March 23rd Blog
Fogo de Chao
First, for all of you foodies breathlessly waiting for word on whether or not the wildly popular Brazilian churrascaria Fogo de Chao will be opening downtown in the space on 3rd St. formerly occupied by Houlihans: the answer is yes! It’s a done deal. Look for, in all likelihood, a late fall opening.
If you haven’t had the pleasure, Fogo de Chao is a unique dining experience for carnivores. This is Brazilian BBQ, gaucho style, from the pampas of southern Brazil. The various fire-roasted meats, ranging from sausage to rib eyes to filet mignons, are brought to the tables on long skewers. Operating under the idea of “espeto corrido” which translates from Portugese into “continuous service,” patrons are provided green and red flags. Red means stop for a while and green means keep it coming. Portions for each customer are sliced off and the gorging begins. Salads and sides are also continuously delivered.
Look for more information on www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com as the rollout date gets closer.
Beau Knows Villas
Oasis owner Beau Theriot is a well-traveled and sophisticated designer, art collector and restaurateur. But even our jaded party was not expecting what awaited us at his Acapulco villa, Las Colinas.
Set on a hill overlooking Acapulco Bay, the villa has five bedrooms, a gorgeous pool, a unique dining and conversations lounge, a bar, and most importantly, a staff that will make your stay most memorable. Delores, the house manager frets over your every need. Fredo, the bartender and waiter superior, makes a mean Rum Punch and even accompanied the girls to the market to act as translator. Leo, the chef, and I mean chef, has years of major hotel experience. His Poblano Soup brought cheers from our table, as did his Chili Relleno. In his capable hands, even a mundane cheeseburger becomes a work of art. And Herme, the gardener, delighted the girls by making them midnight quesadillas and personalized bracelets.
The only thing we had to do all week that presented even the slightest challenge was to say goodbye to our attentive hosts and “amigas nuevas.”
So if a week of basking in the sun, swimming in sparkling waters, sipping exotic drinks, dining like you’re an Escoffier member, and having your every need catered to doesn’t appeal to you, then by all means don’t log on to www.theriotvillas.com. Believe it or not, there is a second villa with the same amenities (Casa Tres Palabras) just across the street. Life is tough!
Goodbye and Hello at the Driskill Grill
As you’ve undoubtedly seen by now, uber chef David Bull has resigned from The Driskill Grill. His brilliance was obvious: from his designer foie gras dishes to his duck confit ravioli to perhaps the best short ribs this writer has ever had.
But the restaurant world is full of volatility. As much as we would like our favorites to remain completely in tact, alas, they often don’t. So, as Bull departs for a new job with his old boss, former Driskill GM Jeff Trigger, chef de cuisine Josh Watkins has been moved up to Executive Chef.
I’ve had more than one of Josh’s meals and he creates as superbly as he executes. This is a seriously good move for the Driskill Grill which should result in about as seamless a transition as one could hope for.
Airports to Avoid: Mexico City
At the helm of my market research firm The Benchmark Company for 20 years, I’ve logged millions of miles in the air and been to countless airports: somehow though, I’d missed Mexico City until last week. Dear God! What an absolute cluster ##&&&***###!!!! this place was. We got off the plane from San Antonio and were confronted by a dizzying array of signs that meant little or nothing to us (and I speak Spanish). We tried to find our gate for Acapulco and were told that it wouldn’t be available until 20 minutes before the flight: as in no one would knew what gate it would be. How is that possible? Then we had to stand in an interminably (and poorly marked) line to get our passports stamped. People we knew from Austin who we’d met on the plane to Mexico City missed their flight to Puerto Vallarta because they blundered into the wrong line.
The next step was to wander down to some arcane place known as Area B, (don’t think it’s related to that place near Roswell) walk upstairs (escalator was non functional) and ask the guy at the Air Mexicana counter where our gate was. He looked down at a sheet on a clipboard with a bunch of numbers scrawled on it.
“Ah,” he said, “it just came in. Gate 8.”
I asked why he needed to use the clipboard and he mumbled something about this is how their customers prefer it. I was about to say something negative when cooler heads in my party prevailed and dragged me off to the gate. Has technology made this little of an impression on one of the largest cities in the world???
