Fort Worth Chefs In Rattle Battle With Tasty Rattlesnakes

This blog post falls into the category of things I read in a Texas newspaper, such as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that I would not expect to see in a newspaper in my former west coast location, about this particular Texas type thing happening in my old home zone.

In this instance it is an article's in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram online titled Taste what 12 Fort Worth TX chefs can make with rattlesnake at Tim Love’s ‘Rattle Battle’.

Part of the rattlesnake article...

Chef Tim Love is hosting a different kind of cooking competition in Fort Worth next month.

Love is emceeing a rattlesnake cooking competition titled “Rattle Battle” from 3 to 5 pm. on Oct. 6 at Mule Alley in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Tickets are now on sale for the event, starting at $125. 

The event will host 12 Fort Worth chefs competing tocreate the best dish made from rattlesnake meat. Event guests along with a panel of judges will determine the winner. The winning chef will take home $2,500 cash, a prize pack and the coveted rattlesnake trophy.

“I’m very excited to host the first annual ‘Rattle Battle’ and have gathered Fort Worth’s finest and most innovative chefs to engage in a unique challenge — using the most unusual ingredient, rattlesnake,” Love said in a press release.

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I did not know people ate rattlesnake til early this century when I went to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, where I saw rattlesnakes being milked for their venom, killed for their skins and their rattlesnake meat.

Which I then saw being consumed by multiple people, buying rattlesnake and chips from a restaurant in the main Roundup venue.

You can see all of this in the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup webpage I made a couple decades ago...

The Latest Chapter In The Tim Love Woodshed Smokehouse Scandal

The latest chapter in the Woodshed Smokehouse scandal confuses me because I can sort of see Tim Love's side of the argument.

Four years ago Tim Love got a sweetheart deal from America's Biggest Boondoggle, partnering with Mr. Love to build a restaurant on Tarrant Regional Water District land.

You know, land that is supposedly owned by the public.

If I remember right, as part of the sweetheart, no bidding competition deal, Tim Love pays a part of the restaurant's take to The Boondoggle.

The Boondoggle sees this Love operation as some sort of concession deal, like food vendors at the airport, and thus should not have to pay any property tax.

But, this year the Tarrant Appraisal District decided that the Woodshed Smokehouse is more of a private operation than a public one, so they sent Tim Love a property tax bill.

Tim Love says that dozens upon dozens upon dozens of Trinity Trail users are free to take a break from the trail, for free, sitting at one of the restaurant's outdoor tables.

I recollect doing this myself, four years ago, when the Woodshed opened, joining a group protesting the sweetheart no-bid deal The Boondoggle gave Tim Love. That protest also confused me, because several of the protesters protested by ordering food and drinks from the entity they were protesting.

Methinks this entire Woodshed Smokehouse scandal could be put to rest by The Boondoggle selling the Woodshed and the property on which it sits to Tim Love.

Tim Love would likely not be willing to pay what the property is worth, with the property then being sold to whoever was willing to pay the asking price.

Or have a bidding deal where whoever was willing to pay the most above the asking price gets to take possession of the Woodshed Smokehouse....

Boris & Natasha Comment About Fort Worth's Pravda While We Get Gritty Without Air Conditioning

A couple times yesterday I blogged about a really weird propaganda puff piece in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that claimed that Tim Love's new eatery had given new life to the, apparently, dying Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

I opined that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram operated more like a government mouth piece than a real newspaper, comparing the Star-Telegram to the Soviet Union's party paper Pravda, opining...

One thing I will say in behalf of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, as compared to the Soviet Union's Pravda. I don't think Pravda printed comments from comrades pointing out the absurdity of Pravda's propaganda. If a comrade commented they likely were sent to the Gulag.

The above paragraph generated amusing comments from CatsPaw, Steve A and Boris & Natasha....

CatsPaw said...

Comrade, you are seeing krasnaya! Let no Crackpottsylvania no goodniks' fiendish plans go unremarked. Keep banging your shoe on the table. Spasibo. Da svidaniya. And yeehaw.

