El Monumento will become ‘Encantada’ with change of ownership
Rusty Winkstern has sold Georgetown Mexican restaurant El Monumento to his nephew Alex Webber and his wife Cherie. The couple is renaming the restaurant Encantada.
“We've been a part of the Monument family for decades plus now. Cherie about 10 years, myself about 12 years.” Mr. Webber said. “Operationally, the restaurant will run the same but we're adding our own twist to it.”
The new name, Encantada, means “charming and delightful” in Spanish. The restaurant will be closing down November 4 and 5 to transition into the new identity before reopening November 6.
“Everything that we've learned from Mr. Winkstern, we’re going to keep that all in place,” Mr. Webber said. “He knows what he's doing in terms of quality restaurants. We feel very blessed to have worked with him for a decade plus and learned everything that we know from him.”
Mr. Winkstern will continue to own the Monument Cafe, and is working on a new restaurant near Southwestern University.
“My plan all along was to reward our team members that help make us successful,” Mr. Winkstern said. “They've been running El Monumento for us successfully for about the last eight years. I’m about ready to turn 65, I’ve got a grandbaby. It's time to lighten my load.”
Mr. Webber said he hopes to keep the essence of “that interior Mexican food with a contemporary twist.” He said staple items like the restaurant’s queso aren't going anywhere.
“We're just hoping we can be that next generation to take over with the family and kind of just keep what [Rusty] started within the community of Georgetown,” Ms. Weber said. “I grew up here the whole time, eating at his restaurant [Monument Cafe] when it was down the street.I’m hoping that we can continue that legacy that he started here in Georgetown.”
Expected changes
While much of the menu will look familiar to El Monumento regulars, Encantada will have a few changes.
“We are trying to add our own kind of signature by changing some enchilada sauces and adding a couple of new items,” Ms. Weber said. “None of our drinks are going anywhere. With Rusty's input, we've established the bar program— the batch recipe program that is here today.”
With the help of Chef David McGuirk, the staff will be expanding the menu. This will include adding a street corn risotto, a quinoa bowl, a Mexican street corn Caesar salad, and a duck mole enchilada with a duck chicharron. Encantada will also be adding a steak to the menu, which was requested by customers.
“A lot of our guests loved our fresh yellow corn tortillas, so we are bringing that back with our own spin to it,” Ms. Weber said. “We found a location in Mexico called Macienda, and they do a red corn brown tortilla. Our tortillas won't be yellow corn. There'll be a red corn tortilla that will be made in house.”
Mr. Weber said that the restaurant will also expand its brunch service — opening up both Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and offering brunch until 3 p.m. New items to the brunch menu include a churro waffle and a huevos ranchero bowl. The regular menu will also be available during this time.
They will no longer be closing between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday, but they will be closing at 8 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. The hours throughout the rest of the week will remain the same as before.
On November 6, the restaurant will reopen as Encantada at 3 p.m. Seating is first come first served.