AustinGreens always have an undercurrent of bitterness—that’s what makes them interesting. The yummy fresh collards at Dot’s Place (presently in temporary quarters and serving to-go only) balance the bitterness with salt. The humble spot’s stewed okra with juicy tomatoes gives that much-maligned vegetable a good name; the seasoning is Southern
AustinThe color is toasty-brown; the light fried batter is crisp and not too thick; the meat inside is tender—what more do you need to know about the admirable CFS at Tony’s Southern Comfort, a family-operated place in East Austin. A spunky and exceptionally crunchy envelope of fried batter surrounds a
Austin Whoa! You don’t get just some stringy bits when you order chicken and dumplings at Dot’s Place; you get whole pieces of baked chicken. The dumplings, somehow fluffy and substantial at once, may be the world’s best use of white flour. The heavenly nutmeg-and-clove-laced mashed sweet potatoes are not
AustinThe moist cornbread muffins at Dot’s Place walk the line between sweet and unsweet, so as not to offend patriots on either side of the great cornbread divide. Just remember the restaurant is serving to-go only these days. At Threadgill’s, the unsweet cornbread muffins have a bit of texture and
AustinTender, with outrageously crisp, well- battered skin, Monday’s bone-in chicken alone is worth a trip to the amenable digs of Tony’s Southern Comfort, where a card table up front displays mouthwatering pies, your reward for the easy task of cleaning your plate. DallasDallas’s well-nigh-mythical Highland Park Cafeteria lives on in
You have to be either crazy or masochistic to do it—maybe both. But for Lisa and Emmett Fox, owners of the new Austin eatery Fino, the benefits of taking the heat far outweigh those of staying out of the kitchen.
I’m in love with you, cherry lime.
You’d love my collection of vintage Texas cookbooks. Just don’t ask me to cook from them.
Hot ShotsGive these splashy spring cocktails a spin.Why not observe the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo by brushing up on your tequila basics at these tastings and dinners?In Austin, Santa Rita Tex Mex Cantina hosts Tequila Tuesdays the first Tuesday of each month from 6 to 8. On May
Over the past thirty years, I’ve edited or written more than 28,000 restaurant reviews for this magazine. That’s a lot of crème brûlée under the bridge, folks. So what’s my life been like, exactly? And how have I stayed this thin? Good questions.
Senior editor Patricia Sharpe on how she picked this year’s best new restaurants.
Celebrate San Antonio (Favorite Recipes Press 1986, first printing).
In 1932, when the Citrus Fiesta held its first PRODUCT COSTUME STYLE SHOW, Mission’s beauties slipped into outfits that were, shall we say, crude—just imagine the look, and smell, of models decked out in cabbage leaves. But technology and ambition over the years have led to a more sophisticated couture:
Fairs, fests, and other reasons to get together.The Royal Coronation, one of the most anticipated events of the festival, takes place on January 27. Among those honored will be the new King Citrus, whose identity is top secret until the night of the ceremony. Jud Flowers, 2004’s king, shares his
Part folk art, part pageantry, Mission’s Texas Citrus Fiesta (January 21—29) is one of America’s classic festivals, displaying native creativity while promoting the area’s main export: fruit. Locals spend hundreds of hours decorating costumes and floats with Valley produce for the Product Costume Style Show and the Parade of Oranges,
AUSTIN The city’s best ceviche is the platter at unfussy Polvo’s, with its avocado slices and impeccably fresh, lime-marinated tilapia—if you don’t care for a dollop of cocktail sauce in the middle (a Mexican touch), ask the kitchen to omit it. Big chunks of tender tilapia zapped with Bermuda
AUSTIN “Flauta” means “flute”—implying something long, round, and slender—but some of Austin’s finest flautas challenge the definition. Manuel’s does splendid, and unusual, grilled flautas: Toasty-crisp, these folded-over corn tortillas are filled with chicken and served with verde or ranchera sauce and a splash of sour cream; the blocks of
ENCHILADAS: Runners-upAUSTIN At El Chile’s jazzy little converted house, the tomatillo sauce on the chicken enchiladas has ample flavor and a touch of sweetness, and the chile con carne sauce on the Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas is made from real red chiles, not commercial chili powder; but the restaurant’s best