Steve A said...

How do you know those Startlegram commenters are not on their way to a long visit to Huntsville as I write this? Durango, you still around? Durango? Hello?

Boris & Natasha said...

Regarding not getting sent to the Gulag when you criticize Fort Worth's version of Pravda; in Fort Worth, where could we get sent that is worse than where we already are?

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Mitchell Schnurman's Star-Telegram propaganda piece titled Love's eatery has given new life to river vision continues to be commented on. Below is a comment from someone who just does not seem to understand why so many people complain about so much in a city that is the envy of the world, which has another commenter explaining why it is Fort Worth citizens are cranky about the way Fort Worth operates....

shermrob

Unfortunately the comments on this article are the standard for Star-Telegram readers.  Out of fifteen comments, only three of them were on the positive side and the other twelve are the usual complaining about getting anything nice in Fort Worth regardless of who is trying to do something good for the city.

yakami11

City should really ask the citizens who pay for all of their dream projects what they want instead of telling citizens what they will do and get. I bet you would see much nicer comments if tax payers were asked, What would you like in your city.

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I forgot to mention one really really odd bit of information in the Star-Telegram's Tim Love Woodshed propaganda puff piece. Below is an excerpt from the paragraph containing the really odd bit of information...

Granger wouldn't OK air conditioning in the restaurant, because he wanted a gritty, authentic feel and a natural connection with the river.

So, in the above we learn that J.D. Granger, the man with no experience running a big construction project, who was given the job of running the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, as a favor to his Congresswoman mama, so she would be motivated to get federal funds for Fort Worth's equivalent of a Bridge to Nowhere, is also a restaurant entrepreneur who was able to use his dictatorial powers to ban air-conditioning from a Texas restaurant, because everyone knows if you don't have air-conditioning it helps give you a gritty, authentic feel and a natural connection to an extremely polluted river.

Granger nixing air conditioning generated yet one more amusing comment to the Star-Telegram propaganda puff piece....

md
"Granger wouldn't OK air conditioning in the restaurant" Granger is stupid.

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Granger is stupid? That seems a bit harsh.

Methinks there is way more that is stupid about this entire mess than J.D. Granger.....

The Occupy The Woodshed Smokehouse Event Had A Good Menu & Music & Tim Love BBQing In Cowboy Boots

Flush The Shed Down The River

Since this Occupy thing started happening all over the world I have not been to any Occupy thing.

Until tonight.

I found myself part of an Occupy Woodshed group.

I did not know what to expect.

Upon arrival I was given my Occupy Uniform in the form of a black t-shirt that Xed out Trinity Uptown on the front and said Save a River Save a Billion on the back.

I did not put on my Occupy Uniform because I already was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt. This made sense at the time I decided not to put on the Occupy Uniform.

A Group Of Woodshed Occupiers In Uniform

Occupy Woodshed seemed to be a very festive affair. Sort of like a party. A band provided music. We had our own Woodshed picnic table, to occupy, and a very pleasant Woodshed Smokehouse waitress brought drinks and vittles. For some reason I thought these Occupy things were more of a roughing it experience. I did not realize at Occupy Events there are menus and waitresses.

I now understand why the Occupy Movement is so popular.

A Couple Of  Woodshed Occupiers Enjoying Some Woodshed Grub

The Woodshed Smokehouse spews out an awful lot of smoke. Between all that wood smoke and all the humans smoking tobacco based products, some of which were home grown and organic, I believe I breathed in an awful lot of carcinogens tonight. I had to take a shower as soon as I got back to my abode to wash out the smoke smell.

Skinny Blonde Woodshed Occupier

I saw Tim Love several times tonight. He was wearing a cowboy hat, way too tight blue jeans and cowboy boots. The Occupiers tried to get the waitress to get Tim Love to come by for a group picture. But, that did not happen.

