The age of the pandemic brings us two certainties: We’re going to get our money’s worth from our Netflix and other streaming memberships, and we’ll be eating with family like we never imagined possible.
Sheltering in place, however, shouldn’t include mealtime drudgery. With all our favorite restaurants closing their dining rooms, the takeout with curbside or home delivery options seem to grow daily. We’re especially taken with all the places offering take-and-bake meals that feed the whole family, usually from one pan. Many such menus are straight-up comfort food delights (King Ranch chicken, eggplant parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs), while some are on the more virtuous side (mushroom-miso soup, organic chicken fajitas). Oh, and don’t forget dessert. Allowing ourselves a few treats may help us better survive the self-quarantine duration.
Here are a few of the heat-and-eat dinner options from locally owned North Texas restaurants.
Mason & Dixie
Beth Newman’s popular lunch spot continues to dish up feel-good food. The owner-chef is making ready-to-bake frozen meals in 10- by 13-inch pans, with some two-dozen options in a rotation. On a given day, some three or four are available. Newman posts these on the Mason & Dixie Facebook page. Look for choices to include meatballs with Bolognese, spaghetti, parmesan, ricotta and mozzarella; baby back ribs; stacked vegetable enchiladas; chicken and risotto; crawfish etouffee; pot roast and mashed potatoes; and chicken chili. Most pans $65-$80 for six to 10 servings.
Check website for full menus and Facebook for daily offering; pay when placing order by phone. Pick up curbside; delivery services to be added soon.
603 S. Main Street, Suite 303, Grapevine, 817-707-2111, masonanddixietx.com.
The Table Market & Culinary Studio
Chef Dena Peterson Shaskan, whose catering outfit is Southlake-based Mockingbird Food Co., sells her prepared foods at the market she co-owns with fellow Fort Worth chefs on the Near Southside. The freezer case is packed with meals to take home and reheat, serving two to four, from foil pans or microwave containers. Her repertoire includes grilled eggplant rollatini with herb breadcrumbs and marinara; guajillo braised short ribs with chile-cheese grits; chicken and dill dumplings; lasagna; and roasted chicken with sourdough-apple stuffing. Her soups are particularly popular, with choices like mushroom-miso; green chile pork stew; tomato-garbanzo-coconut; and corn chowder.
All packages serve two to four and are priced between $12 and $20 each. Shop in store.
120 St. Louis Ave., Suite 103B, Fort Worth, 682-703-1092, thetablemarket.com.
TJ’s Seafood Market
Along with the restaurants’ regular takeout menu, this fish house packages a simple family meal as well. Choose salmon, shrimp or fish of the day, served with mashed potatoes, sautéed veggies and lemon-caper butter. Fish and sides come in their own containers for you to take home and microwave. To-go wine orders are available, too.
Pricing is $25 per person. Call in order or order online, then pickup curbside.
6025 Royal Lane, Suite 110, Dallas, 214-691-2369; and 4212 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, 214-219-3474, tjsseafood.com.
FnG Eats
Popular for its lunch, brunch and dinner, and its special wine- or bourbon-pairing events, the Keller eatery puts all its scratch-cooking goodness in big pans to heat at home. Serving your family for at least two to three days, the casseroles include ziti with meat sauce or chicken, lasagna with meat or chicken, King Ranch chicken, and mac and cheese. Soups by the quart are big sellers, too.
Casseroles hold 12 servings and are priced $36 to $45. Soups, which serve four, are $12 to $14. Order 48 hours in advance; pick up curbside or ask for delivery.
201 Town Center Lane, Suite 1101, Keller, 817-741-5200, fngeats.com.
Meyer & Sage
Chef Callie Salls’ prepared meals business didn’t have to make a shift for the sudden new normal, as it’s always been structured as a place for take-away meals for one or the whole family. Formerly a private chef, Salls leans toward healthful cooking with organic ingredients and a plentitude of paleo, gluten-free and vegetarian options. Menus are always changing, but typically include numerous selections like Buffalo chicken pasta, low-carb cheeseburger casserole, teriyaki pork chops and chicken fajitas with sautéed peppers and onions, scratch salsa verde, sharp cheddar and soft white corn tortillas. Soups are always on tap, and Sweet Lucy’s Pies are sold here, too.
Dinners range from $13 to $45 and are packaged in eco-friendly, compostable, oven-ready containers. Curbside pickup available. Open Monday through Saturday.
2621 Whitmore Street, Fort Worth, 817-386-5009, meyerandsage.com.
Hot Box Biscuit Club
Chef-owners Sarah Hooton and Matt Mobley of the piping hot breakfast-brunch spot pivoted in a hurry to curbside family-style meals. In addition to regular menu offerings that package easily — think mac and cheese, corn casserole, green beans with bacon, fried chicken and biscuits — they began putting together favorite comfort dishes. The early menus, which sometimes incorporate dishes from nearby chefs who are suddenly without work, have included chicken and biscuit pot pie, beef brisket pot pie, shrimp and grits, chicken and dumplings and King Ranch casserole.
Prices range from $8-$10 for a meal for one to $30 to $40 for a meal for four. Daily offerings are posted and ordered from website. Pick up curbside.
313 S. Main Street, Fort Worth, 817-887-9019, hotboxbiscuitco.com.
Bisous Bisous Pâtisserie
Beloved for its rainbow selection of macarons, custom cakes and cupcakes, tarts, scones, cruffins and mini-eclairs (oh, the pistachio!), the pastry shop lets you bake with an authentic French accent at home. Freezer-to-oven pastry choices include croissants in traditional, ham and cheese, chocolate, almond and chocolate-almond varieties; scones in bacon cheddar, citrus currant, vanilla bean and blueberry flavors; and oatmeal raisin, chocolate-walnut, double chocolate chip and caramel-toffee varieties.
Croissants and scones are four per bag and cookies are six per bag, starting at about $12 per bag. Pick up curbside or ask for delivery.
3700 McKinney Ave., Suite 150, Dallas, 214-613-3570, bisous-bisous.com.