Shawn Horne might just be the Paula Deen of North Texas chefs. Horne earned raves for his fat-and-carb-laced chow at Dallas restaurants such as Horne & Dekker and Kitchen 1924. Perusing the menu of Monty’s Corner, his first Fort Worth spot, you see that the man continues to take devilish pride in entrées and appetizers that you wouldn’t want to eat on a daily basis, including crab cakes, sirloin, chicken-fried steak, pork chops, and fried oyster po-boys. His famous Hangover Brunch, which started at Kitchen 1924 and has been revived on Saturdays at Monty’s, features sloppy joes, biscuits and gravy, buttermilk pancakes, and eggs Benedict. A friend and I made a recent lunch visit to Monty’s and were impressed with how Horne has kept his hearty food light enough for a workday but still memorably sinful.
The appetizer list includes two items that are full-on comfort meals themselves: mac ’n’ cheese and marinara-drenched meatballs. Both were delicious and, surprisingly, didn’t blunt our appetites for the entrées that followed. The mac ’n’ cheese sauce was made with gruyere, parmesan, and cheddar, an agreeably mild combination that was mixed sparingly with the hearty pasta. The meatballs –– made from veal, lamb, and pork –– were top-notch, freshly ground, and prepared in a mildly zesty, parmesan-laced sauce with a powerful tomato flavor.
There was an impressive variety of sandwiches, all served with a side of big house-cut fries that were hot and firm and retained just the right amount of grease. A marvelous sandwich was the crab cake sammie on hamburger buns, a tender, grilled flat creation that had more crustacean flesh than bread-crumb filler. A layer of thinly sliced deep-fried onion rings had more impact than the swipe of spicy remoulade sauce, which barely registered.
The fried oyster po-boy featured half a dozen meaty, nickel-sized oysters breaded and deep-fried, along with spicy remoulade, fresh tomato slices, and a big green romaine lettuce leaf. The sandwich was very good, but the fried green tomato BLT was even better –– the tomato slices were thickly breaded and fried until they were patties, with ample strips of crisp, fatty bacon. Ironically, this BLT was served on what appeared to be multi-grain bread, perhaps the healthiest concession we found at Monty’s Corner. That’s OK. The world is full of healthy eating options. Monty’s will likely carve its own niche as a good place to visit when you feel like calorie-splurging.
[box_info]
Monty’s Corner
2600 W 7th St, Ste 153, FW. 817-877-0087. 11am-5pm Sun, 11am-9pm Mon-Thu, 11am-11pm Fri-Sat.
All major credit cards accepted.
Crab-cake sammie …………………….. $12
Oyster po-boy ………………………….. $8
Fried green tomato BLT ……………… $7
Monty’s mac ’n’ cheese ……………… $6
Veal, lamb, and pork meatballs ……. $7
[/box_info]
