A Chef's Heritage 🍽

Marcus Herrera puts his heart on the line with an elaborate, seven-course Mexican dinner at The Carter Payne

In my May 4 newsletter, where I announced the Sip with Schnip at The Carter Payne third Thursday happy hours, I also noted A Chef’s Heritage - Mexico dinner being held May 21. It was lead by the establishment’s Sous Chef, Marcus Herrera, building off both his family heritage and travels inside Mexico.

I attended the dinner as a guest to cover the event for Side Dish. (See my transparency note in that same link regarding The Carter Payne as my venue partner.) And after the four-hour gustatory affair, I can say I, for one, am ready to start calling Herrera just “chef” (even though he’s second in command here under Brent Beavers), because damn did he earn the title based off everything I tasted. Truly, it was on overall spectacular meal that showed a lot of heart, as promised. Tears were shed by both chefs, no joke.

Take a moment to study the menu:

I ran into Herrera, who I don’t know well, a few times over the past couple months. This dinner was the focus of our quick chats. He’d been conceiving of it for months, speaking of it with anticipation and a palpable passion that felt like reverence even in concept form. It was clear to me that it was deeply personal for him, rooted in both his cultural traditional and family legacy.

Trust me, this is the kind of dinner you want to sign up for in the future (here or anywhere), when the chef has a personal stake in the menu beyond the restaurant’s financials. Sure, there’s fine wine dinners galore around town annually, with amazing food on the plate lovingly paired with special sips. But take that, and add obsession, and you get this. (Seriously, I was seated with Herrera’s girlfriend at our community table, and she lovingly/supportively confirmed that this dinner was all Herrera has been talking about for months, even between sleep in the wee morning hours.)

Though it’s not a meal that you, dear subscribers, can now partake in, I feel it’s worth a photo tour below (read the captions for more story and detail) to show Herrera’s prowess and a snapshot of how the Carter Payne approaches their chef dinners. The next one, by the way, is called Of Fire and Wine and it’ll take place July 16 as a live-fire meal on the patio presented by Beavers and Herrera.

Without further ado, please enjoy the photos of beautiful food and drink presentations below. Cheers!

Left: a greeting tequila before course one, a very fine Jalisco-sourced Hussong's blanco. Middle: a Baja California Nebbiolo that paired fabulously with a molé course. Right: Agave de Cortez mezcal, local Lockhart Farms honey and lime; simple, delicious.

Herrera spent five hours hand-grinding corn to make these tortillas. They were house nixtamalized. Herrera shared that he regretted prepping them early, as the texture wasn't to his ideal form, and some eaters' tortillas broke a little with bites. But mine held firm. It had a unique softer, almost spongier texture that was quite unique. Major points for labor. (Images courtesy The Carter Payne)

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While in Mexico…

If you’re feeling teased at this point by images of food that you can’t go out and eat right now, or are perhaps suddenly hungry, I want to leave you with some other fine options for satisfying your craving for Mexican food. Know that The Carter Payne’s current menu does feature several Mexican-style or -inspired dishes, including apps (a fresh salsa trio, coconut serrano cornbread and chorizo mac 'n cheese); a scallop ceviche with tostada shells; salmon tostadas; and Champandango Enchiladas served with a white molé sauce. And here’s some other memorable Mexican spots from my more-recent reviews around town:

• Milagros Cocina Mexicana really surprised me last year when it delivered upscale Mexican plates to the North Academy Boulevard area. It has a fusion element, but stays rooted in Mexican fundamentals. I was overjoyed to finally see huitlacoche prominently displayed on a local menu. Start with the El Jefe margarita with orange-infused tequila.

• Moctezuma Mexican Grill should be visited for birria and pastor, among other bites.

• Dos Dos features its own nixtamal program that “cooks, grinds, mixes and presses corn masa into homemade corn tortillas every single day.” Try the Los Cuatro Amigos if tater tots on a taco sounds like an adventure you want to undertake.

• Native Grill focuses on Mayan-inspired dishes and the house salsas shine.