A Latin Beat in the Theater District - Houston weather, traffic, news | FOX 26 | MyFoxHouston

If you're looking for some Latin flair before or after seeing a play in the Theater District, look no further than Samba Grille in the Bayou Place complex.

Recently, the restaurant switched from being a Brazilian rodizio to a more upscale South American theme.

The credit for the new menu goes to its young executive chef, David Guerrero. Besides being a highly talented chef, Guerrero also has a story of triumph over tragedy.

He recently sat down and talked to Houston food blogger Mai Pham.

A year-and-a-half ago, Guerrero underwent surgery for a brain tumor and suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. But 18 months after his long struggle, he is back in action and running the show at Samba Grille.

He told Pham a partial loss of taste from the stroke led him to make dishes that are strong and flavorful.

Although he trained as a chef in France, his food and inspiration comes from South America. Many of his dishes are based on the food of Peru.

Among his best dishes are a scallop sashimi marinated in a Peruvian soda and his take on Peruvian street food, a grilled skewer of beef heart.

For more information on Samba Grille:

http://sambagrillehouston.com/

To read Mai Pham's Blogs, go to:

www.examiner.com/fine-dining-in-houston/mai-pham

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/author.php?author_id=2696