Eva Kolenko / Tatemó
The cuisine at Tatemó celebrates heirloom corn
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Tatemó in Houston and Mixtli in San Antonio both earned a Michelin star when the guide announced its inaugral Texas edition on November 11. In addition, Barley Swine in Austin, which includes Mexican flavors in its dishes, and Spanish restaurant BCN Taste & Tradition, also earned stars.
Tatemó, which is located in a strip mall in Houston, began its existence as a tortilleria. No surprise then that corn plays a key role on its menu today. “Chef Emmanuel Chavez delivers a beautifully pitched and portioned experience that celebrates heirloom corn from across Mexico,” the Michelin announcement said. “His riffs on ceviche, quesadillas, and gorditas are elegant to behold and even more satisfying to eat thanks, in part, to vibrant salsas and other creative sauce work. The most original and striking effort might be the black-as-night mole negro, which comes blanketed under a tortilla made from nixtamalized plantains.”
Jody Horton / Mixtli
Mixtli in San Antonio
San Antonio’s Mixtli has been receiving lots of attention since Chefs Diego Galicia and Rico Torres opened the restaurant in a converted train car in 2013 (they moved to a bigger, more conventional space eight years later). The Michelin reviewers said: “Tasting menus shift often, focusing on a different part of Mexico and may offer up cutting-edge interpretations of Oaxacan specialties or a meal focused on the cuisine of "Tierra Caliente." Not content to restrain their explorations to the regional diversity of Mexican cuisine, the menus also draw from the culinary past or even pre-Columbian times.”
Barley Swine in Austin is a casual space that has plates bought at Goodwill on the table. But the flavors are refined, according to the Michelin guide: “Chef/owner Bryce Gilmore makes deft use of local ingredients with a distinctly Southwestern palette of flavors that draws from Mexican and Southern traditions, while maintaining a contemporary, global sophistication. The tasting menu is carefully attuned to the seasons, and refinement is balanced with a sense of whimsy.”
Spanish cuisine is in the spotlight at BCN Taste & Tradition in Houston. The Michelin Guide wrote: “Seafood is a highlight, as in brilliantly tender slivers of sea cucumber set on lobster rice, or thinly sliced octopus paired with potato purée and a striking smoked paprika. Chef Luis Roger knows his way around land, too, and his Iberian suckling pig arrives with a crackling crust, meltingly tender meat and a rich red wine sauce.”
el Restaurante congratulates all the winners!