The Eagle - San Angelo

There's an old song by the Steve Miller Band called Fly Like An Eagle. Needless to say it is a cool song that has lyrics that say: "I want to fly like an eagle to the sea, fly like an eagle, let my spirit carry me." The song links two things that (considering my present circumstances) I believe go hand in hand. The majestic eagle flying high, summoning his eagle powers, using his acute visual perception to search for and draw out the best of the best of the sea's bounty. In many ways this is exactly what The Eagle on Howard is doing. The Eagle is yet another one of San Angelo's restaurants housed in an old Dairy Queen location (the others being Corner Stop #2, Wok and Rice, Cozy Kitchen, and D-Rays.) The Eagle has murals painted on the walls but sitting here (and maybe because I used to frequent this DQ as a child) I can't seem to forget it was an old DQ. This fact makes also more astonishing that this place is a legitimate seafood surprise. I also relish the chance I have to use these research opportunities to practice a bit on my Espanol (Spanish for the "Gringos") in a friendly environment. I like to eat at an establishment a couple of times before I pass judgement either way on it and it was highly recommended by my Pastor and friend, Jehu Hernandez. My first trip out we had a beef fajita and Camaron Con Ajo (Shrimp with Garlic) plate. I was really impressed by the Shrimp but the fajitas were not my favorite. The garlicky shrimp were sauteed nicely and had loads of flavor. They were perfect with a bit of the thin salsa and some guacamole on a corn tortilla. The Fajitas although visually pleasing, and tasty on the palate were very chewy and weren't really cut through all the way. A marinade would do these fajitas some justice in the way of breaking down the spongy fibers. I was impressed enough with the seafood side of this surf n turf meal that I decided to make another trip out today to focus my attention on what their true strengths were and I wasn't disappointed. This time out I gravitated towards the Shrimp Diabla (Devil's Shrimp.) This shrimp is cooked in a spicy red sauce that you get a salsa buzz from but is not overstated in the least. The sauce starts off light and ends with a slight heat at the end. It looked to be about 10 to 12 medium shrimp along with some rice and beans and a little lettuce and tomato. Here it is:
Since I WAS doing research, far be it from me to stop at just this plate. I also ordered a Ceviche Tostada appetizer. I have to say that on a hot summer day this Ceviche Tostada is refreshingly light fare. The fish was marinated in lemon and/or lime juice and was mixed with tomato, onion, lettuce, cilantro, avocado, and peppers served on a flat deep fried corn tortilla and drizzled with a white sour cream sauce. Ceviche is "cooked" through a process of marinating raw fish in an acidic juice for up to 24 hours before it is served. The acid kills all bacteria and "cooks" the fish so that it is safe to eat. Sounds like Mexican Sushi to me so AriGracias to The Eagle for that. It was a beautiful dish as you can see:









My wife also sampled the shrimp fajitas today and seemed to be impressed with them.
They were served (as many are) on a cast iron skillet and brought to the table sizzling for maximum effect. These shrimp were tossed with garlic, green bell peppers, some small bits of onion and something I haven't seen before with this Tex-Mex staple: mushrooms. My wife practically begged me to taste one and I protested for a bit but after I had tasted them I wish that I had taken her up on her offer sooner and had a bigger bite. Totally delicious. Here is some video with the little "sizzlers" making some noise (along with my son singing in the background.)



Service here is very good and the standard appetizer of chips and salsa comes to the table piping hot. That is a real plus in this day and age of getting cold stale chips. The rice and beans are nice compliments to the seafood and balance these plates out. Sooner or later I will go back and get breakfast burritos and menudo and maybe even the Caldo De Res but that is for another time. I won't lie and say this is a place that is very romantic or that it has great atmosphere. It doesn't, but one thing it does have is great seafood. This is an out of the way hole in the wall joint but well worth your time and money as long as you stick to the seafood.

