(Image: Oaky’s Tex-Mex)

Oaky’s Tex-Mex is coming to the Central District. That means Tex-Mex ‘queso’, the hot, melted cheese made for dipping tortilla chips or drizzling on dishes, is soon to satisfy that comfort food craving. If queso isn’t your thing (yet) Matt Davis, co-owner of Wood Shop BBQ just across S Jackson, is bringing his passion for food to each of his menu items.

With a rotating taco menu, meaty burritos, queso, and cocktails, Oaky’s expects to open any day now.

“The connection to comfort food is pretty intense for us,” Davis says.

“We found next level BBQ in Texas, and we fell in love with Austin too, the standard of food quality there is awesome.” Davis said. Co-owner James Barrington and Davis would take trips down to Texas during the early years of Wood Shop for BBQ tours.

“We would go down there in February because the weather was better there. In doing that, we fell in love with the place and got more into Tex-Mex. People give a shit about what they do there.” A few years back, Davis and Barrington went to pick up their “Snoop Dogg” smoker in Texas and while driving from Austin to El Paso they “ate their faces off,” trying all the Mexican food they could find.

Sometimes it was a small-town restaurant with 4,000 Yelp reviews like Mi Casa Restaurante in Arizona where you could taste how much care is put into the food. On occasion, it’s the people who stand out. Continue reading →