Nestled back on White Settlement, between Westover Hills and the West 7th area of Fort Worth sits one of chef Tim Love’s newest ventures, Gemelle. “Twins” in Italian, the restaurant is not only an ode to Love’s twin daughters but the restaurant is completely inspired by the summer cocktail the Aperol Spritz.
Aperol, an Italian apéritif, is bitter with flavors of gentian, rhubarb and cinchona, its vibrant hue distinguishing it. It is very similar to Campari, which actually manufacturers it; I think of Campari as the parent and Aperol the trendy millennial. It is definitely an acquired taste, but adding Prosecco to make it the iconic Spritz is what makes it taste and remind you of summer.
With all that Aperol info in your back pocket, when you walk into Gemelle you immediately see the bar donned with bottles upon bottles of Aperol. The chairs and decor scream “influencer” and shares the bright orange hue of the apéritif. The restaurant is incredibly sleek, but what really sets it apart is the incredible outdoor dining and lounge area (perfect for the current state of society).
A large garden is the center hub and is surrounded by Aperol umbrellas and tables, adorable lounge beds and canopies, a sweet little bar in the left corner, and the iconic “LOVE” Instagram worthy backdrop where you can see millennials and mom’s on a night out taking their photo. The set up is fantastic and takes you to another world, a world that isn’t the middle of Fort Worth. An upper deck features more tables and coverings and the space is truly vast.
Gemelle has great weekly specials, including buy one get one free pizza’s on Tuesdays and half off Aperol Spritzes on Thursdays (I naturally went on a Thursday). A Spritz isn’t terribly difficult to make…I mean the recipe is on the bottle. However, no two Spritzes are alike as I soon realized. My first drink was more Prosecco than Aperol. The second one was definitely more Aperol heavy. Slightly confused why there was a difference with such a simple recipe, but it’s cool. The frozen version is just as delicious and refreshing (and photogenic).
Now, this wouldn’t be a Tim Love restaurant without something a little exotic. While this is an Italian restaurant, Love couldn’t resist doing a pizza with rattlesnake and rabbit sausage. Aside from that though, it is a pretty straightforward and clean looking menu. Classic, but reinvented with modern twists that don the menu. I scarfed down the gemelle pasta with basil-pistachio pesto. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, it had a nice bite to it without being overcooked or undercooked. The pesto tasted like the fresh basil growing in their garden and was donned with, what seemed to be, roasted to some degree pistachios. The pesto wasn’t heavy and was light and oily.
Also pictured and enjoyed was the guanciale, red sauce bucatini and bavette cacio e pepe – it is super fun that they are doing all these different pasta shapes and not just serving your typical penne or spaghetti!
Gemelle is the perfect spot for outdoor dining, whether you’re going with girlfriends or on a date night. Tim Love put his love and heart into this concept and the dedication and inspiration he had from his twin daughters is beautiful. If you’re looking for a Tuscany-esque getaway in ol’ Fort Worth this is the place to go!
Cheers, mi amore!
The Critiquing Carnivore 