Some restaurants are inverters: You arrive in a bad mood, and they quickly turn your frown upside down. Some are amplifiers: You arrive in a bad mood, and they straightaway make it infinitely worse. (Personally, Chow, Baby wouldn’t know what happens if you arrive in a restaurant in a good mood.)
Before Chow, Baby even got there – “there” being the far side of Lake Worth, though somehow still in the Fort Worth city limits – LightCatcher Winery (6925 Confederate Park Rd.) promised to be an amplifier. No way could Chow, Baby be jollied out of a mood launched first by LightCatcher’s web site (www.lightcatcher.com), which contains way too much neon-writ information for someone of Chow, Baby’s attention span, such that Chow, Baby missed the essential point that Jazz Sundays (first and third Sundays of each month) don’t start until 4 pm. And the noontime drive there through the ugly chain-sprawl of Lake Worth culminated in a pass through Lakeside, whose residents took turns driving their monster pick-ups right up the Chowbabymobile’s butt. Grr. Argh.
Past the kitsch-stocked sales/reception area, LightCatcher’s main dining area is the opposite of cozy, a galvanized-roofed mini-warehouse space lined with wine barrels. There is, however, a lovely patio, where hours later the jazz band would set up, overlooking hushed gardens. Our server, Jon, introduced himself by saying he was new – this really is not looking good – but he turned out to be a doll. And once we bit into our appetizer, a shared asparagus-ricotta tart ($12) of the lightest-ever puff pastry crammed with roasted spears and dusted with pecorino Romano, even the memories of monster pick-ups melted away.
The Jazz Menu is small, bistro-y (e.g., cheese platters), and utterly fantastic. The modestly named house salad ($11.50) is s stunner of baby greens, feta, pecans, and (yay!) craisins, tossed in a mood-brightening tarragon-mustard-citrus vinaigrette. A swipe of blue cheese/cream cheese spread on the toasted bun of the juicy, half-pound Jazz Burger ($10) made the caramelized onions sing. On every plate, the ingredients were chosen to bring out the best in one another – this may seem well-duh, that’s what chefs are supposed to do, but the gestalt of the Genoa pizza ($11.50) on its crispy housemade crust was stunning. That alone was worth the trip; Chow, Baby can only dream of how great it would be to arrive at LightCatcher in a good mood.
Atta-Chow, Baby
You know, Chow, Baby has a pretty amazing prediction-come-true rate, if you pick out the ones that come close and allow for a little generous interpretation here and there. Like the prophecy a year and a bit ago that Fort Worth would soon have a gourmet taqueria – and voilà, here’s Paco & John Mexican Diner (1116 Eighth Ave.) to thrill us with Yucatan-style salmon tortas ($5.75); extra-porky-flavored carnitas tacos (plate $4.95), with the richness of a confit; and lovely, lovely pureed guacamole with a nice delayed kick. Chow, Baby even got it right that it would be headed by a Romance-language-speaking cutie with a fancy restaurant on West 7th Street; OK, so it’s not the predicted Lanny Lancarte of Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana, but rather Bernard Tronche of Saint-Emilion who’s putting gourmet touches on this former convenience store. Chow, Baby is still taking the points, and another serving of the creamy flan ($3.95).
Contact Chow, Baby at chowbaby@fwweekly.com.
