Las Brasas Mexican Restaurant On Kuykendahl South Of FM 1960 Early 1980s

[Reefmonkey]

Anyone else here remember Las Brasas Mexican Restaurant on Kuykendahl Rd, kind of far south of 1960? It was open during the early-mid 1980s. It was pretty much a Friday night ritual for my parents to take us there through much of my elementary school years.

Much of the land adjacent to it and across the street from it was the Bammel Oil and Gas Field, so it was undeveloped - trees and pasture, which contributed to the feeling that you weren't just going to another restaurant in a strip mall (indeed, it wasn't in a strip mall, but in a free-standing building sort of by itself), but to a place out in the country.

The restaurant building itself, was really well decorated, in spanish colonial style, red tile roof, stucco walls, lots of archways, some wrought-iron works, saltillo tile floors. When you walked into the building, you entered a little foyer area with the host stand. To your left was a separate room that was a little carpeted lounge. Directly to your right was a hall leading to the bathrooms, if I remember correctly. You walked straight through the foyer into the main eating area, which had a large bar in the wall which was now to your back and left a little. The main eating area was large and open, made to look a little like a patio (though you were inside) and even had a small fountain. Walking through that room, you entered a large back room, with raised floors, slightly differently decorated, with hunting trophy mounts (taxidermied animal heads) though not too many to make it gross. It gave it the feeling of being a hacienda in interior Mexico.

As kids we loved going there (we were already in a good mood because it was Friday, and we knew if my parents didn't linger over their margaritas too long we'd get home in time to watch Knight Rider) because the food was good, the staff was friendly and knew my family by name as regulars, and all the little nooks and crannies of the restaurant were great places for three little boys to explore and pretend we were private detectives somewhere exotic. Also, my parents always let us order Roy Rogers to drink.

My memory of the food isn't very expansive, because as a kid I used to get onl a few things. First I was ordering plain ol beef enchiladas, then I remember a couple of times ordering shrimp enchiladas because I loved shrimp and it sounded like a good idea, but was disappointed. Most of the time I would order beef tacos al carbon. I remember this was the first restaurant where anyone in my family had ordered beef fajitas, and they served them with grilled or sauteed sliced mushrooms, the only place I have seen that. Before discovering Las Brasas we ate at Casa Elena on 1960 just east of Kuykendahl, and not as often as we did Las Brasas. I don't remember my parents ordering fajitas or margaritas, so it seems like the Friday night fajitas and margaritas tradition that continues to this day started at Las Brasas.

Our favorite waiter there was Angel, a young, short, friendly hispanic guy, who left for a while but came back. The owner also knew us well and would come visit our table whenever we were there. He opened a second Las Brasas downtown, I think at The Shops at Houston Center. Something happened, his brother disappeared mysteriously in Mexco, and he went down to look for him, leaving the management of the restaurants to his head waiter. Because of his search for his brother, he couldn't devote the attention to the restaurant it needed, and it closed sometime in the late 80s.

I have had a lot of "favorite" mexican restaurants since then, mostly in Houston, but a few in Dallas when I was in college, but none of them can compete with my memories of Las Brasas. Just wondering if anyone else had the fond memories of this place.

[mrfootball]

I'm not familiar with Las Brasas, but I'm very familiar with Casa Elena. That and La Hacienda (Popolo Village) were our family favorites for years.

BTW, the very same guitar player that played at that original La Hacienda location over in Popolo Village off 1960 and Stuebner is STILL PLAYING his guitar at the big La Hacienda in Cypress! To think how much has changed in the world since the late 1970s...it's nice to see that some things remain the same.

[Reefmonkey]

I'm not familiar with Las Brasas, but I'm very familiar with Casa Elena. That and La Hacienda (Popolo Village) were our family favorites for years.

BTW, the very same guitar player that played at that original La Hacienda location over in Popolo Village off 1960 and Stuebner is STILL PLAYING his guitar at the big La Hacienda in Cypress! To think how much has changed in the world since the late 1970s...it's nice to see that some things remain the same.

I know that La Hacienda. My family originally lived in Cypresswood, but we still went to Las Brasas after we moved to Champions Forest in summer 1986, until it closed a little later, and La Hacienda was one of the places we ate at for a while in our relentless search for a restaurant as good as Las Brasas. Some rivaled in food and margaritas, but none could come close in atmosphere.

It's kind of a shame what happened to Popolo village. It was such a unique little shopping center, architecturally. Made to look like a european village. I guess it was getting pretty dated, but the new facade makes it look like any other strip center.