Vidalias Southern Cuisine Fort Worth

Two giant storms hit this weekend... One actual thunderstorm through all of Texas and the other..? The Lily Pulitzer for Target collection. If you haven't already had your Instagram and twitter (and probably Facebook) feeds inundated with Lilly love, you must not follow as many fashionistas as me ;-)

I can't say I'm as excited for this collab as others in the past... I still can't figure out why I'm not more of a Lilly fan... I love bright colors, I love feminine and classic and I love the beach. But there's something about many of the patterns and cuts that I find childish. Sorry! I feel like it looks good on others and perhaps just not me. Like when I look at a fave blogger Kate from A Lone Star State of Southern, who wears a lot of Lilly, I think dang she looks adorable!!! And then I don't feel the same for myself. Meh.  But with patterns being so hot right now, and the weather getting hotter, perhaps I'll take a closer look at this collection... That is if there's anything left!!

I worried more about the actual thunderstorm that hit Fort Worth Saturday while I wasn't home. I hate that!! As much as I love my crazy little life of picking up and taking off around Texas, sometimes it's so frustrating just not being home. I assume if my building had been hit by a tornadoand I were now homeless I would have heard it by now lol but still, it'd be nice to check on everything myself. 

This is been a busy week, mostly full of work and manual labor (hey, I'm little but tough!!) And despite being in Austin during Austin Fashion Week, nothing I did was fashionable haha. Instead, I'm working on a remodel and reno to get a great house on the market. So here's a classic example of... Does Cassie work in fashion? Or Interior Design? Or what? Yeah, I just do everything. That's the easiest answer. I love it all and who cares if I have multiple job titles!! So you may have noticed that there hasn't been a whole lot of cute outfit posts on my Instagram this week, mostly just casual stuff. (P.S. did you see my adorable Wifey T-shirt?? I know lots of newbie wifeys that should check it out!).

After all this hard work (my body hurts!) I'm laughing at myself and how different my days are... One week ago I was living the good life in Fort Wostarterhis Saturday I spent the day not sleeping, sweating, stepping in dog poop, moving furniture and boxes and barely eating (bloggers' lives are SO fabulous, just like everyone thinks lol)  Today I want to reminisce about my delicious steak dinner and how I ended the Main Street weekend! 

Main Street Arts Festival came to an end for me and the hubby with a fabulous dinner at Vidalias Southern Cuisine inside the Renaissance Worthing Hotel in downtown Fort Worth.  Sunday night at 9:00 was obviously a weird time to dine, but I was thrilled that the restaurant was open that late on Sunday! I can't think of another steakhouse / fine dining restaurant in downtown that is open that late on Sunday... Anyone? This could be due to the fact that it is the hotel's only restaurant and  it mostly serves the hotel patrons.

Whatever the reason, I don't care.  It was delightful having some peace and quiet after the crowds of Main Street. I may have felt a little awkward when first arriving because I'm that person that doesn't want to show up before close and make the kitchen start up again, but Chris and I were assured that we were fine, and VERY welcome. Our server Michael was playing double duty as server and bartender (I don't remember exactly but I believe the bartender had gone home sick) and he catered to our every need! Our service was impeccable and I don't have a single complaint! I did not feel like his attention to us was sacrificed at all by tending the bar, and he even took the time to make a great red wine recommendation to me!

I asked Chris if it was crappy of me to order a filet mignon before close and he simply said, "get what you want". Well, if you know me at all... If there's filet mignon, that's what I'm getting!! And I did. :-)

After pigging out on German kettle corn all weekend and yummy catering from Capital Grille, I wasn't even hungry enough to eat a steak. So what did I do? Ordered a starter salad AND and steak, of course!! LOL! I could act like the salad was a bad decision, but it wasnt... It wasn't AT ALL. It was a delicious decision and no joke, a salad I have been craving for the last week now (I'm for real going back when I'm back in Fort Worth).

The beauty in the salad was the simplicity and pops of taste. Baby spinach, strawberries, mozzarella cheese and pecans. The pecans have a slight kick to them and I loved it! You may think so few ingredients would make it a plain salad, but it wasn't at all. The strawberries were fresh and so sweet; the pecans huge and tasty; the amount of cheese was just right and the dressing was perfect. I like a tad more dressing on my salad and I thought they did a nice job of putting enough without having the salad drenched. If you like dressing on the lighter side, I recommend ordering it in the side. It's also a very big salad... Elaine would approve (any Seinfeld fans?!) The portion you are seeing in my pictures is HALF; Chris and I split it.

I could have eaten the whole salad.  It tasted so good and it will definitely be an entire meal for me one of these days. So glad that we split it because my filet was phenomenal!

I am picky about steak, but I love it!!  This is why I always opt for a filet... I like a good cut, and I don't enjoy chewy or tough in any way. Vidalias' filet was one of the best I've had in Fort Worth. As a frequent Ruth's Chris diner and someone who had the Reata cater her wedding specifically for the beef, I have to say this Vidalias filet is right up there! It was so tender I probably could have used my butter knife instead of the steak knife or even just pulled it apart with the fork!  I am a huge fan of A1 steak sauce too... Like weirdly huge... I can eat it by the spoonful... Don't judge. So I did ask for steak sauce because I just always do.  But it was not required on this steak at all.  The flavor was there without anything added.  I attribute a lot of that flavor to the pad of butter that was melting atop my steak when it arrived. DROOL.  I don't care what you crazies say, real butter is the way to go and you all need to stop freaking out about how much you use because butter is awesome!!! (P.S. please don't comment with being offended to "crazies" haha seriously.  I just think it's crazy for humans to try to invent "better" forms of food than what God gave us. That's a whole other convo!!). Anyway, recap, butter melting, tender steak... It was delicious and highly memorable!

Despite not having room for dessert Michael tempted us with a Vidalias creation that we couldn't pass up!!  Chocolate cake made with Rahr Brewing Ugly Pug!! That just so happens to be one of my favorite beers!! So we ordered it to-go and waddled home.

Chris and I split the cake the next day and it was gone in about 2 minutes flat.  How I have lived in downtown Fort Worth for almost 8 years and not heard about this, I do not know.  But that's why I wanted to share my experience with you!!!

I feel like this restaurant doesn't receive the attention or praise it deserves!! To a local not staying at the hotel, this was a totally new destination for me and I was so surprised, after finding out how good it is, that I hadn't already heard of it!  My one question would be, is it AS good on a busy Friday or Saturday night as it was on a late, dead Sunday night.  My impression is yes absolutely, but I'd still love to try it at a busier time.  (Plus I want to go back and try fried green tomatoes!) After this experience I don't have a single complaint and I've definitely added Vidalias Southern Cuisine to my list of go-to places. Not looking for a steak? No problem!! That was ONE item on the menu.  Chris really enjoyed his Gulf Shrimp Red Beans and Rice!!

The menu is not huge, but as far as I can tell, that means they have mastered each dish. 

Overall our experience was fabulous and like I said, I will be back!  It's amazing to me that I'm always finding something new in Fort Worth that I haven't experienced yet! What a city!! If you have any other restaurant recommendations be sure to comment below!! 

*A big thank you to the Renaissance Worthington Fort Worth for sponsoring this post!