Laredo Restaurants Continued.....Dinner

(Please read the TWO ealier posts before you read this one.)

We had not planned on staying in Laredo this late but due to the tailor (still not being finished and who promised to have it ready by 5 P.M.) we had to get a bite to eat. We drove to a nearby place called Coyote Creek. Coyote Creek is very interesting. Each room we saw had a different theme. There was a room that seemed it was straight out of Gone With The Wind. Another was like an old Western town. The room we were in was the Big Game room where they had stuffed animals. DISCLAIMER: IF YOU are a vegetarian don't come here. If you don't like seeing dead animals mounted to the wall don't come here. If you have a problem with those poor, defenseless, bears, wildcats, foxes, ibexs, and rams don't come here. I got no problem with it! I love animals...THEY TASTE SO GOOD! Since this was great day to get some new reviews in we were going to cap it off big. We were promptly seated and served quickly. I had the Texas Trio which consisted of Brisket, Sausage, and Chicken along with some Borracho Beans, and Potato Salad. I must first lament that the brisket did not stand on it's own (see Bubba's Review and you'll understand) It had to have the sauce and it wasn't very tender. The chicken was dry and had no flavor. This chicken couldn't hold a candle to Pastor Jehu's. That's was the first thought I had as far as BBQ'd chicken standards are concerned. I had certainly hoped for something as good but was a bit disappointed. The sausage was flavorful and not fatty in the least bit. BEANS! Oh the Beans were the saving grace of my meal. The potato salad was great too and had some ingredients I couldn't recognize although I'm thinking possibly very small carrots. TEENY, ITSY BITSY, MINISCULE. That's how small. Bread was dry. BBQ sauce was on point and probably store bought. I wouldn't call this meal poor but it was fair. Elizabeth had a burger with American Cheese, Avocado, and Jalapenos. She said the Jalapenos cancelled out the Avocado. She did get a couple of bites when it was just the Avocado flavor but she really liked it. It came with Fries and Onion Rings. Onion Rings were tasty but I felt they probably came out of bag and were not hand made there on site. Kandra had some Shrimp skewers. I sense that my daughter likes shrimps. I better be careful when she chooses a fiancee someday. LORD HELP ME! How tall is Nick Jonas anyway? No te creas, Mijita. I was just playing. I am surprised she didn't eat shrimp tacos for breakfast. The skewers had shrimp, pineapple, and tomatoes on them and were very tasty. Shrimp were basted in a flavorful sauce that had a slight sweetness. She also had some rice that was very tasty and some sauteed veggies. She sure knows how to pick them! She also had a dessert of a Bunuelo with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream sprinkled with cinnamon and chocolate syrup. Very tasty. This place gets and A++ on atmosphere and a B because of my wife's and daughter's food. I don't recommend the BBQ however. Price is par for the course here which means medium to high depending on what you get. Of course I would come back and try it again. Service was stellar. Our server was very friendly and reminded my wife of our great friend Abby, who we miss so much. We need to seriously go and visit her. It was a great day but I really missed my boys who stayed with the best mother-in-law in the world. We didn't make it home until around 11 P.M. and got straight into bed. I wish I had the pictures. Ask Elizabeth to see them.

