Restaurants in Azle

Cast Iron satiates eager sustenance-hankerers with its gourmet versions of homemade southern-cuisine favorites, pleasing both the traditional grandmother and the edgy, postmodern foodie. Inaugurate the gastronomic ceremonies with fried green tomatoes ($7), a flavorful side spruced with local goat cheese and cilantro oil. Drizzled in red-wine syrup, the Shiner-brined pork chop ($17) is an entree juicy and tender enough to replace a damaged waterbed. Reach the fudge-soaked checkered flag with Cast Iron's double-chocolate-fudge cake ($6) with indulgent vanilla sauce. Early-risers still exhausted from a long night of trapeze-archery practice can rejuvenate lethargic brains with a New York–sourced bagel from H&H Bagels, topped with smoked salmon ($13) or the pulled-pork eggs Benedict ($14).

Simply Fondue's intimate, chandelier-lit dining room plays host to tabletop pots that bubble with warm imported cheeses, oils, and broths. The restaurant's cheese fondues from Switzerland, the Mediterranean, and England allow diners to taste the world's flavors without having to lick every country's flag. The eatery also simmers traditional canola oil fondue and broth fondue. For each entree, chefs pair simmering helpings with platters of meat, seafood, or veggies, all of which can be altered upon request.

Many meals conclude with chocolate fondue, which features an impressive coterie of sweets such as pound cake, triple-chunk brownies, cookie-dough balls, and fresh pineapple chunks plucked from the hats of local conga dancers. The dining experience stays casual throughout with plush booths and granite table tops.

Daddy Jack’s luminescent sign hangs over its corner spot in the Sundance Square district, beckoning diners to walk past the outdoor patio and detect the aroma of fresh lobster, clams, and a perfectly grilled steak here and there. Fresh seafood satiates East Coast cravings at both dinner and lunch with blackened shrimp and jumbo sea scallops and lobster tails. Pasta dishes entangle mussels, lobster, and clams in housemade sauces, while completely vegetarian dishes forego the seafood for mushrooms, tomatoes, and balloon animals. Wines journey from around the globe—from Chile to New Zealand—to wash down meals.

Every Thursday at LightCatcher Winery & Bistro, owners Caris and Terry curate a 5-Course Chef's Tasting Menu, which highlights the restaurant's finest wine and food pairings. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, a dinner menu offers upscale bistro fare.

They welcome fledgling sippers to sample wines in the tasting room and happily answer wine-related questions, such as how to choose the perfect glass or how to properly perform a spit take when confronted with the indecency of a gentleman caller without a top hat.

Caris and Terry take wines seriously. They scour Texas vineyards in search of the most flavorful grapes and have won numerous awards for their winemaking efforts. Additionally, Caris tailors LightCatcher Winery & Bistro’s menu to complement the libations with savory flourishes such as goat cheese creamed corn.

Cat City Grill takes its cuisine very seriously. As soon as it opened, the eatery leapt out of the gates with an extensive menu of steak-house eats and seafood, and was named Best Restaurant in 2010 and 2011 by the readers of Fort Worth Weekly. To keep the tradition going, chefs labor over lightly seared peppered ahi tuna and racks of lamb doused in a chimichurri that doubles as edible paint. In addition to steak and seafood, diners can also feast on award-winning chicken-fried steak, maple-glazed chicken stuffed with brie and apples, and housemade meatloaf. Cat City Grill surrounds eaters with what Fort Worth Weekly characterizes as "pretty earth-toned walls and steel-topped tables" that "create a soothing environment," while its outdoor patio grants guests a breath of fresh air.