Taqueria y Tamaleria San Juan

Let me preface what I'm about to say with a huge smile and full belly. There's a new place in town that hasn't been around very long but it is obvious that the cooks/chefs here take food seriously and they are excellent at what they do. On or about August 13, 2011 (the rainiest birthday I've ever had by the way) a GerMexican American male standing 6 ft. 1 and a half inches tall was seen entering the premises located at 1034 E. 19th. Said male had every intention of buying 1 dozen tamales and getting on his way. Unfortunately for him the tamales were sold out. He wasn't happy. Needless to say He uh I mean I was on my way out but the owner stopped me and said, "Please don't go let me make you a taquito for free so you can taste it." I tried to explain, "My family is in the car. . . ." He said, "How many in your car." Was he really going to give me free samples for everyone in the car? Why yes, yes he was. I stopped in my tracks as he brought out a cute little taquito. Now this PERFECT little taquito was built on a home made fresh corn tortilla. It was loaded with tender carne asada (beef), onions, tomatos, and chopped cilantro. They also brought out a small container of a beautifully blended red salsa. This tomato based bowl of liquid love was seasoned to perfection and had tiny colorful flecks of spices in hues of red, green, and gold. I didn't know it but I was about to have an otherworldly taste experience. The salsa starts off very smooth and ends with a mild burn. Very nice. The owner apparently gives out a lot of samples and I can totally understand why: once you have a taste you are hooked! I took one bite and I knew then and there that I was going to become a regular patron of this place. After I had tasted this incredible food I asked the owner to give me 10 of the same tacos so I could share some with my family and that I'd pay for it. He said, "I want you to try the barbacoa taquitos too. You will like." I'm all for trying new things so he put the other taquitos in and I was on my way. Here's what they looked like:
This is what they looked like after I almost dropped them when I was walking out of the restaurant. Still very scrumptious if you ask me. Now I was sold on what they had given me so far but I wanted to do a little more research. After church this morning I stopped by with my family. Today I had yet another chance to taste a few things so I had the pork carnitas served in the same style as above, a barbacoa burrito with Pico De Gallo, and beans and rice. Everything here seems to yell out: home made goodness. The orange hued rice is aromatic and slightly moist. The beans are seasoned perfectly. After we finished all that we were offered another free sample. A piping hot bowl of Caldo De Res (Beef Soup) was brought out and it was another heavenly experience. This soup was loaded with veggies like zucchini, carrots, onion, and corn on the cob, along with some cross-cut beef rib meat. Excellent flavor was improved by a small dash of the hot sauce. This soup was perfect on a rainy weekend. I won't lie to you and tell you service is great here - today it was horrible. The waitress explained that they had someone call in today and they were very short staffed. The staff was running around like crazy people and doing their best but the food more than made up for the bad service today. They run specials here and today it was a guiso plate (Yes Pedro carne guizada. Ha Ha) They also serve Tortas and early in the morning they serve breakfast burritos. This is a hole in the wall joint and I still haven't tasted the tamales but from what I've tasted so far I'm of the opinion that this place is on the must taste list. Take a drive to the other side of town for a taste experience that will remind you of some of the best street food in Mexico.

My Super Scientific Burrito Experiment. Uh, Not Really.

Over the last month I've conducted a bit of an experiment. I have tried burritos (tacos for you hardcore Tex-Mexicans) from a few different places to discover maybe some new and awesome flavors or maybe something that I missed before. My recent endeavors into this breakfast burrito bombardment have taken me to some new places and some of my old favorites and let me say I've enjoyed the adventure sometimes even more than the food.

Right after I posted my last blog about The Hut I thought it would be fun to compare some places regarding specific burritos. My favorite burritos are filled with Chorizo and Eggs (Chorizo Con Huevo, and u didn't think I could speak Spanish ;-) or Barbacoa (for you gringos, half-breeds, and non-Spanish speaking population this is Beef cheek meat....NO NOT THOSE CHEEKS sickos!) In the old days you would get an entire beef head and season it, wrap it in wet burlap sacks and bury it in the ground with hot coals all around it and a few hours later zip bang boom a lovely cabeza de vaca complete with a beef tongue, cheek meat, eyes (not always) and lots of tasty little bits Andrew Zimmern from Bizzare Foods likes to call "mucilage". Sounds a lot like mucus but hey it sure does taste good in a burrito or taco.

