Miguelito's Mexican Grill

My recent forays into south Texas’ oil boom areas searching for sustenance have until last weekend been very unfruitful in the areas of quality and flavor not to mention cleanliness.  I happened to be in the Carrizo Springs/Crystal City area due to a death in our family but it was also Father’s Day and so I would be eating out as is our usual tradition.  I was in need of something new and unfamiliar.  I had eaten at Lee’s Steakhouse, The Balia Inn, The Royal Palace, Yolie’s Steakhouse, Rosita’s, in addition to all the fast food staples like McDonald’s, Sonic, Subway, Pizza Hut, and Dairy Queen.  I have thus far been unimpressed with the food in this area, as far as full service restaurants are concerned.  That these fast food joints are even in these small towns is a testament to their consistency and their overall quality at the national level.  You can go anywhere and basically get the same food, and I’m not particularly into eating at a national chain when I go out of town. Especially not for Father’s Day.  Having said all that I am pleased to report that Crystal City, Texas has helped me.  It has helped me to maintain my hope that even in a small town you can find a good quality local restaurant that does things right.  Miguelito’s is a place that I had passed by many a time and usually because they were closed on the days that I happened to be in the area.  Now that they are open on Sundays there was no reason not to try their cuisine.  The restaurant is located on Veterans Ave. in what I would deem to be the middle of town.  The building outside is built up with stone and with all of its colorful signage would seem to be a festive place.  The inside of the building turns the atmosphere up even more with bright colored walls, Piñatas, Latino and Chicano art and festive streamers.

 
When you first walk in the building looks deceivingly small.  Once you get around the corner though you do see another dining area with quite a few tables that will seat at least 4 people each and a few that seat 6-8.  As we stood waiting for a place to sit the first thing I noticed was that the plates coming out of the window played on the theme of festivity. Lots of colorful veggies and nice bright sauces adorned the plates as they came out.  My first thought was: well at least it looks good!   

For it being Father’s Day we had a very short wait of not more than 10 minutes so I was pleased with that.  After we were seated,   I perused the menu and was glad to see they had some of my favorites there.  Beef Fajitas, Steaks, Mexican Plates, and even Catfish.  Then I saw Menudo on the menu.  I like to try Menudo at places just to see if they have done their due diligence which in this case means 1) thoroughly cleansing the meat of hair and unsavory smells, 2) correctly seasoning the dish, and 3) making it look appetizing.  So I ordered a small bowl of that along with another Texas stand by beef fajitas.  I’m looking for something in a Mexican restaurant with these two dishes obviously.  Can they pull off 2 of the hardest dishes to make?  Are
they able to put out a consistently good product?  Fajita plates usually have the standard Beef, Chicken, or Shrimp (Chicken and Shrimp aren’t really fajitas but that’s another story) along with some beans, rice, tortillas and either some guacamole, pico de gallo or some other hot concoction and sometimes sour cream and shredded cheese depending where you are.  Miguelito’s fajita plate comes with pico de gallo and a lime right on top of the meat as the top layer with sautéed onions and bell peppers mixed in.  This is served (as is customary in many places) on a sizzling cast iron comál or hot plate. My personal preference is to have the pico on the side but this particular set up works well also.  The beef had great flavor with a tinge of lime.  If I had a complaint about this it’s that the meat was slightly overcooked for my tastes.  I prefer medium rare to medium on any steak that I’m eating.  The Borracho beans served with the fajitas were the best part of the combo.  They were perfectly cooked and were garnished with a small bit of cilantro.  The rice was notable in that it had authentic flavor and was moist but just a bit overcooked.
My wife had a green chicken enchilada plate and I did get a small taste of that and the chicken inside was very moist.  The green sauce was mildly piquant and very tasty.This was a good plate.  She really enjoyed it.  We shared a bowl of menudo just to see what it tasted like and the flavor was great.  I would have preferred less fat on a lot of the meat and there was very little hominy.  Had those two things been remedied it would have been an excellent bowl of soup.  It came with the standard accoutrements of lemon wedges, fresh jalapeños, and onions along with a few tortillas.  Jared has his standard Cheeseburger with everything on it….lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mustard and mayonnaise.  He seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.  One of the most remarkable flavors I tasted at Miguelito’s was that of my daughter’s grilled Catfish.  Being a person raised in Texas and having had Catfish at home and at many restaurants I must say it has always been deep fried in a cornmeal batter and usually served with some French fries and hush puppies.  Miguelito’s gives you a choice of having it fried or grilled and my daughter opted for their grilled version.  The fish tasted very fresh and light and was grilled perfectly.  It was served with the traditional fries but no hush puppies.  She made an excellent choice and I think between my wife’s chicken enchiladas and her plate I would have to say those were probably the best 2 meals on the table. My fajitas were a close second.  On this trip to south Texas my faith was restored.  I really didn’t think that would happen in Crystal City but I’m so glad that I gave it a chance.     

