Roca World Tour

Once-in-a-lifetime dinner is set for exclusive Houston and Dallas venues

A once-in-a-lifetime meal demands a once-in-a-lifetime setting. At least, that must be the thinking of BBVA Compass which has secured two spectacular venues in Houston and Dallas for the Roca World Tour that will bring one of the world's best restaurants to Texas for five memorable days.

Confirming CultureMap's report from head chef Joan Roca, the Houston dinners will be held at the Museum of Fine Art Houston's Rienzi on Aug. 4-6. The former John Staub-designed home of philanthropists Carroll Sterling Masterson and Harris Masterson III, on a wooded 4-acre property in River Oaks, houses a substantial collection of European decorative arts, paintings, furnishings, porcelain, and miniatures.

Rather than attempting to fly in Spanish ingredients, the Rocas are working with local chefs to find inspiration.

In Dallas, diners will experience what is expected to be a sumptuous meal at the Rachofsky House, the private home of Cindy and Howard Rachofsky, on Aug 8-9. The home displays roughly 800 works of contemporary art, from American Minimalism pieces to post-war European art with a specific focus on Italy, on a rotating basis.

Brothers Joan, Jordi and Josep Roca will bring their celebrated restaurant El Cellar de Can Roca to Houston and Dallas as part of a four-country, six-city world tour. The restaurant in Girona, Spain, is ranked number two in the world by Restaurant magazine. Alas, no public reservations are available. Tickets are being issued by tour sponsor BBVA Compass to a carefully selected list of clients and special guests: 300 in Houston over three days and 200 in Dallas over two days.

"These two venues are the perfect settings for our clients to enjoy the culinary journey the Rocas will take them on with their multi-course dinners," BBVA Compass chairman and CEO Manolo Sanchez said in a statement. "As an organization, BBVA has an emphasis on the arts, and the Rocas' particular brand of gastronomy is precisely that: an art. It's only fitting that the venues reflect the brothers' creative and innovative approach to gastronomy."

Rather than attempting to fly in Spanish ingredients, the Rocas are working with local chefs to find inspiration. According to the New York Times, Joan worked with chefs from Hugo Ortega's seafood restaurant Caracol to develop his own version of Tex-Mex classic chili con carne.

After leaving Texas, the brothers will move on to Mexico, Peru and Colombia.

In Houston, the exclusive Roca brothers dinner will take place at Rienzi.

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wave goodbye, Wooster's

Midtown bar with creative cocktails and craft taps will close in February

Photo courtesy of Wooster's Garden

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A staple Midtown cocktail bar will soon serve its last drink. Wooster’s Garden will close on February 12, co-owner Jeff Barati announced on Instagram.

He paid tribute to the bar in an emotional post about its legacy.

Since 2014, Wooster’s Garden has been so much more than a place to grab a cocktail – it’s been a second home, a meeting place, a celebration spot, a refuge after long days, and the backdrop to countless memories. Truly my favorite of all our concepts. So many great memories that are very difficult to put into words. I’m getting emotional typing this.

We’ve watched first dates and engagement parties turn into lifelong partnerships, strangers become regulars, and regulars become family. We’ve shared laughs, tears, milestones, cigar nights, and late nights. None of this would have been possible without the community that showed up night after night – your support, stories, and loyalty are what gave this Midtown haven a heartbeat.

Barati tells CultureMap that he and business partner Andy Aweida have leased the space to a new operator who will announce its plans soon. Still, he has some hope that Wooster’s will be revived in the future.

“Our tentative plan is to reopen elsewhere if we can find the right location,” he writes a in a text. “The staff wants to stay together and reopen.”

Opened in 2014 by the Kirby Group, Wooster’s Garden offered a compelling mix of craft cocktails paired with an extensive tap wall of beer and wine along with creative, upscale bar food. Its format and indoor-outdoor design served as a template for a number of the group’s later concepts, including Heights Bier Garten and Bayou Heights Bier Garten.

Closing Wooster’s Garden follows the Kirby Group’s recent decision to shutter Verde Garden, its Mexican-themed bar in Montrose’s Harlow District development. It will be replaced by Exilio Latin Flair, a pan-Latin restaurant from the owners of Bari Ristorante.

cocktails closings wooster's garden