The Chumley House

A Preview of the Opening of the Chumley House in Fort Worth | Eater Dallas

"A new restaurant from Duro Hospitality (the group behind Michelin-recommended Dallas restaurants Mister Charles and El Carlos Elegante, as well as Sister and the Charles) will officially open on Monday, November 25 in Fort Worth. Homsey explains the concept and origins: "Our first thought was, do we bring an existing concept to Fort Worth? We talked about Sister, which we intend to scale at some point. It was important to do something new for Fort Worth. As we looked at what was missing and what people are attracted to there, it evolved into this European steakhouse with some London flare. We take research and development trips three and four times a year to get inspired about what we’re doing currently and to look for ideas for future restaurants. We got turned on by everything we saw on a trip to London, but it wasn’t at all specific to thinking about a restaurant for Fort Worth; it just evolved that way. As we thought about interior design and creating a warm environment, it all seemed to line up and make sense." Martin situates the inspiration in London’s multicultural identity: "If you think about it, what is London? It’s Arab, Indian, a melting pot of African cultures,andit’s bangers and mash and beef Wellington. It’s a melting pot of cultures." Homsey adds that the menu will reflect that breadth: "There are some Indian-inspired dishes, and loosely Mediterranean-inspired dishes. There are some French and Italian influences." On fitting into Fort Worth, Martin warns against repeating the obvious: "Everyone layers on this Western vibe in Fort Worth and, by the way, I love it. It’s not what they need more of right now. Do we have some ideas for a Western-influenced steakhouse? Yeah, we do. If the opportunity comes up, great. We’ll put it into play. People who are dining out in Fort Worth are two types. Old Fort Worth which is ridiculously wealthy, and they’re coming to Dallas for dinner. If Dallas is too far, they’re going to the airport and flying to London, L.A., Palm Springs — and they’re doing that as much, and in my opinion more, than the guys I know in Dallas. West of Fort Worth is Plano-ish, with Aledo and Benbrook. It’s affluent, they want more to do, and its different but its the future of the Metroplex." The team positioned the concept as a clubby, darker, warmer sibling to Mister Charles: "We’ve been thinking of this clubby version of Mister Charles that’s a little darker and warmer for awhile. This put a big bow on it. We’re going to do something that has a nod to Ralph Lauren in a lot of ways. If you’re looking for a salad and a steak, we’ve got you. If you want to go off the beaten path and get something you won’t find in a you everyday steakhouse, we’ve got you too." On the name origin, Martin says the name comes from his dog, who was "a big Bouvier [des Flandres] who was a chill, regal animal." Menu highlights and chef/partner preferences are given in full: Martin notes the return of beef Wellington as playful and balanced: "It’s so much fun and we thought it fit. It’s pretty balanced if you think about it — it’s got protein, carbohydrates. [laughs]" Homsey singles out a signature riff on British meat pies: "I keep going back to the butter chicken pie. Meat pies are pretty popular in the UK. We also have a meat pie on the Charles menu that rotates, and as we were developing this we thought it would be cool to have a pie that didn’t change and had unexpected flavors that are similar to chicken tikka masala in a crusty, flaky pot pie." Martin is similarly effusive about other dishes: "I love the entire menu, but the saag paneer I’ve had ten of out the last 13 nights. All the steaks are dynamite. You get some scones that have garam masala when you sit down — the scones are bangin’!" On resources and rollout, Martin and Homsey say they paused other expansion to focus on Fort Worth: "We’ve shelved everything that we have to focus on Fort Worth. We’ve hadthat Homewood spacesince..." Homsey adds, "Technically, almost a year." Martin explains the decision not to rush growth and to make sure the team and existing restaurants were in order: "Our original plan was to rush and get something open there, then do Fort Worth. That felt really stupid. We did not get into this business to open restaurants. What we’ve done over the last year is spend a lot of money [laughs] mothballing Homewood and setting it aside to get the team right in Fort Worth, and work on our existing restaurants to make sure things were right. Listen, I like reading about the new restaurants too — I even go to some of them. The last thing we wanted to do was grow too quickly and allow the company to change in any way." The new restaurant is open now at 3230 Camp Bowie Blvd., Suite 150 in Fort Worth; reservations are available online." - Courtney E. Smith