New brunches for the West 7th area, including two with avocado toast
.JPG "Triple-layer pastel tres leches de Neopolitan at El Bolero. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com")
Everything old is new again in Crockett Row, where two new restaurants evolved from two that closed long ago.
El Bolero Cocina Mexicana is open at 2933 Crockett St. next to Fireside Pies, and if it seems familiar, there’s a reason.
Five years ago, a Crockett Row restaurant named Hacienda San Miguel lost its chef to a then-new Dallas startup, El Bolero.
El Bolero has gone through chefs, menus and makeovers since then, but the concept remains familiar: interior-Mexico cooking in a bright decor with lots of flashy drinks.
Think Mesero or Meso Maya.
Now think about $16 black margarita called “the Oilman,” made with charred agave.
There’s a “mule” made with ghost-pepper-infused blood orange tequila, and lots more fruity drinks like a pineapple-vanilla mezcalita or a “blackberry punch” with pineapple, jalapeno and tequila.
For weekend brunch, there’s a menu with specials such as churro-style French toast, chorizo-and-egg tacos, crab cake eggs Benedict, huevos rancheros or chilaquiles with chicken.
The regular menu has chicken poblano enchiladas or tacos al pastor, but it also has an avocado-chicken salad and wagyu beef fajitas.
There’s also a tempting 1-pound ribeye and the Yucatecano braised pork dish called cochinita pibil.
The desserts at El Bolero cost $9, more than a dinner in most Tex-Mex restaurants. So share the towering slice of triple-layer pastel tres leches de Neopolitan, churros with Abuelita chocolate or a rice-pudding cake.
The Friday lunch special is notable: lobster fajitas ($15).
El Bolero is open weekdays for lunch and dinner, weekends at 10 a.m. for brunch and dinner; 682-250-7583, elbolero.argconcepts.com.
▪ Across the way at 2932 Crockett St., Pakpao Thai is booked to open this summer.
Pakpao started in Dallas in 2013, with a chef who also made a stop at the old Kin Kin Urban Thai in Crockett Row.
Our Robert Philpot recently reported on plans for two other Dallas-based concepts in Crockett Row:
▪ Toasted Coffee + Kitchen, an artisanal toast, sandwich and breakfast restaurant with breakfast and lunch (yes, I said “artisanal toast”);
▪ And Concrete Cowboy, which primarily promotes drinks.
This story was originally published February 18, 2019 at 5:45 AM.
