On Thursday, September 24, my fiancé and I had the opportunity to attend an event at 44BOOTLEGGER, the hip retail space turned wine/beer bar to sample the newest addition to their operation. After almost a year and a half, Tommy and Tammy Brown have, with the help of Chef Jaime P. Fernandez, added a French and Spanish-influenced menu designed to be enjoyed and shared while sampling the 44 wines and 44 beers that are in constant rotation at the Magnolia location.

For the press dinner, Chef Jaime’s offerings included a variety of tapas-style appetizers and finger foods that were very well done and went splendidly with the drink selections on offer. The space is small but does not feel crowded. It’s a type of space that encourages visiting with other patrons nearby but is also conducive to a nice evening out with friends or a great date. On the night of our visit, the dining room was busy (44BOOTLEGGER’s website says it can seat 55), full of conversation and background music, but the area never felt cramped or stuffy. Tommy and Tammy seem to have seamlessly made the transition from boutique retail to hip bar and kitchen with apparent ease. Both Browns are friendly and approachable and very eager to talk about their kitchen and bar choices. Chef Jaime Fernandez is a one-man kitchen staff (Tommy helps out, as well; it’s one of many hats he wears) operating in a food-truck-sized kitchen and turning out dishes that many full-size kitchens would envy. Chef Jaime is adept at turning a single ingredient into part(s) of several different dishes with the common denominator (that evening, it was pears) never tasting the same across the selections. This type of culinary chameleon act speaks very well of the chef and his bosses. The chef because, well, he’s knocking out great plates, and the Browns for giving him the chance to do so, something which is not always common among managing owners.

The drink menu is continuously evolving and is rigorously curated by the Browns and their staff. All staff members, led by wine and beer guru Matt, pictured above, are very knowledgeable about the bar and kitchen goodies on offer and, like good food and drink geeks, are enthusiastic and excited to give recommendations and share knowledge about the products. I asked to see the kitchen, and while chatting with Tommy, he mentioned casually that he’s considering expanding. What this could mean is open for debate, but I sincerely hope that whatever the development might be, 44BOOTLEGGER maintains its personality, along with the personalities behind it. This is the type of place I love to take out-of-town guests to show them that there is much more to Fort Worth than barbecue and Tex-Mex. For further information, please visit their website for menu and drink updates, as well as upcoming events (including live music) and hours of operation.

David Geurkink is a recent transplant to Fort Worth. A former zookeeper with Fossil Rim, he is enjoying learning about all that his new city has to offer.

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We chose 44BOOTLEGGER as our rendezvous point early that afternoon. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this retail-turned-bar space, which is owned by the amiable couple Tommy and Tammy Brown. Sarah profiled the beer and wine store/bar recently. Presumably planning ahead for large crowds, several outdoor booths were set up to keep the suds and vino flowing.

I was curious how the exhibit by the hybrid gallery project Art Tooth turned out. Brandon Pederson, aka Bob the Builder, had one day to construct the project’s temporary walls. It was pretty rad seeing an impromptu gallery in a normally empty field across from The Bearded Lady. The walls were painted a light pink hue (not too Pepto Bismol as Brandon described it), and the open design allowed ArtsGogglers to freely pass through or stop in and buy an art piece. I can’t wait to frame the print I bought that day.

The next stop was fun but a little bittersweet. Musicians from the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra were performing outside Avoca Coffee. As you may know, the performers are in the midst of a strike. To their credit, the classically trained musos are volunteering their time for events like the one at ArtsGoggle. As we watched, one of the members announced that the next song would be from pop music icon Justin Bieber. Having got the audience’s undivided attention, the ensemble commenced with a chamber work by Brahms instead. It was a fun performance, but we’re all looking forward to seeing our resident symphony orchestra return to Bass Performance Hall.

Cat City Grill offered a nice respite from the crowds. My friends and I ordered two delectable appetizers (the prosciutto flatbread and fried calamari) along with a few drinks at this popular New American cuisine restaurant and bar. On our way back, we stopped by a Magnolia Avenue gem. The Sleepy Panther Bottle Shop is a no frills retail space that does craft beer right. The store cohabits a building on the northeast corner of Magnolia Avenue and 5th Avenue along with several other businesses. Sleepy Panther proprietor Cristall Heisch keeps her fridge and shelves stocked with the choicest craft suds on the market, and Fort Worthians are starting to take notice. After visiting with Cristall, I made my way upstairs to meet artist Guillermo Tapia. Besides pursuing his own career, Guillermo is helping pioneer an arts group called Artluck. The group hosts sketch sessions that focus on figurative drawings and paintings in private art studios. Like a lot of great Fort Worth movements (Keep Fort Worth Funky, Art Tooth, and The Usual’s monthly cocktail classes), the idea is to support the local community as a whole.

Our evening more or less ended at Magnolia’s favorite brewpub, Chimera Brewing Company. Sure, there was an unusually long wait for our pie to arrive that busy night, but we were warned. Some people might roll their eyes at the thought of an hour wait for a late night snack, but Chimera’s fiery Rucola or buttery Brie and Speck pizza leaves its competitors in the dust. And unlike Fort Worth’s other great pizzerias, this place make equally great beer. The wait was worth it.

