Have you visited Atomic Cowboy lately? If so, you’ll notice that the longtime restaurant, bar and nightclub in The Grove is in the midst of change.
Last fall, owners Jim Kellogg and Chip Schloss asked former Lola co-owner Chris Hansen to help give Atomic Cowboy’s concert venue The Foxhole a makeover. The venue is now named The Demo, and Hansen has since become general manager of Atomic Cowboy. “It’s an institution,” Hansen said of the restaurant and bar. “We’re a big part of the evolution of The Grove. We’re in a good position to take it into the future.”
The kitchen is one place where changes were made. Derek Holthaus came aboard as executive chef in late February, while Paco Diaz, whom Hansen called one of the restaurant’s “most tenured employees,” was promoted to sous chef. The pair are turning out cuisine that Hansen described as “Texas roadhouse barbecue meets fresh Mexican.” From appetizers like sweet potato empanadas with jalapeño cream to entrees such as a barbecued chicken chimichanga, Holthaus and Diaz are giving some longtime Atomic dishes a fresh twist and transforming the back-of-the-house into a scratch kitchen where condiments and sauces, smoked meats, desserts and more are prepared in-house – when that isn’t possible, the chefs are looking to source locally.
On the beverage side, Atomic will soon see the addition of Lucas Ramsey, who is leaving his post as bartender at Blood & Sand to helm Atomic’s bar program beginning in early June. According to Hansen, Ramsey, who worked at Atomic Cowboy some years ago, has been asked to retool the cocktails, creating drinks that merge “the craft side with consistency and high volume.” Atomic Cowboy does brisk business at all three of its bars: the main bar (which is being expanded), an outdoor bar (whose massive patio is being renovated), and the bar inside The Demo.
This article appears in May 2013.