The Brad hits lamb cook-off on Sunday at Love Shack So7 in Fort Worth

by The Brad of The Brad's Adventures in Food

FORT WORTH — I'm not snobby about it, it's just that I rarely spontaneously drive to Fort Worth to eat. I had told some friends that were planning to be in Fort Worth on Sunday about the "For the Love of Lamb" event that was coinciding with the official opening of Tim Love's latest Love Shack at So7 (SW corner of 7th and Museum Way -- the street address of 817 Matisse doesn't show up on map searches yet!)

I was lounging around my pad on Sunday, trying to motivate, when a series of slobber-inducing texts started to arrive. "Get over here, there's so much lamb ... ahhh ... ahhhh!" Fine -- road trip sounds like the ticket anyway.

It was 100°, but the place was opened up. I found the remedy for that (here). You can sit around the central bar, inside and out. Basically the same menu from the original location in the Stockyards.

Meanwhile: There was free lamb to be had! Along with the American Lamb people, Tim hosted Blaine Staniford (Grace), Jason Boso (Twisted Root), Jon Bonnell (Bonnell's), Aaron Staudenmaier & TJ Lengnick (Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen), Scott Freeman (The Porch), and Scott Romano (Charlie Palmer at the Joule).

Each made a lamb "burger," with the assembled masses voting in a cheer-off. The event also featured a couple of those Top Chef dudes -- Ilan Hall and Richard Blais -- doing a demonstration.

Blaine Staniford's was crrrraazzy. In addition to all of the fixin's, they added fried quail egg as well!

And the winner: Jon Bonnell of Bonnell's and his winning bacon-wrapped roasted lamb tenderloin slider with guacamole. It was delicious! (I'm sure his terrific Buffalo Trace Bourbon Mint Juleps didn't influence the judging.)

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