The Wait for the Woodshed Smokehouse is Over
by Celestina Blok
Tim Love told us in December, “It’s a lot of work putting something on the river.” That was three months after his original target opening date of Labor Day weekend. But the superstar chef promises that the months of delay will be worth the wait. He’ll open his new riverfront restaurant on Wednesday, Feb. 1, serving only dinner through Friday; then starting Saturday, Feb. 4, he’s serving coffee and breakfast pastries beginning at 7 a.m., followed by lunch.
Located at 3201 Riverfront Drive, just behind Hoffbrau Steaks, the Woodshed connects with the Trinity River trail system. Composed of corrugated metal, exposed wood and wall ventilation fans, the restaurant features indoor seating with glass doors that open up to a large courtyard facing the river. Designed by Bennett Benner Pettit (formerly Gideon Toal), the building received a 2011 Honor Award from the Fort Worth Chapter of The American Institute of Architects. Love said the Woodshed was intended to look and feel as comfortable as a backyard.
“Our whole goal is to promote life on the trail,” he said.
We got a sneak peek at Love’s innovative menu, which is sure to serve as a flavorful playground for foodies.
Here’s how it works. Each menu item is marked with a different symbol, representing one of four types of wood used to “influence” that particular item. There’s a key at the bottom of the menu identifying woods used: mesquite, hickory, oak and pecan.
“It’s different for every item,” Love said. “Sometimes it’s smoked, sometimes it’s grilled.”
Or sometimes the wood is used in a completely unexpected way, as is the case for the game bird with wood-braised spelt, listed on the menu with a hickory symbol.
“We take the hickory log and shave it down to the green part and soak it in ancho chile and white wine,” Love said. “Then we wrap the log in cheese cloth and make the spelt with the log in the braising liquid, so it tastes like hickory, but with no smoke. It’s the same principle as oak-flavored cabernet.”
The Woodshed is one of the first restaurants in Texas to offer wine on tap, including cabernet, merlot, pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Because oxygen doesn’t hit the wine until it’s poured, “you’ll never have a corked wine,” Love said. “It’s the purest form of wine.”
Twenty-five draft beers will also be offered, as well as a few canned varieties. But don’t ask for a cold mug or a wine glass – there’s no glassware in the place.
“All of our cups are biodegradable,” Love said. “And we don’t use straws. We don’t want them to go in the river.”
Although Woodshed has been touted as a quasi-barbecue joint, patrons will find more than a meat-filled menu of brisket and chopped beef. Love features fresh vegetables just as prominently, using unique preparation techniques to carry the wood theme. One example: a whole head of cauliflower smoked using oak.
“We treat it like a brisket,” Love said. “We season it, smoke it for six hours, chill it, cut it into large chunks and grill it, then top it with olive oil, lemon juice, chile arbol and mint.”
A warm salad of broccolini is grilled over mesquite wood. The beet salad features smoked pistachios and house-made ricotta. The guanciale, or pork cheek bacon, is cold-smoked over mesquite wood and cured with salt and sugar before taking its place atop the kale salad. Even hickory-influenced “fancy mushrooms of the season” are a center-of-the-plate item categorized under “New Q.”
“It’s a very fresh menu,” Love said.
Carnivores won’t be disappointed, however. “Traditional Q” includes beef and pork ribs and beef tenderloin. Pulled pork and chopped beef sandwiches are also offered (served with house-made mustard and pickles), along with a 16-hour smoked beef shin. More foodie fun: a flag hanging outside the restaurant will change daily, making cyclists and passersby aware of “today’s animal,” which will be roasted for tacos.
Prices range from $4-$8 for snacks such as smoked olives and whitefish dip with camp bread to $10 for “simple plates,” tacos and sandwiches. Entrees are $15-$21 and larger dishes designed to serve four people start at $75.
The menu also features several ethnic influences. Love is offering bourbon and Coke pork Vietnamese bahn mi sandwiches, Spanish paella and Korean bulgogi beef with kimchi, a condiment made of fermented cabbage.
Despite the heat he’s taken for signing a 10-year lease with the Trinity River Vision Authority without open bidding, as well as having to battle building code issues, Love said he’s very pleased with what the Woodshed will bring to Fort Worth.
“We have a full stage for live music and wood-fire pits to keep you warm. We also have lockers for cyclists and will have four bike racks,” Love said. “It’s really turned out great. We’re really proud of it.”
500 West 7th Street, Suite 1400