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.