We’ve tried to be different on purpose. We try to rope in the community as much as possible. It’s just part of our personality. I hope that personality aligns well with the James Beard Foundation’s personality.
Back in January, when Chris Galicia and Michael Limas of Las Ramblas at Market Square in Brownsville found out they’d made the 2023 James Beard Foundation “Outstanding Bar” semifinals, a sense of surreal disbelief set in.
Sure, they were good. But that good?
Now, with the news that Las Ramblas is among just five Outstanding Bar finalists nationwide, it’s deja vu all over again, just amplified.
“I think we’re still trying to understand how,” said co-owner Limas. “I mean, ultimately, no matter why, it happened, and we’re excited about it. And I think it’s special not only for the bar but the city of Brownsville.”
Galicia, the establishment’s beverage director, expressed similar sentiments.
“I asked myself this morning …. how did we get here? How did this happen? You always strive for certain things, but being in a really small market you never think it’s going to happen. … It’s blowing my mind,” he said.
Las Ramblas, at 1101 E. Washington St., flagship of Las Ramblas Hospitality Group, opened in 2019 in the newly restored Market Square, featuring a cocktail menu previously unknown in the old heart of the city, at least in recent history.
It was the subject of a Texas Highways article in December, which Limas said likely caught the eye of the Beard Foundation.
“I do really think getting that statewide recognition via Texas Highways, plus you couple that with just the things that we’ve done over the years,” he said. “We’ve tried to be different on purpose. We try to rope in the community as much as possible. It’s just part of our personality. I hope that personality aligns well with the James Beard Foundation’s personality.”
Limas said he’s not completely sure how the selection process works, though his understanding is that Beard Foundation judges are scattered around the country, including Texas, and he suspects Las Ramblas received a visit by one of them at some point.
It would have been hard to tell, though, considering all the different kinds of people coming in these days, he said.
“You really don’t know, because we end up getting folks from all types of organizations and magazines that come by downtown,” Limas said. “There’s a lot of buzz, with SpaceX, with just the (downtown) revitalization in general. So you never know who’s down there, whether it’s Texas Monthly, Texas Highways, VICE, CNN. It’s a pretty exciting time in Brownsville, but more specifically downtown Brownsville.”
It’s very similar to the Oscars, so we’ll be in the audience, tuxedoed up, representing Brownsville and Las Ramblas. I think that’s the most exciting part.
Galicia said the semi-finalist tag alone was probably enough to help lure talented individuals to the organization — and now this.
“I know it’s definitely going to help us in the hiring process. … Moving into the finals and being one of the top five in the nation, it’s definitely going to be great for people that want to start taking this career a little more seriously,” he said. “We do a lot of in-house training, and we build up people from the ground up basically.”
No matter what happens next, being in the finals means a trip for Galicia and Limas to Chicago in June to rub elbows with celebrity restaurateurs and chefs at the 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony, where the 2023 Outstanding Bar will be announced.
“We get invited to the actual ceremony,” Limas said. “It’s very similar to the Oscars, so we’ll be in the audience, tuxedoed up, representing Brownsville and Las Ramblas. I think that’s the most exciting part.”
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