chef’s point cafe

introduced to us by david after our brewery adventure at rahr & sons

when: 4:00 pm, saturday
wait: 25 minutes
customer service: A
food rating: A

i’ve never eaten inside a gas station before, but there’s a first time for everything. tucked inside is a little gem of a restaurant – chef’s point cafe – which was started by a nigerian immigrant and his wife. featured on guy fieri’s diners, drive-ins and dives, the couple tells the story on how they wanted to start a restaurant, could not get a loan for one, but COULD get a loan for a gas station. and there is the birth of chef’s point. located out in watuga, tx (ft. worth).

when you walk in, to the right is the typical findings inside a gas station – snacks, beef jerky, beverages… and to the left is a kitchen and around 20 odd tables with chairs. a little sketch? maybe so – if you didn’t know any better. forget about being able to sit if you come in after lunch hour has already started. david, g and i were there at the random hour of 4:00 pm and still had to wait nearly 30 minutes to be seated. it’s simple inside – nothing fancy. the tables feature printed advertisements from local businesses and the waiters are all smiles and friendly.

starving by this time, so right when david, g and i sit down and peruse the menu, we quickly order our food. took around 10 minutes or so, but felt like eternity as i eagerly waited to fill my belly.

appetizer | stuffed artichokes bottoms - stuffed with crab meat and cooked in the chef’s point asiago sauce – this is something i’m going to crave from time to time. simply covered in the asiago sauce in which i was spooning into my mouth after all the artichoke stuffed crab was gone. simply delicious. the stuffing was good and you can taste the crab. i only wish there was more than just three on the plate… and more artichoke!

my entree | grilled salmon – leave it to me to order the only “not-as-good” thing on the menu. the salmon was beautifully grilled, but was relatively tasteless and a tiny bit overcooked. i liked the red potatoes and was expecting more based on the description, but the fresh mixed vegetables (aka squash and zucchini) kind of conquered the plate. all in all, it wasn’t terrible, but i do with it were a little more tasty.

g’s entree | duck – half-roasted and with chef’s point orange sauce, this duck was the perfect blend of sweet and salty. the skin was crispy and delicious – probably my favorite thing about this dish. the flavor was genuine and true to the bird. served with angel hair pasta, the sauce mixed together with the duck and noodles so well.

david’s entree | blackened stuffed chicken - filled with pepper jack cheese and crab meat, this bad boy was sooo good. the chicken was so juicy and covered with the same amazing asiago sauce that was in the artichoke appetizer. not sure what else i can say about it except that it was perfect.

summary – this dive of a place serves genuine, loved and non-pretentious food. it’s comforting, homey, and as you can see from the above pictures, will not short change you on the amount of food given to you for the price. if ever in the fort worth area, this place is definitely on the top of where i would stop by for a bite to eat.