The promise of spring is in the air, and with it the highly anticipated opening of The Porch Pour, the first restaurant in downtown Midlothian’s historic Founder’s Row. The Porch Pour owners Tawny Schaffer and Ashton Schaffer have spent the last few years creating their dream venue, a destination dining restaurant with a farm-to-fork menu that also dispenses down-home, Southern hospitality.
Their soon-to-open restaurant is housed in a beautifully restored, elegant Victorian mansion, the 1894 William Hosford House (aka The Pink Lady) relocated from Waxahachie. Founders Row developers Steven Hidlebaugh and Logan Gaddis combined their expertise in design, relocation, and restoration of historic properties to bring ten historic buildings to Midlothian. The Porch Pour will be the first restaurant to open its doors in the unique hospitality district.
The front porch or veranda of The Porch Pour is an elevated deck that invites people to hang out with friends or family groups. I found my favorite room on a recent pre-opening tour of the new restaurant, called the Library Room. Several of the rooms like the library room have a theme similar to the old-fashioned board game, Clue.
The Porch Pour Owners Tawny & Ashton Schaffer
Tawny and Ashton Schaffer are a mother/daughter team who are longtime Midlothian residents. Tawny grew up in West Texas, where several family members raised pork and beef on their farms. Knowing the difference in the kind of free-range meats from their farms, Tawny said she realized how few restaurants or stores are able to provide that kind of quality product.
“I recently invited a friend to dinner, and made hamburgers featuring beef from my uncle’s place in West Texas,” she said. “She was amazed at how different it tasted from any other beef available at restaurants or markets.” The Porch Pour menu features beef and pork obtained from her family’s farms in West Texas, along with fresh produce purchased from local farmers.
Ashton Schaffer was thrilled to join her mom in the new restaurant venture, and her training and experience in the hospitality industry complements their shared vision. They promise “to bring you a fresh experience each time you visit and have you feeling like family before you leave our porch.”
Their Executive Chef Eugenio Torres most recently operated Fresh N Rico, a catering business in Waxahachie. They specialized in freshly cooked dishes unique to Chef Eugenio’s culinary arts training and Puerto Rican heritage. He served as consulting chef in helping to plan the restaurant’s menu. and is enthusiastic about training the restaurant’s staff in the next few weeks.
Executive Chef Eugenio Torres
Chef Eugenio said he and his wife, Tifani, and their two small children now live in Midlothian. He shares the Schaffer’s goal of presenting the freshest and best food available, plus providing excellent service, to The Porch Pour’s patrons. He added, “We have been fortunate to assemble a good team, and I’m very excited to start training them in the next few weeks. We’re going to be ready and eager to welcome everyone and provide them with excellent service when we open.”
Initially The Porch Pour will only be open for dinner on week days: Wed.-Thurs. from 4 to 10 p.m.; and Friday from 4 to 11 p.m. On weekends, they are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for brunch, and from 3 to 11 p.m. for dinner Sat. Sunday they serve brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 3-10 p.m.
Reading through their menu, which can be found on The Porch Pour website, is enough to make your mouth water. Shareable starters include The Porch Board, a rotating selection of Texas meats and cheeses at market price; and a Pear Flatbread, with grilled pear prosciutto, goat cheese, fig and balsamic ($16). Grilled and glazed Texas Quail is $17.
Entrees include a Walser Farms Bone-in Ribeye at market price, a 12 oz. NY strip ($35), or Bone –in Pork Chop (36) plus fresh fish, chicken and pasta dishes. Between the Bun dishes includes The Doc (pulled pork sandwich) at $17, and The Porch Burger ($19). Soups include a Venison Chili ($15). A variety of salads and kids menus are also available.
The Porch Pour Brunch
Weekend brunch menus include Deviled eggs ($7.50), Latkes of Love (potato cauliflower cakes & house-made ranch) for $9, and Early Board, an assortment of breakfast pastries ($18). An intriguingly titled Hangover Cure flatbread ($15), is piled with fried eggs, Oaxaca cheese, bacon, ham, sausage, salsa, and jalapeno honey. Country Ben is a Pork Belly Benedict with home fries for $18, and Steak & Eggs, omelets, biscuits and gravy, and chicken and waffles are also on the brunch menu.
A BBB (better brunch burger) featuring a Porch Burger with fried egg, avocado and Bearnaise plus home fries ($23) is served all day, along with salads, soups, and a pork belly grilled cheese sandwich ($19).
Coffee, tea, and juice are available, along with a Mimosa Carafe at $20, Mimosa by the glass or Bloody Mary for $8, or Irish Coffee for $10. The bar features a variety of craft beers on tap, an extensive wine list, and a number of craft cocktails. Cocktails include a Texas Mule made with Tito’s Vodka (12), and a Porch Pina ($10).
The Porch Pour Happy Hour
Happy Hour at The Porch Pour is from 4-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., and from 3-5 p.m. on weekends. A white wine flight is $14, and a red wine flight is $16 at happy hour, plus $1 off draft beer and $2 off Water of Life cocktails.
The dessert menu includes an Espresso Crème Brulee at $8, and a flourless chocolate cake for $9, plus a Craft Port ($8) and Taylor Fladgate 20-year Tawny Port ($18).
After patiently enduring a number of delays caused by the pandemic and supply chain issues, The Porch Pour owners and their team are hopeful they can finally open to the public sometime in March. The Porch Pour is located at 319 E. Ave. G in Midlothian.
Tip to the Wise: If you would like to be on the pre-opening reservation list to be notified when they start taking reservations, please visit ThePorchPour.com and sign up.