Food:

But for the slightly overcooked meat and rice and a bit of fat on the tripe this meal would have been excellent all the way around

Atmosphere was great:

The piñatas and streamers really added to the festive atmosphere at Miguelito's. The colors pop and it is an upbeat type of place.

Excellent Prices:

Prices are what you’d expect in just about any Tex-Mex restaurant but I’d have to say getting a fajita plate for $8.99 is really a good deal.  

Service Good: 

Service was good but the waiter seemed green. Being so new he seemed a bit apprehensive and nervous about serving.  He just needs some more time doing it and he’ll become a pro.  I do have to say that although it took him some time he did bring everything extra we asked for.


Overall:

I’d definitely eat at Miguelito’s again. In fact I may have to stop there the next time I’m in town on the way to my Mother In Law’s place. 

Check out the website for more info: www.miguelitosmexicangrill.com

Royal Palace - Carrizo Springs, TX

With a name like Royal Palace you'd expect a meal fit for a king. At first glance this restaurant seems like it is ready for some action and that they have got their stuff together. Either I'm having some really bad luck or Carrizo Springs is a culinary wasteland. In a part of the country that is making people rich with shale oil, this booming town is unfortunately not on the mountaintop when it comes to restaurants with excellent food or service. If there is one thing I learned from my Dad it is that you can learn a lot from other people's mistakes and if I may say it was a mistake to go to the Royal Palace. Let me provide my observations and you can be the judge.

Taking a short trip down to pick up my wife after her week long stay while she was assisting her mom it is always a goal of mine to eat somewhere I've never eaten before. Although it doesn't happen every time I try to seek out places that may be worth a trip. Coming to a restaurant in the early afternoon between the hours of 2-5 pm in a small town is a little bit of a gamble. Royal Palace to me is an idea that is good. The concept is sound and I think the folks who own and run this place have their hearts in the right place. Unfortunately, execution is not one of their strong points. I should have known better when I read the menu. There were quite a few spelling errors even on foods that were Mexican.

When we walked in we were greeted by a young lady who told us we could sit at any booth we wanted to and being the lovey dovey couple we are we were fine with that. The decor here is an interesting choice and I must say not very original considering that just a few miles up the road at another restaurant they have many stuffed deer, wildcats, and other wild game. I'm going to assume that since this restaurant is in south Texas that the folks who own it are quite proud of their big game kills and that they display them to show they are great hunters and also as an attractant to hunters who may stop by. A little etched glass and some fairly generic decor weren't the worst part of this restaurant and I would say are at least somewhat inviting. I was amazed at the level of technology here. POS systems with touch screen capability right at the front not to mention a few flat screen TVs strewn about the restaurant. This place seems to be a "money-is-no-object" type of place. There's plenty of dining space in here with big tables and separate sections that can be enclosed behind glass doors.

After we were seated, I took a look at the menu and there was nothing out of the ordinary except a parillada platter with tripas on it. Otherwise the menu contained a few other Mexican plates, steak entrees, seafood, and "American" fare. Our waitress asked if we'd like some chips and we looked at each other and had to make a decision. We've been trying to eat healthier but egg white sandwiches for breakfast and turkey burgers for lunch left us a little more open for a bit more caloric content than what we have been having so we said: "YES!" When I saw what she brought out I was excited. I saw 3 different types of salsas. Usually when a place takes salsa seriously you can expect to get some pretty good if not excellent food. I must say that the salsas were the highlight of the meal. A red sauce, a green sauce with a aqueous consistency (yes, words with friends buddies, I'm going to use that word on you sooner or later) and a more coarse type Pico de Gallo salsa that was mostly onion with very few peppers. The green sauce was very tasty even if it was being served on cold chips. The red was very close behind. I have to say, Alfalfa from the Little Rascals would have loved the coarse salsa as it contained enough onions in it to make even an ogre cry!
Here's a pic:
This seemed appetizing to both of us. My wife and I enjoyed this part of our meal for the most part. The meal did take a quick trip down hill though.

