New Latin Restaurant Tries To Fill an Upscale Houston Dining Void — Your First Taste Review Of Exilio

It’s goodbye to Houston’s Harlow District’s very first inhabitant Verde Garden and hello to its successor Exilio Latin Flair. If the development’s name doesn’t ring a bell, surely its location will spark recognition. It’s the restaurants clustered off West Dallas that, for years, were the former home of venerated Italian restaurants Vincent’s and Nino’s.

Taking residence in the former spot of Grappino di Nino, Exilio Latin Flair is serving up a menu that’s a blend of Latin cuisines from Mexico, Spain, Central and South America.

Created under the umbrella of Bari Hospitality, the fast-growing restaurant group that operates the namesake Bari Ristorante in The River Oaks District (with a second Bari headed to The Woodlands this summer) as well as the steakhouse Georgia James, just down the street, Exilio is something new. It is owned and managed by veterans of the industry — Pedro Teyuca, Tommy Nally and chef Renato De Pirro.  Teyuca reveals that the impetus to focus on Latin inspired dishes came from a rather glaring opening in the market.

“With both Churrascos and America’s closed, there aren’t as many chef-driven restaurants focused on the cuisine of the Americas and we felt we could fill that niche,” Teyuca tells PaperCity.

Corporate chef Renato De Pirro, Italian by birth, visited Spain and Mexico in the last year seeking inspiration for Exilio’s menus. Open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, some of the standouts on the lunch and dinner menu include the starter of braised short rib flautas wrapped in a flaky feuille de brick pastry shell with cream cheese and queso fresco with a side of chile de arbol salsa ($22). You can also order a pair of empanadas (there are four tempting varieties to choose from, including the Wagyu beef filled with wild mushrooms and Manchego cheese with drizzle of chimichurri).

Ceviches and crudos range from a Peruvian leche de tigre marinade of tuna with diced avocado, mango, fresh basil, mint and the spice of a serrano pepper ($16) to octopus ceviche studded with manzanilla olives, tomato and celery in a lime and olive oil marinade ($15).

The tacos come with house-made tortillas in varieties that include chickpea and black bean. Exilio’s lobster tacos ($28) are pressed with a fresh hoja santa leaf, its anise scent wafting off the warm flatbread. Larger plates we enjoyed include a butterflied, then mesquite-grilled branzino ($36), one side napped with a spicy red sauce, the other with a green sauce, accompanied by a morita-chile-laced aioli and sautéed spinach. The chicken mole features half a deboned chicken named in the traditional Oaxacan rich mole negro with a side of roasted elote (corn) and rice ($34).

Exilio’s wine program highlights vintages from the New World — including selections from South and North America as well as Spain.

Exilio Latin Flair is located at 2817 West Dallas Street. It is open Mondays from 11 am to 10 pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 am to 11 pm, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 am to midnight, Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm for brunch and 4 pm to midnight for dinner, and Sundays from 11 am 3 pm for brunch and 4 pm to 10 pm for dinner.