Mico Rodriguez to Open El Mesero in Mid-November

Dick Washburne, Ray Washburne, and Bob McNutt invested in Mico Rodriguez in the early '90s. Today they announced theyare helping him get a new start. (photo courtesy of Ray Washburne)

It’s taken a while for Mico Rodriguez to get the financing for his new project completed. However, today it looks like all of the initial checks are in and El Mesero (“the waiter” in Spanish) is under construction. Mico says he has been surrounded by “a lot of love” from former friends and foes alike. Ray Washburne, Bob McNutt, and Dick Washburne, Mico’s former partners at MCrowd, have each invested as individuals. “This is not an MCrowd investment,” Ray Washburne said. “We wanted to show our support for Mico. It’s important for Mico to be out on his own. We aren’t doing any of the books, we are minority investors.” The money invested by the trio accounts for almost a quarter of the total capital raised for the project.

Just a little over three years ago, Mico’s M Crowd partners filed suit against him and he was eventually let go of any responsibility in the company. (The whole story is here.) However, it sounds like forgiveness has won the day.

Mico changed the name from Mico 12 to El Mesero because, according the terms of his dismissal from MCrowd, he is not allowed to use trademarks used by any of the MCrowd businesses. He is currently overseeing the construction of the former Burger Girl space at 4444 McKinney Ave. He is in the process of “auditioning” chefs. “The menu is an evolvement of the Tex-Mex I know,” Mico said. “I call it American Mexican. We will have honest American classics, interior Mexican dishes, and Tex-Mex.” Honest American classics will include hamburgers and Caesar salads. Interior Mexican will involve some moles. And Tex-Mex? “People here are always going to want nachos, fajitos, and quesadillas,” Mico said. There will also be plenty of tacos and tequilas. El Mesero will be open until 1:00AM.