Decent, with Issues

Reviewer: Chris

Original Review Date: 11/04/2005

Rating: 0/+3(Ho hum)

We were on track for a +2 rating perhaps until the bill came. More on that later. I walked into the place expecting a small restaurant, but there is quite a bit of seating and the restaurant is quite grande. Chips were not my favorite. I like them thin and crispy, and these were more like Doritos or Tostitos--kind of thick and bland. Not bad, but nothing special. I thought the hot sauce tasted kind of strange. It wasn't offensive, but there was something different about it that made it not so great.

They offer an adequate selection of lunch items in the $5 range. I opted for the enchilada plate, for $5.25, getting one each of a beef and cheese enchilada, with rice and beans. I also requested, as I always do, a side of jalapeños and chopped onions. The food came out very quickly, and looked and tasted good. The enchiladas were tasty and not completely submerged in the chili gravy as is common in some tex-mex places. The chili gravy was not quite up to snuff--did not seem substantial enough--but it was good nonetheless. The rice was good (nothing wrong with it, nothing special) and the beans tasted like beans (good!). And they brought the requested side of jalapeños and onions. However, when the check came, I discovered that they charge extra for the jalapeños and onions ($1.25). This is a Tex-Mex Crime of the highest order. It's like charging for ketchup at a hamburger joint! It is unconscionable to me! And it's a shame, because otherwise the place gets high marks.

I will go back, because the enchilada lunch was good, but the Jalapeño Surcharge will always leave me with a bit of a bad taste.

Unconfirmed Features Report: I have read elsewhere that they will charge for baskets of chips beyond the second one. Need to confirm this. I have also read that they serve breakfast all day, which needs confirmation as well. I will try to clear those up on the next visit.

Downgrade Update: I went back 11/30/2005 for some cheese enchiladas and was disappointed enough to lower my rating to 0. The enchiladas were just a mass of cheese, too much cheese, edged with a ring of cheddar-grease, and the chili gravy was just not chili gravy-ish enough--not very flavorful. There are no onions in the enchiladas. Just lots and lots of cheese. You have to be careful with the Cheese Enchilada because it can easily turn into what I had today--gobs of cheese with an oily tortilla disintegrating in there somewhere. It's a challenge to make cheese enchiladas that retain their form and have the proper balance of cheese, sauce and onions. A la Carrera failed. And the hot sauce is just bad. I noted its odd taste in my first review above, but this time it was enough to make me stop eating chips until my food arrived and I had something else to scoop up with them. The hunt for decent tex mex in North Austin continues...