Train stations used to be central gathering places in most big cities many decades ago. And they still are for some of the metros in the Northeast. While you waited for your commute home, you could relax under ornate ceilings, maximize your people- watching potential, and maybe get a quick bite or a cold beer.
Fort Worth used to have such a place, the Texas & Pacific Railway Terminal on Lancaster Avenue, on the southern edge of downtown. But rail passenger service started to wane in the ’60s, and the little diner in the T&P that served traveling soldiers, tourists, and downtown workers closed in 1964.
The T&P Tavern and Grill opened last summer near the old diner. Plans call for restoring the diner, with its original art deco counter and stools, to a higher-end version later this year, but for now the restaurant and bar operates out of a little kiosk that was once the space where you would buy your train tickets. The fare is mostly sandwiches at lunch and dinner (management recently decided to cancel the breakfast hours), and the quality is pretty good.
The amazing thing about the T&P Tavern and Grill is the space. At 5,000 square feet, the area occupied by the restaurant is billed as the biggest outdoor covered patio in Fort Worth. Steel girders about 40 feet above the terrazzo floor frame floor-to-ceiling windows that connect to the old train station. Open-air breezeways at the ceiling allow fresh air and natural light into the place. A huge ceiling fan with industrial 10-foot blades provides coolness when the summer hot air comes into play. Portable heaters provide the warmth during the winter months.
The owners brought in local chef Johndavid Bartlett to help design the menu. Bartlett has been known for more misses than hits in recent years. He did My Martini in Arlington, Shiraz in the Cultural District (now closed), and the eats in the old Black Dog Tavern (also closed).
The menu is fairly simple but also fairly unique for Fort Worth. Each sandwich — there are 10 varieties — is grilled in presses, with four cold sandwiches also available. If you want to create your own, the T&P has deli meat and cheese choices to be combined with five kinds of bread. All of the sandwiches are served with chips and spicy homemade salsa.
There also is a full-service bar out of the kiosk. Locally made Rahr & Sons beer is available on tap or in bottles.
The panino alla margherita was almost like a pizza. The assemblage of rustic white bread stuffed with roasted garlic, fresh basil leaves, tomato slices, and fresh mozzarella cheese was very tasty and tasted … healthful. The fresh cheese was so moist that the whey leaked out with every bite, but it was also the glue that held together all the fresh flavors. My only complaint was that the sandwich was a little on the thin side, but when you factor in the cheap price, it was a good bargain.
The chicken pesto panini featured a huge chunk of fresh, perfectly cooked bird slathered in potent pesto sauce, served on fresh, doughy focaccia bread, and the provolone cheese was plentiful and melted perfectly.
A decent grilled Reuben sandwich is hard to find in Texas (just as good smoked barbecue is hard to find in the Northeast). But T&P’s version actually almost hit the spot. The corned beef was shaved ultra-thin, the sauerkraut had crunchiness, and the Swiss cheese was a good binder. The thousand island dressing (in the sandwich and not on the side) showed that someone in the kitchen had a respect for tradition.
It will be interesting to see what the T&P Tavern and Grill will do with that old diner. But for now, Bartlett and company have created a unique place with decent food.
One of the best parts of eating here is the ambient noise of trains screeching, and with more trains on the drawing board, the open-air T&P Tavern & Grill may become one of those public gathering places where the travelers and locals can share the urban vibe. Very Manhattan-y. But very Fort Worth-y, too.
