Hurtado Barbecue Owners to Open New Tex-Mex Spot in Arlington, Beren Mediterranean Relocates to Former Maiden Space, and More Fort Worth Restaurant News

Spring has arrived, bringing a fresh wave of restaurant openings in Fort Worth and Arlington’s bustling Entertainment District. With an elevated Tex-Mex concept from a local barbecue pitmaster on the way and a new tenant stepping into the former home of Maiden: Fine Plants & Spirits, these are the latest developments in Fort Worth’s ever-growing dining scene.

LOMA TXMX to Open in Arlington’s Entertainment District

Owner of North Texas’ Hurtado Barbecue, Brandon Hurtado, and his team are putting the finishing touches on their newest restaurant, LOMA TXMX, to welcome Texas Rangers fans by Opening Day on Friday, April 3. After taking over the vacated El Tiempo Cantina space at Choctaw Stadium four months ago, Hurtado set to work repainting the space, remodeling booths, and adding dark-stained wood elements throughout.

“My wife and I have always wanted to open a Tex-Mex restaurant,” he tells PaperCity Fort Worth. “After being in the barbecue business for the last seven, eight years, we’ve grown to really know the fast casual environment. We have this great relationship with the Texas Rangers, thanks to our concession stand there in Globe Life. After talking to one of the owners of the Texas Rangers last fall, he invited us to dinner. That’s when he told us that this space had opened up.”

Loma is Spanish for mound and slang for pitcher’s mound.

“So the pitcher is responsible for delivering to the plate, and so are we,” he says with a laugh.

Hurtado’s menu at LOMA will offer “new age” Tex-Mex options like baked oysters with spinach and chorizo, topped with Oaxaca cheese. There will be house-made tortillas made using smoked beef tallow from his barbecue restaurants. Other options will include Wagyu mesquite-grilled fajitas, shrimp brochette, street tacos, and both poblano chicken and short rib enchiladas.

The restaurant will also have an expansive cocktail list, with several cocktails chilled with liquid nitrogen or tinged with mesquite smoke. Hurtado says he is excited to have his newest restaurant located in Arlington’s entertainment district.

“We will be serving guests from all over the world,” he says. “We have the World Cup coming this summer. I just think there are tons of opportunities for small businesses like ours in the area.”

Beren Meze & Grill House Relocates to Former Home of Maiden: Fine Plants & Spirits

When Maiden: Fine Plants & Spirits closed last year, Fort Worth lost one of its most progressive restaurants — along with a striking dining space. With so much care put into shaping the interior, Fort Worth will soon have every reason to revisit 1216 6th Avenue.

Beren Meze & Grill House, formerly Beren Mediterranean, will focus on Turkish cuisine, with signature kebabs and classic Mediterranean breakfast dishes, including the “Empire Delight,” made with smoky eggplant puree. Last year, we reviewed Beren Mediterranean and recommended the Ottoman Kavurma, a generous cut of braised beef shoulder plated on buttery rice mixed with sliced almonds.

With an April opening on the horizon, Beren Meze & Grill House arrives just after Chef Tim Love’s Mediterranean-inspired Meraki, adding its own take on skewered meats to Fort Worth’s steak-heavy dining scene.

Hogs for the Cause Launches Trail of Barbecue in Texas

A national nonprofit recently expanded into Texas, allowing Lone Star State barbecue restaurants to raise funds for families of children battling cancer. Hogs for the Cause has raised more than $14 million for hospital programs and charities nationwide. Already, several high-profile barbecue purveyors have signed on, including Fort Worth’s Goldee’s Barbecue. Other participants include Rollin Smoke BBQ (Austin), Truth BBQ (Houston), and Burnt Bean Co. (San Antonio).

Hogs for a Cause marked the Texas expansion with a $2 million gift to Children’s Health, with the donation earmarked for the expansion of Children’s Medical Center Plano. Anyone wanting to support this worthy cause can visit any destination on the Trail of Barbecue. Individual barbecue joints choose how they want to support Hogs for a Cause, from point-of-sale donations to fundraising events.

A trail that taps into two Texas passions — barbecue and helping others.