Reata Restaurant Celebrates Three Decades

Reata Restaurant has become a Fort Worth institution. The steakhouse showcases Texas cuisine and Western heritage. As of May 3, Reata marks its first 30 years in Fort Worth. The year-long celebration will include an exclusive 30-dish tasting dinner, and other milestone moments are planned throughout the year.

Above all, Reata has been a special occasion spot for many in Fort Worth. For 30 years, it’s been our go-to for entertaining out-of-town guests and celebrations with family and friends. Reata is part of the community. Reata is a must-try classic steakhouse.

It even survived the tornado that swept through downtown Fort Worth in 2000.

The restaurant is hosting The Digital Living Archive, filled with those memories. “Reata is inviting the community to help build a giant digital scrapbook of those memories by uploading photos and stories from three decades of dining and special events at www.reata.net/scrapbook,” according to a release.

30 Years in The Restaurant Business

“We didn’t survive a tornado, a subsequent building closure, a pandemic, the Great Texas Freeze, and two relocations just to let 30 years pass quietly,” says Mike Micallef, president of Reata Restaurants and newly named chair of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve been through all of it with Fort Worth. This community carried us, and we want to spend the next year celebrating that.”

On May 3, Reata will kick things off with a special 30-Dish Tasting Dinner. This single-night, ticketed tasting menu on Reata’s actual Fort Worth anniversary. Thirty dishes and cocktails that have made Reata a legend will be served in tasting portions — from passed appetizers through signature mains and sides to a selection of desserts. Tickets are $175 per person. For more information and to reserve, call Reata at 817.336.1009.

A Lot of Fort Worth’s Culinary Talent Got Their Start at Reata

“Reata is proud to have served as a launching pad for some of the region’s most celebrated culinary and hospitality talent — and celebrates their success as part of the restaurant’s own legacy,” they say.

“You don’t build anything worth a damn without great people,” said Al Micallef, Reata’s founder. “When someone leaves Reata and builds something great, that’s the highest compliment there is.”

Here’s a taste of the talent that launched from Reata’s kitchen. Likewise, each chef has left an indelible mark on the restaurant and the Fort Worth food scene.

• Founding chef Grady Spears (Horseshoe Hill Café, The Burning Pear)
• Tim Love (Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Woodshed Smokehouse, Gemelle, Tannahill’s)
• Lou Lambert (Dutch’s Hamburgers, Lambert’s Downtown Barbecue, Paris Coffee Shop)
• Brian Olenjack (Olenjack’s Grille, Rex’s Bar & Grill)
• Todd Phillips, (Stonebriar Country Club, J.R.’s Steakhouse)
• Juan and Paige Rodriguez (Magdalena’s Catering & Events)
• Ped Phommavong, eight-time Iron Chef.

Reata Has Had a Big Impact Beyond The Kitchen As Well

On the management side of things, Reata Alums are making a big impact around town as well.

• Gigi Howell, who oversaw guest services at Reata and went on to manage its 203 Café, is now operating partner of the Westland Restaurant Group (JD’s Hamburgers, Margie’s Original Italian Kitchen, West Side Café, Pulido’s Kitchen & Cantina).
• Glen Keely, Reata’s former bar manager, co-founded Tinie’s Mexican Cuisine and Sidesaddle Saloon in the Fort Worth Stockyards and operates Thompson’s Bookstore bar and Poag Mahone’s Irish Pub.
• Misti Collicott, Reata’s former director of sales and catering, now leads events at Bluejack Ranch, the luxury Tiger Woods–designed golf and ranch community near Fort Worth.
• Russell Kirkpatrick, Reata’s longtime general manager, now serves as director of operations at From Scratch Hospitality, Marcus Paslay’s acclaimed restaurant group (Clay Pigeon, Piattello Italian Kitchen, Provender Hall, Walloon’s).

Kirkpatrick also co-founded the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival along with Mike Micallef in 2013. “Reata remains an active participant in the annual Festival. The associated Foundation has distributed more than $325,000 in culinary scholarships and local grants, ensuring Fort Worth’s culinary industry will be supported for years to come.

More To Come During Reata’s 30 Year Celebration

During the year, Reata plans to pass the torch to a new generation by developing a partnership with Fort Worth-area high school culinary programs. Reata wants to allow students to create original dishes inspired by Reata’s legacy. More details about this collaboration will be announced later this year.

Three new signature cocktails — one for each decade — will anchor the anniversary year bar program. The Thirty is built around aged spirits up to 30 years. One called Tres Décadas honors Reata’s three decades in the Fort Worth community, and Dirty Thirty is a very special dirty martini with a touch of heat.

The menu will reintroduce a few retired fan-favorites from Reata’s past. “Each dish comes with its own backstory — when it debuted, why it was beloved, and what it says about where Texas cuisine was at the time.”

And, Western artist Stylle Read, “will create an original mural celebrating 30 years of Reata and 30 years of Fort Worth’s growth alongside it.” The newly commissioned piece will be added to the restaurant’s art collection and permanently displayed.

The original location of Reata opened in 1995 in Alpine, Texas.

“My dad opened Reata because he couldn’t find a good meal in Alpine,” Mike Micallef says. “That was 1995. Thirty years later, we’re still just a family that wants to feed people well and give them a place to celebrate the moments that matter. The address has changed a couple of times. That hasn’t.”