Like many pioneers, Bernard Tronche never intended to be a pioneer. Never thought his restaurant, Saint-Emilion, would set the standard for other fine-dining restaurants in Fort Worth. To him, having an open kitchen, rotating blackboard specials, fresh fish flown in from around the world, and top-tier service were simply hallmarks of his ideal dining experience, not signs of what was to come.
“I wasn’t trying to revolutionize anything,” he says. “I knew what I wanted — an open kitchen so customers could watch their food being made, affordable prices, good service, and blackboard specials that changed every day. I wasn’t trying to transform anything. I was just trying to survive and pay my bills. Next thing I know, I’m 40 years in.”
Saint-Emilion has introduced countless Fort Worthians to the flavors of French cuisine: mussels in a Gewürztraminer broth; magret de canard, moulard duck breast cooked like a steak; lamb chops with green flageolets, a French heirloom bean; and, of course, escargot. Here, the snails are served with garlic and parsley butter and topped with puff pastries.
Opened March 8, 1985, by Tronche and his wife, Karin Kelly, a former news reporter and anchor at WFAA, the West Seventh Street restaurant looks more like a home than a restaurant, with its vine-covered facade and triangular, Tudor-style design. The interior, too, is more home than eatery, with dim lights, a cozy, candle-lit atmosphere, and staff who treat you like family.
“The funny thing is, when I opened Saint-Emilion, I didn’t know much about Fort Worth,” says Tronche, who was living and working in Dallas at the time. “A friend of mine talked me into opening here. I put all my faith into opening a French restaurant in a place I didn’t know very well. I didn’t have a plan B.”
Turns out, he didn’t need one. Over the course of four decades, the restaurant has been a quiet sensation, known for its doting service, rotating blackboard specials, and open kitchen — elements that were relatively new to Fort Worth when the restaurant opened.
Much of the restaurant’s success comes from the authenticity of Tronche’s recipes, now executed by chef Pascal Paviani. Tronche, after all, grew up in southwest France, where he immersed himself in the sights, smells, and flavors of home cooking. In his 20s, he immigrated to the U.S., ultimately settling in Dallas, where he honed his culinary skills at the acclaimed French restaurant Calluaud’s. Having learned the intricate ballet of running a fine-dining eatery, Tronche set out to establish his own.
Saint-Emilion’s success led Tronche to open other food-related businesses in Fort Worth, including La Marée, a fish and wine market; two downtown restaurants, Tutti Pazzi and Sapristi, and Paco and John’s, an innovative French and Mexican restaurant in the hospital district. Tronche also opened Paris 7th, a French restaurant located just down the street from Saint-Emilion.
While those endeavors have closed, except Paris 7th, which now rests in the capable hands of Mark Hitri and Chris Salvador, Tronche says Saint-Emilion has always been his primary focus — the reason he feels like he could not have landed in a better city.
“Fort Worth has been very good to us,” he says. “I look back at the last 40 years at Saint-Emilion, so many things have happened — so many economic ups and downs — and our customers keep coming. That’s the trick of making it in this business — give them something they want to come back to, and they will.”
Saint-Emilion
3617 West Seventh St.
saint-emilionrestaurant.com