The skinny blonde in the sunglasses, who looks like a movie star, was the only one of the Occupy Woodshed people I saw who were occupying any space outside of the Woodshed Smokehouse.

After the sun exited for the day, J.D. Granger showed up. But not with a beautiful, buxom blonde. J.D. Granger had a kid with him. I suspect one of his offspring.

I expected Elsie Hotpepper to be at the Woodshed tonight. Elsie had told me she would be there for certain. But, Elsie was a no show. Elsie Hotpepper is so unreliable.

Occupy Woodshed Smokehouse Wednesday To Protest Million Dollar Giveaway

TRIP To Occupy Woodshed Smokehouse

Last month my favorite aunt asked me if I'd participated in any of the various Texas occupy operations.

I told my aunt that Fort Worth's occupying petered out with about 9 people participating at the height of the occupation.

Last night I got email from my scheduler telling me to mark my calendar because I had plans on Wednesday.

This is what my scheduler told me my plans were...

Time for OWS! Occupy Wood Shed! We're "Occupying" the front of The Woodshed Smokehouse on Wed, February 1st! We'll meet out there starting at 4:30...The TRV GAVE almost $1Million to this restaurant with barely anything in return. No competitive bids. No personal guarantees. Just gave them your $$! Instead of working on fixing our water problems, they just keep thieving from us!! EVERYBODY who helps us 'occupy' gets a free TRIP T-SHIRT!! (No camping required... We'll break up after a while and head to Pappa's for some real BBQ!!)

Demonstrations and protests make me really nervous. I've never been part of an occupation, but I suspect an occupation will make me as nervous, if not more, than does a demonstration or protest.

With the 100s of OWS Occupiers occupying and yelling protest chants I worry how Tim Love might react.

What if Tim Love sends out his phalanx of cutting knife wielding Chef Goons?

My one longtime reader may remember that last month we learned that Tim Love owns Fort Worth.

I can not imagine Tim Love standing idly by while his new Woodshed Smokehouse is sort of Occupied. And let us not forget, Tim Love is tightly allied with J.D. Granger, who happens to be Tim Love's benefactor who so kindly gifted him, like a Mafia Don, with the Woodshed  Smokehouse.

Who knows what legions of goons J.D. Granger might be able to summon, if the opening of his, I mean, Tim Love's, new restaurant is occupied by 100s of protesting malcontents?

It is all very worrisome.

You can read more about this worrisome occupation on Facebook.

On Top Chef Texas This Week We Learned That Tim Love Owns Fort Worth & Loves Tequila

Tim Love Loving Tequila

I watched a TV show on Wednesday that I keep forgetting to mention, wanting to mention this particular TV show because of its Fort Worth connection.

I am fairly certain that this particular Fort Worth connection is not going to be making anyone outside of Fort Worth Green With Envy.

Anyway.

That is Fort Worth Celebrity Chef, Tim Love, standing next to Padma Lakshmi, in the Top Chef Texas kitchen in Dallas.

In the picture Tim Love is shooting back tequila. He seemed well practiced at shooting back tequila. Perhaps his pal, J.D. Granger, has been giving Tim tequila lessons.

This week the Top Chefs had to cook in the kitchen of Tim Love's Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

This was to be the only visit to Fort Worth by Top Chef Texas. Next week they head to Austin.

Months ago there were news reports regarding Top Chef's producers shaking down Texas towns for various perks. I assume in exchange for publicity. Fort Worth must have resisted the shakedown, because all we saw of the Fort Worth Stockyards was a fraction of a second flash of the iconic Fort Worth Stockyards sign. And then we spent the rest of the time in Tim Love's restaurant.

One of the judges on this season of Top Chef is celebrity chef, Hugh Acheson. Hugh is a very amusing Canadian. Amusing Canadians are a rare breed. On his Bravo TV Top Chef Texas Blog, Hugh Acheson had this to say about Tim Love...

"Time to get to Fort Worth. Tim Love owns this town. It’s a great honky-tonk town."

