A few weeks ago, Fort Worth chef Tim Love announced Ufficio, a pop-up Italian restaurant that would only be open Jan. 27 through the 30 at his Test Kitchen just north of downtown Fort Worth.
Wednesday brought the debut of Ufficio, in which Love and a small culinary crew did a six-course Italian meal for diners who paid $85 plus tax and tip to check out what Love — who’s best-known for southwestern, or “urban Western,” cuisine — could do with an Italian menu.
This was the first in a series of pop-ups, each of which will focus on a different cuisine and culture. Love said he’s not ready to reveal what the other cuisines are yet, and even he doesn’t quite know when the next round of pop-ups will be — it depends on when he can fit them into his busy schedule.
Love — who tapes his CNBC show Restaurant Startup in Los Angeles, has launched a Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in Austin and is getting ready to open one in Knoxville, and is involved in the Austin Food and Wine Festival — has taken some heat for being so active in cities that aren’t Fort Worth. But he says he’s in Fort Worth and at his restaurants more than a lot of people realize, he’s just not always visible out front.