Oloroso

I like Southtown. If property values are any indication, I’m not alone.

As a pseudo-yuppie, you would think that I would be at odds with hippie/artsy Southtown, but it’s actually a symbiotic relationship. Without these cultured artists, yuppies wouldn’t have:

• Stuff to hang on the white walls of our minimalist suburban houses


• Folksy music to listen to while driving our European cars


• Sad monochromatic cinema


• Meaningful poetry to pare down to meaningless motivational posters


• Desirable gentrified neighborhoods with character like Southtown

On the other hand, if it weren’t for yuppies, the artists wouldn’t have:

• Rent Money


• Gas Money


• Grocery Money


• Money for mind-altering pharmaceuticals

So it’s a win-win situation. It seems that out of this equation came my favorite coffee shop (Casa Chiapas) and several unique restaurants including a relatively new venture called “Oloroso”.

Oloroso boasts on its website that their menu is “structured to use seasonal produce from sustainable south and central Texas farms”.

Wow.

I almost feel bad that our table of six people valet parked four cars – three of which were built outside the US and shipped here*. Good thing I’m not a hippie; I don’t think I could squeeze my carbon footprint into a pair of woven hemp Birkenstocks.

The menu had a lot of interesting choices ranging from Scallops (locally sourced?) to Rabbit. Our waitress was very nice and capable, but the service felt like a good high school play. The motions were correct (Glasses were full, crumbs were cleared, etc), but the confidence and nuance were lacking (“I just learned how to pronounce Charcutiere!”). It was charming in its candor, but not what I expected.

I started with the “Grilled Marinated Quail with spicy Herb Salad, grilled Piquillo Peppers and Sherry Onion Relish” as an appetizer and it was good stuff. A quail egg was served on top and proved to be the most flavorful egg I’ve ever had despite its diminutive size. The quail was quite good and the gamey taste went well with the onion relish.

Next up was the “Seared Diver Scallops on top of Parsley Root Puree, roasted Kohlrabi and Wild Mushrooms finished with a Sherry Reduction and Prosciutto”. Quite a mouthful.

It looked impressive with the large scallops spaced horizontally across the oblong plate and artfully dressed with Prosciutto. The flavor was good too, but it didn’t knock my socks the way my eyes told my mouth it would. Perhaps my expectations were a little high, but after sampling Mey’s decidedly average Roasted Pork Loin, I couldn’t in good conscience give exemplary cuy marks to the food.

The Chocolate Pots du Crème (Chocolate Mousse as far as I can tell) was an excellent finish to the meal, with a rich flavor complemented by fruits and nuts. The portions were proper and had me rubbing my belly with gluttonous glee as the meal came to an end.

While waiting for the check we watched the energetic valet positioning our cars as though they were F-14 Tomcats on the flight deck. The result was an impressive sight; the four cars were stacked in formation with each driver’s door propped open as if to say “I missed you – come drive me”. A most impressive valet.

I recommend this place. The food is good, the atmosphere is pleasant, and it’ll make you feel like one of those hip art-patronizing yuppies that’s “in the know”.

Food: 4 Cuys
Ambiance: 4.5 Cuys
Service: 3.5 Cuys
Value: 3.5 Cuys

Overall:

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Dating a woman who pulls her American Express from a Prada purse to buy a Carbon Offset? If she also listens to world music from artists you've never heard of, then this might be a good place for the two of you.

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*Extra points to anyone who can guess which one of our four cars was built in the heartland of America (in my birth-state). Please post your answer in the comments section. Note that only one of these vehicles was built in a place where English is the primary language:

Honda S2000
Acura TL
Mazda RX8
Pontiac Trans-Am WS6