7000 B.C. Indigenous peoples in Mexico and Central America gather and eat wild chiles, paving the way for enchiladas, salsa, and jalapeño poppers. Because corn grows wild and is thus pebbly and stunted, their major food, besides meat, is roasted agave hearts.3500 B.C.Indigenous peoples cultivate chiles for food.1200 B.C. Native
AustinCilantro’s, 1025 W. Stassney Lane, 512-707-1207Curra’s Grill, 614 E. Oltorf, 512-444-0012, and one other locationDos Gringos Tamales, 512-249-5947 or dosgringostamales@yahoo.com; no credit cardsEl Chile Café y Cantina, 1809 Manor Road, 512-457-9900Fonda San Miguel, 2330 W. North Loop Boulevard, 512-459-4121Güero’s, 1412 S. Congress Avenue, 512-447-7688Las Manitas, 211 Congress Avenue, 512-472-9357Las
AUSTIN Fonda San Miguel welcomes you to a world of its own through a pair of massive wooden doors. The rustic stenciled walls and artfully faded colors could pass for a centuries-old estate in the Mexican interior. Dignitaries visiting the capital city are invariably dragged (quite happily) to rollicking
EL PASO Recently opened Yum Balam already ranks among the state’s premier seafood restaurants, its look is as sleek and chic as its seasonal menu. Among perfectly executed entrées, the seared ahi tuna was moist yet firm, its pistachio mole sauce a bold combination of traditional and experimental. With
AUSTIN Two distinctive takes on migas tie for the city’s best. More like scrambled eggs, the version at Manuel’s two stylish locations is almost fluffy; spiked with not-too-many bits of fried tortilla, serrano, cilantro, tomato, and crisp onion, it is topped with a discreet grating of Monterey Jack cheese.
Senior editor Patricia Sharpe, who wrote this month’s cover story, talks about Texans’ love affair with Mexican food.
AUSTINColorful, casual El Chile’s roasted-jalapeño salsa is the best in town, dark as chocolate and just the right thickness to coat a chip; while not terribly hot, it’s not for wimps. A few months ago, Las Manitas created a terrific spicy salsa that blends chile de árbol, tomatillo, garlic,
AUSTINThe race for best garlic shrimp in Austin is a tie. Fonda San Miguel’s version is for those who want to taste the flavor of shrimp first, garlic second; the restaurant’s beautifully cooked crustaceans give serious meaning to the word “jumbo,” and its colonial-style dining rooms define “handsome.” For
AUSTINConnoisseurs favor the dimly lit nooks of Fonda San Miguel’s bar for sampling some of its 25 to 30 tequilas, the best of which—such as Patrón silver and cult-favorite Chinaco añejo—should be sipped slowly, like fine brandy. If you aren’t up to the hopping happy-hour bar scene at Manuel’s
AUSTINCurra’s giant tamales are two or three times the normal size, with great, fluffy masa and ample filling. The savory pork is best, followed closely by the vegetarian (zucchini, yellow squash, and onion), refried-bean, and raisin-and-pineapple. Order well in advance from this popular casual cafe; $9.95—$10.95 a dozen. No
AUSTINA spacious bakery and counter-order cafe, La Mexicana is a home away from home for Mexican expatriates, who eat breakfast or lunch, watch Spanish-language TV, and send money to the folks back home while the kitchen churns out multicolored sweet buns, churros (skinny squiggles of fried dough), and much
AUSTINThe guacamole at unpretentious El Mesón is the best in Austin—avocado scooped from the shell, lightly mashed, and mixed with chopped onion, tomato, and jalapeño and ample quantities of lime juice; it’s eat-by-the-spoonful good. At El Chile, a repurposed bungalow, the cooks do a nice job with a chunky
AUSTINThere are chiles rellenos, and then there are chiles rellenos en nogada, a classic variation with a sweet, luxuriant walnut cream sauce. The city’s best relleno is the nogada version served at Manuel’s, both the limestone-walled dining room downtown and the flamboyant place up north; the rich sauce has
AUSTINAt exuberantly eclectic and casual Evita’s Botanitas, the finest beef fajitas in town come on a sizzling platter with strips of grilled onion and bell pepper plus guacamole, sour cream, grated cheddar, and jícama matchsticks. Don’t miss the beef fajitas at dark, sultry Vivo, which come with the restaurant’s
