Robert Lerma
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What does it take to run a restaurant in a 40,000-sq-ft market that features multiple restaurants, a butcher shop, fishmonger area, and bakery? That’s the question el Restaurante Editor Kathleen Furore put to Alicynn Fink, a partner in Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, the team behind Mezquite, the Mexican restaurant that debuted in April inside San Antonio’s new Pullman Market. The restaurant celebrates the food pathways of the Mexico’s Sonoran region, with a focus on grilled meats and flour tortillas.
Furore: Besides Mezquiite, there are several restaurants in Pullman Market, including Isidore, Fife & Farro, Mezcaleria, and Nicosi Dessert Bar. Does each restaurant operate completely separately?
Fink: Pullman Market is an ecosystem, so all restaurants are under the same ownership, Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group. This allows us to maximize the product we get from local farmers and ranchers.
Furore: How did plans for Mezquite come about? Was the idea always to include a Mexican concept?
Fink: Growing up in the northern part of Sonora, Tucson, Arizona, my husband Kevin (one of the partners in Emmer & Rye) and I have always had a love affair with Sonoran Mexican food. The beauty of Texas is that we have access to great beef and amazing heritage grains, so it always made sense to showcase this cuisine at the market.
Furore: Is there something unique about Mezquite that makes it stand out from other Mexican restaurants nearby in San Antonio?
Fink: San Antonio is lucky to have a lot of great Mexican restaurants. Mezquite showcases Sonoran style, which is not widely represented. By being attached to the market, we are able to utilize really spectacular raw ingredients from local ranchers and farmers. The tacos and caramelos [Sonoran wheat tortillas prepared quesadilla-style with queso Oaxaca and a choice of carnitas, carne asada or mushroom chorizo] tend to be favorites and carne asada tends to be king as far as the protein in both of those categories.
Furore: What are some of the biggest challenges and some of the biggest advantages of operating a restaurant within a market setting that includes so many dining options?
Fink: One of the biggest challenges was creating a space that feels like a traditional restaurant while being in the midst of bustling market. There are many pathways for a customer to interact with Mezquite and guiding all of those narratives in a meaningful way can be challenging. Guests can enjoy a quick bite and margarita at the Mezcaleria. They can sit for a quick business lunch or a long leisurely dinner with friends in the dining room at Mezquite. We also have a variety of the salsas and tortillas available in the market for takeaway. Since guests have the opportunity to enjoy the space for different meal periods or desired experiences, we had to think through how these spaces presented themselves. By changing seating styles, menu types or creating activations such as Mariachi Thursdays or Sotol Tastings we hope to create moments of discovery throughout the spaces.
One of the biggest advantages is the sourcing of product. Our butcher team at Pullman Market works with some great ranchers — La Babia, Iron Table Wagyu, Peeler Farms. They not only bring in whole animal, they also butcher specific cuts and have a robust dry aging program. We are also able to render all of the tallow from the beef and pork and use it in our Sonoran flour tortillas. As a traditional restaurant, these practices can be cost-prohibitive, but as a part of a larger market it works. The market has a commercial kitchen and specialized equipment that just wouldn't fit in a stand-alone restaurant. For example, the tortilla press located in the market is able to produce up to 3000 tortillas a week. We can sell those both in Mezquite and in the retail environment.
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