New Mex in Richardson
New Mexican restaurant in Richardson humblebrags about its margaritas
These days, it seems like Richardson is getting all the restaurants, and that includes Las Brazas, a fine-dining Mexican restaurant newly opened in a location with a Mexican-restaurant history. The previous tenant was Dos Rios, which closed in 2011.
Las Brazas comes with some history of its own: The owner, Ray Cosme, also owns Habanero's Grill in the Stockyards in Fort Worth. That's kind of a hike, no? "When we found the spot in Richardson, I liked it a lot, and decided it was worth opening," Cosme says.
The two restaurants have different profiles. Habanero's, which has been open about eight years, is mostly your classic Tex-Mex. Las Brazas is more fine-dining Mexican.
"Our house special a sautéed shrimp with pico de gallo, and Monterey cheese wrapped in chicken wrapped in bacon," he says. "We also do duck tacos, fajitas including veggie fajitas, and all types of enchiladas."
For the duck tacos, they grill it, then cut it up and saute it with red onion and bacon. They do shrimp tacos too, and Cosme says they make their corn tortillas in-house. There are quesadillas and a fish of the day. But wait, there is one Fort Worth tide-me-over.
"A plate we started in the Stockyards and brought over here is an open-faced avocado with grilled shrimp, cilantro-lime rice and asparagus," he says.
One thing that sets them apart from your typical Mexican restaurant is the visibility of the kitchen. "We have an open kitchen, with glass in between, instead of a wall so you can see into the kitchen and watch them cook," he says.
There are lunch specials for $9, and a claim that certainly no other restaurateur has ever made: "We have our regular house margaritas and strawberry margaritas, and they're the best in town," Cosme says.
