Chef Jose Avila can t be accused of putting all his huevos in one basket. In the interest of showcasing the vast variety of culinary styles from all over Mexico, Avila started out with Mexico City-style tacos as chef/partner at Machete Tequila + Tacos before departing to introduce Yucatecan specialties with his X Tabai Yucateco food truck and barbacoa de borrego in the style of Hidalgo with his Sunday-only pop-up El Borrego Negro at 3800 Morrison Road.
El Borrego Negro was a first in Denver, offering barbacoa from a whole sheep cooked overnight in a brick-lined underground oven called an hoyo. Many of his dishes at X Tabai are also tough to find in other Mexican restaurants around the city. And now Avila is bringing another first to Denver, this time with a full brick-and-mortar restaurant. The chef is currently in the process of taking over the former home of Butcher s Bistro (which was chef Jeff Osaka s Twelve before that), at 2233 Larimer Street, with a goal of opening La Diabl