OCHO Kitchen + Cocktails is the new Southwest restaurant in Preston Center. I made it in last week to try some of their offerings with some other media folks (I felt fancy). The vibe is somewhat unexpected. The hostess didn’t seem interested in speaking to us when we walked in which put a bad taste in our mouths from the start. Luckily, once we met the amazing Michael (our waiter for the evening), we felt a completely attended to in terms of service.
There are two floors, the main floor is a more traditional dining area, and the second has a giant bar, gorgeous private room, sumptuous leather sofas, and expansive patio seating area overlooking Preston, dubbed 8-Bar. Our only complaint about the second floor was the high noise level. Odd art adorned the walls and the decor of the entire place was quite eclectic.
A variety of appetizers were paraded out to us, from lobster shooters to ancho roasted chicken flautas to shrimp ceviche. Everything we tasted was delicious. I had an edge over some of the other taste testers because my sister recently moved to Albuquerque, so I’ve tried and enjoyed many of the flavors that were showcased in Ocho’s food.
The drinks that our amazing waiter, Michael, kept on a’bringin’ were unique and potent. I started with a jalapeño margarita (note: I hate margaritas, but love spicy drinks) and actually enjoyed it. Some of the other guests said it wasn’t spicy enough, but I thought it had just enough bite.
Oh Hey Dallas joined me at the event, and ordered a Berry Woodie Smash (Woodford Reserve, simple syrup, blackberries, lemon, mint), and lucky me, didn’t realize it was bourbon based, so I got to drink it. It was very good, but could have used a bit more sweetness since that’s what it’s trying to go for with the berries and syrup.
Another drink we tried was the Cosmo “Drank” (gin, peach liqueur, white peach cranberry juice, lemon juice) which was tasty, but nothing incredibly memorable. The Skinny Cougar (vodka, watermelon juice, lime juice, grenadine, soda water) was a recommendation from our water, but I’d rather splurge on the other delicious normal-calorie drinks.
Overall, I enjoyed my time at Ocho (the company helped!) and am looking forward to visiting again soon to try the Hatch Chile Smoke Tequila Cocktail (tequila, lemon juice, agave nectar, green chile powder).
Notes:
- Specialty cocktails are around $10
- Complimentary valet (make sure you’re going south on Preston to get in the parking lot)
- Green chile is delicious
- Ask for Michael
- 8Bar opens at 3pm daily
- They stock around 50 tequilas for your tasting pleasure
Ocho Kitchen + Cocktails
8411 Preston Road Suite 132 | (214) 217-0888
www.och8.com | facebook.com/likeocho | @ocho_dallas