lonesome dove western bistro

***please read to the end! that’s where the magic is!*** (ok, skipping forward is acceptable, but you’ll miss something!) when my wife and i go out to blow out for special events like our anniversary, we take on a money is no object, live life large mentality. this lead us to the lonesomedovewestern bistro by renowned chef tim love in fort worth. with a price point of $$$$ on many web sites and foodie related apps, finding it along main st. adjacent to the fort worth stock yards might at first seem out of place. i don’t want to give too much away too soon, but trust me on this… it was worth every red cent. unassuming for what is absolutely fine dining, the location along main street in north fort worth would be easy to miss if it weren’t for the valet parking out of nowhere. we entered the lonesomedoveabout 15 minutes before our reservation. *pro-tip* don’t arrive to your reservation early. be as close to as on time as possible. once we entered and was met by our host, we noted a well appointed bar taking up the entirety of one wall. being as well appointed as it was, anyone else that was early to their reservations was already enjoying a spot. there were a few diners that were enjoying their meals seated at the bar as well. the reason i say to “not” show up early, is that standing room is very limited and with “social distancing” being the norm, it could potentially be awkward. while at the front of the restaurant, we were able to see the “cowboy chefs” flying around the intentionally displayed kitchen in the back among servers and small *poof*s of flame from time to time. the room we entered was dimly (appropriately) lit with couples seated at tables across from the bar. little did we know, that there was a huge dining area on the other side of the wall behind the bar. this also included an outside seating area through open double doors where we were seated. the décor was spot on texas class and the whole layout allowed a nice flow of servers and guests alike to move in comfort. ok… now that we got the “boring” stuff out of the way. lets get into the real reason you are still reading my review. chris, our server, was “all business” when getting us seated and taking care of our initial drink orders. he allowed us to go over the menu and answered any questions when he returned to the table. we finally ordered 2 appetizers. the bbq duck spring rolls with hoisin sauce and the blue corn lobster “hushpuppies”. i will start with the latter, the quotation marks around “hushpuppies” is accurate. it’s actually how it is on the menu, and for good reason. forget your ideas on some chain restaurant filler that comes with your fries and whatever “fest” is going on for the month. these are fork and knife flavor bombs! the outside is a flavorful shell of fried blue corn flour and spices, but the magic is in the middle! i honestly cannot tell you what exactly the filling was, but the sauce that accompanied the lobster pieces was delectable. i highly recommend this! the duck spring rolls are a horse of a different color if you are expecting your traditional asian fare. they are perfectly fried so that the wrapping expands, and the filling and associated duck is juicy and perfectly seasoned. the hoisin sauce was a perfect fit and added a little more moisture to the rolls, but they were able to completely stand on their own. now hang on folks… i have to start a new paragraph for the main course. it was a masterpiece! we ordered the wagyu tomahawk ribeye with grilled langostinos, wild mushroom-truffle orso and roasted asparagus as our main course. it may seem pricey, but when you see it serves 2, and then you see what you get when it comes out in all of it’s glory… like i said before. worth every cent! this brontosaurus chop of a bone on wagyu beef tomahawk presented on a bed of rice, wild mushrooms, and a sauce i cannot adequately explain, served with halved prawn and roasted asparagus was a meal fit for royalty! chris, our “all business” server, kicked back and allowed himself to become a part of the continued preparation at our table as well as our evening of celebration as he expertly cut the steak and portioned everything on to our plates for us. that… first… bite… look, there is no way to maintain your professional and culinary appreciative integrity by ever putting “omg” into a review. so i will simply say this. as a man that believes in jesus christ as his personal lord and savior, if ever i was given the chance to treat him to dinner, i would take him here. i don’t say that lightly! this ribeye was cooked to culinary perfection at medium at the recommendation of chris. the marbling was absolutely perfectly rendered adding a softness and flavor i have yet to have experienced anywhere else! expertly seasoned, picking up the rice, sauce, and mushrooms with each bite of the wagyu was absolutely interplanetary (read out of this world)! the prawn was succulent and certainly drove me to prioritize when to eat what, saving as much as that steak and rice to the last bite! chef love and his crew at the lonesomedovehave created a masterpiece with this dish so much so that i simply cannot wait to share this meal with my friends and family. i rarely end a review like this because it simply sounds like shameless gushing, but… thank you to all of the lonesomedovefamily for truly giving us a night to remember!

