Barrio Chef to Bring Innovative Mexican Flavors to Birmingham

Hammond Lawton likes queso fundido, shrimp ceviche and other Mexican dishes so much that he's bringing them to Birmingham.

Lawton is executive chef at Barrio Tacos & Tequila, opening Thursday on Hamilton Row as a locally owned restaurant with Mexican flavors on the menu, bar shelves and walls.

The 37-year-old, who grew up in Houston and crossed the border regularly while training in Texas and Arizona, is inspired by regional street foods of the type served at taquilleras (taco stands).

Lawton called his more sophisticated versions "a modern, contemporary take on Mexican food."

"The menu emphasizes fresh ingredients and innovative combinations," explained Lawton, a Bloomfield Township resident since 2001.

Barrio Tacos & Tequila is in a corner of the building where Quattro Pizzeria & Wine Bar served customers until last spring.

The new sign still bears a foreign word, but this time, it's barrio — Spanish for "neighborhood."

"This is a casual, fun restaurant — not an upscale restaurant," said owner Eric Doelle (pronounced dah-lee), 35. "That's why our wait staff is in T-shirts and jeans."  

Splashy art and accents

A bold, new kitchen style and bold new décor mark the space's transformation. The dining room is dominated by a splashy, brash mural created by San Diego graffiti artist Gerardo Yepiz, who's from Ensenada, Mexico, and uses the street name Acamonchi. Reinforcing the street cred are five flashy low-rider bicycles with twisted chrome accents, displayed in a window and atop banquettes between the wide bar and dining room.

"We want to be a little edgy," said Lawton, the personable chef who was married near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and has a paternal grandmother born in that country.

He dares guests to go beyond familiar fare. "We're not Tex-Mex by any stretch of the imagination," he said with a smile. "We will be fast, but we're not fast food."

Adventurous lunch and dinner selections include salmon Veracruzana (oregano, tomatoes, olives or capers), campechana ceviche (grilled shrimp, mango avocado, capers, tomato broth), oyster nachos and queso fundido (cheese fondue with chorizo sausage, poblano chili and cilantro).

Five salsa choices come with chips from La Hacienda on Detroit's west side, which also delivers tortillas daily. In addition to traditional guacamole ($8), Lawton features a tangy version with mango, ginger, cilantro and habanero chili pepper ($10), as well as a "spa-like" style with cucumber, tomatillo (green tomato) and serrano pepper ($9). "It has a nice cool crunch," the creator says. "It's light, it's refreshing."   

Chef's longtime goal  

After graduating from the New England Culinary Institute and receiving additional training at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and California's Napa Valley, Lawton worked with high-profile chef Stephan Pyles at a noted Dallas restaurant and with another mentor at a sophisticated spot in Phoenix.

Throughout, Lawton said, dishes from south of the border "were my favorite type.

"For birthday parties and other occasions when I was a kid, we'd often wind up at a Mexican restaurant," he said. "That's what took me to Dallas and Arizona. This is the type of restaurant I've aspired to lead."

For the past six years, he was a full-time private chef for "a really amazing family" in Birmingham.

Barrio Tacos & Tequila is Lawton's first stint as top dog in a restaurant kitchen.

Even out of uniform, he wears a style of personal expression common among the creative class. Heavily inked arms reflect his profession almost as much as an apron or toque.

Thanks to his roots and extensive road trips through Mexico, the chef knows enough Spanish to direct Hispanic kitchen team members in their native language.

Daytime menu items cost $7-$16, and evening entrees cost $8-$22. Tacos, queso fundido and chips with salsa are served until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday for nightcrawlers interested in more than tequila, Mexican beer or other beverages.

How discriminating are you?

Oh yes, about the tequila: As befits a restaurant with that word in its name, taste testers would need more than two months and hundreds of dollars to sample a different variety every day.

Among more than six dozen types of tequila and mezcal are ultra-aged (extra añejo) brands such as Don Julio Real, Herradura Suprema and Partida Elegante, priced at up to $77 a shot or $450 for bottle service. If you're not quite that thirsty, lower shelves hold 13 types at $10 or less a shot. Cleverly named tasting flights of three 1-ounce shots are available. 

Eleven margarita options include exotica such as blueberry with chipotle, absinthe and anise seed, or prickly pear with lime and Angostura aromatic bitters.   

The short wine list has four white imports and four South American reds by the glass or bottle. Beer drinkers have 15 picks, eight of which are from Mexico.

The late weekend kitchen and bottle service reflect an after-dark change at Barrio, which describes itself in a media handout as a "casual dining" spot with "urban edge ... and a cool, laid-back vibe that the party is about to begin."

Asked about an apparent dual identity, Doelle insisted, "This isn't a nightclub."

For his part, Lawton acknowledged that "casual dining" may understate the sophistication of his adventurous menu. "It's a tough balance, tough to pick the exact term," he said candidly.

College buddies

The chef and owner met two decades ago at the University of Arizona, where the women they later married were roommates. Cece Hammond, the chef's wife, opened in the Rail District 10 years ago with her mother.  

Doelle, a Birmingham resident, is founder of the Dali Restaurant Group that also owns next door and in the same building.

The owner said a relaxed atmosphere, where streetwear is appropriate, distinguishes Barrio from The Hamilton Room downstairs or the nearby , which features disc jockeys and a dance club scene. "I'll dress just like this," the top executive said Monday, indicating his shorts, tropical belt and designer T-shirt.

During this interview, he and company vice president Michael Telford were overseeing the controlled frenzy that precedes a restaurant launch. Dozens of contractors worked inside and outside the dining room, which had stacked chairs but no tables just six hours before the first guests were due for a shakeout preview.

The airy space features five garage-style glass doors that are rolled up on warm days and evenings. Fourteen sidewalk tables will be added next spring, extending a festive atmosphere created by street decks at and down the block.

'Mexican is hot'

Business boosters are glad to see the newcomer fill a vacancy at a high-traffic corner where City Cellar restaurant preceded Quattro.

"Eric believes in Birmingham," said John Heiney, director of the city's . "Mexican is hot right now, and it's something we have not seen in Birmingham until now. Barrio will be the second Mexican restaurant to open (recently). It adds another option for local diners in a prime entertainment district."

Heiney was alluding to the June 13 debut of on West Maple, owned by a Troy couple. Independent status and food category are where the similarities end, as Zumba doesn't serve alcohol, use china plates or have a wait staff.  

At the , President Joe Bauman looked forward to a preview lunch Tuesday. Barrio "no doubt will be a popular destination with the after-movie crowd," he predicted. As the chamber leader sees it, ventures such as Barrio show that "more and more, the downtown is recognized as an entertainment destination as well as a retail destination."

Barrio, which served dress rehearsal meals Monday and Tuesday, opens at 11 a.m. Thursday. Lunches are available weekdays until 4 p.m., and dinner is served daily until 10 p.m. Sunday; 11 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; and until midnight Thursday-Saturday.