Brownstone Restaurant - Fort Worth

November 20, 2010

I’ll be the first to admit that I am neither a food critic nor a professional writer. I’ve never been trained in the culinary arts or taken a journalism class. However, if you know me or have seen a picture of me, it is clear I know my way around the table. I also enjoy documenting my adventures although more for my own edification than to thrill anyone else with my brilliance. My current goal is try out the Top 100 Best Restaurants in DFW as chosen by the Dallas Morning News. I have tried several prior to my starting my blog but as I try new ones I will keep you posted.

11/20/10 – Brownstone Restaurant Ft Worth.

Brownstone is the home of Casey Thompson, Top Chef Contestant and somewhat of a hottie. I must admit I have a bit of a crush on Casey and that partially drove me to try out Brownstone. Brownstone is also on the DMN top 100.

Brownstone is located in Ft Worth off of 7^th avenue and University in an area of town that is being renovated and is now considered Uptown. The atmosphere is very nice with an open bar and seating area. There were not a lot of works of art or wall hangings which gave the room a homely feeling but in my opinion somewhat understated. A painting or two on the walls would have added a little although my wife felt like they were going for comfort and not décor.

We started with a couple of martinis which we took out front to an open patio seating area. The patio is nicely furnished with comfortable couches and chairs that make it a great place to lounge. We happened to have great weather which made it even more attractive to sit out front and people watch.

Once we made it to our table, we were greeted by Casey immediately. No, not that Casey, but the other Casey..... our 20something waitress. The menu was adventurous but small by most restaurant standards. There were no more than 8 – 10 main entrees to choose from ranging from Scallops to Beef Cheeks. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of variety but my speculation is that Brownstone prefers to concentrate on doing several dishes very well rather than offering a huge variety of averageness.

I started with an appetizer of Fried chicken livers with a Tabasco/vinegar dipping sauce. Beth chose the Kale soup, which neither of us had EVER seen on a menu. We were both pleasantly surprised as the chicken livers were fantastic and the Kale soup was very good. We could both tell with our amateur pallets that the soup was mostly heavy cream with garlic (how can you go wrong with that combination) combined with pureed Kale. The soup was very tasty and very green and I would recommend it if you happen to catch it on the menu again. The chicken livers are a no-brainer must have when you go.

For our entrees, I chose the Kobe Beef Cheeks. I’ve never tried beef cheeks before today but was intrigued and decided to go for it. Casey made sure to inform me that they are more like brisket than steak, which is fine by me. Beth chose a rock shrimp and wide noodles dish that sounded quite good. The presentation of both dishes was decent, but not outstanding. My cheeks were served with polenta with corn and were topped with a sweet cherry sauce. Beth’s noodles and Shrimp were of average appearance and looked similar to something you might get at Pei Wei.

From a flavor standpoint, the shrimp didn’t make the cut. While the quality and preparation of the dish was fine, Beth just didn’t like the way it tasted. I tried the shrimp and thought it was ok, but not spectacular. Again, it was prepared well and cooked as it should have been but just wasn’t well received. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from trying it, but wanted to give fair warning. On the other hand, my Kobe Beef Cheeks were delicious. The tenderness combined with the cherry sauce made for one rich but very satisfying dish. The portion was probably larger than it needed to be (I can’t believe I just said that) as by the time I finished, the richness had taken over and I was to the point where eating more would have taken away from the enjoyment of the serving.

Beth got a second dish prepared for her which was the house fish special, a pan seared cod topped with shrimp and a thick sauce of pureed Austin Yellow pepper and jalapeno. The sauce was really good and had a nice kick to it. This dish was prepared very well and we both enjoyed it.

The one regret I do have is not getting to spend more time with Chef Casey although as you can see above I did get my picture made with her. . I was happy to see that she was at the restaurant and actually working the kitchen although she was too busy to make any rounds. I’m sure I was sending the creepy, middle-aged, fat dude vibes, which are not a thing of beauty anyway.

Overall, I would say that the food at Brownstone is bold and the flavors are rich and spicy. We didn’t have anything that could be even remotely considered bland or under seasoned. Next time you are in Cow Town, check out Brownstone and tell Casey I said hello.