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    Food for Thought

    Fresh from the Ocean’s: A sneak taste in the saved Tudor home

    Marene Gustin
    May 11, 2010 | 4:10 pm
    • Jorge Alvarez of Ocean's
    • Ocean's is making waves at the former Bistro Vino location
      Photo by Clifford Pugh

    By now you know that a couple of brothers from Mexico City have rescued the old Bistro Vino from the wrecking ball.

    Isaac Alvarez, a chef, and Jorge Alvarez, a residential developer, have a lease to own contract on the property at 819 W. Alabama and are set to open Ocean’s in the charming 1930’s two-story Tudor-style home on May 21.

    Great news for preservationists, but what about foodies?

    No need to worry, it's all good news.

    I spent Cinco de Mayo basking in the warm sunshine on the garden patio of this once lovely establishment that is now being brought back to life, imbibing in ceviche and margaritas.

    The margaritas are divine, and they sneak up on you, so watch out: Tequila, lime and a touch of orange juice. No powdered mixes here. Possibly one of the best, freshest 'ritas in town.

    Once Ocean’s opens, this backyard paradise should be a popular spot for cocktails for the in crowd. Not that that includes me. Oh, and the upstairs will also be a bar, with tables downstairs — in the house that Jorge and his construction crew have renovated, while luckily keeping most of the wood beams and original fireplace.

    It will be wonderful to see this spot, once known as the place for wedding receptions, romantic dinners and special luncheons back in business. Although, I suspect it will be a younger, hipper crowd that comes for the cocktails and seafood.

    And, since this column is called Food for Thought let’s get down to the eats part.

    While there will be a full menu, including steak, pasta and community platters, the Alvarez boys really want to make a splash on the ceviche scene. In fact, they plan on having ten ceviches at the ceviche bar (and why hasn’t someone thought of that before?) all fresh and laid out in front of you.

    “But it’s a modern Mexican cuisine,” says consulting executive chef Rafael Corzo, a friend of the brothers and head chef at the NE Hotel Nueva Estancia in Leon, Mexico. “The dishes we are creating are fresh fusion like our Oriental ceviche with Asian flavors and the scallop carpaccio.”

    They’ve also created the Maximilian taco, a sort of shrimp fondue in a tortilla, and the delectable Sinaloa tostado topped with plump shrimp, red onion circles, avocado slices and chopped green olives. I don’t think I’ve ever paired shrimp with green olives before but the explosion of flavors is quite a kick. There are some Spanish tapas recipes for the combo, but I’m currently working on a pizza recipe for chipotle shrimp with green olives.

    I’ll let you know how that turns out. But I digress. Back to Ocean’s.

    Mexican, Spanish, Asian, Ocean’s fusion is a globe trotting experience in eating.

    “We’ve lived all over the world and we wanted to create our own concept in food that combines all of the flavors we love,” Jorge says. “There is not one place in the U.S. that serves this type of food.”

    From what I sampled, he may be right. The food is quite different from what you can get at Yelapa Playa Mexicana Restaurant where chef L. J. Wiley does some pretty creative things with coastal Mexican dishes (peanuts in the guacamole!) and from Hugo’s where chef Hugo Ortega whips out crunchy fried grasshoppers and a wicked duck with red mole.

    So, hopefully, there’s room on the Houston food scene for Ocean’s because, one, we can never have enough Mexican restaurants and, two, having seen this beautiful house and garden get saved from the wrecking ball, we really don’t want to see it in danger again.

    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    In A Pickle

    Texas-based Smoothie King spins up puckery new pickle smoothie

    Teresa Gubbins
    May 13, 2026 | 9:15 am
    Smoothie King pickle smoothie
    Photo courtesy of Smoothie King
    Pickle flavored smoothie from Smoothie King.

    The ever upwardly trending pickle flavor is surfacing in the unlikeliest of places: Smoothie King, the Dallas-based smoothie chain, is releasing a new limited-edition Pickle Smoothie — for those who love pickles so much they could drink them.

    Smoothie King is partnering with Grillo's Pickles, a Boston-based pickle company, on a beverage that combines Grillo’s Pickles with bananas, kale, and coconut water for what they describe as a refreshingly tangy drink infused with electrolytes designed to support hydration.

    The drink is $5.99 for a 20-ounce serving, and will be available through the summer. They'll be giving out free 4-ounce samples on May 16, while supplies last. A Today writer who ran out and tried it found that the banana and pickles both had an equally strong presence, and that it was "not bad." That's some reporting.

    Grillo's Pickles was founded in 2008 by Travis Grillo, who launched the business as a small wooden pushcart in Boston Common, using his family's 100-year-old recipe. It has since grown into a nationwide brand, with their bottles topped with kelly-green lids sold in the refrigerator section of major grocery chains such as Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Aldi.

    Smoothie King is based in Dallas and is owned by Wan Kim, who opened the first Smoothie King franchise in Korea before eventually acquiring the national chain. He's also a major presence in Dallas' restaurant scene, opening the acclaimed Asian-themed Nuri Steakhouse in Uptown Dallas in 2024, and more recently debuting a chicken tenders concept on Dallas' Greenville Avenue called Flock & Fresh on May 2.

    Pickles have emerged in recent years as one of the buzziest flavors, including Fort Worth's own craft beer brewer Martin House Brewing Co., a pickle pioneer that has released a number of pickle-flavored beers. H-E-B just joined the pickle party with a new Pickle Chamoy Sherbet, and national boutique grocery chain Trader Joe's is about to reprise its annual Pickle Season onslaught of pickle-flavored products such as Dill Pickle Mustard and Pickle-Flavored Potato Chips.

    Beyond their flavor, pickles are a fermented item which can offer nutritional/probiotic benefits, although Smoothie King VP of R&D and Product Marketing Lori Primavera focuses primarily on the hydration aspect.

    "At Smoothie King, every recipe starts with delicious nutrition in mind," Primavera says in a statement. "Pickles are not only delicious and having a cultural moment, they also offer real nutritional benefits, especially known for their enhanced hydration. That combination gave us an opportunity to explore them in a new format and push our innovation into new territory, reimagining how a beloved flavor can deliver both function and taste."

    Grillo's Pickles Chief Commercial Officer Mark Luker calls them "functional benefits."

    "We love to do unhinged collabs at Grillo's," Luker says. "With that, we don't always get to talk about the functional benefits of pickles. When we partnered with Smoothie King for a hydration smoothie, we knew this was a great opportunity to do both. Those who are willing to try will be pleasantly surprised (and hydrated)."

    And if pickles are not your thing, Smoothie King is also simultaneously unveiling five watermelon smoothies including fan-favorite Watermelon Hydration, Watermelon X-Treme, Gut Health, The Activator Recovery Watermelon, and Power Meal Slim Watermelon.

    trendsopenings
    news/restaurants-bars

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