I ordered a Tampiquena Platter which consisted of Beef fajitas, beans, rice, enchiladas, beef taco and some flour tortillas. Having worked in Mexican restaurants and kitchens in the past I'm well aware of certain procedures that are employed when getting food ready to serve. Refried beans, rice, taco meat and even enchiladas are put on a plate and normally put in an oven to heat up. This doesn't bother me in the least bit because if you are watching your food, its not too old, and you are rotating your food out as it gets to a preset time limit you won't have any problems. The problem I have is when you put beans on a plate that have rancid bacon grease in them. Another problem is not cooking fajita meat when the customer comes in. Yes you can do some precooking of the meat but when your meat is tenderized with a blade tenderizer (which tends to speed the drying process) it is not going to be long before you have meat that is more of a consistency of a dried out caterpillar than a savory piece of beef. Although the meat was chewable it would not have been palatable without the liquid salsa or the viscous guacamole they provided. I normally eat fajitas slathered with a little bit of guacamole, some salsa, a few of the sauteed onions, on a WARM, SOFT, FLUFFY tortilla. These tortillas were a Sonoran style flour tortilla but the cook didn't know when to stop heating them. Crispy flour tortillas don't do it for me. As the meal progressed I tried the Enchiladas and I'm almost certain they got a generic can of Chili, dipped their tortillas and wrapped a little cheese in an voila you have a great El Patio style frozen dinner type enchilada. If I had a record book I would have to put their Spanish rice at the top of a few lists including but not limited to: OMG what did they put in this?, TLV Rice (tasted like vomit), Not just Chunky but Funky AND Clumpy. The taco wasn't half bad. I left at least half of my food on my plate and I'm thankful I did. I don't know if I could have stomached the rest of it.
My wife had a Mahi Mahi fish dinner with steamed vegetables. She said it was OK but not at the price we paid for it. I'd have to agree with her except that I'd apply it to the whole meal.

On to the ratings:

Atmosphere:

This is simply because there has been some thought put into the decor and this place seems nice enough but there seems to be a split personality here: is this place a sports bar or an elegant restaurant? If the drive through window outside is any indicator I'd say multiple personality disorder is definitely a part of this restaurants psyche.

Service: I honestly think our server wanted to do a good job. I find fault with management. If you are going to serve something be prepared for questions. Know your menu. Know what scampi means. Know what a Chardonnay is (no I weren't drinkin' peeples but the couple at the table next to us were "NOT AMUSED" at our mutual waitress' lack of knowledge in the restaurant biz.) After we had taken a good bit of salsa in we drained our drinks and we had not yet had any refills. She came over and asked us if we needed any more drinks before we even had gotten our meals. REALLY? Immaturity, lack of training, and poor management didn't really give this poor girl a chance. I have to put a 3 on this simply because she tried really hard.

Price: Prices are WAY too high for the quality of food they serve. There are restaurants in this little town that are much cheaper, have much better service, and much better cuisine than the Royal Palace. I can't say names but DQ, McD, oh what the heck even Sonic, Stars, Subway, and Churches have better food than this place at prices that are much easier to stomach.

Overall: I can't bring myself to give it anymore than one blue ribbon and this is all based on the fact that we got 2 salsas that were very tasty. Other than that our meal wasn't very good.
I usually like to try places a couple of times before I pass judgment on them but this place didn't have enough good things to make me want to come back to. If you are dum. . . .er, uh brave enough to go eat here then I recommend that you go during a busy time. When a restaurant is busy they tend to put out fresher food and some cooks rise to the occasion when they are put under pressure. Perhaps this place is one of those places.

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.