West and Clear handicaps chances of success for Eddie V’s Prime Seafood in Fort Worth

by Steve Smith of West and Clear

FORT WORTH — How many new high-end restaurants can Fort Worth support? In the middle of Depression 2.0, a time of reduced expense accounts and born-again frugality, there would seem to be a limit to the number of high-end dining experiences that the market could bear.

Yet last year, we saw Lambert’s and Grace arrive on the scene, and now this month alone, we have Bob’s Steak and Chop House and Eddie V’s vying for the wallets of Fort Worth A-listers.

Already, there has been belt-tightening to meet the new austerity — Lambert's discontinued lunch service recently. But, even if the timing could have been better, it’s not like these guys can ask for a do-over. They’ll just have to hope that there are still enough people willing and able to drop $75 to $100 per person for dinner.

Even though they are entering the restaurant scene at a difficult time, I like Eddie V’s chances because they have a lot of things going for them. For starters, they’re focused on seafood, not steaks. The Austin Eddie V’s has become the go-to seafood restaurant, attracting the likes of Elvis Costello and Bill Clinton. Can the Fort Worth location draw such luminaries? On Friday, Jan. 23, the place drew, among others, Bob and Joy Ann Havran, U.S. Representative Kay Granger and Fort Worth Opera director Darren Woods. Local A-listers, all.

They’ve also got location on their side. As is true in real estate, location matters for restaurants, too. As one of the first tenants in the Museum Place development, Eddie V’s enjoys a premium location close to the museums and the Will Rogers complex. The decor has a Rat Packy, Mid-Century vibe that projects the aura of cool sophistication. Lots of low light and stacked stone. Oh, and a fine dirty martini.

But a restaurant will always be judged on its food and its service, and even though it’s not fair to evaluate a restaurant on either in its first month, much less its first weekend, I was generally pleased with the results.

We started off with the Broiled Oysters with Shrimp and Artichoke Fondue ($11.95) and the Wok-Seared & Sliced Pacific Ahi with Soba Noodle and Shitake Stir Fry, Light Soy-Sherry Broth ($12.95). The fondue and the oysters were a pleasant combination and the ahi was exactly as you would want it to be, lightly seared, thinly sliced and melt-in-your mouth delicious.

For the entrees, we had the Gulf Snapper Filet Meuniere ($22.95), which was sauteed expertly but just sort of unexciting. The Swordfish Steak broiled with fresh Jonah crab, avacado and red chile vinaigrette ($24.95) was more flavorful, the execution was superb, but still … it’s a whitefish. How exciting can it be?

The Chilean Sea Bass, Steamed “Hong Kong” Style with Light Soy-Sherry Broth and Sesame Spinach (Market price) did change my mind about that. As with the others, the quality of the fish and the preparation were first-rate, but I liked this dish much better. Although I found the soy-broth to be a little too intense, I would order this again.

I felt the same about the Crab Stuffed Colossal Shrimp Grilled with Lemon Butter and Chive Vinaigrette. Were they truly colossal? Nope, merely jumbo. But this was the best seafood dish I had all night. Again, top quality, well-conceived.

The most pleasant surprise of the night was the Double-Cut Colorado Lamb ($41.95), tender and grilled to a soft pink-gray inside. This was nothing like any lamb you’ve had before. I’d put this up against a lot of the steaks in this town. Outstanding.

For the sides, we had Truffled Macaroni ($7.95) and Cheese and Sauteed Steak Mushrooms ($7.95). I don’t know how you feel about haute comfort food, but I love it, even if the macaroni seemed a little heavy on the salt.

For dessert, we had the Apple Crisp ($7.95) and the Hot Chocolate Cake ($7.95), which I found tasty but unexceptional. I am curious about the Hot Bananas Foster Butter Cake.

The service was obviously still learning the ropes, but friendly and responsive. Owner Guy Villavaso and President and COO Jim VanDercook were also on-hand and quite cordial, greeting everyone and keeping things humming along. Will they have enough business to keep things that way? We’ll see. They certainly have plenty going for them.