Toro Kitchen and Cellar Mixology Open Tonight at St. Paul Square
Spanish fare and cocktails are moving into St. Paul Square this weekend as Toro Kitchen + Bar opens its second location at 1142 E. Commerce St., Suite 100.
The 2,500-square-foot space, which will hold more inside seating, will feature the same menu as the Stone Oak location, said Thomas Hogan, who is opening the location with business partner Gerardo De Anda.
"From the first time we saw the space we knew it had to do different things," said Hogan of the underground bar, Cellar Mixology, which is accessible via secret entrance.
The basement space reminded Hogan and De Anda of New York, Boston and Chicago bars, and the concept for Cellars developed as a way to incorporate gastronomy into cocktails.
Bar manager Hector Vargas, who opened Hotel Havana's bar in 2010, and later went onto Hotel Contessa and briefly Toro, is spearheading the cocktail menu that includes sodium alginate-based "spherifications" of classic drinks such as minty mojitos, spicy cucumber margaritas and melon balls. The menu will also feature nitrogen-based sorbet versions of a Carajillo, a spicy margarita and a White Russian, to start.
Classic cocktails will also be featured and prices will range from $12 to $13 for spherifications, and $9 to $15 for the remainder of the board.
Cellar also features a stage for live music, which Hogan says will lean into upbeat jazz and the occasional DJ set.
"They won't play commercial music, it'll be out of the box, like the rest of what we do," Hogan said.
Both Cellar Mixology and Toro Kitchen open this evening, but will be in a soft opening stage for the next three weeks with a grand opening celebration currently slated for September 8.
The bar will open 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.