Chef Jason Dady’s enthusiasm is infectious. The San Antonio chef and restaurateur (Tre Trattoria, Roca & Martillo) made sure to check on every guest who crossed his path last Friday evening as he wove through Mexico Ceaty, the new 25,000-square-foot food hall at the Shops at Rivercenter.
The concept, which Dady launched last month to showcase Tex-Mex cuisine with some interior Mexican influences, took over the downtown shopping mall’s former food court.“Everything is made in-house,” Dady said, as he positioned a sampling of five salsas at my table at Tres Arcos, Mexico Seary’s sitdown Tex-Mex restaurant. Like its Pearl-area counterpart, the Pullman Market — owned and operated separately by Emmer & Rye Hospitality — Dady’s sprawling concept includes a mix of sitdown and grab-and-go dining options along with shopping.
Although the concepts are similar, Mexico Ceaty feels right at home in its downtown location, offering a genuine slice of San Antonio culture and cuisine. My immediate thought was that the food hall would be a good starting point for tourists staying in downtown hotels to get a true sense of what the city is all about…