Many of you have been curious to know about what is going on in the old Cuba Libre space on Henderson. Yesterday, I caught up with Consilient Restaurant’s head honcho Tristan Simon. Here’s what I found out.
What you once knew as Cuba Libre has been demolished, completely remodeled, and renamed Alma (soul in Spanish). The crews have just completed the construction. The design is “50s mid-century modern Mexican with low density seating.” They are now working on the “elevated regional Mexican cuisine” menu development and will begin hiring in the next two weeks. The goal is for Alma to open their doors in late January. Alma will likely be the last “major brand creation on Henderson” for Consilient because of the horrid parking situation.
Who will be the chef? “I can’t tell you yet,” said Simon. “But he’s a big deal.” By the end of the conversation Simon spilled the beans on the new chef. And yes, the guy will be a big deal AFTER HE MOVES TO Dallas.
Another quick note: Simon is still working with Julian Barsotti of Nonna on a deli concept. “We are doing the real estate and investing,” said Simon. “Jules is taking the lead in that project.” Meanwhile, Barsotti has been consulting on Consilient’s expansion of Fireside Pies. The newest location in Fort Worth has been retooled for roll out. “We started from scratch and did something more modern from the design standpoint,” said Simon. “We’ve also expanded the menu to include hand-cut pastas.”