So. In the world of celebrity chefs, apparently, it is known that Tim Love owns Fort Worth.

This is the best explanation yet as to how it was Tim Love got his sweetheart restaurant deal for his new Woodshed restaurant, courtesy of the generosity of his drinking buddy, J.D. Granger, the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and the Tarrant Regional Water District.

You can read the details of why it was that Tim Love was drinking tequila with Padma on my TV Blog.

The Locals Are Taking J.D. Granger To The Woodshed For A Well Deserved Spanking

J.D. Granger Covering His Rear On The Way
To A Spanking In The Woodshed

The picture is a figurative representation of the Fort Worth public taking J.D. Granger to the Woodshed.

A big brouhaha is brewing over the sweetheart deal J.D. Granger gave Tim Love.

That sweetheart deal being a new restaurant called The Woodshed that has area restaurateurs crying foul. Complaining that the Trinity River Vision went through no competitive bidding process for the sweet lease deal that Tim Love was gifted with.

The article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about this latest Trinity River Vision nefariousness sort of manages to raise more questions than it answers.

Apparently the Freedom of Information Act does not apply to a governmental body like the Trinity River Vision. So, there is no transparency. J.D. Granger claims he approached other restaurateurs about the sweetheart deal, but was turned down.

But, J.D. refuses to say who these other mystery restaurateurs were.

And, apparently neither J.D. Granger or Tim Love remembers who approached whom first about this sweetheart deal. Does it not seem like one would remember such a thing? Apparently the Star-Telegram reporter, Barry Shlachter, was not curious enough to push harder for answers.

The Star-Telegram's best reporter, Bud Kennedy, mentioned The Woodshed Scandal on his Facebook page a couple days ago, which resulted in oodles of comments indicating there are a lot of people not happy with what they are seeing with the Trinity River Vision.

The Star-Telegram article titled "Restaurant owners irked by no-bid deal with celebrity chef Tim Love" has also generated a lot of comments, 70 in total, as of right now. Likely to increase.

I particularly liked the most recent comment, it being #70, from someone calling him or herself FoodCourtJester...

Seems everything Mr. Love touches turns to gold except his sorry food. Did I see he baked a roasted jalapeño granny smith apple pie for the Cowboys game? He thinks he's inventing new food if you read the recent paid advertisement, I mean article, in Ft Worth magazine. A bunch of clueless locals so eager to latch onto anything a celebrity chef does because Ft Worth has a major inferiority complex is to blame. That same inferiority complex brought us the TRV. Austin has town lake and SA the riverwalk. Oh, and the comment in this article that Love mentioned Woodshed on national TV. Yippee. Sounds like Baby Granger, Lane, et al should be taken to the woodshed.

Another comment suggested that the FBI would soon be raiding the offices of the TRV. Apparently that comment maker was not aware that Fort Worth is under a protective bubble where its corruption is immune from federal scrutiny.

But, if there was an FBI investigation, or even if someone was able to invoke the Freedom of Information Act, I think the public would be fascinated to learn how much of their money is spent on the liquor supply at TRV headquarters. How much has been spent on junkets to other towns? How much has been spent at expensive restaurants? How much has been put on a TRV credit cards for a room or two in an expensive Dallas hotel?

Why doe the Star-Telegram not politely ask J.D. Granger for a look at the Trinity River Vision's books? If it is all on the up and up and totally justifiable, J.D. Granger should have no objection to total transparency.

Regarding FoodCourtJester saying that Tim Love makes sorry food. All Tim Love has ever cooked for me is a Dirty Love Burger at the Love Shack in the Fort Worth Stockyards. After reading all the hype about the Love Shack burgers I was a bit disappointed to find I found nothing all that great about it. And the fries were cold.

Who Thinks The Texas State Attorney General Should Look Into TRWD/TRVA Business Practices, Woodsheds & J.D. Granger?

