The area around East Fort Worth near interstates 820 and 30 isn’t known for being a hotbed of healthy, scratch-made cuisine. The Library Café, tucked in a corner of the strip mall anchored by The Potter’s House of Fort Worth church, aims to change that.
My guest and I ventured in on the late side of the Sunday lunch rush, gambling that we’d avoid a crowd from the church. We won: There were only two other occupied tables in the sun-drenched dining room, which is decorated with a comfy mishmash of books and library memorabilia –– including an old wooden card catalog, musical equipment, and Afrocentric art.
[box_info]Library Café
1280 Woodhaven Blvd, FW. 817-446-4100. 10am-7pm Sun, 11am-2pm and 4pm-8pm Tue-Fri, 4-8pm Sat. Closed Monday. All major credit cards accepted.[/box_info]
The menu is as diverse as the décor. Traditional soul food classics share space with a halal beef sandwich, a roasted veggie wrap, and a Kobe beef burger.
We started with Gert’s Bean Pot, which turned out to be a hearty gumbo-seasoned bowl of beans, chicken, and sausage. The sausage was fairly fiery, and the gumbo spices were heavy, even with the mix of beans. The Cajun-influenced seasoning produced a tickle at the back of my throat. If you’re fond of gumbo, this is a good appetizer choice.
All of the sandwiches and entrées on the Sunday menu (which also doubles as the dinner menu) come with two side dishes. The Black Angus brisket entrée was super-tender and subtly smoky. There was no telltale red ring around the edges of the juicy, substantial portion of sliced meat that just fell apart at the touch of the fork, only a hint of wood smoke. The turnip greens had a lovely, almost sweet flavor that was completely different from the anticipated salty taste of traditional greens stewed for hours with bits of pork. The slightly crunchy greens paired exceptionally well with the brisket. The side salad of chopped lettuce and tomato came with a scrumptious creamy house-made dressing that was a cross between creamy Italian and ranch, with a hefty shot of dill.
The giant grilled chicken breast was cooked so perfectly that the skin was crispy and all the juices were locked inside by the sear. The black bean and corn side salad was exceptional: Crispy corn kernels, black beans, chopped red onion, and other spices combined to provide a nice kick with a gorgeous color. In contrast, the side of plain rice, made without a lot of discernible spice, was a little underwhelming.
Both the brisket and chicken came with a ramekin of strongly hickory-flavored barbecue sauce that was too much on the sweet side. But no matter –– both entrées were plenty tasty without sauce. And the generous portions provided a nice amount to take home for midnight snacking.
The only real disappointment in this leisurely, well-paced meal came at the end. Apparently, the earlier church lunch rush cleaned out the buttermilk pie. Since the restaurant’s closed on Mondays, go early on Sunday if you want pie.
Your meal at the Library Café will leave you feeling full and may leave you feeling a little philanthropic as well. Founder Joyce Brown, a native of Sierra Leone, donates a portion of each purchase to East Fort Worth Montessori, the local school that she helped start with her late husband (Dr. James T. Brown), Cook Children’s Medical Center, and an orphanage in her home country.
[box_info]Library Café
Gert’s Bean Pot
w/chicken and sausage $2.50/cup
Black Angus brisket $13.50
Grilled chicken breast $11.50[/box_info]
