Lasting Legacy

The Sicilian Butcher, 3200 Tracewood Way, Fort Worth. 682-253-5222. 11am-10pm Sun-Thu, 11am-10:30pm Fri-Sat.

Within the blueprints of the vanilla neighborhoods and copy/paste shopping centers dominating North Fort Worth, new restaurant openings are tagging along, and crowds are flocking. Whether locally owned or not, a burgeoning dining scene is taking shape just a mere 15 miles north of downtown which begs discovery.

This is where Chef Joey Maggiore opened his Arizona-based Sicilian Butcher last July as the fourth and first out-of-state location, in Alliance, continuing to pay homage to his father, James Beard winner and Sicily native Chef Tomaso Maggiore, who opened more than 50 restaurants during his lifetime. The Sicilian Butcher is one of several concepts by Chef Joey — his brunch-centric Hash Kitchen resides next door. Quite impressive but a long way from a mom-and-pop operation.

I had zero expectations except a brief glance at the menu online, but this dining experience could be summarized in one word: fun.

Near the entrance, the host podium stands in front of a glassed wine wall, but to be honest, the dessert shop to the right drew my attention. Gelato and Italian pastries (think: various cannoli shells with your choice of filling) proved to be a better greeting than the vino. Life is short. Eat dessert first.

With that mantra, tiramisu landed on our table. As described by the server, the assembly process takes three days. The cocoa powder-dusted espresso-soaked ladyfingers (sweet sponge cake) layered with mascarpone, or Italian cream cheese, held exceptionally well, making an easy cut with a spoon. Perfetto. Time well spent.

Vintage family photos hang under chandeliers that provide abundant lighting, which made it cafeteria-like rather than low-lit and cozy, our only turnoff regarding the atmosphere. The remainder of the décor is checkered black-and-white tiles and wallpaper with tomato-red seating, adding to faux brick- and wood-planked walls displaying antique baking platters hung with care. Very traditional Italiano.

The menu is extensive, interactive, and playful. Taking cues from our server, my guest and I still had trouble narrowing down choices to capture a fair portrait of the food. We intentionally avoided commonalities such as fried calamari, shrimp scampi, and charcuterie with in-house cured meats, aiming for items reflecting creativity.

We started with the tempura-fried zucchini blossoms, which came as full-fledged vegetables stuffed with whipped ricotta and corn, partnered with San Marzano tomato sauce. While straightforward, this dish would have been lifted by light seasoning. Or at least salt. The sauce seemed faint and a tad watery, and even when combined with the blossoms, a pop of flavor was still lacking.

The appetizer of boiled octopus and calamari was served in a hot pan with minced meat lying in a splashy white wine-lemon butter sort of like paella. Since Italy sits across the Mediterranean from Spain, this makes gastronomical sense. All the ingredients placed upon the grilled ciabatta proved a winning combination.

We catered to cured-meat expectations by keeping it light with carpaccio. Paired with peppery arugula, thin slices of parmigiano, and caper berries, the meat, when rolled together with all that plus a squeeze of lemon, offered robust freshness.

A jovial appetizer that seems gimmicky is the meatball Ferris Wheel (yes, served in a miniature Ferris Wheel) with six meatball versions, including eggplant and marinara or steak and truffle mushroom. Maybe next time.

We skipped the Neapolitan pizzas and Sicilian-style bruschetta with various toppings for some mains.

Yes, guests will find a six-hour braised short rib or grilled ribeye that our server promised is as good as any at a high-end steakhouse, but we were here for a bite of Sicily. Since baked manicotti and chicken cacciatore are typical Italian faire, we budged for the fazzoletti as recommended by our server. Known as handkerchief pasta due to its large square shape, the fazzoletti here is served like a fluffy pillow stuffed with a hearty three-meat ragu along with ricotta and mozzarella before being covered in a creamy and rich parmigiano sauce. Tasty, this dish also could easily be split between two diners.

Other options include baked chicken or pork parmigiano, though the build-your-own meatball-and-pasta dish whispered my name. We selected Chef Tomaso’s namesake meatball, compiled of veal, prime beef, pork, pine nuts, raisins, provolone, parmigiano, and herb breadcrumbs. Although a lot to unpack, it truly represented the Sicilian Butcher in our eyes.

Next, we once again went for the parmigiano cheese (OK, we really liked it) out of sauces like marinara, Bolognese, and others, followed by our choice of pasta, which was pappardelle instead of gnocchi, rigatoni, or any of the others that are available. This, too, could have easily been shared Lady and the Tramp-style if romance was in the air.

For cocktails, we ordered a tempered riff on an Old Fashioned called The Siciliano that came seemingly smooth due in part to amaro- and biscotti-flavored liqueur (yes, those Italian cookies offered on flights), and strawberry-infused Cocchi Americano added a gentle sweetness to the white negroni with gin and dry vermouth finishing it out. One more beverage, and I found myself sharing an intimate moment sipping from a bust of Michelangelo’s “David.” Inside his head was an incredible concoction of amaro, citrus gin, strawberry, ginger beer, and lime a la a Moscow Mule.

The Sicilian Butcher
Tiramisu $13
Stuffed zucchini blossoms $19
Octopus and calamari $18
Carpaccio $17
Fazzoletti $27
Build Your Own Pasta $22
The Siciliano $15