Mexican modern

Mexican modern
T&T puts a new spin on tacos and tequila in Las Vegas

By Alia Akkam
June 01, 2009

William Vazquez (Visual Waves Inc.)

T&T (Tacos & Tequila), the latest hotspot in the Luxor in Las Vegas, is hardly an average margarita and salsa joint. With a massive, carefully crafted stainless steel “sombrero” hanging overhead as its design centerpiece, T&T injects historic Mexican cultural motifs with a relevant, modern-day sensuality. “The overriding idea was to provide a new aesthetic for a Mexican restaurant,” explains Brannen Brock of New York-based Alvarez + Brock Design, the team behind the 9,000-sq.-ft. restaurant’s look.

This new aesthetic includes concrete floors, paper banners with contemporary renditions of traditional Mexican skulls and dancing skeletons, and a striking orange stone bartop. The aforementioned sombrero, which also doubles as a light fixture, was perhaps the biggest challenge of the project. “Having a 150-ft.-long metal sculpture on the floor is one thing, but having it on the ceiling is another,” adds Brock, who says the piece was first assembled on the factory floor and then trucked over to the Luxor. Many hours were devoted to meetings and conference calls to determine lighting and sprinkler logistics—a computer model of the sombrero allowed for sprinkler lines to be laid in so they wouldn’t be seen from the cutout. “We wanted it to look as invisible as possible,” adds Rafael Alvarez, a partner at the design firm.

Custom artwork, like a 30-ft.-high, 65-ft.-long mural of a female matador battling a bull, also heightens the design mission. “When thinking of a Mexican restaurant, everyone imagines a typical colorful place, with hats hanging and ceramic tiles,” Alvarez points out. “But here, the sombrero, little banners, the bullfighter—all these things together add an element of surprise.”

—Alia Akkam is a contributor for Hospitality Design.