Pulitzer Center • 30th October 2025

My Letter to Ukrainians Around the World

It was the middle of my reporting trip when I found myself at a Pijana Wisnia wine bar in Krakow, Poland, with a Ukrainian war veteran named Kamilla Kosenko.
One ypa (Ukrainian cheers) after another, she told me, “We are going to give you a night you will never forget.” 
We started with a scavenger hunt around Krakow. From broken brick roads to Jewish synagogues that have stood since before WWII, it was surprising that I learned more about Ukraine’s culture than the Polish town we were walking t...

Pulitzer Center • 30th October 2025

Russia Burns Evidence of Ukraine’s Culture, but These Women Rewrite Their Own Stories in Poland

Clutching her 5-year-old son, Klement, close to her heart, Kamilla Kosenko agonizes over how she ended up in Krakow, Poland.
Kosenko and her son are among nearly 1 million Ukrainians who have found refuge in Poland since the war with Russia started more than three years ago, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Kosenko, like many other women in her situation, is searching for answers. The recently retired military veteran and lover of history said her new life in Poland, although far...

Pulitzer Center • 30th October 2025

As Refugees, Ukrainian Women Navigate a More Permanent Life in Poland

Starting a new life sounds daunting to anyone, but for refugees, it is a permanent solution to an issue that they never thought they would have to solve. 
It's been three years since Vladimir Putin’s Russian war machine invaded Ukraine. Since then, more than 6 million Ukrainians have fled across the globe. Since 2022, nearly 1 million have found refuge in Poland.
Poland has never had a history of accepting forced immigrants, but since the war began, Ukrainians have been allowed to cross borders...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 18th October 2025

Look Inside the new Fort Worth brunch spot, Cafe Mirador

Champagne, caviar and lobster rolls for brunch? The Dallas-based Headington Companies is bringing its Mirador penthouse restaurant to Cowtown.

Cafe Mirador will open inside the new Forty Five Ten boutique at 3220 W. Seventh St. in Fort Worth. This area of West 7th has been growing with trendy businesses within the last five years. Don Artemio and the Crescent Hotel have both been luxurious additions to the surrounding block that are well-received by locals and visitors.

The flagship Forty Five...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 22nd September 2025

How a North Texas Mexican-Japanese fusion bakery went viral

Confectionery enthusiasts love Mexican desserts like conchas and Japanese treats like milk bread, but what about the two fused together?

Pan Pan Bakery and Cafe, at 2110 Roosevelt Drive Suite A in Dalworthington Gardens, filled a gap in the Dallas-Fort Worth bakery landscape that many didn’t know existed: a Mexican-Japanese fusion bakery. Pan Pan blew up online overnight due to a video that raked in 19 million views and 3 million likes on TikTok.

Laura Molinar is the shop’s 21-year-old owner....

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 29th August 2025

Check out the NADC Burger in downtown Fort Worth on a budget

I’ve heard buzz about the NADC Burger ever since it popped up in Austin in 2021.

On paper, this burger is a dream — double-smashed wagyu beef patties with melty American cheese, grilled onions, sweet but spicy jalapenos and pickles that come with “secret sauce.”

And then actually taking a bite of the burger makes you transcend.

If you ask to make any modification to this burger, the cashier is going to tell you:

”Not a damn chance.”

And I’m going to tell you: Trust them.

The concept came f...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 21st August 2025

New Japanese diner, bar coming to South Main in Fort Worth

A new Japanese restaurant in Fort Worth has been getting lots of buzz on social media — and no, it’s not a sushi place.

Its name is Ichiro Izakaya Diner and Bar, and it’s located at 401 Bryan Ave., Fort Worth.

This downtown Fort Worth neighborhood is home to local favorites like Sabar Barbecue, Panther City Barbecue, and Coco Shrimp, but it lacked a Japanese restaurant until Ichiro Izakaya opened its doors.

“Izakaya” is traditionally a type of Japanese bar that serves small snacks and alcohol...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 8th August 2025

Take a tour inside Fort Worth’s new The Mont restaurant

An evening at The Mont feels modern, yet timeless, with its contemporary atmosphere, 1950s-inspired decor, glamorous views and rhythmic service. It can be whatever you want it to be.

From the minds of co-owners Jason Cross and Jeff Payne, and culinary director Michael Artis, The Mont is a mid-century modern restaurant with contemporary American cuisine. The new establishment opened Aug. 7 in the Montserrat neighborhood of southwest Fort Worth.

