taste the future
Downtown Houston's ambitious new restaurant hosts one-night only preview
Christian Hernandez and Sarah Dowling will preview Barbacana on Sunday.
By any measure, this year has been a good one for new restaurants. From Baso and Bar Bludorn to Credence and ChòpnBlọk, Houstonians are spoiled for crave-worthy new options.
In the spirit of Jed Bartlet — the president on TV’s The West Wing who always asked “What’s next?” — diners will get a sneak peek at another exciting newcomer this Sunday, October 6. Barbacana, a new restaurant coming to downtown this fall, will host a pop-up at Camerata.
Not only will diners get to taste eight dishes from chef-owner Christian Hernandez, they’ll also get to meet Sarah Dowling, Barbacana’s beverage director and general manager. Most recently the wine director for Underbelly Hospitality, where she earned a coveted Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence at Georgia James, Dowling’s resume also includes stints at Theodore Rex, Light Years, and Field & Tides.
“I look for people who complement me. I’m good at what I do, but I look for people who are good at the opposite end of the spectrum,” Hernandez tells CultureMap. “I also wanted someone who could run front of the house and the wine program. It’s like a puzzle piece. She has the stuff I don’t have and vice-versa.”
As Hernandez shared with CultureMap in May, Barbacana will be an ambitious restaurant with an a la carte menu for its main dining room and a tasting menu at a chef’s counter. The buildout is on track for a late October or early November opening, he adds. The dining room will feature murals by Daniel Anguilu and Xander Rudd.
“My vision for Barbacana is a restaurant that you couldn’t put anywhere else,” Hernandez says. “It has to be in Houston. I’m excited for it.”
Coming from the more staid environment of a steakhouse, Dowling shares Hernandez’s excitement.
“I’d never worked at a steakhouse. It was important to see that side of hospitality and wine,” she says. “This is what I want to be doing. I think Houston deserves more restaurants like this.”
Hernandez worked as a cook at New York City restaurant Contra when it earned a Michelin star. He also served as March’s opening chef de cuisine and worked at Oxheart. Those experiences guided him to create a restaurant that prioritizes dishes made with local ingredients that will change seasonally.
Dowling will bring a similar ethos to the wine list. Expect a bottle list that’s rooted in the ethos of natural wine: small producers, small production, low intervention. Critically, none of the bottles on the list will cost more than $200. Those opting for a wine pairing at the chef’s counter will have a bespoke experience guided by their taste.
“There won’t be one single, set pairing. Everyone who sits at the chef’s counter will have a different pairing,” Dowling says. “I want to have conversations with people and explore wine and taste things they haven’t. I want to open the whole wine list up to be poured by the glass. If someone doesn’t drink red wines, we’ll use high acid Riesling with the A5. It’s stunning.”
On Sunday, diners will get to sample dishes such as Vermillion snapper crudo, Texas wagyu tataki, glazed red grouper with squash miso, and dry-aged duck breast. Tickets for the two seatings, 5 and 7:30 pm, are priced at $165 per person for non-alcoholic pairings and $175 with wine pairings. They’re available on the Camerata website.
As the opening draws closer, both Hernandez and Dowling are getting ready. They aspire to be part of a continuum of uniquely Houston restaurants that runs from Oxheart and Underbelly to Nancy’s Hustle and Riel to contemporaries like Tatemo, Jūn, and Baso.
“We need more of us. We need to stop vibe dining,” Dowling says with a laugh. “We need to do it as a united front. If I go to another restaurant that lights something on fire, I’m going to jump out a window.”
