Old-Time Mexican
Genaro's will enchilada your world in East Dallas this summer
Genaro's Mexican Cuisine is no more.Genaro's Mexican Cuisine/Facebook
Genaro Silva, the namesake owner of Genaro's in East Dallas.Genaro's
Diners praised the tacos but not much else.Genaro's Mexican Cuisine/Facebook
If you've been around the Dallas dining scene long enough to remember the late, great Dallas Morning News critic Waltrina Stovall, then you might recognize the name Genaro Silva. He had a number of restaurants in the '80s and '90s: Genaro's Tropical, Moctezuma's and Garmo's.
Well, Silva is back: He makes his return to the dining scene with Genaro's, opening in East Dallas in late summer.
Genaro's will open in Hillside Village, at the northeast corner of Abrams and Mockingbird, in the old Chase Bank space. Joining him will be brother-in-law Santiago Garcia; the two worked together at Tachito's in Oak Cliff in the '70s, and Garcia was chef at Genaro's Tropical, open from 1983 to 1988.
"It is my life's passion ever since I started following the Galloping Gourmet when I was a teenager," Genaro Silva says.
Genaro's will be open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. The menu will feature traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes as well as new fancier items such as saffron linguini with clams, mussels, shrimp, squid and snapper in tequila cream sauce; swordfish kebabs; queso flameado; chile relleno with shrimp, crab, snapper and cheese; spinach and seafood enchiladas; beef tenderloin with red wine, mushroom and black bean cream sauce; and coconut ice cream with Kahlua.
A specialty cocktail menu will include sangria and margaritas. Lunch will range from $10-$16 per person; dinner, from $14-$25.
The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 120 inside, with an indoor-outdoor bar seating 30 and a covered patio seating 150.
In a release, Silva said, "I have always wanted to project Latin-based cuisine in a distinguished and cool environment and always present our cuisine in a top-notch, first-class way. It is my life’s passion ever since I started following the Galloping Gourmet when I was a teenager."
Silva, a graduate of SMU and native of Mission, Texas, has worked in the restaurant industry for more than 30 years. He was doing organic, local produce and gourmet goat cheese long before it was trendy for Mexican restaurants. Dallas Morning News' legendary Stovall said, "…service was smooth and accommodating,…the result is a wide-ranging menu justified by the freshness of the food and the care in its presentation."
Genaro will use lighter oils, no lard or shortening, fiery salsa, Aztec garlic rice, black beans, organic beef, and sustainable seafood. Local produce will be implemented when and wherever possible.