The star-Telegram took a tour of the restaurant th...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 4th August 2025

A guide to Fort Worth’s Hyderabad House Biryani Place menu

The new Hyderabad House Biryani Place near Alliance Town Center has an extensive menu of Indian dishes.

The menu offers fried rice, noodles, curries, kebab, but the restaurant is known for its biryani rice. (Biryani rice is the “crown jewel” of most Hyderbadi Houses.) However, there are more than 20 different options for that dish.

Biryani is a rice dish that layers rice and meat, made with aromatic spices. What makes this dish so flavorful is the way they cook it, using the dum cooking method...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 4th June 2025

Discover No Vacancy, a hidden speakeasy in West 7th

A new invite-only speakeasy is coming to the West 7th Entertainment District — and it’s hidden behind a green door that looks like an alleyway dumpster.

No Vacancy is its name, and it will be located at 2811 Bledsoe St. #200, right next to Koe Wetzel’s Riot Room. In fact, this new speakeasy is from the same brain behind Riot Room — Emil Bragdon.

Bragdon’s hospitality company, Funky Lime Hospitality, runs quite a few bars in the West 7th district. You may also know Reservoir, The Whiskey Garden...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 19th May 2025

Lunch under $25 at Sour Boule cafe in Fort Worth

Right now sourdough and pickles are all the rage, and luckily for us, Fort Worth’s The Sour Boule restaurant has both.

The Sour Boule is a bakery and cafe located in west Fort Worth. Not only is it cheap, but it’s also a meal made from scratch.

Our Eats Beat reporter, Bud Kennedy, recently wrote about Sour Boule expanding into a bigger space because of popularity. I knew I had to check it out myself– especially as a sourdough lover.

After I saw the menu prices, I knew I had to share with you...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 3rd May 2025

Take a look inside Ko Thai, a new Fort Worth Thai spot

Magnolia Street has a new snazzy Thai restaurant on the block.

Ko Thai is a new two-story restaurant on Magnolia Avenue with traditional Thai dishes but also specialty items curated towards the southside culture of Fort Worth.

From the owners of Koracha Thai in Benbrook, Joy Theepaka and “Nick” Thana Pornin thought they would bring the Ko (cow) to Cowtown.

“We could have gone to Dallas, but Fort Worth doesn’t have much Thai food,” Theepaka said.

Spice is a block down the street at 411 W. Mag...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 5th February 2025

La La Land Kind Cafe now open in Fort Worth

Lines wrapped around both the drive-thru and storefront corners Wednesday, Feb. 5 as dozens of customers patiently waited to try Fort Worth’s newest coffee shop, La La Land Kind Cafe.

The bright white and yellow building is hard to miss on 5733 Camp Bowie Blvd. This is the first Fort Worth location for the North Texas-based coffee shop. There are 11 other locations in the Dallas area.

The extreme lines are surprising, considering the fact that this is La La Land’s soft launch of the Fort Worth...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 6th January 2025

8 Fort Worth restaurants that allow BYOB

Going out to eat can sometimes be costly, especially if you are ordering drinks along with your meal.

However, one way to cut the cost is bringing your own beverage to enjoy.

Bringing your own bottle is also known as BYOB. Most eateries that enforce this do not have a liquor license, so they allow their guests to serve themselves. BYOB most commonly refers to beer or wine, not hard alcohol. However, you should double-check with the restaurant on which alcohols they allow.

There are a handful...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 13th December 2024

5 places to buy Christmas tamales in Fort Worth for under $20

Growing up in a large Mexican family, tamales are a staple for Christmas.

I mean, we really had no choice. If all 70 family members wanted to be fed, we had to have an absurd amount of both American holiday food and, of course, tamales. And this may be an unpopular opinion, but I find American holiday food to be particularly nauseating.

However, I digress. I understand that this is a widespread Christmas tradition, not just a Gonzales family tradition, which is why I scoured Fort Worth for the...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 29th November 2024

Fort Worth taco restaurant gained Michelin recognition

Rogelio Cortez started with a $100 bill to buy some meat to make a few birria tacos.

Now, his four-year-old taco restaurant is recommended by the Texas Michelin Guide, a world-renowned guide that tells people where the best places to eat are.