Laredo Restaurants Continued LUNCH

After getting a few great deals on some new clothes and waiting for the alterations to be done by a guy who has been a tailor for 50 years (who still wasn't done by 9:30 P.M. but that's a whole other story) we were on our way to have some lunch. We decided to try a local favorite: Mariscos El Pescador. This is a fairly large building right on the I-35 access road. There is more than 1 location (I saw another one while we were driving later in the afternoon) here in Laredo. The Menu was very nicely laid out with great pictures. TONS of choices were available. They had some platters that started out around 15 dollars were you could get a little taste of just about every seafood choice they had available including Octopus, Oysters, Fish, Shrimp and a host of others. We didn't have those platters but they looked really great. Those platters doubled in price on the menu by adding 2 more people on so it would have been a great feast. Everything else on the menu was moderately priced for Seafood in my opinion. The plate I had was listed as $7.49 on the menu as was Elizabeth's. I had the Filete ala Veracruza which consisted of Fish lightly grilled with a sauce containing olives, onions, tomato, celery and other herbs and spices. This sauce reminded me (except the olives) of the kind of sauce you get on a Spanish Steak at a Mexican food restaurant which leads to another question. Why is it called Spanish Steak when it's Mexican food or Tex-Mex cuisine? I often wonder about that! I had a baked potato and some steamed Normandy Vegetables. The fish was a little bland but the sauce made up for it. Elizabeth had a grilled fish and it was also a little bland and I started to understand why there were 4 types of bottle hot sauce including a Habanero sauce, and a couple of Tabasco style or Louisiana style sauces. Habanero hit Elizabeth pretty hard. I thought it was pretty tasty. She had Rice and Veggies with her meal. They were good accompaniments to the meal but as I had told my wife and my daughter they were really nothing to jump up and down about. Now Kandra had the best meal on the table. She chose the Fettucine Alfredo with Shrimp. The sauce was so creamy and tasty and we all thought that it was even better than the Olive Garden version. I enjoyed my meal and Elizabeth did too even though it was a little bland the extra sauces would have made them a little more flavorful. Of course they did ask if we wanted tartar sauce but Elizabeth doesn't like it and I wanted to experience the flavor of the Veracruzana sauce without any outside interference. I would recommend this place because I know there were some other choices that would have probably been more likeable. Another thing I liked was the atmosphere (sans the CNN). In the foyer there are nets and shells and all the other high seas appointments. Very nice! Inside there are pictures covering most of the walls of famous people including Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Selena, Marilyn Monroe, Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds, and even DARTH VADER. Not really impressed with all that but the truth must be told! Service was excellent. FLAN was on a different plane. It was heavenly to say the least. I haven't had Flan that good EVER in my life. I was thoroughly impressed with it. The surprise of the day was the bill. I didn't realize that what my wife and I were having was on special. SO instead of $7.49 we paid $4.99. I LOVE SAVING on a meal. Oh and did I mention they had Fish Soup and Shrimp Soup? I say give it a try

ROAD TRIP EDITION - LAREDO TEXAS RESTAURANTS

I've been on the road with my family over the Thanksgiving holiday and we had a great meal on Thursday with lots of Turkey, Dressing (not stuffing, LOL) and the other accompaniments that are customary. As is usually the case when we are on the road we get a couple of chances to go out to eat and we had a few good choices.

Our first place was bright and early (7:30 A.M.) in Laredo. Elizabeth, Kandra, and I took off to Laredo to take advantage of some Black Friday sales and so we rolled into town and stopped at Taco Palenque. Taco Palenque has 9 locations in South Texas including stores in Brownsville, McAllen and they are set to open a new store in San Antonio very soon at North Star Mall. They have a wide variety of South Texas favorites. See their menu here: http://www.tacopalenque.com/ourmenu.html . Their salsa bar is phenomenal with 7 different choices along with veggies to put on your tacos including cucumber, radishes, lettuce, and others. I tried 4 of the salsas with my barbacoa tacos. A green tomatillo salsa that was mild in flavor but very tasty. Pico de Gallo was another traditional favorite I had and it was fairly mild but also a great addition to the tacos. I also tried their hot and mild salsas and both were very good. Everything was so fresh so that's a big plus in my book. Elizabeth had a bacon and egg taco that she seemed to really enjoy. One of the cool things is that it's very easy to get full on 2 tacos. You don't have to eat 3 or 4 to make it. IN fact 2 was almost too much for a HUGE dude like me. In South Texas they are called tacos not burritos. Burritos down here are deep fried. These tacos are thick with lots of filling in a Norteno (should have a tilde over the second N) style thin tortillas. This was very enjoyable. Plenty of drink choices and quick service. This was an excellent choice to start of the day with. Atmosphere is appropriate and prices are medium-high. When you come down this way try it out

Bubba's Smokehouse - San Angelo, Texas

Bubba's Smokehouse is a brand new BBQ place in San Angelo, Texas but you wouldn't know it by the meat they serve. I was in today for my first try and being the BBQ aficionado (in my mind THINK NACHO LIBRE, LOL) I am I must say the meat impressed me. From the looks of things they have 4 choices on the menu as far as the meats are concerned. Brisket, Pork Ribs, Sausages (2 flavors), and Chicken. I tried the 3 meat platter with Brisket, Ribs, and regular sausage. The pitmaster obviously believes in the old tried and true axiom which is: THE MEAT MUST STAND ON ITS OWN! This means that sauces are a choice and not automatically drizzled, squirted, or showered on the meat. When I saw that I knew this place was for real. Brisket was tender and juicy with a good smoke ring, a black crust, and plenty of flavor. The ribs came right off the bone with a little work and were delicious. Again, these ribs were not drenched in sauce. The sausage was also very tasty. I tried each meat with and without sauce. They had 2 sauce choices. The rib sauce (as it was called) was a sweet sauce while the BBQ sauce was a bit more tangy with very little sweetness behind it. Mrs. Baird's bread was on the table and she's always a great choice. I did have a couple of minor issues to speak of. The beans are canned and the potato salad is also store bought as far as I can tell. The meat more than makes up for that and Bush's does make some good beans BUT not as good as the slow cooked, homemade beans. They also had baked beans but I didn't get to try them. Sweet and unsweet tea are available along with Coca-Cola products. If I'm not mistaken they also had cobblers available and other sides like corn on the cob. Don't come for the atmosphere to Bubba's although I'm sure as it grows that will get better. DO come for some of San Angelo's best tasting BBQ with moderate prices. Right now there is no other better BBQ (except at home) for the money.

