Wrapping up a few days on the road with one workday sandwiched in between I finally got a chance to get to a place to blog about. We stopped at Don Marcelino's first but, my wife wasn't feelin' it so we took off and then we stopped at Manuel's Steakhouse. Well as far as blogging is concerned and when it comes to food 1) I am all about taking chances 2) hoping for surprises, and 3) ready for an adventure whether it's good or bad. From the street Manuel's doesn't look like a whole lotta anything until you slow down and smell the roses, er fajitas. When you do get a chance to stop and take it all in you notice they have a beautiful stained glass door. The facade of the restaurant is rock and definitely all the rage in Texas as you see many homes and businesses "rocked out" as Manuel's is.
We were greeted promptly as we came in and were seated very quickly. They had just had a bit of a rush and we were whisked away to a table that had just been cleaned and wasn't quite set up yet. A waitress came by and placed appetizer plates on the table but didn't say anything until I gave her a big smile and a hardy, "HELLO!" She obviously wasn't our waitress and it took a while for us to get our menus and I was starting to get a bit concerned that maybe we had made a mistake by coming here. Here are a few pics of the inside:
Rock Wall and Candle Chandelier
Colorful Crumples Ceramic Plates on a Rock Wall.
Beautiful bottles along a dividing wall.
Candle Chandelier.
Well, I noticed an old school Mexican waiter sweating up a storm and taking care of quite a few tables. He had just dropped off a ticket to one table and was preparing a flaming dessert (more about that later) for another table. He was extremely busy so as a fellow food service worker I cut him a little slack. Salvador, our waiter was about to save us from our hunger as he brought out two big baskets of hot, fresh out of the fryer chips, with salsa. He then brought out the menus and we looked at them for a bit while we munched on the chips and salsa. First impressions on the food were good. Chips hot, corny, a little thicker than
usual, and very tasty. The salsa was more fruity than fiery but had just enough heat to keep me coming back for more. Our waiter was what I would call an "old school Mexicano". He spoke with an exotic Spanish accent and he gesticulated when he asked us what we wanted to drink and when he took our food order. When I received the menu and looked it over he came over and moved his hand from his chest with palms facing up and fingertips towards me as he asked, "What can I get for you, sir?" Of course he gesticulated in this way to all of my family and this reminded me of an era gone by when waiters were more elegant and refined.
The menu was full of Angus steaks cooked Mexican and American style. 10, 14, and 16 oz. Ribeyes along with various T-bones, a Chicken Fried Steak and other types of Angus Beef. They had some Mexican plates including Enchiladas, Fajitas, Quesadillas, and a Naked Chile Relleno (I tried not to be risque on this blog but sometimes it's just too hard!) They had some other offerings that you don't see everyday like Frog's Legs and Quail. The kid's menu has 3 items on it which was a bit disheartening for Jonah. Chicken Strips, Quesadilla, and a Beef Burrito Plate. Appetizers and Desserts had much more to choose from including Flan, Cheesecake, The Flaming Dessert (more on that later I promise) and my favorite dessert of all time: Creme Brulee. Prices seemed very comparable to other local steak houses. For the food we got I would say they were definitely reasonable and made me confident that we had chosen well.
I ordered a 14 oz. Ribeye and it came with a Baked Potato, a Salad of Mixed Greens, and a bowl of Borracho Beans. Elizabeth and Jonah ordered Enchilada Plates that came with beans and rice and 4 red, cheesy enchiladas per plate. Jared and Kandra ordered Cheeseburgers that came with the standard french fries. We gave our customary thanksgiving for the meal and we dug in.
Lets just say at the first bite into my steak I had an other worldly experience. It was afternoon so the only song that I can say would describe this first bite is "Afternoon Delight"! Sky Rockets in flight had nothing on this steak. This was a flavor that was meant to be savored all day long. To look at the steak you wouldn't have thought it was any better than any other steak I had eaten in the past but that first bite almost made me fall out of my chair. Here's a pic:
I wouldn't say the presentation was phenomenal but what it lacked in eye appeal it more than made up for in flavor. I would have expected to see some greenery on the plate but in this economy there isn't a lot of room for extra greens that aren't going to be eaten anyway.
Here are a couple of pics of the other food at my table.
Salad of Mixed Greens w/Ranch.
Everything here was very fresh and the dressing was tasty albeit a bit overwhelming for the amount of greens that were on the plate.
I tasted the Enchiladas, rice and beans and they were solidly home style. Notice the peas and carrots in the rice. Nice touch.
Enchilada Plate 
Here's Kandra (with Jared in mid bite) having,"oneof the best burgers ever!" She apparently was very impressed with it.
We thoroughly enjoyed our entrees and then it was time for dessert. I ordered Creme Brulee but unfortunately they were out. As my mother in law likes to say: "Rats, Rats, and Double Rats!" Well they also offered Flan, Cheesecake, and the previously parenthetically mentioned Flaming Dessert. We decide to share some Cheesecake and a Flaming Dessert. The Flaming Dessert is Vanilla Ice Cream topped with pecans, flambeed in Brandy. After being wowed by the presentation we tasted both the desserts and they were undeniably scrumptious!
Here are the pics:
Well, as the cup was about to runneth over I must say we were completely satisfied with the food. On the basis of food flavor alone I would definitely recommend this place. Service was lax in the beginning but the appropriately named Salvador definitely acted as a savior for Manuel's as far as my blog is concerned. I don't know how much he's getting paid but I am sure he could use a raise. Atmosphere was definitely more adultish and as such I'm recommending this as a date place more than a family eatery. There is a fully stocked bar right as you walk in. This place is beautifully furnished with black wood grain tables and chairs. Walls are a dark chocolate brown below the chair rail with a salmonish orange color above it. This place is dark inside almost like a cave with much candle light and low electric light emanating from around the restaurant. One thing that I didn't care for in the atmosphere is the huge TV at the bar. Manuel's is trying to serve to sets of clientele here. The Sports Bar Crowd and The Romance Rendezvous folks. If that's the case I definitely think they should have a little bit better division of the two so that there can be a more intimate meal for those that desire the romantic setting.
Expect to spend no more than $25 a plate for the steaks and not more than 10-12 bucks for the Mexican plates. For 2 people you will definitely get out of here for less than $70 including your appetizer, main courses and desserts (barring any major drowning of alcohol.) Next time you are in Del Rio stop by and ask for Salvador. Manuel's is lucky to have him and the great food they provided.
Here's a video of Salvador preparing the Flaming Dessert.
