McAllen

(From May 2012)

New to the Valley, but well established in Mexico, La Recova is serving up its Argentinian steakhouse fare stateside. Start with sweetbreads char-grilled over mesquite fire and basted with citrus juices. Then try the yellowfin tostaditas, the tuna marinated in sriracha, chopped, and served with soy sauce, guacamole, and black sesame seeds on top of tostadas. With such an expansive menu you may not make it beyond the appetizers, but it’s worth returning to try one of their many steaks. And it would behoove you to save room for dessert, particularly the enchanting corn pudding served with a drizzle of warm honey and nata (unsweetened whipped cream). Bar.

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(From May 2012)

After moving here from France, Olivier Nicol cultivated a quiet following of devoted French pastry lovers at a local farmers market. Now with the opening of his bakery, his fans can sample the decadent creations most days of the week. We could not find fault with any of the traditional French breads (the brioche in particular was superb) and we swooned over the chocolate mint slippers, chocolate croissants, and chocolate éclairs, filled with a light whipped ganache. Très bon! BYOB.

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(From May 2012)

You’ll feel like a paparazzo as you ogle the ever-changing selection of cupcakes named after movies and celebrities. You can start your day with Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a French toast cupcake with maple syrup frosting, or the Nutty Professor, a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate ganache filling and a topping of cream cheese frosting and roasted almonds. Keeping up with its namesake, the Puff Daddy is over the top, the chocolate cupcake sporting a puffed marshmallow. Mondays feature the Abuelita, a Mexican hot chocolate cupcake. You can also build your own cupcake, if you insist on being the star of your own show.

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(From May 2012)

Open only a few months, this small restaurant, located inside an international food market, has a loyal foodie following. At lunch, a buffet caters to those on the go, but dinner offers a more extensive menu. On our visit we enjoyed the tarka dal fry, the yellow lentils flavored with a masala tarka; the saag paneer, spinach with homemade cheese; and the bhindi masala, spiced okra with onions. The rich lamb curry and fresh naan were our favorites. We couldn’t leave with trying the mango lassi.

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(From January 2012)

A great place to meet up with friends, City Cafe never disappoints. Soup, salads, and sandwiches are the main fare at lunchtime, while the dinner menu offers heartier dishes. We love the chicken salad sandwich served on pita with a side of homemade potato salad and the pan-seared salmon with a drizzle of balsamic and cheesy mashed potatoes. Beer & wine.

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Photo by Milestones Photography

(From July 2011)

“Feel better, look better, live better” is the mantra at this north McAllen eatery. You may find the service to be a little slower than you’re used to, but everything is prepared fresh when you order it, and the healthy alternatives to comfort food favorites are quite gratifying. We enjoyed the chicken salad sandwich; thinly sliced grilled chicken breast, mixed with chunks of apple, a little mayonnaise, and raw spinach, came served on lightly toasted rye bread with a side of amazing sweet potato fries, sprinkled with sea salt, and red cabbage slaw topped with a drizzle of spicy mustard.  Beer and wine.

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(From January 2012)

Named for the time of day when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the proclamation ending Prohibition (it may not have been exactly 7, but Roosevelt’s at 6:55 doesn’t have quite the same ring), this self-proclaimed alehouse serves an eclectic mix of college students, professionals, and beer buddies. There’s all kinds of imported and domestic brews and plenty of satisfying dishes, each named for a celebrity of some sort or other. We enjoyed the Grace Kelly Asparagus, which came wrapped in prosciutto, grilled, and topped with a dollop of goat cheese. Machine Gun Kelly’s Shrimp Pizza is another rewarding choice, with mushroom pesto, cherry tomatoes, feta and Parmesan, and blackened shrimp. Beer & wine.

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(From January 2011) The pumping house music and ever-changing neon lights at the bar set the stage for McAllen’s newest, and hippest, hot spot. Our waiter was quick to point out that only the freshest ingredients are used and that the sushi chef trained in Japan. We sampled quite a few of his “Asian Latin” creations and declared our favorite to be the Mexican roll, with yellowtail, cilantro, avocado, chives, tomato, and diced serrano; the spiciness of the peppers was nicely offset by the fresh cilantro. We also enjoyed yellowtail sashimi with ponzu. The enthusiasm of the servers was infectious. Bar.

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(From March 2012)

Beautiful cookies, muffins, and candy-colored macarons greet you in this small, sweet-smelling bakery. CC’s is only a year old and gaining in popularity every day. We go for cupcakes, our favorite being the decadent red velvet with its sweet cream cheese frosting. The kiwi is an unexpected treat, a perfect balance of sweet and tart. The selection changes daily and seasonally, and custom orders are accepted.

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(From June 2011) Icings has become a word-of-mouth sensation in McAllen, and for good reason. Alan Knoblach’s traditional cupcakes are moist, delicious, and just plain pretty. The day we visited, the large display case featured an array of jumbo-sized cupcakes: wedding-cake white, Key lime, rocky road, chocolate Oreo, and, our favorites, red velvet and German chocolate. And, as we all know, a true cupcake experience is not complete without a tall, cold glass of milk, which Icings will happily supply.

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