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Tex-Mex in Houston


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Sorry for starting a new thread, but three pages into the sub-forum I gave up looking to see if there was a similar one.

 

Anyways, I ate at Anejo's for lunch today and was blown away at how delicious their food was. Usually when I eat tex-mex it's with the family, so Escalante's, Pappasito's, Ninfa's, or EL Tiempo is what it usually comes down to. Taco's A Go-Go is great, but Anejo's made me fall back in-love with fajitas. The Salsa was great, the guac was smooth & fresh, the chips were warm and crispy, the rice wasn't sticky/chunky, the chicken had flavor and wasn't dripping with grease, it wasn't sizzling and splattering stuff all over your face and thus making you smell like the food after leaving. Great atmosphere, awesome staff (the chandeliers were dusty but oh well). The drink menu looks spectacular as well. 

 

Are there any other great Tex-Mex places in town that you would recommend? I feel ill at the thought of eating at Pappasito's or El Tiempo one more time. Probably my fault for over doing it.

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Some of my favorites, in no particular order:

 

El Real (http://elrealtexmex.com/)

 

Spanish Flowers (http://www.spanish-flowers.com/)

 

El Patio (http://elpatio.com/2013/), home of the infamous Club No Minors

 

Fiesta Loma Linda (http://www.fiestalomalinda.com/), one of the oldest continually-operating Tex-Mex restaurants in Houston

 

Molina's (http://www.molinasrestaurants.com/)

 

Spanish Village (http://www.spanishvillagerestaurant.com/)

 

Tony's (http://tonysmexrestaurant.com/)

 

Teotihuacan (http://www.teomexicancafe.com/)

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I didn't like El Real the first two times that I had it at all.  I wrote it off and planned to never return.  I had to go back for a friend's birthday and it was phenomenal.  I agree that it is now the best tex-mex in town,

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I love El Real as well. I think many people diss it because of the "celebrity chef" team behind it. That said, you can taste the lard.

 

I also love Club No Minors. I can't do it often, but they've got the Felix' queso and all-time special and it just floods me with good memories of riding backwards in 1976 in an orange Volvo wagon to go eat every Sunday at Felix and get to ride home with a green apple Chupa Chups.

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I didn't like El Real the first two times that I had it at all. I wrote it off and planned to never return. I had to go back for a friend's birthday and it was phenomenal. I agree that it is now the best tex-mex in town,

I haven't been to El Real in over a year... Maybe two. Have they improved significantly? I remember the dripping wet tacos being very dull, combined with Taco Bell grade lettuce and tomatoes. Even then you could tell how much the neighborhood has changed. It was all families with children. Not a bad thing, just weird being so close to the gayborhood and feeling like I was in a suburb.
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Tex mex strictly, I have to go with Ninfa's on Navigation. El tiempo and Pappasitos are good, though a little overrated in my opinion. Not fond of Spanish Flowers. If you're interested in breakfast tacos, give Villa Arcos (on Navigation) a try. What I remember from La Mexicana on Montrose was also positive, only had breakfast though. I've heard and read good stuff about Last Concert Cafe, but can't really comment on it personally.

 

Im more so partial towards more authentic Mexican. Saltillo near Bissonnet and Bellaire is pretty good, it's from the same person that owned Casa del Caballo. Their enchiladas are excellent, and a steal for the price. Luna y Sol in Midtown is also good and reasonably priced, though more of a "fast casual" place than a sit down restaurant, also BYOB. They're both Northern Mexican, so not extremely different from tex mex, but they're not going to have velveeta queso.

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Tex mex strictly, I have to go with Ninfa's on Navigation. El tiempo and Pappasitos are good, though a little overrated in my opinion. Not fond of Spanish Flowers. If you're interested in breakfast tacos, give Villa Arcos (on Navigation) a try. What I remember from La Mexicana on Montrose was also positive, only had breakfast though. I've heard and read good stuff about Last Concert Cafe, but can't really comment on it personally.

 

Im more so partial towards more authentic Mexican. Saltillo near Bissonnet and Bellaire is pretty good, it's from the same person that owned Casa del Caballo. Their enchiladas are excellent, and a steal for the price. Luna y Sol in Midtown is also good and reasonably priced, though more of a "fast casual" place than a sit down restaurant, also BYOB. They're both Northern Mexican, so not extremely different from tex mex, but they're not going to have velveeta queso.

Eh, it's only slightly better IMO. 

