Café Mirador at Forty Five Ten Will Bring Dallas Hits to an Intimate Setting in Fort Worth

One of Fort Worth’s buzziest new upscale retail and dining projects is nearing its debut at 3220 West 7th Street, with doors expected to open by year’s end. The new storefront in the Cultural District will give Fort Worthians an artfully pared-down iteration of Dallas’ lauded Forty Five Ten and its fourth-floor restaurant, Mirador. We recently sat down with the Headington Companies team behind the ambitious new project.

Jeny Bania, Headington Company’s chief marketing officer, tells PaperCity Fort Worth that the retail space is geared toward savvy, style-driven shoppers seeking fashion with a “capital F,” referring to Forty Five Ten’s portfolio of celebrated designers Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens, Bode, Celine, and other upscale brands. A cadre of loyal Fort Worth shoppers influenced the decision to open a location in Cowtown, she says.

Cami Goff, a Fort Worth philanthropist and wife of developer John Goff, is a regular customer at the Dallas flagship, along with veteran banking executive and civic leader Elaine Agather, and nudged the Dallas team to bring the Forty Five Ten experience to Fort Worth. The crown jewel of the satellite location will be Café Mirador, which will feature the original restaurant’s hallmark burl wood and white oak decor, bringing the warm, sculptural design aesthetic of the Dallas space into a more intimate Fort Worth setting.

A Closer Look Inside Café Mirador

Café Mirador’s culinary operations will be headed by a Fort Worth native, Chef Manny Gutierrez, who brings years of experience in the hospitality industry, including stints at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas and Gaylord Texan. Working at Mirador, he tells us, has taught him to be “detail-oriented” and focused on anticipating the needs of guests.

“Our team is very excited to bring our concept to Fort Worth,” he says. “The openings of Don Artemio, 61 Osteria, Emilia’s, and The Chumley House have elevated the quality of dining there. We envision Café Mirador to be equally top-level — a marriage between hospitality and excellent food.”

Decisions about the menu and future changes to the culinary offerings will be made jointly between Gutierrez, Chef Travis Wyatt (Mirador’s executive chef), and Coner Seargeant, VP of restaurants at Headington Companies.

Chef Wyatt tells us that many of Mirador’s “hits” will be available at the Fort Worth café, which will have around 33 seats and a full-service bar. The Mirador Margarita, ahi tuna cornettes, chicken bites, eggs Benedict, and other brunch, lunch, and dinner options will be sourced from local, seasonal ingredients. Wyatt says his kitchen goes to great lengths to reuse trimmings whenever possible while never compromising on flavor or presentation.

“Manny will know the market well,” Wyatt says. “We are going to see what works. I think we will have some really big hits that do exceptionally well.”

A New Vision for Fashion and Dining in Fort Worth

With Café Mirador’s Saturday and Sunday brunches, afternoon tea sessions, and lavish dining options, an afternoon in the company of top-tier fashion will become a fun, social tradition for shoppers in Cowtown, Bania says. Fancy a bottle of champagne ordered to your fitting room or a Mirador Margarita in hand while you shop? Those are all part of the vision for Fort Worth’s forthcoming upscale retailer.

“You need to be able to give people reasons to explore a brand without the pressure of making a purchase every time,” she says. “You may have lunch at Café Mirador 10 times before you buy that piece. That’s what is great about what we offer. You don’t have to feel like any eyes are on you. Shopping doesn’t have to be so transactional. We’re holding on to that sense of hospitality where you can go out with friends to go shopping, including going to lunch and getting a glass of wine, while gathering and enjoying life.”

With a December opening now in sight, Café Mirador and Forty Five Ten’s debut might be a holiday gift we can all get behind.