Tim Love's Unopened Woodshed

Earlier this month, October 5 to be precise, my favorite tipster named Beale sent me a composite photo he had made of pictures he'd taken of Tim Love's new Woodshed restaurant and remodeling done recently to J.D. Granger's house.

I  blogged about this in a blogging titled An Anonymous Look at JD Granger's House Improvements & Tim Love's New Woodshed Restaurant.

I was told the reason J.D. Granger bailed on appearing at October 12's Trinity River Vision Discussion Forum, at Fort Worth's Botanic Garden, was because he did not like pictures of his house showing up on the Internet, and he did not want to answer questions about his house's remodeling's resemblance to Tim Love's Woodshed.

Now, when I heard this I thought this to be highly unlikely as the reason J.D. bailed. Because, if it were, how was it that this information as to J.D.s reason for bailing was attained?

Well, I have heard from Beale again.

Today Beale is telling me that the similarities between the J.D. house and the TRWD Annex near Northside Drive are even more striking than the resemblance to Tim Love's Woodshed. What can we conclude from this? I really don't know.

Beale also told me that the Woodshed cost $1.2 million and that currently three entities, (Tim Love, Tarrant Regional Water District and Trinity River Vision Authority) are at odds over something, which is why the Woodshed sits on the bank of the Trinity River, unopened.

The most interesting thing, to me, that Beale told me today, has nothing to do with J.D. Granger, the Trinity River Vision or Tim Love's Woodshed.

I was unable to confirm this via Google searching, but Beale says that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy has actually been in the Trinity River. Not on one of J.D. Granger's Rockin' the River Inner Tube Happy Hour Floats, but by other means.

Beale says a few years ago Bud Kennedy was driving on an icy road, lost control and ended up in the Trinity River. His girlfriend, at the time, a woman who must have had superhuman strength, somehow managed to pull super hefty Bud Kennedy from his car and get him safely to dry land.

Beale tells me that his source for the TRWD/TRVA info thinks the Attorney General of Texas should be persuaded to look into these governmental entities' business practices because the "Woodshed deal stinks.As does the rest of the TRV debacle."

Those of you who haven't been paying attention, TRV are the initials for Trinity River Vision, also known as Trinity River Vision Boondoggle (TRVB), a vision that has already seen the world's premiere wakeboarding lake being a world class attraction.

An Anonymous Look At JD Granger's House Improvements & Tim Love's New Woodshed Restaurant

Someone calling him or herself "Anonymous" sent me the above photo, with minimal commentary, simply saying that "Isn't it interesting how much recent improvements to JD Granger's home match the look of Tim Love's nearby new restaurant."

I am assuming what is being implied is that somehow JD did some dirty dealing that somehow got improvements made to his house in a manner nefarious.

While I do see the similarities between the two structures, I really don't think JD Granger would do something untoward of this nature.

So, I Googled for info about Tim Love's new restaurant. Previously to Googling about Tim Love's new restaurant all I knew was that it was located near the Hoffbrau Steak place on University Drive.

Well, imagine my surprise when I learned that Tim Love's new restaurant, to be called "The Woodshed", is part of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's plan to supposedly improve the Trinity River trails and their surroundings.

I had no idea that the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's vision saw so far beyond the area of the little pond at the north end of downtown, the unneeded flood diversion channel, the  obliteration of Riverside Park and the upgrade of Gateway Park with the planting of thousands of Magic Flood Control Trees.

JD Granger's home is a short distance from Tim Love's new restaurant.

How does a deal like this work? I can't help but wonder. Does the Tarrant Regional Water District, which oversees the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, sell Tim Love the land on which he has built The Woodshed?

Isn't that public land? Is public land being sold for a privately owned restaurant? Or does the Tarrant Regional Water District have a financial interest in Tim Love's restaurant?

And, what part did JD Granger play in finagling Tim Love's deal to build his new restaurant on land controlled by the Tarrant Regional Water District?

I must say, separate from all these perplexing questions, I like the look of Tim Love's new restaurant, and the upgrades to JD Granger's house.