The flashy Quince restaurant from Mexico opened a Fort Worth location in March, but it still hasn’t thrown a party.
Quince (“kin-seh,” Spanish for “15”), 1701 River Run, will make up for that on New Year’s Eve,
A few $150 tables still remain for Quince’s first New Year’s bash. It’s a “Studio 54” disco party with celebrity DJ Steffi Burns and a five-course dinner with beef tenderloin, lobster tail and a baked Alaska.
From opening day, Quince has been known for its dining room music and video, often synced with the music in the rooftop bar from the original Quince in historic San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
The menu was limited at first. But it’s complete now, matching another new Quince that opened on Lake Austin.
Chef George Ortega joined Quince after a career at restaurants across Fort Worth and Dallas. His new menu ranges from an $18 pimiento/cheddar burger to a $72 1-pound rib-eye with shrimp.
Quince founder Brian Sneed of Fort Worth opened the Mexico restaurant seven years ago. He called it a “great learning experience” to open two new Texas restaurants within four months.
In a message, Sneed wrote that the biggest learning curve in Fort Worth was figuring out the best vibe. Fort Worth wants dining to be low-key, while Austin wants an intense, high-energy dining room.
“Quince is night and day different than it was eight years ago because we watch and listen to what the customers want,” Sneed wrote, and even the Fort Worth location has changed remarkably in nine months.
He described the New Year’s Eve party as a “progressive experience” with a pianist at dinner followed by the disco event.
The $150 ticket includes a Veuve Clicquot toast, but other alcohol is extra.
(The days of the all-inclusive, open-bar New Year’s Eve party are mostly long gone.)
Italian fine dining
Here are some other restaurants with tables available New Year’s Eve:
▪ Caterina’s, 128 E. Exchange Ave., chef Tim Love’s fine-dining Italian restaurant, has tables early and late for Stockyards celebrants. (His Lonesome Dove only has tables very late.) Book at opentable.com.
▪ Piccolo Mondo, 829 E. Lamar Blvd., Arlington, an old-school Italian fine-dining restaurant with a pianist, has an NYE menu featuring pastas and a 1-pound rib-eye.
There’s space at most hours. Book on tock.com.
▪ Piola Restaurant and Garden, 3700 Mattison Ave., the reliable Italian restaurant near the Cultural District, has tables available most of the evening. Book at opentable.com.
(If you want Italian but not too high-end, Aventino’s, Campisi’s, Mancuso’s, Nonna Tata and some of the nicer pizza-and-pasta cafes are all good choices.)
More good restaurants
▪ Most restaurants founded by chef Felipe Armenta — including Pacific Table, Maria’s Mexican Kitchen and Press Cafe — have tables available on Tock.com.
His Hulen Street restaurant, The Tavern, is tightly booked.
▪ Rise Soufflé, the excellent French souffle restaurant with other seafood entrees, sandwiches, salads and stellar desserts, has tables available.
It’s one of few local restaurants that book tables on yelp.com.
▪ Waters Restaurant, 301 Main St., chef Jon Bonnell’s seafood restaurant, has tables available early. Bonnell’s namesake restaurant has a few tables both early and late. Book Bonnell’s and Waters at opentable.com.
▪ Most hotel restaurants and prime steakhouses will be open. Some may have marked-up specials; always ask.
▪ Suburban restaurants such as Acquario Italian Seafood in Keller, Le Bistro in Hurst or Towne Grill in Alliance Town Center seem to have more tables available than in central Fort Worth.
One big exception: The very good American Revelry restaurant in Burleson has only early tables.
If you didn’t see your favorite here, it may be booked.
This is a good time to book for St. Valentine’s Day.
This story was originally published December 18, 2023, 5:30 AM.
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source: star-telegram
