Sugar & Spice: Pink Chic

Pink-Chic: adj: 1. Stylish and attention grabbing while making an entrance; ex. “Her entrance pink- chic, guests lusted after her style, her glance…”

And what an entrance it was. This fall, new restaurant Rosa Mexicano made her own pink-chic debut downtown. Her atmosphere combines sexy with sophisticated, and nowhere was this more apparent than at Rosa’s exclusive grand opening reception in October.

Senses pique when we enter the party—the sights, sounds, and smells first rush us, then simmer as our “entrance” becomes our “evening.” Modern, seductive, vibrant (pink-purple) décor greets us with two floor-to-ceiling, glass-backed water walls flanking the bar lounge that add a soothing ambiance to a loud hum of clinking glasses and friendly conversation. One smells a combination of guests’ perfumes and the restaurant’s succulent dishes. Fashionable guests mingle with businesspeople. Staff wind through the crowd with complementary margaritas and house specialties.

Bar Manager Ryan Reed greets us as we take in the scene. His demeanor is one of a seasoned party host—calm, confident, and thoughtful. He makes us feel as if we’re the only guests in the house, and sets the tone for our evening at Rosa. This isn’t just another restaurant opening; the event is, in itself, the experience: the feeling that one gets at an intimate dinner party with friends, despite hundreds of guests present.

After Ryan settles us for the evening, my friends and I explore the place. There’s the seafood bar sculpted entirely out of ice (commissioned specially for the evening), an enormous wraparound balcony on which to take in the city’s nightlife, and a stunning dining room complete with a fountain above which dozens of swimmers dive in perpetual suspension.

Then, danger. Tucked away behind a live mariachi band at the back of the restaurant, is a Tequilia tasting station. Yours truly resisted, so I cannot comment on the wonderful selection, but rest assured—no taster left with dissatisfaction on his lips.

There’s nothing like that moment of entry, when the newest arrivals are as much an object of display as the venue itself. Her arrival, anticipated though it was, was no disappointment. So, Rosa, it was a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to town.