Red Herring Brings Mediterranean Food and Fine Dining to Waco | Eater Dallas
Inside the new Hotel Herringbone, I found a 6,000-square-foot restaurant that ushered in a sea-change for Waco dining by introducing the city’s first raw bar and chef’s table. The front of the space has floor-to-ceiling windows and a circular bar that feels like a destination unto itself; between the bar and dining room sits a grand piano-in-the-round surrounded by two-top tables, and live music is scheduled nightly to shift the room from dinner to nightlife. Executive chef Wacoan Corey McEntyre (also chef/owner of Milo) and chef de cuisine Joel Garza (from Uchi in Austin) built a Mediterranean-inspired menu touching on North Africa, southern Italy, and the Middle East, with notable spring dishes including house-made sourdough focaccia; oysters by the dozen or single dressed oysters; hamachi aquachile; squid ink bucatini with red shrimp, octopus, and chorizo; and duck confit with red harissa and hummus, all served family-style alongside large-format mains like whole fish (market-dependent), lamb shank with beet tabouli, and porchetta with golden raisin and pine nut pesto. The kitchen, with sous chef Katy Cotner, aims to make the food accessible while pushing Waco’s expectations of fine dining; the design mirrors that ambition, pairing the container aesthetic with art-deco touches, luxe materials, and brass for a slightly post-apocalyptic take on luxury. The raw bar sits in the back under a clamshell dotted with pearls, a second bar crafts drinks for the dining room next to the open kitchen and an eight-seat chef’s table where chefs prepare off-menu bites, and the playful cocktail program by lead mixologist Alex Merkelz (formerly of One Day) features clever drinks like an old fashioned with a “filthy cherry,” Cursedly Fashionably (an espresso-martini take), and Paperback Romance (a floral, fruity vodka cocktail), plus European wines from lesser-known cellars and a limited beer list. Red Herring is open daily from 4 p.m. to midnight; reservations recommended. - Courtney E. Smith
