Blue Corn Harvest Bar & Grill

"We want to be ourselves, our vision. Like if we say 'fresh product,' we'll make sure that's fresh," Garcia said. "And we chose Cedar Park because I think it's the right opportunity, the right area to grow. We want to grow together with them."

Blue Corn gathers ingredients from a small box garden in front of the building beside the outdoor patio and also from local farmers markets, Manzano said. At the bar are several local beers as well as Republic Tequila and margarita fruit from Big City Distributing, both located in Austin. Manzano said the restaurant also partners with Austin-area seafood vendor Quality Seafood.

The duo's lunch and dinner dishes feature crab, tilapia and shrimp, along with steak, chicken, pulled pork and burgers—a combination of steakhouse and homemade Mexican fare. Cooks can adjust recipes based on customers' allergies or gluten-free needs, Manzano said.

"We're from scratch, so we can do pretty much everything," Garcia said.

Manzano said one of his favorite selections is the Flash Fry Oyster Shooters.

"It's a dish that's recommended to the guests. They always come to [me] and say, 'Carlos, thank you. It's amazing,'" he said. "The whole menu has been developed."

Both men's wives also work at Blue Corn. Their own families tested the restaurant before opening, and families comprise much of Blue Corn's customer base.

"That is what we work for—the family," Garcia said.

Soon the mission may be to open another location. Manzano and Garcia said they hope to follow other culinary friends who left the corporate chef culture to pursue owning their own restaurants.

"I hope we make the right decision. I hope the people from Cedar Park really were ready for this," Manzano said. "This is our parade."

Blue Corn Harvest Bar & Grill, 700 E. Whitestone Blvd., Ste. 204, Cedar Park, 512-528-0889, www.bluecornharvest.com, Hours: Mon.–Thu. 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Fri. 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.–11 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.–10 p.m.