After all the home-cooked meals over Thanksgiving weekend, are you ready to let someone else handle Christmas? Here are some chef’d-up ideas for your consideration.
1.) All Fish City Grill locations in North Texas, including Burleson and Mansfield, will offer “chalkboard specials” throughout December, including a horseradish Arctic char (with Creole mustard cream, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and sugar snap peas) for $24.99; chimichurri shrimp tacos (avocado crema, pico de gallo, cheddar jack cheese, and cilantro, served with Cuban black beans and rice) for $16.49; or the FishWich (beer-battered haddock, cheddar cheese, dill tartar, and lettuce for $14.99). “Any of these would be great paired with the Mystic Mermaid oysters,” Chef Molly Winkler says, referring to a new proprietary East Coast variety only available at Fish City Grill and its sister Half Shells concept. They’re served with a “perfect” cucumber-citrus mignonette. Other specials are unique to each restaurant and will change twice daily. You can see them via live chalkboard cameras at FishCityGrill.com/Locations. Choose your location and click “daily specials” to see what is available now.
2.) Blue Mesa Grill (612 Carroll St, Fort Worth, 817-332-6372) is serving a festive Christmas-Themed Buffet Brunch 9am-4pm Sun, Dec 22, featuring cook-to-order stations and an array of Southwest-inspired dishes like adobe pie (in chicken and black bean varieties), blue corn cheese enchiladas, and a street taco station, plus beef tenderloin, red chile-glazed ham, redskin mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and Southwest stuffing. If breakfast is what you seek, enjoy made-to-order omelets, huevos rancheros, Belgian waffles with fresh berries and whipped cream, or crispy fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, and more. The dessert station has chocolate fudge brownies, Christmas cookies, mini flans, banana pudding, fruit cobblers, and sopapilla cheesecake with cajeta. The price is $40 for adults (includes mimosas), $12 for kids ages 6–11, and no cost for children 5 and younger. (Keep an eye out for surprise appearances by Santa Claus throughout the day.) For reservations, call the restaurant or book a time slot via OpenTable.com.
3.) The Central Market locations in Fort Worth (4651 W Fwy, 817-989-4700) and Southlake (1425 E Southlake Blvd, 817-310-5600) have chef-made meals with all the fixings for in-store pickup all month. From fresh ham and turkey to traditional sides like cornbread dressing, whipped potatoes, mac ’n’ cheese, and more, plus scratch-made pies like pumpkin chiffon, pumpkin cream cheese swirl, or the famous Four Seasons pie, CM has you covered. For pricing and details on ordering, visit CentralMarket.com/Holiday-Meals.
4.) From Friday thru Tue, Dec 24, Hotel Drover presents the 12 Days of Drover. When you stay at the hotel on any date now thru Christmas Eve, you will receive guest-only access to memorable holiday experiences at the resort. The VIP package includes complimentary pictures with Santa and live reindeer; holiday carolers; spirited cocktails, coffee, and hot cocoa; and a s’mores roasting experience for four.
5.) For any upcoming potlucks or parties where you’d like to provide the meats, Sammie’s BBQ (3801 E Belknap St, Fort Worth, 817-834-1822) has you covered. Christmas meat choices include whole briskets, smoked beef tenderloin, smoked turkey, spiral ham, and ribs. For pricing or to order, call the restaurant 10:30am-6pm Tue-Thu or 10:30am-9pm Fri. They are open on Saturdays, too, from 10:30am until they sell out.
6.) If you’re catching up with friends and family a little east of here for the holidays, consider a Take-and-Bake Bundle from Barrel & Bones in Carrollton, The Colony, or Dallas. For $129.99, enjoy your choice of a whole smoked turkey or spiral smoked ham with two half-pan sides, a Caesar salad, and 20 dinner rolls with housemade cinnamon butter. Side options include cornbread dressing, glazed carrots, coleslaw, green beans, mac ’n’ cheese, and twice-baked potato salad. All of these items, including a decadent bourbon pecan cake, are also available a la carte. Orders must be made at least three days prior to pickup at BarrelandBonesTX.com/HolidayCatering.
7.) While passing through Dallas, there is also a foodie-oriented gift item you should check out. Gorji Restaurant (5100 Belt Line Rd, Ste 402, 972-503-7080) is offering Pick Up & Go Holiday Gift Pacs throughout December for $85. There’s a selection of two Gorji gourmet products, including arrabbiata, dipping oil, pomodoro, pomegranate dressing, or puttanesca — each chosen in celebration of the winning awards in various blind judging food competitions — plus a specialty Italian pasta and a bottle of Bouchard Aine & Fils Pinot Noir 2022. For an additional $30, you can add a copy of the international award-winning book Hidden Gems of America. Call the restaurant to order. For more info, visit ChefGorji.com.
8.) As for NYE, we’ll get to that next week. Instead, let’s skip right over to crawfish season. While typically not available until January or February, crawfish are available now if you know where to look. As of last week, diners can order mudbugs at The Cajun Market at Bourbon Street Bar & Grill (1833 Airport Fwy, Bedford, 682-254-6500) starting at noon on Thursdays until they run out for the day. Traditional Louisiana boiled crawfish will be sold by the pound for both dine-in and takeout at market price, which is currently $9.99 a pound, plus 30-pound bags are available at a discount for those who want to do a boil at home. “As we approach the end of football season, it’s the perfect time to begin planning bowl game and Super Bowl parties,” owner Derek Pope says. “We’re so happy to be able to share our take on mudbugs, corn, and potatoes with our guests at a competitive price.”