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finally got around to trying lonesomedoveand it is worth all of the hearsay and hoopla. easily on a short list for knoxville's best of the best. the ingredient quality really shines, but not as much as the creativity, which is at a world class level. not many places serve, rattlesnake, quail, rabbit, and elk under one roof. you can literally close your eyes and pick something on the menu and not be upset in the least. chef love was an awesome host and i did not know he was a winner on tv network's iron chef. the food is a tad pricey, but the kind of pricey that is oh-so justified. one of knoxville's must try food experiences.

i've been to lonesomedovetwice now and both times it has been amazing and my favorite fort worth restaurant to date. the service has been great both times (first time at a table; second at the bar). i love the plethora of different game meats that tim love offers at this restaurant. lets get to the items tried:

hand cut beef tenderloin- was one of the best steaks i've had period, but definitely in my 6 months in texas.

yukon gold mash- too be honest a lot of fine dining restaurants miss the mark across the country when it comes to mashed potatoes, but i feel like tim love does a pretty decent job with his here at lonesome dove.

white truffle mac $ cheese- they use either orzo pasta or something similar. it's definitely different. it was good, but not the best i've had.

elk carpaccio nachos- they were made in the same style as the kangaroo carpaccio nachos. very delicious. it was my first time exploring with elk, but i really enjoyed it.

seared foie gras, cinco cebollos, and grilled toast- first and foremost i am a foie gras fiend. i haven't met any foie gras i haven't loved. tim love's interpretation here is delicious as can be; a must try.

seared lamb lollipops with yuzu aoili- i am a huge lamb fan and especially chops. i love the pairing of the yuzu aoili here; very unique, but in a positive way. perfectly cooked. my wife stated they're the best lamb she's had anywhere and i make her get it just about everywhere we go.

blue corn lobster hushpuppies with watercress butter- i thought these were very good; like an even better version of a crab-cake.

seared diver scallop, duck confit and salsify puree- really enjoyed the inclusion of the duck confit here. very tender. the scallops were cooked perfectly.

kangaroo carpaccio nachos, avocado salsa, habanero-fig demi glace- first time trying kangaroo and i loved it. tasted like a better version of carnitas and was amazing!

hamachi tostadas, ponzu, cilantro, toasted garlic, bacon and serrano- this were quite amazing. yellowtail with jalapeno or serrano and ponzu is just a lovely pairing to me always.

authentic mexican churros with chocolate, caramel and raspberry dipping sauces- i ma not going to lie, i could live without the chocolate and raspberry sauces, but the churros themselves paired with the caramel was divine.

in closing i may find a better fort worth restaurant one day, but lonesomedovewill forever remain a favorite of mine and is my favorite presently in fort worth. i definitely would recommend coming here.

top-tier steakhouse. i can think of a handful of occasions where i've had a steak this good. i've never had one better. due to both the high cost and the extensive marbling of the wagyu ribeyes chef love favors for his dishes... lonesomedoveis best experienced as a rare treat. (please pardon my incredibly lame pun.)

but the bottom line is that, even here in the heart of cowtown, steak just doesn't get any better than this.

amazing. lonesomedoveis tremendous. i love everything about it. its sometimes difficult to get reservations, but that should be expected with its location and delectable food. the menu is a little intimidating at first, but if you just let your guard down and trust it, you'll be amazed. the ingredients all work together, and the flavors are outstanding! if i could afford it, i'd eat here every evening.

