Chef Felipe Armenta tells Fort Worth Digital Diary that the barbecue-centric menu at his F1 Smokehouse on University Drive is making a slight shift, becoming F1 Bar & Grill instead. You’ll still be able to get your favorite barbecue items like those ridiculously flavorful pork ribs and tender brisket, as well as a a new pulled pork sandwich with honey mustard barbeque sauce and pickled red onions, but it will now be a bit more steak-focused. And, for good reason.
Along with raising a young family and churning out inventive new concepts from Fort Worth to Midland, Felipe Armenta also has his own herd of wagyu cattle at his AF1 Ranch in Walnut Springs, Texas. He says raising his cattle has inspired an increasingly farm-to-table format at his restaurants, knowing that sourcing the best ingredients is always the place to start.
“The ground beef at all of our restaurants is already supplied by our wagyu herd, and the tallow is used to fry all of the French fries on our menus, ” Armenta says. Tallow fries are, of course, right on trend, as the world quickly shuns seed oils for health reasons.
Now, he wants to spotlight the meat in new ways. So, F1 Bar & Grill will become more steak-focused, as the rebrand makes a shift in the coming weeks.
Inside Chef Felipe Armenta’s F1 Bar & Grill
Armenta and his Far Out Hospitality Group (including his collaborator chef Graham Elliot) have plenty of concepts to choose from, including Maria’s Mexican, Le Margot, and Press Café (which is one of the best patios in Fort Worth), just to name a few.
His original Tavern opened in 2011 on Hulen Street. That chef-inspired take on a neighborhood bar and grill was so popular that he followed it up with Towne Grill in Fort Worth’s Alliance area in 2021. He also has The Grill in his hometown of San Angelo. Every neighborhood, it seems, needs its own grill restaurant. And, we don’t disagree.
You Might Consider This Cowboy Prime’s Baby Brother
His white tablecloth steakhouse, Cowboy Prime in Midland, has become quite popular as an all-wagyu steakhouse, and Armenta plans to bring more of that flavor to town as he repositions the University Drive restaurant to F1 Bar & Grill.
“Think of this as the baby brother of Cowboy Prime,” he says.
One new dish will be the Wagyu Salisbury Steak, which Armenta calls “a classic done the FarOut way.” A new showstopper, called Wagyu Picanha, features perfectly seasoned and grilled sliced steak. There will be a 10-ounce Denver cut, an 8-ounce Bavette, as well as a filet mignon and a flat iron steak on the new menu. And, other new dishes have been rolled out on the new F1 Bar & Grill menu, including truffle honey fried chicken and a blackened campfire trout. Both dishes are served with mashed potatoes and charred broccolini.
“If people love The Tavern being an American grill, they’re going to freak out over this,” he says.
And, he’s probably right. I’ve always been a fan of his well-balanced menus with something to please everyone at your table. So, if you love the American grill format, or when you’ve simply got steak on your mind, his new F1 Bar & Grill should be on your list.