My Table sat down with Michael Cordúa of Cordúa Restaurants last Friday to discuss the recent opening (Dec. 5) of Churrascos Memorial City—the 4th location of the Latin American-style steakhouse and the 8th Cordúa restaurant concept. With many variations of the original (which opened in 1988) already created across the city, we wanted to ask Cordúa why another Churrascos?

Cordúa explained that the timing and location were ideal—A large number of the restaurants’ clientele comes from the Memorial zip code, so when Gateway Memorial City approached the restaurateur, it was a business opportunity too perfect to pass up, he explained.

While the décor of the restaurant mimics the wild, whimsical aspects found in the other Churrascos, there are certainly notable differences. This location features the Cordúa’s first-ever open kitchen, which can be seen from the entrance and main dining room.

However, when entering the restaurant, one’s eyes will be drawn to the large 22-seat horseshoe bar that anchors the restaurant. (As some savvy patrons have already discovered, this bar serves as a perfect lunch-hour spot to continue working while also enjoying a cocktail and the Churrascaria.)

This wouldn’t be Churrascos if there were not eccentric, energetic furnishings and decorations. The entryway leading to the hostess stand is lined with six-foot high horns aglow in red light, and the bar top is adorned with hand-blown red glass horns.

The crimson theme continues throughout the restaurant—red leather chairs flank the tables, and the ceiling installation in the back dining room sets the room in a soft red glow.

Cordúa let us know that the décor is not yet complete. The rustic minimalism will continue with art panels on the walls featuring black-and-white silhouettes of North and South American wildcats. Why cats? They are the biggest meat eaters, Cordúa explained.

He wanted the entire restaurant to feel “beefy”—and the reclaimed wood tabletops only help to further his vision. And of course the menu is beefy, too.

Roughly 30 percent of the menu is new (now available at all Churrascos locations), featuring more Latin American comfort foods. Cordúa walked us through the additions, which include dishes like queso fondue, pulled pork mini tacos, “popcorn” scallops, four ceviche variations and a whole fried fish.

“You will eat,” Cordúa said. And so we did.

Of the dishes we tried, all were delicious, but the two favorites were the “popcorn” scallops and the whole fried fish.

The scallop sits atop beet risotto with popcorn espuma and a beet chip. There are a few to an order, and each is presented in a purple scallop shell, complimenting the hues of the beet risotto beautifully. It was succulent, the scallop was cooked perfectly and it was fun to eat.

The star of the meal was undoubtedly the whole fried fish. Served on a silver platter, head and all, the fresh market catch of the day was sliced in the middle, coated in a cornmeal/cacao batter and then fried. It sat atop chorizo Caribbean fried rice, and tamarind glaze and coconut tomatillo sauces were served on the side for dipping.

The splitting of the fish before being fried made all of the difference. There was no “mushy” fish since twice the surface area had been coated with the batter—every bite having a crunch from the crust.

Flaking the fish off with our hands and the flavors of the fish, rice and dipping sauces made us feel as if we were luxuriantly vacationing in South America.

You can’t leave a Cordúa establishment without consuming some variation of the tres leches. And the tres leches empanadas are a fine combination of the fried pastry and the milky cake—perfectly sweet and still plenty moist.

While you can enjoy the menu items at all locations, the ambiance and atmosphere (not to mention the large bar) at the newest Churrascos is worth a visit.

For an insider’s look at Churrascos Memorial City, watch the video below. 

CHURRASCOS Memorial City, 947 N Gessner Suite B290, 713-231-1352, cordua.com/churrascos