahr brews David’s favorite beer, Ugly Pug, and I enjoy some others as well.  However, when Martin House Brewing Company opened, I was so excited to try something new.  Martin House quickly became my favorite brewery in Fort Worth!  Their style of beer fits my taste buds better.  I have visited the brewery twice and really enjoyed both of my experiences.

Let’s take a look at Martin House Brewing Company based on our Brewery Grading Scale.Martin House

Logistics:  5 Every Saturday from 2-5pm and Thursday evenings from 6-8 the brewery is open and ready to welcome you.  Parking, like at most breweries, is tricky, but something that is so great, is that each time I have been, there are volunteers in front of the brewery that direct you to the available parking areas.  This first impression is such a great personal touch, making it easy to visit.  On their website, a Google map shows you where you can and cannot park.  Want to take the train and then bike to the brewery?  Check out their train/bike map for that too! Continue reading

Rahr & Sons Brewing Company

When it comes to Texas Craft Beer in Fort Worth, Rahr & Sons Brewing Company is setting the pace.  Brewing quality beer since 2004, Rahr has attracted a devoted following in Fort Worth, the Metroplex area and beyond.

Exterior of Rahr & Sons Brewery

I have been to the brewery at least 10 times.  On Wednesdays, Rahr is a great place to meet coworkers and friends after work.  Lazy Saturdays, friends in town, or a bachelor party have provided great reasons to visit on the weekend.  Actually, Rebekah and I had a final celebratory drink with Matt and Rachel at the Rahr Brewery before they moved to Chicago for 2.5 years!  Good times…

Let’s take a look at this Fort Worth standard based on our Brewery Grading Scale.

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Buon Giorno Coffeehouse and Roastery

Close to downtown Fort Worth is a wonderful coffee shop that is brewing up legit freshly roasted coffee. Buon Giorno coffee is a local coffeehouse and roaster that started in Grapevine in 2006 and later opened up a location in Fort Worth. Buon Giorno specializes is offering locals a taste of a European coffeehouse. This means not only roasting and serving coffee in a more traditional European, particularly Italian style, but offering a place  where the community can gather.

Buon Giorno specializes in two classic forms of coffee, Espresso and the French Press. They do also offer a variety of coffees that have been brewed using the slow drip method for those in a rush. If you are looking for a place to hangout , or meet someone, take a date, hear some live music, or use as an office, then Buon Giorno offers this setting.

Now on to the my analysis of the drinks. I try to grade a coffee house by selecting certain controls, aka wonderful coffee drinks; this includes a macchiato, cappuccino, and a typically a pour-over.  For Buon Giorno, we will look only at the cappuccino and macchiato as well as the atmosphere and a couple other notable mentions.macchiato

Macchiato: 4 (out of 5) – This reminded me of my time in Italy with David. It was very good and true to the style of Espresso you would find in Italy. It was bold and fairly strong, yet smooth. It was not so bold that it caused me to make a strong coffee face, but it was assertive. Even so, it was easy to drink and was full of flavor. The smokiness of the roasting process seemed to be prominent, yet it did not make you feel like you were drinking liquid smoke. It had rich flavors with a slight hint of chocolate. It also had an earthiness to it.  There was some nice bitterness that was associated with it. Overall, a very good and traditional taste.

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