McAllen

(From June 2011)

Having come up with the recipe that would be the genesis of El Pollo Loco, it only makes sense that the popular Palenque Mexican food enterprise has now grown to include a Latin-inspired rotisserie chicken restaurant. The succulent roasted bird is served up with traditional beans and rice and made-in-house flour and corn tortillas; the interior is modest; and the service is quick and friendly—just what you’d expect from a member of the Palenque family.

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(From January 2012)

The Patio has been one of our favorites since it opened. The service is always excellent, and owner Art Guerra is often there to greet diners. We love the Guerra Tapas: bite-size puffy corn tortillas topped with guacamole and chopped fajita meat served with a side of homemade hot sauce. They almost had us ordering double, which would have left no room for an outstanding steak served with patio potatoes (mashed potatoes mixed up with cheddar and bacon and served in a ramekin). Nightly live music, a top-notch bar staff mixing inventive drinks, and outdoor seating round out this excellent eatery. Bar.

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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 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 November 2011)

The end of the world must be nigh: Authentic German food has arrived in McAllen. Encouraged by traditional music in the background and a German beer in hand, we ordered classic Jägerschnitzel, thinly sliced pork loin tenderized, coated in bread crumbs, and smothered in a creamy mushroom gravy; it came with red potatoes that had been cooked with bacon and onions and browned until slightly crispy. Save room for desserts like the cherry streusel: a generous slice of cherry-studded white cake topped with buttery sugar crumbles, vanilla ice cream, and homemade whipped cream. Everything is made to order, but the service is seldom slow. Beer & wine.

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(From March 2012)

Decadent, homemade desserts are the real deal here. New to Mc-Allen, this bakery is a treat for all the senses, its display cases filled with traditional and Latin-inspired cakes, many prettily topped with fresh fruit. Our favorites are the carrot cake, with its unbelievably rich cream cheese frosting, and the mango cheesecake. Happily, there’s a location in Mission too.

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(From June 2011) New to McAllen, Tio Chuy’s is quickly becoming a favorite for traditional Mexican fare. What made us want to come back was the caldo tlapeño, the usual tomato broth, Spanish rice, and shredded chicken studded with slivers of chipotle, which added depth of flavor without too much heat. Topped with Monterey jack and generous slices of avocado, it was bliss with a basket of handmade flour tortillas.

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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 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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