A reader sends word that a TABC alcohol-license notice posted on the side of the former Tower Theatre at 1201 Westheimer — where Hollywood Video was sent packing late last year — reveals the name of the old-style Tex-Mex restaurant former Houston Press food critic Robb Walsh and Iron Chef contestant Bryan Caswell will be inserting into the long-gutted moviehouse. As announced in the Press‘s food blog earlier this month, it’ll be El Real Tex Mex Cafe. Alas, no notice has yet been posted warning customers of the restaurant’s special featured ingredient:
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Lard. Lots and lots of lard.
“In the old days,” [Walsh begins], “Tex-Mex was made with lard. And before there was hydrogenated lard in the store, it was made with fresh rendered lard. It has this wonderful roasted pork flavor, you know?” But everything good eventually comes to an end, and the era of lard was no exception. . . .
As he consults on the menu and recipes for El Real, Walsh aims to bring back seriously old-school Tex-Mex in ways no other restaurant is currently doing. “I can’t think of any other restaurant that uses rendered lard,” he asserted. Along with Caswell, they’ve contacted Morgan Weber at Revival Meats to see about using the lard left over from the butchering and sale of Weber’s increasingly popular heritage pigs.
- Getting Real: New Caswell-Walsh Restaurant Venture Finally Gets a Name [Eating Our Words]
- Previously on Swamplot: Critic’s Choice: Tower Theatre Will Go Tex-Mex, The Tower Theatre Puts No Name in Lights, Drive-By and Walk-By Reports on the Tower Theatre’s New Headliner, What’s Playing at the Tower Theatre?, Going Attractions: Hollywood Video Gives Up on the Tower Theatre
Rendering of El Real Tex Mex Restaurant in Former Tower Theatre: Robb Walsh
The lard lad!
Lard is what some of the residents want, however, those residents aren’t eating planning on eating there. Hopefully the next restaurant there will figure it out. Good space, bad idea.
My money’s on it being really, really good. Walsh and Caswell should make a good team.
Viva Lard!
Lard has much less saturated fat than butter, and is more-or-less equivalent to olive oil in terms of being a “healthy fat.”
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http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/lard-the-new-health-food
Somehow I don’t think the classic food/nose-to-tail hipster eating crazes (however slowly they came to Houston) are going to embrace the use of retro-lard. Maybe novelty, in this town where deliberately eating copious amounts of fat is considered a badge of courage, will carry interest long enough for the restaurateurs to make some money.
The continued use of ersatz-lard substances like Crisco once WW2 ended is a great mystery. A triumph of marketing, or merely a triumph of old-habits-are-hard-to-break?
Refried beans made with lard are like sugar Coke… distinctly better tasting.
The food will be excellent.Bryan knows his stuff. Parking will be an issue, but I’ve been told they have secured parking at an adjacent lot.
I am going to make a prediction that if the food with lard tastes good, the restaurant will make it.
Just what Houston needs, a couple of white guys cooking up Tex-Mex.
Bernard, you just won ‘dumbest comment of the day’ award.
is there underwriting from LIPITOR?
Can’t wait for this place to open. I’m happy first that this space will be occupied and the fact that it will be occupied by a serious chef just makes it all the better.