Nuttin' But Wings CLOSED

OK OK OK......I've been hearing about this place for a while so WE finally took the plunge. Well unfortunately there are a few things I just couldn't get past. At the location on South Chadbourne we walked in and really weren't welcomed into the restaurant. It seemed we were an interruption more than a welcome sight on what looked like a very slow day. I was always taught that we have jobs because we have customers and that they are not interruptions but the very basis for our business to exist. I can't say I got that kind of vibe here. It's hard to get good help nowadays I guess! We did go up and order from the menu and had a few good choices. I ordered 2 different kinds of hot wings, the too _am_ hot (a moniker that doesn't even come close to fitting the bill,) and the original hot. They were served with Rojos when they came out (at the same time our drinks were served by the way...a little over 20 minutes after we ordered.) The Rojos were tasty but weren't authentic. In this town any unpealed, sliced, and breaded potato is being called a Rojo. A lot of them don't live up to excitement the name creates for me. These fall into that category. Good but not great. We had the 2 can dine special of 16 wings, Rojos, and 20 oz drinks and had to pay extra for ranch dressing. Jared had a burger AGAIN! LOL. Kandra had chicken strips. These are the kind you buy from a foodservice provider already breaded off premises to save time. They were actually tasty as were the home made french fries. I'm a sucker for doing stuff in house! Fresh, handbreaded, home made, are all words I like to hear from a restaurant. Opinions, aren't they great?!?! Jonah had a corn dog. Don't come here for atmosphere. This old Dairy Queen restaurant needs a revamp with a more festive atmosphere that goes along with what Hot Wings are all about. For example: tailgating, sports, parties. A couple of TVs, some sport memorabilia, maybe a couple of video games and what a difference. One more thing that is very unfortunate and I'm sure they heard about it from my kids because they yelled it out at least 5 times, the restrooms stunk horribly. Jared says, "The restroom stinks," and his mom tries to shush him. SO then he yells out, "The restroom SMELLS BAD." Oh yeah that's a big difference Jared! Yes they did STINK and not just in there but out in the dining area. We were at least 30 feet away from the restrooms and could still smell that stench. Restaurants definitely can't have that and expect to have a lot of dine in customers who will come back. Unless you enjoy that kind of thing. The wings and Rojos were ok but bad service, no atmosphere, and stinking restrooms simply won't allow me to come back here again. OH and lets not forget the rap or hip hop music coming from the kitchen. Totally inappropriate. The only place for wings in San Angelo as far as I'm concerned is Wing Stop. They are truly the wing experts.

OCTOBER 31st LIL Gil's CLOSED/REPLACED BY MENDEZ CAFE

It was good to recently see some activity at what has been a few restaurants over the last 5 or 6 years. Catfish used to be served at this location (I don't remember if it was Katfish Korner or Catfish Haven or some other catfish place....If it was Catfish Haven it really wasn't a "safe haven" for them now was it?) Hamburgers also used to be served at the former burger shop (Barney's Burgers) and now Lil Gil's has opened up shop. One of the good things about this (or bad things depending on how you look at it) is the fact that this place is VERY close to where I live. Quick, convenient, and easy from that standpoint. Lil Gil's offers Mexican food at modest prices but big on taste. The night we came in there was one waiter and normally this would bother me because of a lack of good service but in this case he had everything under control. I had a Mexican dinner which consisted of a taco, enchilada, rice, beans and I will say that this meal was very good. Plenty of flavor and plenty of food. Elizabeth had cheese enchiladas and she enjoyed them. Jared of course had a burger which is nothing new and I'm sure he enjoyed as he inhaled it, I mean ate it. My son did get his love for food from me! Of course I am trying to teach him to savor it just a bit more though. Kandra had fried shrimp and I actually got a sample of it. It was very tasty. Jonah had enchiladas too and I think he ate them all so I know they were good. We also had some beef and bean nachos for an appetizer which we tend to do when we know there is going to be a review coming up. With prices that are fair and food that is very good I would recommend this place. Although some changes have been made to the asthetics of the building, atmosphere isn't what this place is about. The food is really tasty and I'm sure that you and your family will enjoy it. I feel a guy's night out coming on. LOL.

