On Monday, the word went up on Bacalar’s social media: “Exciting changes coming soon!”
Maybe less exciting for Gabe Erales, the executive chef who based the Rainey Street restaurant’s menu on his childhoods spent in the Yucatán Peninsula. Opened in September 2023, Bacalar marked Erales’ first new restaurant since winning Top Chef season 18 in 2021. That moment of triumph was significantly complicated when news broke that Erales had been terminated from then-homebase Comedor for misconduct. In a now-deleted Instagram post, the longtime Austin chef acknowledged he had had an extramarital affair with a Comedor employee and then reduced her work hours, which, Erales conceded at the time, “in combination was a poor judgment call and led to my termination after I filmed Top Chef.”
Less than a year since opening its doors, Bacalar has now closed and will rebrand, without Erales’ involvement, confirmed a representative from Urbanspace Hospitality, with walk-up taco window Tomalo expanding to fill the space:
“Urbanspace Hospitality’s goal is to create concepts that serve the neighborhoods in which they reside. We’ve been listening to our customer and neighborhood feedback and have decided to lean into Tomalo, the more casual of the two concepts and transition the entire space, resulting in more approachable, relaxed, and fun dining. Tomalo is a place that welcomes you to come as you are, whether that is off the trail with your dog, a weekday meal with your family, or dinner and drinks before a big night out. As we embark on this exciting transition, we want to express our profound gratitude to Chef Gabe Erales. While he will not continue with Tomalo, we were privileged to have him on our team. During this transition, the Tomalo window will remain open with regular hours.”
Additional reporting by Melanie Haupt.
This article appears in July 19 • 2024.