I will be getting married in Ft Worth next August, and I need to find somewhere to have the rehearsal dinner. I live in Tomball, so I am not exactly familiar with the area.

The rehearsal/ceremony will be at First Presbyterian, so closer to that is better. We will have 40-60 people, and I am looking to keep the food cost as close to $20 a person as possible. So far Joe T Garias, Los Vaqueros, and Blue Mesa have been suggested, and I am looking for a little more variety to choose from. I will be in Ft Worth this weekend to check out a couple places.

joe t's is a tourist trap and the food is terrible.

i'd recommend you stay away from there.

i'm getting married in FW in march, once i research where we're doing the rehersal dinner some more, i'll let you know what i find.

Have Cousin's BBQ cater it.

joe t's is NOT terrible. Not the best, but not terrible.

I would suggest Reata. You might could do a set menu and be close to the $20/person.

Blue Mesa is a great choice.... they catered a party for us once and the service and food was top notch!

I agree about Joe T's.... avoid at all costs!

I was going to suggest Reata, but I don't think you can do this for $20 per person.......

Cousin's, really???

Cousin's is the best BBQ in DFW hands down.

I like Reata (those tamale things are killer) but it is a little out of my price range.

I would prefer somewhere a little more on the casual relaxed side, that still has good food.

amazing. you may like joe t's or you may not, but please limit the comments to something rational. most folks go because the food is good but the atmosphere is above par. rest easy haters.

probably won't be able to come in under your target but inquire at the fw club and petroleum club. the views are second to none.

congratulation and best wishes - and good luck with your search.

Pappasitos has a private room as does Pappas Burger although I wouldn't exactly recommend Pappas Burgers because the menu doesn't lend itslef well for that type of setting.

I'm racking my brain and can't think of anyone else that you haven't mentioned.

Oh yeah. This reminds me all you Joe T. haters should see this.

Gourmet magazine named Joe T.'s as one of the 21 Legendary Restaurants You Must Visit.

http://eatsblog.guidelive.com/archives/2008/09/joe-ts-named-one-of-gourmets-l.html

What's funny is the comments on that link that are no different than this site.

Bunch of sticks in the mud. If you can't enjoy an evening at Joe T's then you might as well move to Russia because you don't love America. That much I know.

I loooove the patio at Joe T's!

I've never been to Joe T's. Anyone wanna take me??

Oh - ideas...Mi Cocina?

been to a rehearsal dinner at pappasitos and it was ok. when i think rehearsal dinners, i think more about atmosphere than food. so i'd probably think about joe t's. as is said/inferred, atmosphere is great, but food is adequate.

Don't worry about the haters, it has become "cool" to hate Joe T's. Most fans would admit that it's the atmosphere, not the food, that makes it worth visiting.

If the majority of your group doesn't spend much time in FW, I think it would be a great place for a rehearsal dinner.

As mentioned, the Forth Worth Club and Petroleum Club would be great places, but they would like be closer to $30-35 per person.

We had ours at Los Vaqueros in the stockyards and it was awesome. They accomodated us very nicely and the owners are great. Originally we had booked across the street at Lonesome Dove, but they wouldn't budge on their banquet menu (we wanted it more casual and Tex/Mex).

Also looked at the rooftop at the Reata, but it was at the end of August and didn't want to subject our guests to the heat.

Cafe Piola has a really great patio that would be perfect for the size you have. You could probably do a limited menu with drinks for about that price.

We just had our's two weeks ago at Risky's Steakhouse in the Stockyards. They have a room in the back that can accomodate a large number of people. Very relaxed atmosphere and cold...cold beer. We had a great time.

I would definitely call Reata before you cross them off your list. They do box lunches catered for about $12/person, so just maybe they can come up with something for about $20. They have several rooms you can use, including one on the roof.

I had never heard of Piola under yesterday when reading the Fort Worth forum. I must try this place out soon.

Worth, check out Fort Worth Hole In The Wall. There's a new review of Cafe Piola.

We would've had ours at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in the Cultural District if it would've been big enough. 40-60 should work there, and I'd recommend checking it out.

Nevermind the above. I was thinking about the reception. We did our rehearsal at H3 Ranch/Stockyard Hotel.

[This message has been edited by F W ag 01 (edited 10/2/2008 2:23p).]

Worth - are you having one?? You would think I would know these things...

dont think we can get that low on food, but if you need a block of sleeping rooms, let me know.

Omni Fort Worth Opens Jan 12, 2009!

rmcleroy@omnihotels.com

quote:

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If you can't enjoy an evening at Joe T's then you need to buy another pitcher of margaritas because aren't drunk enough.

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FIFY.

joe t's would be a good place for a rehearsal dinner based on the atmosphere alone.

We had our at the Stockyard Hotel (which uses the kitchen of H3 Steakhouse) and it was awesome! The set-up is great - 1 room for the tables/slide show etc., one atrium room with a bar and bartender, an outdoor patio, and a seperate room where they serve the food. Couldn't have asked for anything better. We had a couple of kegs, a margarita machine and wine.

http://www.stockyardshotel.com

Yes ma'am. Dont know the details yet, but I bet it will be at Joe T's!

We had ours at Reata, but I have no idea what the cost was ... it was much smaller than the dinner you have planned, though -- there were maybe 10 of us, tops.

Other suggestions: I've been to a rehearsal dinner at Los Vaqueros in the Stockyards, and it was very nice. Laid back, good food, plus Billy Bob's is right across the street if you want to check out some music afterwards (we did).

H3 is another good suggestion in that neck of the woods. For my money, just about anything in the Stockyards would be cool.

If you like German food (and a fun, kitschy atomsphere), check out Edelweiss.

I really like Lucille's on Camp Bowie, too, but I don't know if they have a private room.

Finally, I'll throw in another plug for Joe T's. Their catering menu is more extensive than the two choices you get when you eat on the patio, so don't let the naysayers scare you off. They are VERY good at running private events, and it's hard to beat the atmosphere there. You get more bang for your buck there than just about anywhere else in town.

I worked at Blue Mesa for a summer. I would not reccomend it for a rehearsal dinner. If you were having it catered to your house, that would be one thing, but the restaurant itself is just a decent location.

Joe T's