A First Taste of Westlake’s Newest Fine Dining Destination — House of Toro Brings Elevated Spanish-Inspired Fare to The Ricardo Marriott

In the heart of Westlake’s Solana Plaza is a hotel designed by famed architect Ricardo Legorreta, whose work includes the Camino Real Polanco and Pershing Square. The 288-room property recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation led by Coury Hospitality.

Now known as The Ricardo Marriott, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, the hotel has unveiled a new chophouse called House of Toro. We were recently invited for an exclusive first taste of the menu that leans heavily on Spanish ingredients and flavors. Dark wood paneling, dim lighting, portraits of matadors, and red decor throughout lend the restaurant a warm, Old World sensibility.

Chef de Cuisine Nate Sanders, whose previous stints include Carbone Dallas and Trick Rider in Frisco, oversees the restaurant, while Executive Chef Joe Riojas leads the hotel’s overall culinary program. Sanders tells PaperCity Fort Worth that he welcomed the opportunity to head the new concept.

“I want to bring as upscale an experience as I can to people,” he says. “We are a restaurant in a hotel, but we want this to be a unique experience that stands on its own.”

An Expansive Chophouse Menu Sourced With Ingredients from Spain

Sanders is quick to point out that his “chophouse” is not limited to steaks, although there are prime cuts of beef to be had. The menu features oysters, caviar, steak tartare, and other starters, along with both soups and salads, and main courses centered around prime cuts of pork, beef, and seafood. We opened with The Matador Old Fashioned, a smooth pour of Horse Soldier bourbon, demerara, and black walnut bitters that had a restrained nutty sweetness.

The first dish out was the steak tartare, a mix of Black Angus beef, achiote sabayon, and capers. The sabayon pooled at the center, adding a creamy richness, while the dish as a whole was mildly tangy and well-balanced. Pea tendrils added a light, slightly sweet counterpoint. The lobster bisque was another standout. Generous chunks of lobster were plated over a thick bed of crème fraîche, then finished tableside with a rich, red broth. Rather than a blended purée, the three elements remained distinct, coming together in each bite.

Next came the mains: three fresh scallops over saffron-lemon butter, alongside Sanders’ recommended Iberico pork chop. Iberico pigs forage on acorns, we were told, which gives the meat its rich, distinctive flavor. Our dinner ended with a Basque cheesecake, which is denser and less sweet than its American counterparts — a welcome change for this food writer, who admittedly does not have a sweet tooth.

A Fine Dining Destination in Westlake

From start to finish, the service on opening day was impeccable. House of Toro has an expansive wine menu, and we were introduced to a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon — Ride by Ride & Ridden Wine Co. — that paired well with the Iberico pork chop, with its dark fruit and structure cutting through the richness.

Still in his mid-20s, Sanders’ rise has been rapid. He started as a baker, then moved into pasta before helping open Trick Rider at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa, where he spent three years.

“I owe a lot to networking and meeting the right people, like my mentor, Chef Joe Riojas,” he says. “He has helped me a lot by developing my passion and love of cooking.”

Sanders sees an opportunity to offer discerning area diners a local option that saves them a trip to Southlake, Dallas, or Fort Worth.

“I’m hoping that we can offer a better option for people in the area with our subtle nod to Spanish cuisine,” he says. “At the end of the day, making people happy is really what I want to do.”