(From December 2010)

Looking like a small, colorful Tower of Pisa were stacked rounds of buffalo mozzarella brushed with pesto, slices of yellow and red heirloom tomatoes, and a sprinkling of tiny sourdough croutons and water-cress. A pyramid of truffle whipped potatoes and baby vegetables came parked beside a hefty hunk of wood-roasted beef tenderloin napped with a velvety red-wine butter. If you’ve never had sage ice cream—who has?—it’s a treat, especially paired with a blackberry crisp, as it is here. Note the sizzling bar scene, where everyone seems to be celebrating some sort of corporate coup. Bar.

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(From August 2011)

Perched above the river, a bit away from the madding throng, Acenar is the most stylish culinary and architectural adventure of local restaurateur Lisa Wong (of Rosario’s and China Latina). Here you’ll find bold colors, cutting-edge design, a busy bar, good service, and, best of all, contemporary Mexican food. The guacamole is a work of art; the chips are served in those trendy cones; the margs are made with fresh-squeezed juices. Tender corn crepes, from huitlacoche to pato (duck), are among the unusual options, along with tender cabrito and Mexican-style grilled redfish. It’s far from your ordinary taco joint. Bar.

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(From May 2012)

Mediterranean comfort food at its finest can be found within this large, square room (with a delightful patio for alfresco dining). The emerald green tabbouleh has a terrific lemony taste. Little clouds of falafel almost levitate off the plate; swipe them through garlicky hummus for extra flavor. Add fried cauliflower, a small cup of lentil soup, and za’atar pie (flatbread studded with oregano, sesame seeds, and olive oil) and you can pat yourself on the back for making healthy choices. We always go for the house-made gelato, but the baklava with pistachios is good too.

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(From May 2012)

Stylish dark wood and bamboo give this hot spot a casual elegance that's hard to find in El Paso. Situated between the cozy dining room and the ultramodern martini and wine bar is the sushi bar, where Akari's chefs conjure up more the 50 varieties of rolls and are happy to take customer suggestions. Tempura shrimp in a tangy soy-aioli sauce is a divine starter, and the mixed grill of chicken, beef, shrimp, and vegetables served with a lemon-soy sauce is fresh and light. Bar.

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(From January 2011) We love the feeling of this room; it’s a bit like dining in someone’s Italian—or maybe Moroccan—villa. The legendary (rightly so) Al’s Salad, with its hearts of palm, slices of avocado, and hunks of shrimp and crab, is always on the menu, thank goodness. Coming in a close second is a salad of grilled prawns, roasted corn, pico de gallo, and cilantro vinaigrette. We were mightily pleased with an entrée of grilled sea scallops and prawns with a moist napping of ginger butter (and intrigued by the addition of coconut rice studded with little cubes of pineapple). Bar.

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(From June 2011) Lawyers, law enforcement officials, and regular folks make up the crowd at Al Fresco’s, conveniently located near the Hidalgo County Courthouse. The modest setting (folding chairs and year-round Christmas lights) hardly prepares you for the delicious food. Everyone loves to nibble on the sweet jalapeño cornbread, made fresh daily, and the most popular entrée has to be the pork chops, tender beauties topped with tomato, spinach, and a light garlic-lemon sauce. We enjoyed the spinach tortilla taco, a special featuring grilled fish, poblano chiles, avocado, and a drizzle of lemon-cilantro ranch. Nice selection of salads and sandwiches too.

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(From June 2012)

A winding scenic drive, live music on the patio, thousands of bats
emerging at twilight from an old railroad tunnel nearby—could there be a more perfect Hill Country evening? This funky joint is famous for what this magazine dubbed the third-best burger in Texas a few
years ago. And we are here to tell you it still rules, as juicy and plump as ever; be sure to specify a jalapeño cheese bun (makes a big difference). A basket of delicious hand-cut fries feeds the whole table. There are other entrées, including a daily special, but really,
are you gonna pass up that burger? Beer & wine.

