Cielo Mexican Bistro and Collin's Chop House & Whiskey Bar

A A A Comments By Paul Galvani Wednesday, Jan 7 2009

Youssef Nafaa just opened two new restaurants on Main Street. In the space that used to house St. Pete's Dancing Marlin, 300 Main, there's now Cielo Mexican Bistro (713-229-9500) and Collin's Chop House & Whiskey Bar (713-229-9504). This puts Nafaa's restaurant count at seven.

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Cielo Mexican Bistro

300 Main
Houston, TX 77002

Category: Restaurant > Eclectic

Region: Downtown/ Midtown

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Opening one is tough enough, but two at the same time takes some guts, especially since in the past two years, close to a dozen restaurants and bars on or around Main Street have closed down. But Nafaa is willing to accept the risk. "If you don't try, you'll never find out," he says. "We should be proud of our downtown. Where else can you walk on a sidewalk in Houston except downtown?...I hope this encourages others to open here as well. After all, the fourth largest city in the U.S. can't have just a mediocre downtown."

The restaurants are separate but share some facilities. "Cielo is Mexican with a twist. We have traditional enchiladas and tacos, but we also have things like chipotle chicken sautéed in olive oil with cactus leaves and sticky rice and chile-glazed pork ribs. We've developed dishes to encourage people to pass around and share at the table," says Nafaa. "A place like [Collin's] was lacking from downtown. We have a great collection of whiskeys, and we'll be serving steaks, prime rib, chops, seafood and dishes like foie gras with fig chutney, in an atmosphere that you might find in New York or Chicago."

Dish visited Cielo one lunchtime and tried a terrific ceviche and a great chimichurri steak...

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