The Roasted Fruit Mojito is different each day. Fresh mint and pineapple were eminently refreshing when we tried it, but other flavors have included pear and apple.
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The Roasted Fruit Mojito is different each day. Fresh mint and pineapple were eminently refreshing when we tried it, but other flavors have included pear and apple.
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Start with masa-based hors d’oeuvres including boat-like memelas and triangular tetelas.
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Start with masa-based hors d’oeuvres including boat-like memelas and triangular tetelas.
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Ortega’s restaurants always do a buffet poached egg exceptionally well. These, covered in creamy Poblano sauce and toasted grasshoppers, melt over a square of buttery layered tortillas that reminded us of French potato dish Pommes Anna.
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Ortega’s restaurants always do a buffet poached egg exceptionally well. These, covered in creamy Poblano sauce and toasted grasshoppers, melt over a square of buttery layered tortillas that reminded us of French potato dish Pommes Anna.
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Even the elote is picture-perfect. They’re served alongside veggie dishes including mushrooms and roasted Brussels sprouts.
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Even the elote is picture-perfect. They’re served alongside veggie dishes including mushrooms and roasted Brussels sprouts.
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Double-cut lamb chops in pasilla mole are among the bountiful meat dishes, along with a wonderful suckling-pig-and-pineapple stew and finely sliced chunks of brisket.
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Double-cut lamb chops in pasilla mole are among the bountiful meat dishes, along with a wonderful suckling-pig-and-pineapple stew and finely sliced chunks of brisket.
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Mole almendrado (made with almonds and olives), is particularly rich over meltingly tender chicken legs.
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Mole almendrado (made with almonds and olives), is particularly rich over meltingly tender chicken legs.
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Tamales de pollo con mole negro are dark and chocolaty, but they’re also likely the prettiest tamales you’ve ever seen.
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These duck enchiladas in pipian amarillo were among our favorite brunch bites. Other stand-outs not pictured included a sparkling tuna ceviche and beet salad.
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These duck enchiladas in pipian amarillo were among our favorite brunch bites. Other stand-outs not pictured included a sparkling tuna ceviche and beet salad.
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Ruben Ortega’s desserts are worth the price of admission alone. We thought it was necessary to pair them with one of several hot cocktails, the Chocolate-Atole. Mezcal gives a kick to the classic Oaxacan corn-thickened hot chocolate.
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Ruben Ortega’s desserts are worth the price of admission alone. We thought it was necessary to pair them with one of several hot cocktails, the Chocolate-Atole. Mezcal gives a kick to the classic Oaxacan corn-thickened hot chocolate.
But our favorite dessert was this pistachio cake, layered with strawberry buttercream.
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But our favorite dessert was this pistachio cake, layered with strawberry buttercream.
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Tamales de pollo con mole negro are dark and chocolaty, but they’re also likely the prettiest tamales you’ve ever seen.
Ask any serious Houston diners for their buffet brunch recommendations, and Hugo’s and Caracol will be among the first places mentioned. The spreads from chef Hugo Ortega are just that good—there’s no denying the glories of never-ending chiles rellenos, chilaquiles and ceviches. And since March 5, his buffets have formed a wonderful triptych with the addition of brunch at Xochi, Ortega’s new Oaxacan-focused restaurant attached to the Downtown Marriott Marquis. And no surprise, it’s already worth mentioning in the same breath as the other two .
But the fun isn’t all on a plate. When we visited, the line to be adorned with skeletal Dia de los Muertos-style face paint was longer than the queue to fill up plates at the buffet. We were more concerned with the edible entertainment, though. It ranges from colorful salads to tostadas ready to be filled with guacamole and ceviche, hearty meat dishes to an almost embarrassing glut of desserts. Our advice: Take it slow to avoid overstuffing yourself.
Or even eat with sanity. The price for brunch is a surprisingly not insane $34 for adults, $12 for kids under 12. That means a return visit won’t cause financial distress. We’re planning ours already.
Alice joined Houstonia in November 2015 and has been relishing exploring the city’s vibrant food scene ever since.
She began her journalism career at age 13 with a cult film criticism ’zine. As an adult, stints with WWE Magazine and EatingWell led to her job as senior food writer at Vermont’s alternative newsweekly, Seven Days, in 2008. In that capacity, she became one of the state’s most well-known TV and radio personalities. Her first book, Vermont: An Explorer’s Guide, was published in 2015. Alice has won an AltWeekly Award for Best Food Writing, two Daysies for Best Print/Online Journalist, and two "Top Social Foodie" awards from Burlington Social Media Day.
