Chef Diego Galicia of the San Antonio Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant Mixtli plans to open a new restaurant called Filleman House at the former location of Restaurant Claudine near Pearl in late November
Filleman House will move into the former Government Hill home of the Southern-influenced Restaurant Claudine, which closed in June after a four-year run. The new restaurant draws its name from August Filleman, a Swiss immigrant and Pearl Brewery worker who was the original owner of the 1910 bungalow
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The announcement comes shortly after Galicia’s co-owner at Mixtli, chef Rico Torres, announced last month that he’s opening a new project of his own, an Italian steakhouse called Rosso in the former home of Cured at Pearl, partnering with “Top Chef” winner Gabe Erales and “Chef’s PSA” podcaster André Natera
Galicia and Torres both have said the new projects will not affect their roles at Mixtli, the two-time Michelin star honoree and the Express-News’ No. 1 choice on our list of San Antonio’s Top 50 restaurants
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“For Rico and myself, it’s been 13 years of our life that we’ve been dedicated to Mixtli,” Galicia said. “It’s good for us to see ourselves away from Mixtli for a little bit. To see who we are away from it.”
The name came after some soul-searching by Galicia, who tossed around sleek New York-sounding names including The Greyhound and cheeky options like The Clam before deciding the name should reflect the same kind of roots-oriented cooking he wanted for the space. For Galicia, Filleman House represents the international scope of the food he’s eaten in his travels, the food he enjoys cooking, the food he’d like to eat every week
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As construction workers traced dusty footprints across the dining rooms and kitchen, Galicia stood beside a rectangular cut-out in the parlor’s wooden floor where the new bar will go and described the menu: caviar service with an approachable price point; foie gras mousse; lobster beignets with hollandaise; East Coast oysters; beef tartare; steak au poivre; short-rib raviolo; Dover sole meunière; pasta bolognese with the nilgai antelope; a Filleman burger with dry-aged beef and fries; Basque cheesecake; even a banana split.
Galicia said he hasn’t yet chosen an executive chef, but his bar program will be overseen by beverage director Lauren Beckman, who brought home a Michelin award for outstanding service in her continuing role as bar manager at Mixtli
The restaurant will seat 60 people at tables inside and on a tree-shaded patio outside, with 12 seats at the new bar in the front room. Service hours will run 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday to Saturday, with happy hour specials Tuesday through Thursday, Galicia said
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Filleman House, 517 E. Grayson St.,fillemanhouse.com
