A new restaurant near TCU will combine two of Fort Worth’s favorite cuisines: barbecue and Mexican food. Called Holy Cue, it will open later this year at 2420 Forest Park Blvd., in the Parks Center shopping center.

The restaurant comes from local restaurateur Mary Patino Vasquez, founder of Enchiladas Ole, a mini-chain of Tex Mex restaurants that offers nearly a dozen varieties of enchiladas. The 1,100-square-foot spot will be located next door to the Forest Park location of Enchiladas Ole.

Vasquez says she’s hoping to open this fall.

“It’ll take some time,” she says. “The space used to be a retail store, so we’ll have to build out the kitchen. But it’s a great little space - it’ll be perfect for the type of food we’re doing.”

Helping her create the menu and recipes is beloved Fort Worth chef Keith “Buttons” Hicks, the former owner of a pair of well-regarded local soul food restaurants, Buttons Food & Music and Ovation. Hicks was also a co-founder of The Rim restaurants in Fort Worth and Burleson.

While the menu is still in the development phase, it will feature Tex-Mex dishes punctuated with smoked meats. Vasquez says to expect smoked brisket tacos, smoked brisket burgers, spicy pork ribs, poblano peppers stuffed with brisket, a barbecue version of fideo, a Mexican pasta similar to spaghetti, and various sandwiches made with smoked meats such as brisket and chicken.
Sides will include gouda macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and elote.

Vasquez says she’s planning to make just about everything from scratch. “The corn tortillas for the tacos will be homemade and I’m working on a house barbecue sauce,” she says.

Many of the sides will be developed by Hicks. The popular chef has been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but that hasn’t stifled his passion for cooking, Vasquez says.

“He’s a fighter, I’ll tell you,” she says. “I don’t know yet if we’re doing a partnership or what, but he will be developing a lot of the recipes for the sides, and he’ll help smoke the meats.”

Hicks will assist the restaurant’s primary pitmaster, Gilbert Patino, the 82-year-old father of Vasquez.

“He made his own smoker,” she says. “He’s a welder, so he’s good at that kind of stuff. My dad’s an incredible cook. He taught me so much.”

Vasquez has been utilzing smoked meats in various dishes at Enchiladas Ole for more than a decade. In addition to brisket enchiladas, she also serves nachos, burritos, and quesadillas filled or topped with smoked meats.

The original location of Enchiladas Ole was located on N. Sylvania Ave., in the Oakhurst area. Not long after the restaurant opened in 2013, Vasquez began purchasing smoked meats from Billy Woodrich, who ran a popular barbecue joint called Billy’s Oak Acres BBQ. After the two stopped working together, her father began smoking meat for the restaurant.

“He still loves to barbecue,” she says. “He’s got a real gift for it.”

After moving her original store to the Forest Park area, Vasquez opened a second Enchiladas Ole in North Richland Hills on North Tarrant Parkway. Late last year, she opened a third on Fort Worth's west side, taking over the Camp Bowie space vacated by the shortly lived Boozie’s Brewery & Gourmet Sandwiches. Enchiladas Ole earned a nomination for Best Restaurant in CultureMap's 2024 Tastemaker Awards.

It was Enchiladas Ole’s popular brisket enchiladas that gave Vasquez the idea to open Holy Cue.

“We sell so many of the brisket enchiladas, I thought why not open a restaurant that focuses on brisket and other smoked meats,” she says. “It’ll be barbecue but with a lot of Mexican spices. It’ll definitely be a different kind of barbecue restaurant.”