Preston Hollow’s Getting a ‘Hidden’ Tex-Mex Restaurant
Jon Alexis, owner of Preston Hollow staple TJ’s Seafood, announced he will open Escondido Tex-Mex Patio sometime this winter.
The new venture will be in the space occupied by Ruggeri’s Italian restaurant for 13 years but closed permanently after the October 2019 tornado. Escondido’s opening will fill a Tex-Mex food void in Preston Royal created when Cantina Laredo closed its Preston Royal Village location in December 2020.
Escondido, which means “hidden” in Spanish, will serve standard Tex-Mex fare with Jon’s typical, fanatical attention to quality, detail, and hospitality.
Alexis and his family have a long-standing history of connecting with Preston Hollow diners. His family has owned and operated TJ’s Seafood since 1989. Jon also owns and operates Malibu Poke. It seems fitting that he should reinhabit Ruggeri’s, also a family-owned restaurant that connected deeply with Preston Hollow diners.
Why Escondido?
“This spots seems a little hidden from the intersection, “ Alexis said. “But we believed we could make it the best restaurant spot at Preston Royal with a little imagination.”
Alexis’ newly formed Imperial Fizz restaurant group has hired Dallas-based design team of Duncan & Miller to create the look and feel which promises to have a “fun and festive feel with cozy booths, floral elements, Mexican tile, vibrant otomi artwork, dramatic wrought iron lighting, and string lights.”
The irony, Alexis says, is that the restaurant will have an extensive 75-seat patio and large signage, making Escondido quite visible.
Be sure to read the September issue of Preston Hollow People and Park Cities People for more about the Tex-Mex wars in our area.
