One of Houston’s most acclaimed fine dining restaurants has plans to open a sister concept in 2018. BCN Taste & Tradition owner Ignacio Torras and executive chef Luis Roger have quietly put together plans to open a new restaurant called MAD.
Slated to open later this fall in the River Oaks District space once slotted for SumoMaya Mexican-American American Kitchen, MAD, which is named after the airport code for Madrid, will serve “Spanish-inspired small bites and finger foods after the Pintxos tradition, and large plates to share,” sommelier Sebastien Laval tells CultureMap in an email. Those dishes will be available at more times during the day. Whereas BCN is strictly dinner only, MAD will offer lunch, dinner, and brunch.
Laval thinks MAD will have a more casual atmosphere than BCN, which remains one of the few Houston restaurants where men typically wear jackets, but other aspects of the restaurant are still either up on the air or being kept secret.
Will MAD be less expensive than BCN? How will Roger divide his time between the two establishments? What will the restaurant look like?
“These are the only details we’re ready to share right now,” Laval says in a follow-up phone call. He says he understands why people are excited about a new concept from the BCN team but says they’d prefer people focus on other restaurants, at least for now.
Hopefully, Laval and the MAD team will forgive diners their enthusiasm. BCN has been one of Houston’s most acclaimed restaurants since it opened in 2014, and the prospect of a larger, more casual, (hopefully) less expensive new concept from the same team is cause for excitement.
River Oaks District has been a dining hotspot thanks to high-profile concepts like Hopdoddy, Steak 48, and Le Colonial, but MAD will be the first locally-owned restaurant in the development. If it catches on like its neighbors have, Laval and Roger won’t lack for attention.
BCN owner Ignacio Torras and chef Luis Roger are opening a new restaurant in River Oaks District.
