Immersive Dining
RÒ CREATES AN ENVIRONMENT LIKE NO OTHER
A meal at Rò, the new steakhouse inside Alhambra Towers, is not your typical fine dining experience. It is a deliberately immersive encounter with inventive cuisine, a windowless space that creates the atmosphere of a cave, albeit with a decidedly futuristic twist. You could be on another planet, let alone somewhere outside the Gables.
It is also not your typical steakhouse. The steak here is excellent, as you might expect; the sliced ribeye in particular is fire grilled, superbly seasoned, and well-priced (16 oz for $48). But the menu jumps beyond beef, with unique dishes like braised cabbage roasted in a béchamel sauce with chopped pistachios, capers and parmesan cheese – sweet, savory, creamy, with a roasted edge for crunch, an amazing elevation of the lowly cabbage.
This is the formula for Rò, the first American entry of restaurateurs Carlos Aguirre and Victor Ferraez, whose ViCa Hospitality Group has developed some 40 themed restaurants throughout Mexico. Rò is a mix of two of their highly successful concepts in Merida, 130° Steakhouse and Cienfuegos, the latter of which pushed the theme of wood-fired food in a cave-like space.
The interior of Rò is indeed striking. You enter through the lobby of the iconic Alhambra Towers, down a darkened hallway with electric orange highlights. The first dining area has wall-sized orange abstractions (cosmic flowers or lava flows viewed from the air – you decide) reflected in a wall of black glass. A larger dining area with a patterned brick wall faces a large triangular bar, all with the rosy glow of fire; along the bar itself is a half-foot glass divider with underlit puffs of water vapor that look like flame. Overhead is a curved canopy of wooden blocks, a kind of cubist cave ceiling; columns of rough stone have bronze struts to the ceiling.
The overall effect is a vibe that’s at once primal and sophisticated, and certainly out of the norm. And with tall ceilings and music moderately volumed – we called it Aztec house – you can actually talk to your dining companions.
The service is ubiquitous and way too professional for someplace which just opened at the end of October. Our waiter told us that the crew was trained for three months before opening, and it shows. The staff is both knowledgeable and attentive, and happy to be there.
As for the rest of the menu, we found ourselves pleased with the meat (the filet mignon is like butter) but intrigued by the non-beef choices. The rock shrimp with spicy mayo starter ($18) – large shrimp fried in a crunchy batter that uses scallions and sesame seeds – is addictive, while the artichoke hearts ($16), grilled and served with a roasted sweet pepper sauce, are showstoppers. We also fell for the wild mushrooms in garlic herb butter ($12) and the wedge salad ($19), which was refreshingly deconstructed so that you got the bacon bites and blue cheese without the usual struggle.
You can, of course, go wild on the steak side (a 32-ounce porterhouse will set you back $165). After all, Head Chef Marcelo Palacios, formerly of renowned steakhouse Prime 112, knows his way around a piece of meat. And we liked the fact that there are affordable choices (a half-pound of ribeye or filet is a modest $32).
Top Left: Sliced Fire-Grilled Ribeye Steak
Top Right: Battered Rock Shrimp With Spicy Mayo
Middle Right: Braised Cabbage Roasted in Béchamel Sauce
Bottom Left: Artichoke Hearts With Sweet Pepper Sauce
Bottom Middle: Filet Mignon Served on a Bed of Mashed Potatoes
Bottom Right: Wedge Salad With Bacon Bites and Blue Cheese
But what makes this steakhouse stand out are the inventive sides (crisp teriyaki brussel sprouts), solid seafood selection (excellent pistachio-crusted tuna), and haute Mexican details – like the Yucatán-style flan ($14, wonderfully heavy, with pastry and caramel) or the signature Illusion Corn ($22, corn-shaped, corn-flavored ice cream with a dulce de leche core). And yes, because its roots are Mexican, Rò offers some designer tuna tostadas and a taco with grilled steak and roasted bone marrow.
In the end, the over-the-top interior probably isn’t needed as a platform for such interesting and well-prepared food, but it’s one you won’t soon forget.