review
The fresh-tasting guacamole with bacon was buried beneath gleaming cherry tomato halves and jalapeñotinged pico de gallo. Photo by Velton Hayworth.
Shined to a Polish El Bolero’s haute Mexican cuisine offers something for everyone. BY ERIC GRIFFEY
Like sushi rice, the corn tortilla is fundamental to authentic Mexican food –
both as an essential flavor component and a vessel for other ingredients. A good housemade tortilla alone can elevate an entire menu while lending an air of legitimacy to the restaurant. El Bolero, the three-month-old eatery set in Crockett Row –– formerly and colloquially known as the West 7th development –– takes its individually pressed corn tortillas seriously. Earthy, sweet, and pleasantly soft, the uncommonly thick saucer-sized morsels are an appropriate opening
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salvo for the rest of Chef Hugo Galvan’s regional Mexican menu, which lives in the space between upscale multi-component haute Mex-Mex and more traditional chips-and-salsa, cheese-slathered Tex-Mex. There’s adventure on offer but always a safety net below. Speaking over the phone while vacationing in his hometown of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Galvan said this something-for-everyone ethos was intentional. “With El Bolero, I tried to work my original recipes with a Texas approach,” he said. “We want-
ed familiar items but with an upscale twist.” Galvan fully understands the competitive West 7th dining scene. His critically lauded Hacienda San Miguel shuttered five years ago, and a handful of other Mex-Mex/Tex-Mex places have vanished as quickly as they appeared since then. El Bolero, which refers to the ubiquitous shoe-shiners on the streets of Mexico, is the third outpost of the Dallas-based chain. Though the colorful décor, replete with cactus wallpaper and an imposing mosaic of Don Cenobio Sauza –– the man credited with first bringing tequila stateside
April 2019