Nakamura Sushi House

Today was my 13th wedding anniversary and we decided to go out to eat without kids. Anyhow my wife reserved a spot at a fairly new spot in town: Nakamura Sushi House. I'm sad to say that neither one of us was really in the mood to try something new so NO we didn't have raw fish. I would have welcomed some samples had they been offered but I really wasn't interested in trying something that different on my anniversary. I wanted to EAT! Especially since I've been on a monotonous low-carb diet for a while.

The first thing we had was coconut shrimp. It was deep fried tempura style which is really redundant saying it that way. If you are a cook or chef then you totally understand what I mean. Coconut flakes were were incorporated into the crunchy breading which had a mildly sweet flavor. It came with a peppery-sweet dipping sauce and had some flavors I had not experienced before. I enjoyed this very much. 5 medium shrimp come with this appetizer for 6 buckaroonees. I'd eat this again if I wasn't doing low carbs!














We also had salads with romaine lettuce, carrots, 2 different kinds of sesame seeds, cucumbers and an onioney ginger dressing. I also decided to try the Miso soup. If I'm not misostaken this soup had tofu, seaweed, chicken broth, fresh green onions, and other unknown spices. Miso is a soybean paste that defines the flavor of this soup. My Mexican-American wife thought the tofu was kind of like flan. "Es flan mi amor?" she said. "No amor, es toe food chee said." I chimed in. Well it was kind of like a small piece of flan in the soup and I neither liked it nor did I hate it. I felt very indifferent about it. The soup had a great flavor and really hit the spot.















The main course was Hibachi style stir fry.















As you can see there was beef, shrimp, onions, broccoli and rice. VERY TASTY to say the least. I actually ate with chopsticks for the majority of the main course which was fun but I eventually went to the fork for maximum shoveling. A little dash of soy sauce and it was perfect.

We went to another restaurant for dessert and unfortunately it wasn't all that as the yufe of today say.

It's miraculous that my wife and I are still together after all these years but I thank God every day that he's still in control and that our love still endures. God's been good to us and I'm thankful for all he's done and for my wife of 13 years. All my LOVE to you sweetheart. I never deserved you and I still don't but God has blessed me with the joy that's you. Days, nights, weeks, months, and years pass by but the love you have shown me continues to astound me. Thanks for that and receiving my love. Big hug, little hug. Big kiss, little kiss. XOXO xoxo

I enjoyed my evening very much. This was a new place that I enjoyed and I do recommend. Next time I'll have to actually try the sushi. Go see for yourself!

Olive Garden

Sunday was a great day for us. We were blessed enough to have someone we love pay for us to go out to eat and it was a great meal. It was a special day because it was Cheli's birthday and she's one of our favorite people too. She makes us laugh and is just one all around great young lady. We love her very much. It was so good to spend the afternoon with our church family and eat great food. I had Grilled pork tenderloin marinated in extra-virgin olive oil and rosemary. It's usually served with Tuscan potatoes and bell peppers but I had it with sauteed vegetables consisting of yellow squash and zucchini with some other herbs. Since I'm currently on a low carb diet this was a perfect entree to have. Of course I saved my full carb load for the cake afterwards. I'm still losing about a pound every day and a half so I'm on point. The food was great. The pork was marinated in a rosemary sauce and had a sprig of rosemary pushed down into it. I enjoyed it very much. The carrot cake afterward was also very tasty. A wonderful meal with wonderful family and friends after a blessed day at church.....It really doesn't get any better here on earth.

Not eating out a lot lately

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've written anything but I've not really been eating out a lot lately. I've been on a little diet too and that hasn't helped my blog at all! Of course I have lost between 8 and 9 pounds so I am happy about that just another 80 or 90 to go! Lets see Monterrey Cafe has a new owner and the food is about the same as before. Service needs to be a little better but other than that not much has changed. I sure wish we had 5 or 6 new places to go eat but that's not going to happen anytime soon. Oh by the way I'm currently available for amateur eats for anyone who wants to invite me to come eat at their home and feature them on the blog. I'll take pictures and give a critique. It will be fun! I'm sure it's tons better than the diet food I've been eating lately. Bethany's sandwich today sure looked good. I'm missing bread a bit but 8 pound plus in the last 2 weeks means that it's working and my cravings aren't really overwhelming so I'm ok.

