Restaurant veterans strike out on their own

Octavio Benavides and Tre Dotson were working at a downtown Austin restaurant when Dotson had an epiphany to start a restaurant and bar in Round Rock, he said.

The two had been discussing the idea of starting their own venture together, and Dotson, a Round Rock native, said it made sense to come home.

"The way growth in Austin is going, everything is coming up this way," he said. "I think we are sitting in a really good area."

It took about four years to get off the ground, but in September 2013 the two opened Tortuga Flats, which offers unique styles of Mexican food.

The fare served at the restaurant is not what most people think of as Mexican food, although many of the flavors are inspired by the coastal and interior regions of Mexico. Dotson and Benavides said they are not inclined to call their restaurant Tex-Mex.

Instead, Benavides said the kitchen experiments with menu items while serving dishes customers enjoy.

"I think that's the most important thing in the restaurant business," Benavides said. "If you're not able to evolve and recognize what [customers] do and what they don't want, then that's what's going to lead to you having to throw in the towel."

Dotson said he loves getting feedback from customers. He said establishing a niche and growing can only be achieved if a business listens to constructive criticism from its clientele.

Benavides said the privately owned Tortuga Flats has an advantage on its corporate competitors because dishes and drinks can be changed quickly. For example, the bar changed the recipe for its michelada—a beer cocktail of lime juice, tomato sauce and other ingredients—in one day. At a corporate chain, one would face a bureaucracy slowing the process, Benavides said.

Benavides said the kitchen is able to adapt its dishes to accommodate dietary needs, such as a gluten allergy or vegan lifestyle. The restaurant has served a quinoa veggie taco, and Dotson said even the most consistent of carnivores can appreciate Tortuga Flats' veggie enchiladas.

Among the coastal-inspired food options is the Escabeche de Cameron. The appetizer, sold for $8.99, is a blend of pickled shrimp from the Texas Gulf Coast, red onions, carrots and fresno chiles.

Benavides said he spent time in Mexico's Yucatn Peninsula as a college student. As an anthropology major, Benavides said he observed cultural artifacts but also picked up on culinary practices.

He said he inherited his affinity for flavor from his parents, who own Mittman Finer Foods in San Antonio. Although he worked under them as a child, Benavides said he is still learning the business.

Dotson said opening the restaurant had its early bumps in the road, but the restaurant came away with good insight.

"We took some punches in the beginning, but I guess we have learned to dance with it now," Dotson said.

3107 S. I-35, Round Rock, 512-388-1445, www.plantationhouse.us, Twitter: @tortugaflatsrr, Hours: Mon.–Wed. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Thu.–Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Sun. 10 a.m.–4 p.m.