Back in May, in one of my first columns here at The Dish, we celebrated a few new restaurant openings and mourned a long list of closings. Spring 2024 was not kind to smaller, locally owned establishments, including some that had been around for decades. They managed to stumble along through the pandemic but never found solid footing again.
It was reassuring to see at least three new restaurants open during that bleak season, reminding us that while nothing lasts forever, new opportunities are always popping up on the horizon. We have one new opening to highlight here at the beginning of 2025 and many more coming in the months ahead. Sadly, we will continue to see closings here and there as well. In fact, one of those restaurants that we celebrated last spring closed its doors abruptly in December.
Closed: Tropic Lady
Tropic Lady was the much anticipated sister restaurant of Fort Worth’s beloved Bearded Lady. It opened April 20, an aptly chosen grand opening date for the smoking, tattooed Aloha-girl in the logo. The restaurant was known for its cocktails, mocktails and cannabis drinks perhaps more than for its fresh tacos and beachy vibes. No public comment has been made as to the reason for closing, but the last Facebook post was Dec. 10 — a message encouraging people to “Support Local” — and the restaurant’s website has been taken down.
Always Cooking NOLA
Meanwhile out on Randol Mill Road, Damian Crockem, known as “Chef D,” is climbing the ladder step by step toward his goal of owning his own Cajun restaurant. Crockem has been cooking since he was a teenager, but for the first 30 years mostly family and friends enjoyed his authentic New Orleans fare. Whether it was his place or someone else’s, he was always in the kitchen sauteing greens or pan-frying fresh catfish for whoever happened to be around. His son used to shake his head, saying, “Dad, you’re always cooking.”
When Chef D’s son was killed by gun violence in New Orleans, it was almost enough to take Crockem out as well. He moved to Fort Worth in 2022 to start over. Not too long after he arrived in Texas, Crockem happened to see a vacant grill in a gas station on River Oaks Boulevard and decided this was his moment. He would open his own grill and call it Always Cooking NOLA in remembrance of his son…