JULY - Independence Day

Hey everyone it's Independence Day tomorrow. Share your favorite recipe on the blog today that pertains to July 4th. From BBQ to Dessert I'd love to hear some of your favorites. I remember one that Carlos and/or Angela made. It was a white cake with blueberries and strawberries on it. It was an awesome and patriotic looking dessert. Get those recipes in!

Thank God for and God Bless the USA. We're not perfect but we're free because of the sacrifices of some very brave men and women. Thanks to our armed services for all they do day in and day out to serve our country and its citizens. YOU are the REAL HEROES! We LOVE YOU!

Top 5 for June

Although I didn't review all the restaurants on this list this month this is the compilation of where I have eaten recently and what was the best.

5) Paco's Place - This is one of my old time favorites and I eat here at least once a month. Great buffet with Enchiladas (cheese or chicken casserole), Tacos, Beans, Rice, Salad, Tortillas and cookies for dessert. Always tasty and some of my favorite iced tea anywhere.

4) Sunset Grill - Had burgers on a Sunday night after church with our pastor and more of our church family. Service was quick and the food was SOLID....just like our church! LOL.

3) La Esperanza - I ate here twice this month. The first time the food and service was excellent thanks to Ricky's friend Lucia. She did a great job and was very attentive. Yesterday however we had lunch there and they were very busy and orders were made incorrectly (Lucia wasn't there) and they didn't have all the ingredients for what I ordered so I had to change my order. Not a glowing review for this place BUT the food I got was top notch. Enchiladas here are great. Beans and Rice were also very good. I can recommend this place but be careful when they are overly busy because service becomes sketchy. Well I can't complain too much because my Brother-In-Law was nice enough to feed us there after church. He was kind of upset with the service too.

2) River Valley Coffee and Cafe really got me this month with their great sandwiches. These tasty treats are thoughtfully and wonderfully made. Great concepts for making every day sandwiches different and more upscale make this a cool place to eat. The surroundings are very artsy and the decor is interesting. This is a great place to take a date or for a quick lunch that's light. Try it out and let me know how you feel about it.

And the moment you've all been waiting for...we've saved the best for last....the Incomparable SQUIDWARD (it's a scene from Spongebob sorry I just couldn't resist). . .uh I mean our number one.....

1) Community Cafe (in Angelo Community Medical Center) What else can I say.....this food was just awesome. Chef Henry fed us some top of the line eats here. I just wish I could go have some more TODAY! I promise that this place is SO GOOD! You definitely owe it to yourself to go and have a taste of some of San Angelo's best food. This place isn't about atmosphere...it is, however, all about the FOOD!


This month was nice because I received a few free meals. God's watching out for me and helping me keep my blog going. Thanks to all of you who contributed to my waistline and to this blog.

Coming up next month.....I'll be bringing back reviews from Dallas, Texas. Get ready. I hope I can eat at a few places I've never tried before.

Don't forget to send all your tax deductible donations to....well if you know me you where they go and if you don't you can leave them buried in a treasure chest at Glenmore Park at 7 pm every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from now until labor day. Make sure you put them on the left side of the playground 10 paces from the curb. Don't forget to put a huge, red, painted X over the place you bury it so I can find it easily. I'll be waiting!

See you soon.

AFR (AKA The Food Dood, La Critique Gastrique (in Lousiana and Quebec), Armando Criticando, The Sultan of Sustenance, The Knight of Nourishment, El Sharif of Beef, The Bub with the Grub, and all kinds of other unspeakable food and non-food related names. Of course you can call me (Editing has occurred and names have been changed to protect the innocent and even the not so innocent) Thanks for reading.

La Esperanza

I really enjoy La Esperanza on Ave. N and I don't remember if I have blogged about it or not. At any rate we had dinner there tonight and I had the Enchiladas Mexicanas. The plate consists of 3 enchiladas, one with a tomatillo based green sauce, a sour cream sauce, and your standard red sauce. The tomatillo based sauce was very tasty and had some fire in it. It was situated perfectly on the plate next to the sour cream enchilada because when mixed it took the edge off the green sauce. My favorite however was the red sauce. The word enchilada comes from the word enchilar which means to add chile pepper or "in chile". Ground red peppers (Anchos) and liquid make the sauce. In Tex-Mex cooking the sauce usually has some meat in it and is sometimes just chili. Chili and chile are not necessarily interchangeable. Chili has chile in it and Chile may have Chili or chile in it but chile does not have Chili in it. Is that straight? Did I mention I really like Enchiladas? The beans and rice were also very good and rounded out the meal quite well. The chips were cool the first time but the second time she brought them out they were warm. Great recovery. I'm ashamed to say my kids had burgers and chicken strips or (chikenehstreeps as they are usually called in most Tex-Mex joints) but THEY DID! The fries here are always fresh and not frozen. EXCELLENT. The family had a little taste of Flan which all of us except Jared enjoyed. He spit his out. Oh well. Live and learn. This place is very good and it is highly recommended for its low prices and great food. Waitstaff is also usually very attentive as Lucia was today. Great job. Enjoy.

