Ometeo. 1640 Capital One Dr., Tysons. Open daily for dinner.
Long Shot Hospitality, the team behind New Orleans-inspired Dauphine’s and seafood spot the Salt Line is getting in the Tex-Mex game. They open Ometeo, a two-level restaurant with three bars, at the Capital One Center in Tysons on Wednesday, December 6. They’ve hooked up with Gabe Erales—the first Mexican-American winner of Top Chef—to give the seafood-heavy menu some cheffy touches.
Erales also operates his own Austin restaurant called Bacalar, focused on the Yucatan Peninsula. He was previously fired from modern Mexican restaurant Comedor over allegations of sexual misconduct. When it came to light in the aftermath of his 2021 Top Chef win, Erales apologized publicly, saying he had a consensual relationship with a co-worker and later reduced her hours.
At Ometeo, Erales will draw from the Tex-Mex food he grew up with in El Paso. He’s also working with chef Kyle Bailey to take some coastal cues from the Salt Line. For example, the seafood restaurant’s popular “stuffies” (New England-style stuffed clams) are translated into stuffie tamales with clams and chorizo verde. Meanwhile, Maine lobsters used for the Salt Line’s lobster rolls appear here in lobster tostadas with a Texas pecan salsa macha. Other seafood-focused dishes include a hamachi-and- prickly-pear crudo, a classic ceviche, and a $90 shellfish tower.
Ometeo—the Nahuatl word for “two gods,” referring here to Texas and Mexico—also has more familiar Tex-Mex classics covered. Think chile con queso, quesadillas, and enchiladas. Erales says a lot of Tex-Mex chains will use pre-cut fajita meat that’s already marinated or injected with a saline solution then emptied from a bag. He says Ometeo will “respectfully” source its meats and make its own marinades for fajitas. The restaurant will also serve costra tacos with griddled cheese folded into the meat. A tortilla “program” will turn out a flour version with traditional Sonoran wheat and an heirloom corn round.
The restaurant group’s beverage director Donato Alvarez is behind the agave-spirit-heavy cocktail menu. In addition to the classic lime version, margaritas come in flavors like guava-hibiscus or frozen with mango Jarritos. If you want to go all out, though, try the $42 Cadillac Margarita with a double-shot of Casamigos tequila and salted gold Corona foam.
The 12,000 square foot space has plenty of space for drinking across its three bars, including on the patio. To make the place feel less cavernous, the restaurant is divided it up into different dining rooms, each decorated with tchotchkes from a Texas antique fair. The upstairs space has a more upscale “lounge, hotel lobby feel,” according to co-owner Jeremy Carman. “It’s like this really vibey, vibey room.”
This story has been updated to include more details about Erales’s past.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
