Saturday, May 23, 2009

The Grill - San Angelo, Texas


Tonight my wife and I had an opportunity to go out on a date. It's been a while since we've had one so we were due and my mother-in-law was nice enough to watch the kids while we went out.
I've been wanting to go to The Grill since the day it opened but timing, money, or some other obstacle kept coming up. I've finally discovered what a lot of people in San Angelo and the surrounding area already know: The Grill is LEGIT! Tonight I had the BEST Guacamole I've had in my lifetime. It was part of the Queso Americano Appetizer along with warm, corn tortilla chips. I have to say I normally wouldn't eat much Guacamole at all but this one abounded with spices and flavors that hearken back to my childhood. My wife was really surprised at how much I liked it. I enjoyed the spicy Queso Americano which was an unmelted cheese mixed with Cilantro and some other tasty morsels. See the picture to the right. I was a little nervous at first because our waiter was taking some time to get our drinks. I was pleasantly surprised to see him pick up steam and exceed my expectations after that though. I had tea and it was excellent. Elizabeth had a Diet Pepsi - 2009 Vintage if I'm not mistaken. One of the things I have missed when eating at the majority of places that serve steak and something I insist on at home when cooking my own steak is wood grilling. The smoky aroma abounds in this place. It's a welcoming smell to me, something I grew up with and had around at least every few weeks whether my Dad was BBQ'ing a goat, Grandma was cooking a cabeza in her cast iron stove, or Uncle Bill or Uncle Richard were making huge amounts of Ribs, Steaks, and Sausages on their BBQ pits. The aroma reminded me of Easter at what is now the San Angelo State Park close to the O.C. Fisher Resevoir. There was a place there called that we called "The 3 Tables". Every Easter Dad, Uncle Chayo, Uncle Richard and many of us young boys and men would get out there at 5 or 6 am (if I didn't get left behind) and start a fire up to get ready to cook breakfast first but then a long roasting of Goat, Beef cuts of all varieties, or some other type of meat. Wow that smell took me back! My wife ordered a NY Strip well done or ruined as I like to call it (I like mine medium rare to medium but to each his own!) She had it with mashed potatoes and to be honest I almost shed a tear when I tried them. They were that good but my Grandma who was the Matriarch of our families great cooking tradition made potatoes almost similar to this. So by this time you know I'm hooked right? Well, I ordered the Saturday night special which is the Prime Rib cooked to a nice pink medium. Very very tasty as well and served with black beans and rice. One minor thing missing was a little bit more of the bean broth. Prime rib was served with a cup of Au Jus. By this time our server had refilled our drinks at least 3 times a piece. I was very happy. To have a complete review we normally have an appetizer and a couple of entrees as well as a couple of desserts and tonight was no different. I had Tres Leches cake and it was garnished with Strawberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Caramel Sauce and a dollop of Creme Fraiche. It was beautiful - here see for yourself.


Elizabeth had a banana split. It was also very tasty and it had peanuts on it just like she likes it. It also had some fudge in it too. I enjoyed that very much as well as my own dessert.
Prices here aren't as bad as most people made them out to be when I asked. To be totally honest I really wasn't told just how good The Grill really was. I just had to find out for myself. My recommendation is to come early. We got in just before the dinner rush started. Tables abounded around 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM. When we walked out around 6 it was standing room only. Atmosphere, decor, staff attire, food flavor and presentation get EXCELLENT marks. Wait staff gets very good marks only because it took 10 minutes to get my wife's Diet Pepsi. The waiter definitely won us over after that as he made sure we were well taken care of the rest of the night! This is a great place for a lovely dinner for 2 or (if you don't mind waiting or getting reservations) parties of 6 or more or anywhere in between. I will definitely be enjoying this place again. Here are some other pictures I took while I was there.


Monday, May 11, 2009

Cure for the Swine Flu Blues

I was blue cuz of the swine flu so I found a cure that I know for sure will make you squeal while you eat this meal. Here's the recipe I made up as I went along in an 8 bar blues shuffle.

Get a family pack of pork steaks while your heating up your pan.
Grab a big ol' bunch o spices and please don't burn yo' hand!

Paprika, and Italian Seeznin' and yes black pepper too
Kosher salt and Onion Powder, you know just what to do.

Now you get the wet stuff and put it in a baking dish
Olive Oil and Lemon juices you're about to get yo' wish.

Mix up up the wet and dry stuff really really well
When this starts to cookin' you won't believe the smell

I got the cure, OH yeah fo' sure I got the Cure for the Swine flu blues.
I got the cure, OH yeah fo' sure I got the Cure for the Swine flu blues.

Dip your steaks into the mixture get it on both sides
Get it nice and oily so the pork can really slide.

Put the steaks upon your griddle and really let 'em cook.
Sear 'em well on both sides, No! It's not ok to look.

Get your broiler ready and make it really hot!
Put your steaks right in there and listen to em pop.

I got the cure, OH yeah fo' sure I got the Cure for the Swine flu blues.
I got the cure, OH yeah fo' sure I got the Cure for the Swine flu blues.

4 minutes on each side oh yeah you're almost there
A salad, and some veggies should really be prepared.

Pull the steaks out and rest em, 5 minutes at a time.
Get your table ready and get yo kids up in a line

You gotta just remember this meal is really fine
So give thanks, and eat it, and enjoy your taste of swine.

I got the cure, OH yeah fo' sure I got the Cure for the Swine flu blues.
I got the cure, OH yeah fo' sure I got the Cure for the Swine flu blues.

I got the cure, Oh yeah for sure

I got the cuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrreeee
for the Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine Fluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Bloooooohooooossssssssss!


Well if you don't like blues here is the regular recipe.

1 Family Pack of Pork Steaks
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup of Olive Oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt (Ironic isn't it since we are cooking Pork!)
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning.

Preheat a flat griddle or big skillet on it's highest setting. Preheat the broiler at 500 degrees.
While the griddle is heating up pour Olive Oil and lemon juice in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Put in the salt, paprika, onion powder, black pepper and Italian Seasoning and mix thoroughly with a whisk.
Dip each steak into the mixture and sear it well on both sides. After all steaks are seared, place under the broiler for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove them from the heat and put them in a baking dish and let them sit for a few minutes.
Enjoy them with your choice of veggies.