Win a PRIZE!!!!!

Tell me about your best meal ever......in graphic detail. The best story wins a prize. So don't skimp on the details and if you include pictures all the better for you!

Two categories on this one too....Best Home Cooked meal and Best Restaurant Meal....choose one or both but make it good!

I'll be waiting!

Winners and Corrections

First a correction on the BURGERS....The name of the place is Roadrunner's Burger DELI not Bistro. Sorry....I had the alliteration in my mind for some reason. NOW on to the WINNERS of our polls

Favorite Concept TIE Wingstop/Logan's

Favorite Pizza Pizza Hut (this didn't surprise me)

Favorite Seafood Red Lobster (Cheese Rolls WOW)

Favorite Burritos Diego's (UNANIMOUS)

Favorite Ethnic Olive Garden (probably should have gone under concept but it works)

Favorite Burger Charcoal House (Good and Cheap)

Favorite Fast Food Chik-Fil-A (YAY JOEY!!!!)

Favorite Sandwiches Subway (Jared lost weight I guess it works)

Favorite Steaks TIE Western Sky/Twin Mountain

Favorite BBQ RJ BBQ

Mexican Food Paco's Place ( I love this place but I was surprised by this)

Thanks for voting.

River Valley Coffee and Cafe

River Valley Coffee and Cafe is a great new downtown establishment. My wife and I were on a little date and we decided to try it out. I was totally hungry after watching the latest installment of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I was a bit disappointed with that movie but that's a different time and a different blog. ON to the food. My sandwich was a club sandwich. Ham, turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, Pepper jack cheese, and cheddar on sourdough bread dressed with mayo. It was excellent and was served with some chips and a pickle spear. The Pepper Jack added the extra little nuance that made this a great sandwich. Here it is:







YUMMY SANDWICH!






Looks good doesn't it?

My wife's sandwich was a Mediterranean chicken sandwich. Normally it would be served with Ciabatta bread, romaine lettuce, pesto, and an artichoke heart and if I'm not mistaken Provolone cheese. She omitted the artichoke heart and it was a very tasty sandwich. The chicken was grilled and my only complaint was that it was not very hot. The flavor was very good though. Of course it was my wife's sandwich but she did beg me to take a bite. The pesto made this sandwich really burst with flavor. Awesome idea. Here's a blurry picture of it:














It was a good looking sandwich. Speaking of good looking, they have some great art in the restaurant that can be purchased from the local artists themselves. The art ranges from watercolors, to oils, to pen and ink. Portraits of people and places abound here. The atmosphere is really cool and open. I love the stained concrete floors and high tables in the area we sat in. They also have a huge magazine and book rack. They serve coffee and desserts as well although I didn't have either. This may require some further research. For you coffeeheads go in and try it out. Hey it's not that far if your are in the downtown area. I'll add more info about it when I go in a couple of more times and try some other stuff. I recommend this place for it's eclectic sandwiches, friendly staff, and cool atmosphere. Enjoy it.

June 10, 2008 Community Cafe

Community Cafe is a place I've been wanting to try for some time. I had heard numerous reports about Chef Henry Wiens' cuisine and how great the new "hospital" food was. I'll tell you that I wasn't disappointed. Chef Henry hosted my friend John and I for lunch today. The menu consisted of Chicken Fideo Casserole, Beans, Rice and a deep fried jalapeño with cheese. I had never actually eaten a deep fried jalapeño before and it was most excellent. The breading was crisp and not in the least bit greasy. The melted cheese inside was warm and slowly oozed when I bit into the jalapeño. The Chicken Fideo was also a great mixture of spices, cheese, and noodles. Everything melded together quite well and was seasoned perfectly in my opinion. Chef Henry let us know that he has a preference for a bit more heat but he'd hear no complaints from me. I'm sure that a little more heat would have been wonderful but it was just great the way it was. Beans and Rice rounded out the meal and were cooked very well. The rice was just moist enough for me and had great Spanish flavor. The pinto beans were also cooked to perfection with a thick broth that would have been soothing on a cold day in winter. Even though it is summer everything provided here was very tasty and with some more research I'm sure this place is going to be in my top 10 very soon. The peanut butter cookie was also very good and I'm just sorry I missed the French silk pie. It's one of my favorites. Chef Henry was very accommodating and took care of our every need. Thank You Chef for a great lunch! We'll be back with our friends and family. Trust me folks this place is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Check out the menu here: http://www.sacmc.com/services/food_nutrition/ and note the hours of operation. Enjoy!

