Nestled in the heart of Downtown, Brick and Mortar is a recent addition to the budding entertainment district in historic Union Plaza. Since opening in November 2007, the restaurant and bar has attracted a variety of El Pasoans with its chic décor, intimate atmosphere and eclectic menu.

In recent years, The Place at Union Plaza, a 10,000 square foot industrial-looking business park, has emerged as the premiere upscale entertainment area in the Borderland. While the Cincinnati Street bars are frequented by twenty-something college kids, an older crowd can be found scattered in various restaurants and lounges across the city. But now, with a plethora of nightclubs, lounges and bars cropping up along the Union Plaza streets, patrons of all types are finding their place at The Place.

Mario Porras, an entrepreneur, began frequenting the region in 2005, when just a few clubs and bars occupied the Place’s redbrick warehouse. Impressed by the area’s sophisticated take on Sun City nightlife, Porras was determined to join the flourishing district. Fueled by the desire to create “something different from what [was] in the area,” Porras began to ideate.

Two years later, he and business partners Julio de la Vega and Jose Sanchez opened Brick and Mortar, a unique restaurant and bar that blends big city style with small town hospitality. Touted as an “ultra tavern,” the eatery offers gourmet pizza, sandwiches and burgers as well as an extensive assortment of wine, beer and spirits.

And although the menu may sound basic, the kitchen’s special recipes make the food anything but. Seemingly common items like chicken wings and French fries are updated and transformed into exceptional treats smothered in house dressings or signature sauces like mango chipotle, ancho teriyaki and tamarindo barbeque. Because many of the patrons visit the spot in small groups, the pizza is the most requested dish. “It’s something you can share,” says Porras. Diners can choose from gourmet pies like the California, which is topped with shrimp, tomato, jack cheese and pesto or the Brick, peppered with caramelized onions, red wine Portobello mushrooms, bleu cheese and Monterrey jack.

Just as the food selection retains a sophisticated fingerprint, its wide variety of imported and domestic beer and wine elevates Brick and Mortar to a step above its competition. Customers are invited to travel from Carlsberg to Belgium or Mexico to Boston in a glass, as the drink menu boasts nearly sixty brands of brew. The wine selection, although not as lengthy, is well-rounded and offers something for every type of wine drinker. Glasses range from $5 - $9 while bottles can be purchased from $18 - $38.

And if the quality eats and drinks aren’t enough to keep customers happy, the restaurant’s urbane atmosphere and trendy décor offer an evening of escape, captivating guests with its “big city feel,” says Porras. “A lot of clients say it’s reminiscent of Greenwich Village in New York City,” he adds.

Brick and Mortar celebrates the rustic feel of the building’s space with its exposed redbrick walls, concrete floors, plumbing pipes-turned-bar shelves and minimalist accents. And although the restaurant is tucked into a narrow space, the simplistic interior and tea candles atop each table create an intimate, not cluttered, environment. The spacious bar is stationed amongst dining tables and chairs, which makes happy-hour mingling effortless and fun.

When the sun goes down, however, the mood music ringing out from strategically placed speakers shuts off and the volume is turned up a notch. The restaurant, open Thurs. to Sat. from 5 p.m. – 2 a.m., hosts live jazz musicians on Thurs. nights from 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. and a live DJ on Fri. and Sat. from 10 p.m. until closing time. The DJ, who blends House, Pop and R&B music, spins from a lofted turntable hoisted by metal scaffolding above the bar area.

Porras and his partners, who also served as interior decorators, coordinated each detail of the construction and creative process and emphasize that all aspects came organically, in order to produce something, Porras says, “unique, original and good for El Paso.”

The end result? “Something greater than expected,” says part-owner Julio de la Vega, who also manages the kitchen.

Though it occupies a small space, the restaurant and bar is poised to make a big impact in this flourishing area. And if all goes according to plan, the positive impact will transcend the Union Plaza perimeter and ultimately contribute to the revitalization of Downtown El Paso. “[Endeavors] like this are important to the city, it circulates a higher vision,” says Porras of the more refined feeling of the restaurant. He adds, “It’s good for the city to have another level of atmosphere and the area has great momentum.”

Both the area and the city are indeed enjoying great momentum and with businesses like Brick and Mortar springing up throughout town, El Pasoans are in for quite a treat!

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Editor's note: This article was originally published in the May 2008 issue of the El Pasoan.