Nearly ten months after El Tesoro owners Alan Raines and Samantha Eaves transformed their Mexican restaurant Tortuga y Chango into a mezcal bar with kitchen residences, its lone chef-in-residence will take over the space this month.
Raines and Eaves tapped Holeman and Finch alum Craig Headspeth as the first chef to pop up in the kitchen at the mezcal bar when it debuted in January. Headspeth quickly found an audience there with his pop-up, Mascogo Tacos, leading to Raines and Eaves extending his kitchen residency. The bar served cocktails made with mezcal and agave spirits and mezcal flights from Tortuga y Chango, which also hosted mezcal dinners and tastings.
“It is sad for us to admit it no longer makes sense for us to continue as Tortuga y Chango,” Raines said in an email to supporters. “We are transferring the entire operation at Tortuga y Chango to Craig Headspeth and Mascogo Tacos, who will continue filling the space with delicious tacos and beverages, adding his own unique style.”
Related Link: El Tesoro owners breathing new life into former Decatur restaurant Tortuga y Chango
Headspeth serves tacos with fillings like marinated grilled nopales (cactus), al pastor, and confit crispy pork shoulder, along with dishes of habanero-marinated grilled chicken and Frito-queles.
Raines and Eaves will now host mezcal dinners and tastings at El Tesoro, where the events originated and they conceived the idea for Tortuga y Chango as a restaurant.
In addition to hosting dinners and tastings at El Tesoro, they plan to offer memberships to C.A.S.A., which includes invites to special mezcal events, discounted tickets and pre-sale tickets to dinners, and access to rare and small mezcal producer tastings.
910 W College Avenue, Decatur. Mascogo Tacos open Wednesday – Friday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.