my coworkers' fault, not lonesome dove's. although i'm giving lonesomedovea negative review, i think the food is very good. for the price you pay to eat dinner there, you would expect nothing less. that being said, my one experience eating there was so wrought with annoyances that i vowed never to return.

first and foremost, i went to lonesomedovewith a large group of coworkers. being in fort worth, i fully intended to order a steak, but the woman next to me began talking about how she wanted a chile relleno plate but didn't think she could finish an entire plate. being in a good mood at the time, i offered to share the plate with her. when we ordered drinks, she remarked that she'd like a beer but didn't want a whole one, so i offered to share half her beer with her. meanwhile, the rest of the table ordered a gantlet of appetizers, of which a sampled a few, and a large quantity of wine, of which i had none. after the group reached a non-unanimous agreement that we should divide the bill equally, i ended up paying $100 for half a beer, half a chile relleno, and a few samples of appetizers. if that's not enough to leave a bad taste in one's mouth, i don't know what is.

now for my minor grievances. although the food is tasty, the chef clearly goes out of his way to offer a selection of meats that border on bizarre. offering one or two dishes with rattlesnake or ostrich is appropriate, but when you offer at least half a dozen unusual meats, it appears over-the-top and feels like you're in a recreation of the restaurant scene from the movie "the freshman."

during the visit with my coworkers, we were nestled in a back room with a table large enough to accommodate our group. joining us in that room, at a separate table, was a couple that appeared in almost every way possible to be an older gentleman and a young woman who couldn't possibly have been his wife. he was all over her so much that it was creepy-- i'm sure that they were kissing each other with food still in their mouths. in any case, the scene reeked of sleaziness and didn't help the ambiance.

next time i'm in ft. worth and want to spend $100 on a meal, i'll drive over to texas pit bbq and get 25 brisket sandwiches and an iced tea.

fabulous. went to lonesomedovethis weekend and all i have to say is great!
the atmosphere was better than i expected including the cowboy hat covered cooks. the waiter suggestions were right on. the sampler for appetizer with whatever we chose was more than awe inspiring. elk sliders are to die for! rabbit and snake sausage had a great bite to them. lobster rolls creamy and rich! never had a better lamb anywhere. garlic stuffed tenderloin was o so tender.
seeing chef tim love actually present in his restaurant...more than i had hoped for!
congrats on a great place...

highly memorable, especially for visitors. after hearing about it forever, i finally made it over to the lonesomedovewith some colleagues from new york. with a big group, i was fortunate to be able to sample rattlensnake sausage, kangaroo nachos (with great guacamole), elk sausage sliders, and lobster hushpuppies as appetizers. all were fantastic and the server was happy to split them up for everone to partake. if i had to choose just one, i'd go with the lobster or the rattlesnake. i had the cucumber jalapeno margarita which was really nice. my buddy said his organic margarita was good too. for my salad, i had the butter lettuce with bacon lardoons and chili buttermilk dressing. it was very good. my friends had postive feedback on the bacon and egg salad and the seared diver scallop (e,g, "cooked perfectly"). for my entree, i thoroughly enjoyed my red deer chop, although the mushrooms on the side were a bit underwhelming. i also sampled the garlic beef tenderloin and the buffalo ribeye, both fantastic. of the three, i liked my chop the best. we shared lots of sides on the table, all good - but the truffled mac and cheese was outstanding. do not skip it. we had several good red wines, just pick what you like. for dessert, i had the cappucino flan. even if you don't like flan, you should have this. it was ridiculous. my second favorite on the table was the mexican donuts, hot and sugary - i watched a guy abandon his atkins diet for them!!! the pumpkin bread pudding and chocolate cake get honorable mentions. all in all, everyone was totally satisfied with the meal, even those from manhattan where variety and quality abound. i was very proud to show-off some of our local talent and can't wait to return with my wife and friends. spying their lunch menu, it appears you can get all the variety at a lower price... :) speaking of, dinner was not cheap, but for what you got, i'd say it's a good value.