A portrait of Tom Vandergriff greets you at the door of The Vandy, and it belongs there. The longtime Arlington mayor spent his career insisting the city would be the center of North Texas, then went out and landed the ballclub and the amusement parks to back it up. The restaurant that bears his name now sits a short walk from both stadiums, on the ground floor of the rebuilt Caravan Court at 205 N. Collins St.
The hotel opened in June on the site of the old Caravan Motor Hotel, a 1961 motor court whose sign made it through the rebuild intact. Chef Yimara “Yia” Medina had been on the job only a matter of days when the doors opened, cooking from a starter menu handed to her by the hotel group. Fall is the first time the menu reads like hers.
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