Manuel's Steakhouse - Del Rio, Texas

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.

Joe Cotten's, Robstown Texas BURNED DOWN

The last time I blogged about a restaurant I was not very impressed with service or food quality. I was out of town. Last week I found myself on the road again and I was pleasantly surprised by Joe Cotten's in Robstown. Joe Cotten's ends up on all kinds of BBQ lists and must eat at places in all kinds of publications and websites every year. I had heard from many people and from one person in particular that Cotten's was the best BBQ ever. Based on those types of glowing reviews and the fact that we were on a trip to Corpus Christi for a church conference I practically begged my pastor to take us to eat there. I was very excited as we drove up and I saw the big sign and the rustic look of the place. I was thinking to myself this place could be the real deal, Holyfield. With wooden porch swings and a faded wood exterior I was definitely feeling the kinda vibe you can only get from this type of place which is BBQ Buzz. When you walk in and see plenty of locals eating there you know it's well worth it. Just an FYI, this place only takes cash. ATM is right in the doorway as you walk in which is totally out of place in this throwback to the old school type of place. Saddles, barbed wire, old metal soda and gasoline signs abound in here and give it a certain charm that you don't see in most places today. Atmosphere here plays into the whole BBQ theme. I just wish I had taken more pictures of all the interesting antique items they had on the walls. There is no menu here. WHAT? NO MENU? I wasn't really that worried but some people might be. Our waiter came out and told us what was available. Dressed in a black bow tie, a maroon jacket, and black pants it would seem totally out of place but it definitely adds to the quirkiness of this place in a good way. There was a 12.99 special with 3 meats. OF COURSE I had that, right after we had some of the cheese and crackers they offered as an appetizer. Spreadable, yellow cheese, and a "delightful selection of gourmet crackers," I think. LOL. I had a link of sausage, a pork rib, and some of the tastiest brisket I've had in a while. All of this was served on a sheet of butcher paper with a few slices of onion, a tomato, a radish, and a pickle if I remember correctly. I had a bowl of beans and let me tell you this place knows how to make beans! Right before the meal came out around the corner came a guy I used to go to school with. WOW, it's a small world. I hadn't seen him since around 1997. He manages Joe Cotten's and I'd have to say he's doing a great job. Brisket was very tender, by the way, and flavorful. The sauce was more like a salsa but was an interesting addition to say the least. I liked the sausage and the ribs but the star of this meal was the brisket. It so nice to discover that after I had eaten up the first big slice of brisket the waiter offered me another one. VERY NICE! How much? Nothing extra! Even nicer! After all the cheese, meat, and beans I noticed they gave the young man in our entourage an ice cream. Kids get ice cream free. Being the big kid I am I had to have some but of course I had to pay for it. Strawberry ice cream cone with a cherry on top. The waiter even brought out some extra cherries for the ladies. We had a great time and the meal was enhanced even more due to the wonderful company I had to share it with. I'd definitely eat here again as service, food flavor and cost, as well as the atmosphere were all to my liking. Joe Cotten's is old school that's way too cool. This is definitely a place you will want to visit when you are around this area!

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.

Ole Gin Bakery, Catering, & Bar updates coming soon

On the recommendation of Mr. JC Gates I decided to take my wife to Ole Gin Bakery, Catering, and Bar. Samantha Braun has opened here in Wall recently and has started off in a great way. Samantha's Buffet Menu is vast and she offers some great choices throughout the week. Tuesday and Wednesday is Home Cookin' on the buffet. My most memorable choices here tonight were Roasted Turkey (very juicy), Macaroni and Cheese, Potatoes au Gratin (I love CHEESE), Stuffing, Pot Roast (falling apart), and Mashed Potatoes with either a white pepper gravy or brown gravy. A great salad bar was also included with the buffet. Egg Salad, Chicken Salad, and Artichoke Salad are a few of the choices available. I tried Egg Salad for the very first time here and I really enjoyed it. My wife had a green salad with a Balsamic dressing that she seemed to enjoy very much. Elizabeth also enjoyed some Catfish, Lasagna, fresh fruit, and what I believe were wheat rolls topped with oats (everyone knows I've been on a low carb thing for a bit so I restricted my carbs to potatoes and desserts tonight....I know I didn't succeed at staying under 50 carbs today...I'm so glad I enjoyed the food!) We rounded out our meal with some Blueberry Bread Pudding and Caramel sauce...I'm not usually one for bread pudding but I have to say it was VERY tasty. I'd eat it again. On Thursdays they have Tex-Mex night and offer Tacos, King Ranch Chicken, Mexican Rice, and Enchiladas along with a few other items. Friday is Italian night and the menu offers Spaghetti with Meatballs, Spinach Lasagna, Tuscan Tilapia, Italian Peas, and Chicken Marsala. Saturday Smorgasbord has entrees from throughout the week. Sunday offers brunch around 10 AM and has Scrambled Eggs, Western Scramble, French Toast, Pancakes, Bacon, Sausage, Cream Gravy, Cinnamon Rolls and lots more including Turkey, Fried Catfish, Biscuits and Ham Steak. There's so much available here including sandwiches like the All-American Wedge, classics like the Reuben and a Turkey Club along with some more modern choices like the BLAT. That's Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato. Another one is the French Gobbler with Turkey Breast, Brie, Apples, and Avocado on grilled Sourdough bread with Honey Mustard. Check out the Crab Cake Wrap too served with Cajun remoulade, baby greens, and tomatoes. Atmosphere hasn't changed much from the previous owners and it works for me. It's down home and country. Prices are very reasonable for a night time buffet. $24 dollars total with the tip included. Samantha is very personable. She answered our questions (and listened to me talk...a feat in and of itself LOL!) and we enjoyed speaking with her about her new endeavor. Our waitress was very attentive to our needs and did a great job. Smiles abound here and that's a HUGE plus with me. Don't miss out on the baked goods on your way out. A few of the choices are Lemon Bars, Over the Top Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Key Lime Bars, Cookies, Muffins, and 7 Layer Bars. SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM you won't ever leave hungry. Come see the friendly folks here at the Ole Gin and enjoy some great food! Thanks JC for telling me about this place!

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.