FORT WORTHFresh from the roasting spit at this north side gathering spot, Esperanza’s tender baby goat falls apart at the touch of your fork. Fill hot, fresh corn tortillas with generous shreds of meat and dab them with the restaurant’s nubby, dark-orange salsa. HOUSTONIf you can’t make it to
Make an authentic margarita. It couldn’t be simpler. Just combine one ounce each good tequila and triple sec with the juice of one Mexican lime (see Respuestas). This is the best—and strongest—margarita you will ever taste. ¡Salud!Squeeze a Mexican lime. To keep pesky seeds out of your
Austin, Dallas, El Paso | Fort Worth, Houston | Laredo, Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio AUSTINCilantro’s, 1025 W. Stassney Lane, 512-707-1207Curra’s Grill, 614 E. Oltorf, 512-444-0012, and one other locationEl Caribe, 5610 N. Lamar Boulevard, 512-452-6207El Chile Café y Cantina,
achiote to divorciado(a) | dulce de leche to migas | mojarra to zarzamoraachiote (ah-chee-oh-teh): Nothing to sneeze at, achiote is a dark red paste made from the crushed seeds of the annatto tree. It has a mild, paprika-like flavor.adobado(a) (ah-doh-bah-doh): seasoned with adobo.adobo (ah-doh-boh): a red
Bell: Strips of sweet bell pepper are ubiquitous on fajita platters. Mild. Caribe: Also called güero (blond), this slightly sweet chile is good for sauces and for pickling. Mild. Chiltepin: This is known as the bird pepper, because birds eat it and disperse the seeds;
What would possess a person to eat a prickly pear cactus? Well, they’re abundant and cheap—and free if you gather them yourself. Called nopales, the pads have a mild vegetable flavor with a lemony zing. The taste of the fruits—called tunas—varies widely and can resemble anything from watermelon
Enjoy the start of apple season with this recipe from the Pastry Queen.
Rebecca Rather’s recipes for five tempting treats are our holiday gift to you.
Slow Boat With ChinaHow does this sound? A three-day float down the Rio Grande through a majestic Big Bend river canyon with periodic stops for gourmet camp cuisine: eggs Benedict in the morning; meats, cheeses, and pâtés on the riverbank at lunch; and in the evening, a hearty feast, courtesy
I sat down at George and immediately started thinking of words to describe the pristine surroundings—words like “ice,” “light,” and “silver,” not to mention “minimalist,” “pure,” and “serene.” At this new Dallas restaurant from husband-and-wife chefs George and Katie Brown, all the color is in the artwork, the flowers,
In 1943 Ignacio Anaya was working as the maître d’ at the Victory Club, in Piedras Negras—across the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass—when a gaggle of officers’ wives from nearby Fort Duncan strolled into the place. With no chef in sight, the 49-year-old Anaya dashed to the kitchen, ingeniously piling
I am ashamed to admit that I have sometimes been a little snarky about the quality of restaurants in small towns, but you won’t find me knocking ten-month-old Café 909, in Marble Falls. This Central Texas newcomer is a dandy. The eclectic artwork—such as a convocation of yellow-headed blackbirds—amuses
Big lips, wiry whiskers, a questionable lifestyle: The catfish is like that distant uncle at your family reunion—peculiar-looking, a little shady, and uninspiring at mealtime. Relegated to the culinary backwaters as a bottom feeder, even deemed unkosher for its scaleless body, the fish with the Fu Manchu mustache was long
What, me praise a pizzeria? Two months ago I would have questioned my sanity. But that was before I discovered distinctly un-cheesy Dallas newcomer Fireside Pies. This place has the right stuff: crisp, hand-stretched crusts, classy toppings, substantial salads, and a list of wines that you actually want to
Scott Cohen, the executive chef at La Mansion del Rio Hotel, in San Antonio, puts a Texas twist on Provençal cooking.
Use local ingredients to make this summertime treat.
The Thrill of the ChaserSangrita … the name alone suggests mystery, romance, a little vida loca. Loosely translated “little blood,” sangrita is not the most famous tequila chaser (salt and lime take that honor), but it’s certainly the most exciting. Resplendent in sunset hues, this saucy potion more than holds
A pomegranate daiquiri, a spicy poblano quail, and thou: Three hot Texas chefs have whipped up a patio picnic that's sure to put a little spring (and summer) in your step.
