Fried chicken taco fans, don’t despair. The customer favorite from El Mero’s taco truck still leads the menu at El Mero’s new restaurant, located inside a Cordova shopping center off Macon Road. Chef/owners Jacob and Clarissa Dries understand the taco’s appeal: “Southern fried chicken, white queso, and jalapeños pickled in-house,” Jacob says. “Now that’s happiness.” Clarissa smiles but adds this: “Our sister tried to get the recipe. She didn’t get it.”
Open since mid-July, the couple’s new restaurant is cheerful and contemporary with space to expand their signature cooking, a fusion of influences from Mexico, Texas, and Tennessee. Clarissa grew up in Oaxaca, part of a family of restaurateurs. Jacob is from Memphis, where he cooked alongside his grandmother. In Austin, they both attended Le Cordon Bleu. “We fuse our two cultures together with a little bit of Texas because that’s where we met,” Clarissa says. Jacob agrees: “We are playing with U.S. culture and Mexican culture and clashing them together and having fun.”
The expanded El Mero menu does indeed tell a story that is delicious and free-spirited. Consider the tacos (there are 10) served also as quesadillas. The chorizo verde, made in-house with herbs, roasted carrots, and Brussels sprout leaves, is lighter and brighter than the traditional sausage. Shrimp is cooked in smoked habanero sauce and served with avocado-lime slaw. And for the steak and potatoes taco, seared steak joins crispy potatoes, chile con queso, and a spicy peanut salsa called macha. (Pro-tip: Try this.)
While the menu is taco-centric, other items are more far-reaching, such as cauliflower ceviche, a colorful and refreshing dish that Clarissa’s grandparents always made. There are also smoked cheddar grits with roasted poblano peppers; a rotating selection of desserts like churros with chocolate sauce, tres leches bread pudding, and icebox pie; and a curated cocktail list including rum-spiked horchata and mimosas for brunch. “We make sorbet [hibiscus and orange] and add prosecco to make it our own,” Clarissa says.
Along with the restaurant, the El Mero taco truck is still rolling, as is the couple’s catering business. Within a year, the chefs hope to offer grab-and-go options like smoked chicken enchiladas and seasonal soups. And in October, look for the start of a different taco each month. Up first: albondigas, or small Spanish meatballs, topped with collard greens, queso, and roasted tomato chipotle sauce.
El Mero Taco, 8100 Macon Station, Suite 102, Cordova (901-308-1661) $-$$
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Justin Fox Burks
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Fresh-squeezed lime juice.
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