So my quest was on to taste test the best places' burritos. And so it began, I had breakfast burritos at Julio's, Mendez Cafe, Cornerstop, The UC at Angelo State, Diego's Burritos on Ave. N and at Lorena's next to the Roxy.

Lets begin with The UC and work our way up the quality chain shall we? If there ever was a Taco Bell type breakfast burrito I'd have to say the UC is producing it. The tortillas taste like preservatives and the filling was lukewarm. One good thing is the Chile, Salsa, or Hot Sauce. They have a couple of choices in the familiar green and red that actually have some flavor but basically the hot sauce won't make up for bad tortillas and filling that has sat too long. 1 star for the awesome Salsas. There is no barbacoa option at the University. Go figure. With as many Mexicanos as they have on their management team and working behind the grills you'd think they might try to bring some authentic cuisine out. Lets face it it's not about quality food it's about quantity. Onward my friends.

Lorena's is a new place in town that has gone into a drive through location that has housed in the last 2 years another burrito barn, a BBQ Stand, A Soul Food drive thru, and now this. Location is right in the heart of the barrio at an intersection that gets tons of traffic daily. AFB traffic goes by as well as many others but the place has never been that appealing for some reason. Nothing that goes in there stays for long. I didn't see barbacoa on this menu either but I did get the Chorizo and Egg again for a taste test. Also grabbed a couple of Bacon and Egg burritos for my lovely wife. The first thing I noticed about these burritos is that they dripped a lot of grease and it was definitely not appetizing. A plus for these was that they were plenty hot and you got a lot of filling. The hot sauce was pretty good too. The Burritos weren't overwhelmingly flavorful but weren't the worst I've ever had either. 2 Stars for Lorena's.

Mendez Cafe is another place that has decided to break into the early morning burrito wars. This restaurant is now located in what has been another location with many tenants. Catfish Haven, Catfish Corner, Barney's Burgers, and most recently Little Gil's have been at this ever changing hole in the wall joint. Mendez doesn't have barbacoa either. Aw snap! Aw snap! They are concerned about you being out speedily so they have a small canopy with a roaster on a table connected to a long orange extension cord running inside the building right in the front of the cafe. They said they were burritos but these were definitely breakfast tacos the way that they were folded. Tortillas were OK but not home made and filling was somewhat bland. Chile was tasty but didn't have a lot of punch to it. They did have plenty of filling though. 2.5 stars for this one.

Julio's, Diego's, and Cornerstop are my all time favorites. Diego's is a stand by that I enjoy from time to time and both their Chorizo and barbacoa are excellent. Tortillas are great and the chile is good too. They do however rank behind Julio's and Cornerstop because they have my second favorite chorizo and egg and second favorite barbacoa burritos. Diego's does have one drive through location on Main St.. The other two locations are walk in only. They are solid on just about everything they make there so they get 4 stars!

Julio's Chorizo and Egg burrito with the homemade tortillas from next door can't be beat on flavor. They add some of the secret spice and the burrito filling is moist, hot and flavorful even before the salsa hits it. They have everything down to a science and you can drive through at all their locations except on South Chadbourne. 5 stars to Julio's for being my favorite Chorizo and Egg burrito spot.

As good as Julio's is at C&E, Cornerstop is unbeatable when they put their prize fighter barbacoa in the ring against the competition. Homemade tortillas are done on site. 2 different green and red salsas made on site. Barbacoa slow cooked on site. You get a tortilla stuffed with meat that's hot and juicy. The flavors are just phenomenal. To me this is the best barbacoa burrito in town bar none. The staff is quick and there is usually a line here. They have plenty of menu choices besides burritos too. They have two locations where you can get corn of flour tortillas too. The one on North Chadbourne has a drive thru but my preferred location is on Ben Ficklin. 5 stars for my favorite barbacoa burrito in San Angelo.