Like our last meal, ArtsGoggle is a slice of something bigger. The blend of music, food, art, and retail works because it’s community-driven. And what could be more authentically Fort Worth than that.

P.S., Thanks for the awesome pictures, Yoori Marti!

Edward Brown writes about music, arts and news for a variety of publications. He’s an award-winning writer for the Fort Worth Weekly and blogger for Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau. He has published articles in Musical Opinion (U.K.), Canadian Music Educators Journal, and Clavier Companion,among others. When Brown isn’t writing about music, he’s actively involved in the local music scene as an educator, performer, lecturer, and judge for student music competitions. His professional affiliations include the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, where he volunteers as education director, and the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, where he serves on the board and artistic committee. Brown is a graduate of the University of North Texas and currently resides in Fort Worth. His favorite leisure time activities include local music concerts and perusing Fort Worth’s growing gastropub scene.

The post Purely Fort Worth: ArtsGoggle Fall 2016 first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

I’m a little bit of a wine snob. Just a touch. I mean, I’ll drink anything in desperate times. But when I have the choice, I like to get something I haven’t had before, or a glass that I know I’ll love regardless of circumstances or sobriety.

Enter 44BOOTLEGGER off Magnolia Avenue. It’s not new to Near Southside, but it’s newly reinvented. In its former iteration, it was a retail shop, selling furniture — like long oak tables (want), which still adorn a dozen or so dining rooms in Fairmount, along with lovely items such as Birkenstock sandals, copper mugs, luxury candles, and chic apparel. But when people walked in, explains co-owner Tommy Brown, they thought it was a bar. People wanted it to be a bar. So the owners decided to give customers what they wanted, and hopefully, create a space where Fort Worthians could enjoy a drink and, come October, a small bite to complement it.

But what really sets them apart in the city, says Tommy, is serving an equal selection of quality wines and beers — that’s 44 different rotating wines and beers on-site all the time. This, not surprisingly, makes a lot of couples happy. Personally, I always want wine (that aromatic, tingle-my-taste-buds-with-intrigue malbec). But many of my male friends want beer (I’m talking to you, Eddie Brown). And this bar has plenty of both, set in an atmosphere that’s part cabin in the woods and part crafty hipster hangout with a canoe hanging from the ceiling for inspiration. Oh, and Tuesdays are happy hour, which means $4 glasses of choice vino and $4 beers (all beers) from 4 – 7 p.m.

“Our main goal is to kill people with kindness and have a great menu that rotates,” says Tommy. And that starts with giving people something unexpected and wonderful. “We have to be ambassadors for the city,” says Tommy. “People from around the country are coming to Magnolia Avenue, and we want them to come back.”

If you’ve never been to 44BOOTLEGGER, or you’re coming back for another visit, here are a few libations to get your summer in full swing:

1. Malbec Blanc (France): At $9 a glass ($33 a bottle) this not too sweet white wine goes well with summer picnics and pool parties. It has notes of honeysuckle, citrus, and granny smith apple, Tommy says. Take a bottle to go for $20.
2. Picpoul (France): Confession: I’ve never heard of this grape. But at $9 at glass ($33 by the bottle) I absolutely need to give it a go. The melon and citrus flavors would mingle well with a chicken salad or summer BBQ. Take a bottle of this hard to find wine home for $20.
3. BenZiger Cab (Sonoma): This winery offered the first biodynamic certified wines in the nation. What that means, says Tommy, is that it provides the highest level of organic farming possible. “I call it organics on steroids.” This wine also happens to be the most expensive and bestselling cab 44BOOTLEGGER carries. Get the love starting at $16 a glass, $59 per bottle, and $33 for a bottle to go. Tommy says, “It drinks like a $100 bottle of wine.”

Now, on to beer — and the top of Tommy’s roster of rad hops.

1. Lazy Magnolia: This beer from a Mississippi brewery is a nutty brown ale that’s smooth and lightly roasty. It’s the best selling beer here and $6 a glass.
2. Luponic Distortion: From Firestone Walker Brewing in California, this beer ($6 a glass) has a cult following, Tommy says. With a great blend of hops and malt, it provides a balanced taste without being overly bitter.

Cheers to summer drinks and new friends! See you on Magnolia Avenue.

For more than a decade, Sarah Angle has worked as a Texas-based writer. She began her career as a daily newspaper reporter and photographer, and now splits her time between journalism and marketing communications. Since starting her own freelance writing business, Sarah has worked for brands such as: Frito-Lay, RadioShack, Dairy Queen, Honda, Sid Richardson Art Museum, Samsung, and Pizza Inn.

As a journalist, her work has been published in the Washington Post, Boys’ Life magazine, Texas Observer, Fort Worth Weekly, The Dallas Morning News, and 360 West magazine. In 2014, she won first place from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for her feature story “From the Land of the Lost.” The following year, she earned a fellowship from the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization and became a board member for the Society of Professional Journalists, Forth Worth chapter. Currently, she teaches in the School of Strategic Communication at TCU. Sarah lives in Fort Worth with her darling daughter and a house full of books and mid-century modern décor.

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