Texas first gained a Michelin Guide honor in 2024 when 15 restaurants were awarded stars, though no Fort Worth restaurants were recognized. However, Cortez’s Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez and Panther City BBQ in Fort Worth were mentioned as restaurants Mich...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 26th November 2024

Take a look inside this Michelin Fort Worth barbecue joint

Ernest Morales loved the show BBQ Pitmasters, so he and Chris Magallanes traveled to Burleson for a competition.

It was their first time competing together. They ended the trip by winning the Grand Champion title. The taste of victory was enough to get the duo hooked, and they started their current business, Panther City BBQ.

The competition money wasn’t great. They both continued their full-time jobs at an audio and visual company, but the winnings were enough to replenish all the groceries t...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 2nd November 2024

The food at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth’s restaurant is a work of art, too

I’d never been to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth until I went for this article. But I didn’t go for the art; I went for the food.

The museum’s restaurant, Café Modern, is owned by Wolfgang Puck Catering and operated by head chef Jett Mora.

The elevated dining experience looks out at the Modern’s sparkling reflection pond and sterling trees.

The menu rotates depending on the season. Its sophisticated palate reflects the modern, high-end art that the museum showcases. In my opinion, Mora’s...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 28th October 2024

Tired of the typical Tex-Mex? This taco place does things differently for only $6 a pop

Move aside, Tex-Mex. Mexi-Terranean is the new top dog.

It’s not that I won’t ever have margaritas with brisket queso ever again; it’s just that sometimes the classic steak fajitas get a little old.

My colleague, Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy, brought Tacos Y Rocky to my attention, and it was exactly what I was looking for.

Jissis Villogas and Bo Armendarez, the owners of Tacos Y Rocky, previously worked out of a food truck until they moved their business into various ghost k...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 26th September 2024

Whiskey Cake Fort Worth is opening at Alliance Town Center

This Fort Worth restaurant’s most popular menu item gave them its name.

Whiskey Cake.

The gooey, sticky cake will be available in Fort Worth in Alliance Town Center beginning on Oct. 6. This region recently gained the ever popular H-E-B as well as other new restaurants like Son of a Butcher and Chop Shop.

“Our signature dish, which is a classic date and whiskey cake recipe, very dark in color by nature, but we put a vanilla bean cream on glaze, whiskey toffee sauce, and candy pecans,” says Ni...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 17th September 2024

‘Yellowstone’ star Cole Hauser had a cup of joe in Fort Worth as part of ‘dream’ project

Cole Hauser stopped by a Fort Worth Walmart at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, and it wasn’t to grocery shop.

At 3 a.m., a line the length of the building started to form, full of “Yellowstone” fans who were excited to meet the lead star and get coffee bags autographed.

The 49-year-old actor doesn’t just act. Hauser also co-owns Free Rein Coffee, which is launching a line of products in 1,700 Walmart locations across the country. He showed up in classic Free Rein fashion by “getting up and getting aft...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 4th September 2024

Rendezvous at Winewood Grill in Grapevine

What better way to celebrate National Wine Month—which originated in California—than to go to a Texas wine grill?

The Winewood Grill in Grapevine is the perfect date night destination to celebrate the best month of the year. While we do not live in California, we can still participate by sipping on some Napa wines.

Not that you need an excuse to have a glass of vino with dinner, but if you want one, here it is.

The Grill is known for its steaks and seafood, and of course, its extensive, 12-pa...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 30th August 2024

A rare glimpse inside the Eagle Mountain Lake site where a long-gone base helped win WWII

Just beyond the gates of the sprawling Kenneth Copeland Ministries complex on Eagle Mountain Lake, a lonely strip of airplane runway slices through empty fields and a scattering of gas pads.

Small planes occasionally come or go — mostly connected to Copeland, who bought the rural expanse on the east side of the lake decades ago. Closer to the water, at the end of a cracked concrete ramp, a weathered Quonset hut sits near the woodline.

There are few clues that survive here to what this site use...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram • 21st August 2024

Mi Dia From Scratch Grapevine Tex-Mex restaurant review

Mí Día From Scratch has been in business in North Texas since 2011, but in case you’ve never been or just haven’t tried it out yet, here’s what you need to know.

The Santa Fe-inspired scratch kitchen has three locations: Grapevine, Plano and Flower Mound.

In Grapevine I pulled into a completely full parking lot and I knew my lunch was going to be good. I mean, for a Tuesday lunch hour, this place had a short wait that people were willing to endure.

The food is all made from scratch with high...