Pictures of the Singing Chef’s musical heroes adorn the small (maybe 20-seat) restaurant.
Photo by Laurie James.
The Singing Chef Cafe, 8000 Wichita St, Ste 113, Fort Worth. 682-220-9261. 11am-7pm Tue-Fri, noon-4pm Sat.
A quintessential Renaissance dude, Sammy Fox is the singer/musician behind the tiny (maybe 20-seat) Singing Chef Cafe on the Fort Worth side of the Everman line. As executive chef, he draws from influences as varied as his mama and The Frugal Gourmet’s Jeff Smith to Julia Child, Martin Yan, and science geek Alton Brown. You’ll get a sense of Fox’s influences when you enter the restaurant. Pictures of him with his musical heroes at various venues are pretty much the only décor.
If you are a vegan CrossFitter worried about your cholesterol, this is not the place for you. This is home cooking –– huge portions, lots of fried food generously seasoned. Most plates come with at least one side. Leave your dietary rules at the door, because life is about balance, right?
The homestyle pork chop plate lived up to its name. Smothered in cream gravy, the chop and potatoes were sublime comfort food. Photo by Laurie James.
The restaurant has a local reputation for the plate-sized chicken-fried steak, but my dining companion took one look at the homestyle pork chop on offer, and that was that. This was easily the largest pork chop I’ve ever seen, with an even larger coat of crispy, crunchy, well-seasoned breading. Under the massive chop lay a piece of plain white bread to whisk away any extra grease. In fairness, there wasn’t much oil to spoil the enjoyment of the other white meat. The pork chop comes covered in a salty, peppery cream gravy that begged for mashed potatoes as a side. The potatoes were mostly a vehicle for said yummy gravy. A side of sweet-and-sour corn proved to be canned corn with a little vinegary kick. The new menu that dropped this month doesn’t have this item on it, which is just as well.
In retrospect, we could have shared a plate happily, but we had no idea how big one entrée was and the Stevie Nicks Classic hamburger called my name. It’s a full half pound of what must be some of the leanest meat served at any local restaurant because there was no shrinkage to speak of. The burger also covered most of a plate. The chef decides the done-ness. (If you’re more of a blue/rare person, speak up when you order.) When it came out, I was initially dismayed by the heavy outer char. However, that was just testimony to time on a flattop grill, and the burger proved juicy and delicious. American cheese will run you an extra buck. Fries seemed like the obvious choice as a side –– they were average and ironically the one food item where the seasoning mix was wasn’t tastebud-forward. The housemade greens proved to be a much better option as a second side. The greens still had texture (they hadn’t been simmered to death), and the vinegary base was offset by peppers laced through the classic comfort dish.
We also ordered a side of the fried okra, although that proved too much for us with all the food on the table. The chef has a deft hand with the breading, and the ratio of spicy coating to tender okra was perfect.
Banana pudding was on the menu, and because the pork chop, the greens, and the okra were so good, we thought we needed the treat. This was the best choice of our dining experience. The no-banana pudding was more like a cheesecake, with a subtle flavor augmented by a perfect shortbread cookie under the creamy top. Traditionalists just read that sentence and gasped, but try this dessert before you judge. The surface of the “pudding” is kissed with a little nutmeg, which just upped the deliciousness.
Because the restaurant’s essentially a one-man show, it’s occasionally closed for family needs or just because the chef is exhausted. Be kind, and check the Facebook page before you get your tastebuds up. The one thing I’ve learned over the last 20 years of food writing is that the anticipation of leftovers is a powerful indicator of how good the food really was. Since we’d over-ordered, we dropped off the leftover okra at my neighbor’s house. Then we went inside, leaving the leftover pork chop and gravy and half my burger in the truck. By the time we realized our terrible mistake, the leftovers weren’t fit for saving. Another trip to The Singing Chef is definitely in order, maybe in time to scoop up some sides for one of my holiday meals.
The Singing Chef Cafe
Stevie Nicks Classic cheeseburger $14.99
Homestyle pork chop plate w/two sides $14.99
Fried okra $3.99
Banana pudding $6
The Singing Chef’s Stevie Nicks Classic burger went best with the housemade greens. The fries were fairly average. Photo by Laurie James.
