Photo by E.R. Bills.
I can’t remember how long ago it was now but close to 20 years. An acquaintance asked me to meet them for lunch at an eatery they highly recommended on the West Side, and I obliged, though somewhat skeptically. I was a Westside guy, and I’d never heard of the place. Turns out, it was a soul food restaurant right off Camp Bowie. Drew’s Place.
It was around this time of year, and the acquaintance recommended the smothered pork chops. I’d never had smothered pork chops, so I gave them a try.
I was shocked. My tastebuds did a Snoopy dance!
The chops were insanely good. The meat fell away from the bones, and the flavor was down-South dreamy. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of Drew’s before.
A creature of habit, I turned to Drew’s smothered pork chops for years. But then I discovered the fried chicken. Soaked in brine and fried with peanut oil, the bird was just as spectacular. (Makes my mouth water just thinking about it as I write.)
Photo by E.R. Bills.
Andrew (Drew) and Stephanie Thomas opened Drew’s Place in 1987. Drew had been a star football player at Arlington Heights High School (just a little over a mile away from the restaurant as the Yellow Jacket flies) and played college ball at Texas Tech. Once Drew and Stephanie opened their soul food eatery, its reputation grew year after year. A consummate Black-owned mom-and-pop diner, it brought customers who got to know Drew and Stephanie a little. By far a latecomer, even I developed a friendship with them. Their inimitably savory food and wholesome demeanor have become staples of Fort Worth cuisine, and there’s no telling who you might run into there. Dallas Cowboys, Paulie Ayala, former mayor Mike Moncrief, Will Smith — Drew’s is a virtual who’s who of “soul” foodies in the know. And it should be for a while.
The menu mainstays are fried chicken, fried catfish, fried pork chops, and smothered pork chops, though you can also order baked chicken, fried buffalo wings, and chicken-fried steak. Drew’s Place is open 11am-3pm Tue-Fri, offering smothered chicken on Wednesdays. The sides are a cornucopia of culinary comforts, including green beans, collard greens, mashed potatoes with gravy, cabbage, fried corn on the cob, candied yams, and more. And, of course, every dish is served with homemade yeast rolls or cornbread. The desserts are also scrumptious and don’t last long.
Photo by E.R. Bills.
If you have friends or family in town and don’t feel like cooking, Drew’s 10-piece fried chicken box is a delectable treat for all and will afford you no small amount of culinary cred. But Drew’s also caters, and my acquaintance has hired them for parties of 500-plus with universal thumbs-up ratings. Drew and Stephanie even catered on a local airport tarmac for Oprah Winfrey once!
When the Reedy Prees contracted me to write 100 Things to Do in Texas Before You Die, Drew’s Place made the list. It was a no-brainer. And it was no friendly gimme. It’s rare I don’t eat there once a month, but I can hardly even make it that long. Those smothered pork chops and that fried chicken really are that good, and if you get sucked in, you may — like me — become a member of Drew’s Crew.
Drew and Stephanie are fine folks, and their eatery is a Cowtown treasure. If you’ve already been, go again. If you haven’t been, get there soon.
Photo by E.R. Bills.