Top 10 Restaurants (not exactly)no longer in existence

START READING FROM THE BOTTOM...OTHERWISE THIS WON'T READ RIGHT!


Other places that were here (San Angelo) you might remember .....Penguin Point, Uncle Charlie's, Barney's Burgers, Juan and Only's, Kung Fu Restaurant, Jack in the Box (COMING BACK SOON), Bonanza, El Patio, Blimpie's (CURSE YOU SUBWAY! Not really but I sure miss Blimpie's), Memo's Hacienda, Catfish Haven (by the base), Kasey's BBQ, Harlowe's Steakhouse, The Kettle, and El Amigos. Wow San Angelo's restaurant scene sure has changed a lot.

#23 - Emery's ....San Angelo, Texas....This place should be ranked a lot higher than it is. They had great rolls and had excellent Mexican and American food.

#22 - Pizza Inn.....San Angelo, Texas...Located where Pizza Hut on Sherwood Way is now. Great place for a pizza alternative to the HUT. Great salad bar too back then.

#21 - Popeye's Chicken..San Angelo, Texas..They haven't been gone too long but I sure miss their spicy chicken. They should have eaten their spinach!

#20 - Pancho's Restaurant....Southwest Plaza...San Angelo, Texas.....Another great Mexican Food spot that I enjoyed very much in the 80s and 90s. Muy Bueno Mexican Plate.

#19 - Dunkin' Donuts....San Angelo, Texas....Another place that exists elsewhere but just not here anymore. Diego's Burritos is there now. Hot chocolate and coffee with great donuts during the cold winter. The kid in me still remembers.

#18 - Las Dos Hermanas....San Angelo, Texas....Located where Chilango's is now. Great homestyle Mexican food. Great hot sauce and excellent fajitas. Another great spot I used to eat at when I was in College.

#17 - Original Fuentes Cafe on Ave K in San Angelo, Texas. Fuentes had some great Mexican Food and some cool mini juke boxes at each booth.

#16 - Furr's Cafeteria in the Hemphill-Wells Building downtown San Angelo. Great cafeteria food in downtown area. Another after church treat for us.

#15 - Corn Dog 7.....San Angelo, Texas.....Great corn dogs at the Mall. It's very much missed.

#14 - Mule Creek BBQ ....San Angelo, Texas....Another one I just couldn't leave off. This used to be located where Bodacious is now and where Taco Villa used to be many years ago. Great BBQ and excellent sides. I wonder why they went out of business.

#13 - Short Stop and Puffin Billies and RJ Express TIE...San Angelo, Texas...These 3 places were staples for ASU students back in the late 80s and early 90s. I used to work at Short Stop (now Starbucks) and we would eat at Puffin Billies (Wienerschnitzel on South Bryant) all the time. RJ Express was where El Vay Ven is now. Cheap food that was very tasty.

#12 - Mejor Que Nada....San Angelo, Texas.....Now Chilango's City....Mejor que Nada in the late 80's and early 90s was one of the best restaurants in the state. Ray Zapata made some great homestyle food and the fajitas couldn't be beat back then. I used to work there too. My uncle Andy was the best waiter in that place. He used to handle 15 tables all by himself. Those were the days!

#11 - Vic and Sal's ....San Angelo, Texas. I know I said top 10 but this place had the best sopapillas I have ever eaten and I just couldn't leave them off. They also had great Mexican food. They were located where Franco's is now but they moved across town back then and it never had the traffic it did in the old location. Too bad you can't taste it.

#10 - Don Juan's .....San Angelo, Texas.....Another take out place. Don Juan was an elderly gentleman who made some of the best barbacoa and other Mexican dishes I can remember. This was another place we'd pick up food from after church when we were little. My dad knew some great places.

#9 - Villareal Grocery...San Angelo, Texas....This was really a take out place where La Kinta is now on Ben Ficklin. Barbacoa was my favorite here.

#8 - Ole Coach Motor Inn Buffet....San Angelo, Texas .A great Sunday buffet with all kinds of food. I distinctly remember Jello Molds with fruit in them. Oh memories.......

#7 - Mr. G's in San Angelo.....Mr. G's was located where Autozone is across from HEB now. Great burgers and fries.

#6 - Sambo's Restaurant in San Angelo....Sambo's was where our Dad used to take us to breakfast after we had gone to church early in the morning on Sundays. They had breakfast food that was so good. It was located where Action Pawn is now on Sherwood Way.