 

Why do the different locations of El Tiempo and Pappasitos vary so differently (i.e. Pappasitos on Richmond or I-10 E is awful compared to I-45 N or FM1960, or El Tiemp in the Vintage is worse than Westheimer)? They have the same ingredients, right? 

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Eh, it's only slightly better IMO. 

 

Why do the different locations of El Tiempo and Pappasitos vary so differently (i.e. Pappasitos on Richmond or I-10 E is awful compared to I-45 N or FM1960, or El Tiemp in the Vintage is worse than Westheimer)? They have the same ingredients, right? 

 

Most likely it has to do with the chefs running the kitchens at each location.  Some are better than others, both in their skills and their management of the kitchen staff.

 

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El Real is okay but you should never have to pay more than $10 for a plate of enchiladas. Good Tex Mex can be found much cheaper. For more traditional south of the border food I have always liked PIco's and have come to like Gloria's a lot.  I used to be a Ninfa's fan but have been disappointed the last couple of trips.  It will never be as good as the old days I'm afraid. 

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Most likely it has to do with the chefs running the kitchens at each location. Some are better than others, both in their skills and their management of the kitchen staff.

True but no matter how bad of a day someone has can they really screw up the salsa that bad? It is sweet at the pappsitos on Richmond. Multiple times of using sugar instead of salt?
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True but no matter how bad of a day someone has can they really screw up the salsa that bad? It is sweet at the pappsitos on Richmond. Multiple times of using sugar instead of salt?

 

It might not be a bad day.  I suspect it's more like poor training or supervision.  It can also be due to different tastes.  I cut back on salt and soft drinks back in my college days and noticed not long after that my taste buds adjusted to like lower levels of sodium and sugar.  More than once I've found restaurant food too salty and I suspect it's partly due to the cooks having a different level of tolerance for salt than I do.  If you get a chef or cook with a high tolerance for salt in particular what may seem like a normal amount of salt to them could be way to salty for you.  Same thing can go for sugar.  Some find more sugar appealing while others don't.

 

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I love El Real as well. I think many people diss it because of the "celebrity chef" team behind it. That said, you can taste the lard.

 

That deserves to be quoted prominently on their menus. There's arguably no higher praise when it comes to Tex-Mex.

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El Real is okay but you should never have to pay more than $10 for a plate of enchiladas. Good Tex Mex can be found much cheaper. 

 

I recommended their puffy tacos to a friend from San Antonio (aka "the birthplace of the puffy taco"). He thought they were pretty good but commented that anyone who tried to sell puffy tacos in San Antonio for the price they were charging at El Real would get shot. 

 

I usually have the same reaction to >$10 enchilada plates, but my principles on that front tend to weaken when faced with El Real's Cheese Enchiladas #7 topped with a fried egg.

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El Real fixed a lot of issues. I only go on half-price Montrose Monday though.

 

I wasn't aware of Montrose Monday until you mentioned it. If they offered that deal to Montrose "alumni" as well as current residents, I'd be on it like a duck on a junebug.

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El Real fixed a lot of issues. I only go on half-price Montrose Monday though.

How are the margaritas now? I swore that place off as the worst restaurant about two years ago and haven't been back. The food was Taco Cabana quality and the margaritas tasted like soapy water with a hint of margarita flavoring.

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I wasn't aware of Montrose Monday until you mentioned it. If they offered that deal to Montrose "alumni" as well as current residents, I'd be on it like a duck on a junebug.

 

As long as there is at least one person at the table with a Montrose zip code on their license, the whole table gets the discount. And paying half price for a pound of fajitas is a crazy good deal.

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How are the margaritas now? I swore that place off as the worst restaurant about two years ago and haven't been back. The food was Taco Cabana quality and the margaritas tasted like soapy water with a hint of margarita flavoring.

Margaritas still not ideal, but they have a build your own margarita checklist now. You can check off your tequila preference, lime juice, orange juice, agave nectar, etc. You can end up with a fairly good margarita.

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Yeah, El Real still does have work to do on their margaritas. Average at best.

One can of frozen minute maid lime into a blender, then fill the can up with tequila, then half of can of triple sec, then blend in ice to consistency. Thank me later and wonder why El Real can't make them right. It's too easy.

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One can of frozen minute maid lime into a blender, then fill the can up with tequila, then half of can of triple sec, then blend in ice to consistency. Thank me later and wonder why El Real can't make them right. It's too easy.

 

Maybe because making them right reduces their profit per drink?

 

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