Executive Chef Manny Gutierrez Brings Heart, Hospitality, and Homegrown Roots to Fort Worth’s Café Mirador

As we recently savored a perfectly plated French omelet and other brunch delights at Café Mirador, Executive Chef Manuel “Manny” Gutierrez stopped by to chat, remarking on how little the surrounding district resembled his childhood memories in Fort Worth.

“That building used to be a post office,” he tells us, noting how The Crescent Hotel Fort Worth and other towering structures have transformed the neighborhood just north of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Hospitality comes naturally to the Northside native, along with a knack for executing ambitious brunch and lunch dishes from a surprisingly compact kitchen, all complemented by a cocktail program enticing enough to convert first-time guests into regulars. While a new restaurant often has the luxury of arriving without expectations, the 33-seat Café Mirador is the sister restaurant to Dallas’ lauded Mirador — the dining destination of choice for many of that city’s most discerning diners.

Café Mirador is Headington Companies’ first restaurant in Fort Worth. Like its Dallas counterpart, the Fort Worth outpost is attached to a Forty Five Ten boutique, albeit a more intimate version. Many of the dishes that made Mirador a Dallas dining destination are now available without the drive down I-30, including its signature ahi tuna cornettes, whipped ricotta toast, lobster roll, and beloved orecchiette pasta.

“We’re here to put on an amazing show for our guests,” he says. “If people are celebrating a birthday, I’m bringing a birthday tater tot [topped with caviar] to them and wishing them happy birthday. In Dallas, they are working hand in hand with Forty Five Ten, with a lot of their clientele coming to dine or shop. We are offering that same truly unique experience here.”

The Kitchens That Shaped Chef Manny Gutierrez

Gutierrez looks back on his childhood in the Northside fondly — family gatherings always centered around great food. He pursued a career in the hospitality industry to help people find and create their own memories.

Gutierrez took his first professional kitchen job at the City Club of Fort Worth while still in high school. He skipped culinary school in favor of learning directly from experienced chefs. After six years downtown, he developed a strong foundation in prep work, line stations, butchery, catering, and banquets, leaving him eager to seek out new mentors and cuisines.

He then took up a position at a steakhouse inside the Gaylord Texan, where large events could mean catering for groups of several thousand. Seeking exposure to new cuisines, Gutierrez joined Dallas’ Fine China at The Statler hotel (now closed) under chefs Angela Hernandez and the late Joshua Bonee, where he immersed himself in Pan-Asian cooking. He helped run the restaurant’s labor-intensive Cantonese duck program, gaining firsthand experience in the precision, planning, and consistency required in a high-end kitchen.

At now-shuttered Bullion, he sharpened his French technique under the guidance of acclaimed Dallas chefs Bruno Davaillon and Toby Archibald.

His stint at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, reinforced the importance of exceptional hospitality, while subsequent stops at Café Modern, The Crescent Hotel Fort Worth, and Toro Toro helped prepare him to lead teams and open ambitious restaurants. Today, Gutierrez brings those lessons home as Executive Chef of Café Mirador, where he emphasizes guest-first hospitality.

“I treat this place like it’s my home,” he says. “I’m essentially inviting guests into my house, and it’s my job to make them feel at ease and be comfortable. We also want to provide a very luxurious and upscale atmosphere.”

Dallas Roots Meet Fort Worth Swagger at Café Mirador

In the June issue of PaperCity Dallas, PaperCity Dallas Editor in Chief Billy Fong predicted Café Mirador would become “the go-to for local social soirees or a catch-up with girlfriends over deviled eggs and a shared lobster roll. The intimate interior brings together white oak floors, burl-wood banquettes, and Woka silk sconces.”

“The menu, curated by [Mirador] executive chef Travis Wyatt, features downtown Dallas favorites alongside new dishes created exclusively for our Fort Worth location, Forty Five Ten COO Anne Wallach tells us.

Already, Gutierrez is introducing subtle Latin influences to the Café Mirador’s menu, adding tamarind to a crisp dessert garnish. He’s also experimenting with a roasted elote dish — which quickly became one of our favorite bites of the afternoon — that could eventually make its way onto the menu.

“Whether you are having a friend visiting from out of town that you haven’t seen in years or months or celebrating another important event, we want this to be a place for you to come and show them a great time,” says Gutierrez.

After years spent mastering his craft across North Texas, Fort Worth’s newest executive chef has come full circle in the city where his culinary journey began. Welcome home.