I don’t know about you, but this hint of fall weather has been absolutely rejuvenating for me. Without the oppressive heat beating down, I feel like I can take a deep breath and lift my head again, looking ahead to a cooler season with fresh possibilities. It looks like that feeling is reverberating throughout the dining world as well. Some restaurants are turning over new leaves at new addresses and another is making old things new with a subtle remodel. 

Clay Pigeon Food & Drink

Clay Pigeon Food & Drink is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a makeover. The co-owners of Foxcroft design studios, Jesse Neargarder and Eugenio Reyes Retana, said they’ve been working with chef and owner Marcus Paslay for more than a year to create the perfect design and create a strategic plan to keep the restaurant open during remodeling. 

The construction schedule has leaned heavily on Sundays and Mondays, when the restaurant is closed, as well as on some late-night shifts that stretched into the wee hours of the morning. Furnishings were built and finished off-site so there was no danger of lingering paint or stain fumes when customers returned to dine the next day. 

The focal point of the design is a stunning custom-built bar at the back of the restaurant which incorporates warm woods, curved banquette seating, cozy lighting and a large mirror behind the bar. “We wanted to make that a glowing space that draws people in sort of like a moth to a flame, a space that makes you want to linger,” said Neargarder. Touches of warmth and softness were added throughout, too, from new booths to fresh tile and lighting in the bathrooms. 

The project is about 90% complete, Neargarder and Reyes Retana said, and they expect the final pieces to be added by mid-October. Giving up “the big reveal” that designers love so much was worth it, they said, in order to honor Paslay’s desire to keep the restaurant open without fail for the loyal customers who count on Clay Pigeon for everyday dining and special occasions. 2731 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth; 817-882-8065

Cafecito

In some ways Cafecito has been on the move since Cinthya Duran and her mother, Yaneth Sanchez, first opened their Mexican breakfast food truck at the end of 2022. The popularity of their breakfast tacos and burritos, and their signature pink corn tortillas, quickly propelled them out of the food truck and into a spot in the Funky Town Food Hall on 8th Avenue, where they found a loyal following of staff at the surrounding hospitals. 

Only one year after arriving, they’ve outgrown that location. Soon, they will open in a larger brick-and-mortar space on West Magnolia Avenue that was previously occupied by Easy Monkey — and Fixture Kitchen — before that, across from the UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Institute. Current location: 1229 8th Ave., Fort Worth; 682-376-9749. New location: 401 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth

Vickery Cafe

If you’ve been around long enough, you may remember the cafe at 4120 W. Vickery Blvd. was Burdav’s before it was Vickery Blvd. Cafe. Starting in 1994, the Vickery Blvd. Cafe and its owner Curtis James continued the Burdav’s tradition of packing the house for breakfast, brunch and lunch, especially on the weekends. James had no intention of moving out of the beloved cafe space, but the landlord did not renew the lease this time around. 

The good news is that, with a slight renaming to Vickery Cafe, James and his staff will continue serving the same menu on West 7th Street near Chuy’s with the addition of beer, wine and mimosas. The restaurant will be tucked into the commercial spaces that are technically on Matisse Drive, facing Summer Moon Coffee. An employee at Vickery Cafe said they are hoping to open at their new location in the first half of November. Current location: 4120 W. Vickery Blvd., Fort Worth; 817-731-9933. New location: 2421 W. 7th St., Fort Worth

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