The National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Summer Spectacular is a marathon of a show, and it can wear you down if you let it. It’s important to give yourself a break, even if it’s just for lunch or dinner. Fort Worth, Texas, is my home, so I didn’t need to do much research to find a good spot to grab a bite to eat.
One my favorite places to take a hiatus from the fast-paced show coverage is Del Frisco’s Grille in downtown Fort Worth. Not only do I appreciate the open-air feel with a view of Sundance Square, but also the new-American style dishes. It’s only a few minutes from the Will Rogers Coliseum, too, so that’s a big plus.
It also doesn’t hurt that my brother, Cody Lynch, is the executive chef. We live pretty close, but our busy schedules don’t allow frequent meet-ups. If a quick hang out also means having a stellar meal, it’s a double win for me.
This time, I took my boyfriend, Chase, with me, in part for the good company but mostly so I could taste another dish. 😉 I started off my visit like I usually do – with the ahi tacos with tuna tartare, avocado and spicy citrus mayo. If I’m not feeling fish, I always go with the cheesesteak eggrolls, which I can only describe as a killer American version of the Asian classic.
For my main dish, I ordered the current Saturday special: the prime rib with the shallot buttered green beans. In typical guy form, Chase ordered the green chili cheeseburger with sweet potato fries. I’ll tell you this…with double patties, jalapeno jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickle, the burger is not for the faint of heart. Not surprisingly though, he finished the whole thing and proceeded to help me with my hefty portion of beef.
We were both entirely stuffed with full-fledged “food babies” when I saw the restaurant’s famous coconut cream pie making its way to our booth. Despite my better judgment, I made room for the heavenly dessert (a little too much room). But would you just look at it? It’s so beautiful, and it tastes even better than it looks.
As always, I was more than satisfied with my meal and overall experience. I would encourage anyone to take a break from the horse show for a quick bite. If you have your afternoons and evenings packed, you should check out their brunch. They offer some red velvet Belgian waffles that make you question what you ever thought a waffle was and crab cake eggs benedict that are to die for.
Quick Reference Guide
Del Frisco’s Grille
Overall Bit Rating (up to 5): 
Pricing $-$$$$: $$$
Next stop: ICHA Futurity & Aged Event