#5 - Ricardo's Restaurant in San Angelo....(Now Don Oscar's) Ricardo's used to be the place on the edge of town where you would go eat LATE LATE at night. They had great nachos from what I remember.

#4 - Dairy Gold in San Angelo, Texas....Dairy Gold (Now HBF restaurant) on Chadbourne was a great burger and Ice Cream place. Grandma used to take us to Dairy Gold to have an ice cream every once and awhile.

#3 - Jumbo Burger in Ballinger, Texas. Jumbo Burger had a great combo meal before they were popular with all the fast food joints that are all over the place. Huge greasy cheeseburger and hot freshly fried tater tots and a huge root beer would fill our bellies when we worked out at Chayo's Ranch just outside Talpa. This was a burger you could dream about.

#2 - Little Hipps in San Antonio, Texas....Little Hipps was not really named very well although it did attract attention. You see if you ate there very often your Little Hipps would become HUGE Hips.....GIGANTIC burgers and a sack full of fries or tator tots served in a giant basket...almost too much to eat. The burgers seemed to have a half a head of lettuce, 10-15 tomato slices 25-30 pickles and plenty of onions. You had to cut it into 4 pieces to be able to get a handle on it. It was so good. I ate there the same week my daughter was born.

#1 - Shakey's Pizza....San Angelo, Texas....I worked here during college for 4 years. I miss the chicken, pizza, and subs we used to make there. They were fun times. Shakey's still has restaurants in the world just not here anymore. ROJOS were the best. I can still make them.

My ALL TIME top 10 Restaurants

Drum Roll Please.....

#10 - Shogun Restaurant in San Antonio, Texas They serve Tappenyaki (Japanese food with a show including knives, fire, cool shapes, and smart alec chefs.

#9 - Tink A Taco in San Antonio, Texas.....Homemade tortillas, fresh ingredients, awesome breakfast with great tacos.....QUICK SERVICE.....SOFT Tortillas....

#8 - Fernandez Restaurant in San Angelo, Texas.....Try the Gordy's Special...Awesome Chile con Queso...Awesome Salsa..Great all around place. Try it....you'll understand!

#7 - Pappasito's in San Antonio.......My friend Mario took us here when I was living in San Antonio over 10 years ago. This place is consistently good and they have great Fajitas as well as The Plato Fiesta that has a full rack of ribs, six Brochette-style shrimp, two mesquite-grilled quail, jalapeño sausage, beef & chicken fajitas. Beans and rice are great too.

#6 - Abuelos Mexican Restaurant in Abilene, Texas....Another excellent Chile Con Queso....Great entrees....Try the Fajita Trio Beef, Shrimp, And Chicken......

#5 Cooper's Pit BBQ in Mason, Texas......Great BBQ in an out of the way place and on the way to the big city. I love the brisket and sausage.

#4 - Paco's Place in San Angelo, Texas....this is one my sentimental favorites......I've been eating here since I was a young child. Atmosphere is not what you come to Paco's for...you come for the FOOD....The rice, refried beans, enchiladas, and tacos are my favorite. Did I mention it's a buffet? Salad and coleslaw is also on the buffet along with a few other great dishes. Hot sauce is a great family recipe and during the winter Josh will tell you to try the Caldo, "It's so good my Grandma doesn't allow any of us to make it," and Josh is right......it's very good.

#3 - The Wharf in San Angelo, Texas.....I've had many a meal here and the seafood and prime rib are excellent but one of my favorite things to eat here is the TURTLE PIE.....WOW....Chocolate and Caramel taken to the extreme......My cousin introduced me to this place years ago and it was the site of my very first date with my wife. Try Mahi Mahi, Swordfish, Shark, and I really wish they would bring back the fried gator tails. Very very good!

#2 - Cattleman's Steak House Near El Paso and Fabens, Texas.....Awesome steak cooked to order....great pineapple coleslaw (I hated coleslaw until I had this one), excellent sides and service. Ribeye is my favorite but the T-bone is also excellent. Great views and a zoo on the grounds make this a FUN place to take kids and family.

#1 - Rudy's BBQ in Leon Springs......Advertised as the WORST BBQ IN TEXAS and I couldn't disagree more. Brisket, Ribs, Sausage, Turkey, Chicken are always moist, tender, and tasty. Creamed corn, beans, potato salad and other side choices are great too. This is my number one because the food has ALWAYS been consistently good. The service is just as good. You won't be disappointed here. I never have been. *BE AWARE I AM TALKING ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC LOCATION...This is the original......