Bowie House’s New Ranch to Table Dinner Series Honors Texas Ranching Heritage in Fort Worth

At Bricks and Horses inside Bowie House, Auberge Resorts Collection in Fort Worth, the menu honors ranching culture in Texas, with numerous steaks and chops dominating the menu. Peruse the dishes, and you’ll see which ranches across Texas the restaurant is sourcing its beef from, including 6666 Ranch, Scharbauer Ranch, Broken Arrow, Rosewood Ranch, and more. There are no secrets here when it comes to beef sourcing, as executive chef Antonio Votta is eager to share Texas’ rich ranching heritage with guests, showing them just how great we have it right here in our own state.

Votta wanted to create a way to showcase the ranches that Bricks and Horses work with further, so he created the restaurant’s new Ranch to Table dinner series, which highlights a different beef partner every quarter. Aside from sharing a delicious beef-forward meal with fellow diners, the goal here is also education, as the featured ranchers, partners, and chef Votta talk you through each course and cut of beef, explaining how each dish is created and why each cut goes well with accompanying ingredients.

A First Look at the Ranch to Table Dinner Series

At the first dinner at Bowie House on March 26, Scharbauer Ranch and Midland Meat Company were featured. Midland Meat Company out of Midland, Texas was founded in 2015 by owners John and Amy Scharbauer, who are sourcing their beef from the family’s Scharbauer Ranch. John, a fifth-generation cattleman, spoke on the family’s origins in Texas, which began way back in 1883 and continues today over 140 years later. He informed us that the beef we were eating across all seven courses was a three-way cross between wagyu, Hereford, and Angus cattle — a cross of cattle he created on the ranch, which produces a tender, melt-in-your-mouth bite.

“A lot of people talk about farm to table, but we really like to say that we’re conception to consumption,” John told the table. “Were there from the selection of the bulls all the way through to harvest and when you’re eating the beef.”

Seven dreamy courses were spaced throughout the evening, giving John time to talk about modern ranching struggles and successes and running a cattle operation the traditional, cowboy way. After a few light bites of ribeye skewers and potato croquettes with a wagyu lardo, the meal began with wagyu filet carpaccio served with Ossetra caviar, smoked aioli, tiny brioche pieces, and arugula. You might be alarmed to see thin discs of raw beef on a plate, but the caviar and aioli with it created a rich, creamy, salty bite that was easy to love.

Next came a bone marrow flan with candied bacon, a red onion marmalade, and parsley salad. I don’t usually enjoy bone marrow, as I find it gelatinous and off-putting. But this was not like any bone marrow I’ve ever had, as it was creamy, fluffy, and a salty, savory dream. The oxtail raviolini with black truffle, ricotta, and a Barolo wine reduction was a hit across the table, and the hot rock cote de boeuf was sensational. John explained that this cut comes from the ribeye fat cap, which melts down as it’s cooked for a velvety finish. Paired with the flaky sea salt and olive oil, it was a simple yet perfect course.

To finish things out, a wagyu strip was served with poached lobster on a bed of coal-roasted sweet potato and topped with nasturtium, an edible flower. Of course, you can’t go wrong with steak and lobster, and this final savory course earned numerous compliments. The night ended with a gooey butter cake pie with sweet corn ice cream and whiskey caramel. I’m not a big dessert person, but this easily slid into the top five best desserts I’ve ever had, as the sweet corn ice cream offered the perfect hint of sweetness, coupled with a thick gooey butter cake on a salty crust.

The next dinner of the series is on June 19 with XIT Ranch, which was founded in 1885 and today has operations in the Panhandle and Weatherford, Texas, just west of Fort Worth. The ranch was started by the Farwell brothers, who came from Chicago. Texas traded the brothers three million acres in the Texas Panhandle in return for them building the new Capitol Building in Austin, which allowed them to get ranching operations started. Today, they raise black Angus and American Wagyu cattle.

Reservations for the June dinner will open soon, or you can contact Bricks and Horses for more information.