Top Chef Mexico Winner Is Coming to Houston For Two Special Dinners With Hugo Ortega

James Beard award-winning Houston chef Hugo Ortega — co-owner with his wife and restauranteur Tracy Vaught of The H Town Restaurant Group, which operates URBE, Caracol, Xochi, Hugo’s and their first eatery, the bistro Backstreet Cafe — is bringing heralded Mexican chef Rodolfo Castellanos to the Bayou City for two very different dinners to celebrate Oaxacan cuisine.

The winner of Top Chef Mexico (in 2016), Castellanos is collaborating with Ortega on a fun walk-around event at Urbe (1101 Uptown Park Boulevard) on Monday, September 26, from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. The two talents will be on hand serving some of Castellanos’s signature Oaxacan street food dishes that helped him cinch the title of Top Chef Mexico. Tickets are $65 per person (plus taxes and gratuity) and can be purchased through the Urbe website. Details on the menu that will be served that evening are listed below:

PASSED BITES
Sopecitos de Lengua, Taquitos de Pollo, Molotoes, Tostadita de Mejillones

WALK-AROUND STREET FOOD STATIONS
Tlayudas, Tetelas y Memelas, Tacos del Carmen, Tamales, Ceviche, Esquites

POSTRES STATION
Churros, Arroz con Leche, Cocadas, Pan de Muerto, Nicuatole

LIBATIONS
Featuring El Silencio Mezcal cocktails
Palomas, Margaritas, El Silencio Mezcal Tasting Station,
Aqua Frescas, Mexican Beer, Sangria

Meanwhile, the following night on Tuesday, September 27, Ortega and Castellanos will host a more intimate four-course seated affair downtown at Ortega’s Xochi restaurant in the Marriott Marquis Houston hotel (1777 Walker Street). The talented duo will celebrate the food culture and flavors of the city and state of Oaxaca in a more elevated setting. Some of the most anticipated dishes include Lengua en Mole de Chichilo, one of the dishes that Castellanos conjured while competing in the vaunted Top Chef competition.

With a reception slated to start at 6:30 pm and the dinner at 7 pm, the menu (which is listed below) will be paired at each course with cocktails featuring El Silencio Mezcal. While seating is limited, you can still snag a seat ($130 per person plus tax and gratuity) at the Xochi website.

PASSED APPETIZERS
Featuring Chef Rodolfo’s Lengua de Res con Mole Chichilo beef tongue with chichilo mole sauce

MAIN DISH
TIRADITO DE ROBALO
Sliced striped bass ceviche, hoja santa, jalapeno, olive oil, lime

ENTREMES
MOLOTES DE PLATANO
Plantain dumplings, heirloom tomato, dried shrimp, chilcostle sauce, sour cream, queso

FUERTE
LECHON
Confit suckling pig, mole manchamanteles, grilled pineapple, peach, plantains

DESSERT
NICUATOLE DE FRESA Y CHOCOLATE
Traditional Oaxacan toasted corn dessert