If you are passing by one of these places give them a try and let me know what your favorite burrito is. I'd love to hear about it.


*btw Julio's and Cornerstop also have menudo sometimes. Ask for it. Menudo will put hair on yer chest!

The Hut Burritos Y Mas CLOSED

The Hut Burritos y Mas is a new Burrito hot spot in San Angelo. For those in South Texas Burrito = Taco. Tacos up here a lot of times if they are in a flour tortilla are called soft tacos. Yes, soft corn tortilla tacos are called the same thing. Now that we've had that little lesson can we start another one? Can you say, "LEGIT'"? Try it. Yeah that's good. Once more. You've got it. The Hut is truly legit' and makes some of the best home style food anywhere in San Angelo.



Housed in the previous Steak Express location the dining area is small and unassuming with about 8 tables and white walls decorated with black and white pictures of many local historical sites as well as others statewide. One of the important things I always look for when I sit down to eat somewhere is whether or not the dining area is clean even after a lunch rush. I visited twice and both times the restaurant was very clean.

People from all walks of life gather here to enjoy Chef Chapo's creations as evidenced by the Mercedes Benz and the Chevy Silverados out front. The menu contains quite a few options for breakfast and lunch. If you want to go the simple route you can B.Y.O.B. Build your own burrito that is. Tortilla, and eggs are the foundation and you can add two of these ingredients to complete your burrito: Cheese, Bacon, Sausage, Ham, Chorizo, Potatoes, or Refried beans. You can have your burrito in a 12 inch flour tortilla or SURPRISE SURPRISE in a corn tortilla. You can even make it a “Roadie” which is a burrito with your choice of ingredients chopped up into bite sized bits and put into a cup. I haven't tried this yet but I guess if you are going to eat while you drive its better to keep your clothes clean unless you don't mind eggs and cheese in your lap. The Hut also has some specialty burritos that range in price from $2.00 - $5.00. The Vaquero has guiso, refried beans, and cheddar cheese all for 2 buckaroonis. The Hut is the signature house burrito for $2.75 and is loaded with eggs chorizo, potatoes and cheese. Add a little salsa and you are good to go. The then there is the monstrous “Big Al” burrito. The Big all is a 2 pound burrito fill with Ham, Potatoes, and cheese wrapped in 2 flour tortillas for 5 bucks. One of the burritos I enjoyed for breakfast a few weeks back was the “Ave. N.” which is a combination of eggs, potatoes, bacon and cheddar cheese for $2.75. I decided after having the breakfast I would like to try out the lunch plates. Lunch has a few options and for a great price. I had the #8 Soft Taco plate. You have a choice of beef taco meat, Guiso, or beef or chicken fajita meat. Here's the great part: ALL FOR 5 Bucks and it includes rice and beans. I don't know where you can get a deal that good with those options. Also had a brisket burrito that was very delicious. I had their salsa and pico de gallo and both were solid. The one thing that really stuck out to me is that everything tastes like it was made at home. That's a big plus in my book. Home style cooking for a great price is just something that you don't find very often. The food is scrumptious and affordable. With that being said don't get any ideas about eating on fine china or that atmosphere will be the best. It's a burrito place after all. You can have soft drinks, bottled water or iced tea to drink. They do have free Wi-Fi there and that is a great way to have lunch and get a little work done too. Their staff is extremely attentive. I was checked on and asked many times if everything was good. Anything I needed, they were all too happy to pass on.

I definitely recommend The Hut for its low prices and home style cooking. You can't get a better deal in San Angelo on food this good. Great for a struggling college student like me.

LOCATION: Ave. N in San Angelo.

Prices: Cheap
Quality: High
Atmosphere: Bland
Service: Above and Beyond
Menu Selection: Adequate
Authenticity: Good