Monday, August 24th, 2009, 12:09 pm
Hill says:
First, our group arrived at about 4:30ish on a Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t quiet crowded yet. The place is extremely small, crowded, loud, dirty, and very hot. It only got hotter as it started filling up with customers. We kept getting bumped and brushed up against our entire meal. I am not too sure that this place could comply with any type of fire or health codes. It is not in the city limits but someone might want to check on this for safety reasons. When we first arrived, we had to help ourselves to a drink from the cooler. It took a while to finally get a waitress that we had to flag down. As a matter of fact, we were on our second drink before we were able to flag down the waitress to place our order. It was a good think we had already helped ourselves to a drink from the cooler or we would have been dehydrated at this point. By this time, it was swarming with customers. We were extremely hungry and hot. By the time our food got there, we were starving but the one thing I have to compliment them on is it was a fantastic burger. It is a little on the expensive side but well worth the money but not the rude, slow, and unbearably hot conditions. We continued to help ourselves to the cooler and managed to flag down our waitress yet again to place a milkshake order. Once we placed the shake order, a few of us stayed at the table and sent one up to try to get in line to take care of the tab. She never brought us our tab so it took a really long time to wait through the line to pay the tab. Meanwhile, this really rude lady kept emerging intro the dining room inquiring across the restaurant rather loudly about what we are waiting on. Our party informed her a several times that we were still waiting on our milkshakes that we had already paid for and had not received. After this occurred several times, the "rude lady" emerged one final time and standing in front of the entire dining room shouts out "hey" and starts flailing her arms and shouts out, "we need the table, ya’ll gotta move, ya’ll can wait outside for your milk shakes" Now, it was August, it was hot in the restaurant but it was a 102 degrees outside:( I couldn’t believe my ears. The rude lady I was told was the "owner". We were kicked out after they had our money and she didn’t even have the decency to come to our table and address us in a polite manner. It wasn’t our fault that the service was slow. Instead of her "yelling" at her staff, she felt obligated to yell at her customers. Way to go Alamo Springs! I would have understood it a little better if she would have at least walked over to our table and addressed us on a personal level and said something a little more politely like" I am sorry for the slow service but we are really short staffed today and I am really sorry that it has taken so long for ya’ll to get served". "We are really busy right now, would ya’ll mind terribly if I could find another area for ya’ll to wait for your milkshakes so I can seat some of the other customers? Instead, our party was embarrassed in front of the entire restaurant that made us look like we had done something wrong. In our party was one of the owners of a very large family owned successful Texas restaurant chain and they were absolutely appalled . Way to go Alamo Springs, that was really good for your business! We were recommended to this place by a really good friend. I am sure it might have been a great place before it made the magazine but obviously it has gone down hill. He is a very wealthy local resident so I can not wait to give him the feedback on our "dining experience". Way to go Alamo Springs! As far as the milkshake that was $4.25 each, it was melted and not worth $1.25 when we got it. It took 2 hours from the time we entered until the time we left. I probably would only consider take out for the burger but absolutely would not waste my time, energy, or money for another "dining experience" at Alamo Springs Cafe!

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(From December 2010) A steaming cup of chicken vermicelli soup with peas and green onions, accompanied by pillowy pita, set a high bar. But not to worry—the crispy falafel with tahini and a gratin of aubergines (barely recog-nizable as eggplant) sautéed with olive oil, garlic, and pomegranate molasses left us impressed and happily full. Kanafeh, shredded phyllo atop sweetened cheese and pistachios, made an interesting alter-native to baklava. BYOB.

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(From June 2012)

There are lots of reasons to head to Marfa: the art, the light, the Lights. Call us crazy, but we would propose another: the tacos at Alice’s. Actually, it’s the corn tortillas they’re made with that make us melt—soft and freshly grilled, with meat, lettuce, and tomatoes spilling all over the plate, as they’re supposed to. This no-nonsense Tex-Mex cafe is one of the few places in town open for lunch,
so parking can be tight.

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(From June 2011) Famous for its burgers, Alicia’s also does better than most with Tex-Mex. Building blocks like chiles, beans, and tomatoes get seasoned to perfection and turn the chalupas, tacos, and enchiladas into seriously good eats. Check out Jonny’s Omelet, which is actually a huge egg crepe enveloping a scrumptious pile of cheese, peppers, and tomatoes.

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