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TulaneLSU's Top 10 Mexican eateries of Houston
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:02 am
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:02 am
Dear Friends,
Sacrifice is a good thing when we sacrifice to God. The ancient Hebrews immolated animals as [i[qorban[/i], which literally means “to draw near.” Through blood sacrifice, the ancient Hebrews drew near to God. It was Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice the thing he loved more than anything in this world, the one for whom he prayed to God for over 90 years, his very son, Isaac, that showed us what a personal faith looks like. And then it was Christ’s dying on the Cross that perfected our faith, that saved us, and became for all history an embodiment of the perfect sacrifice.
Mother, Uncle, and I recently traveled to Houston, which some of you will already know. It is a large city in Texas that has many highways. Houstonians, as the inhabitants are known, seem to be fanatics of driving. While on a walk through the Galleria neighborhood, I was actually hit by a car, but that is a story for another conversation.
Our journey had a twofold purpose. First, one of Uncle’s in-laws died and we wanted to show our love by attending his funeral. Second, Mother had unfinished business with a confidence man who lured her into a shady business deal fifteen years ago.
It was 2009 and one of our neighbor’s brothers was at our home for dinner. This jovial, handsome sport began talking about a new business he was developing. He called it the “Stealth Car.” Most of you have probably never heard of the Stealth Car, but I know all about it. It has nothing to do with Dodge and everything to do with what this man said was stealth bomber technology.
This mountebank of a man, despite my later protestations, swindled Mother into believing he had developed a paint that would make cars invisible to police radars. I distinctly remember him saying, “This paint will revolutionize our roads. And one day, our military.” Mother purchased about 5% of the company for $50,000.
As you would guess, this idea fizzled and would have bankrupted the business had the prevaricator not been a moral deviant. You see, this guy invested in 2011 in a new thing on the internet called Bitcoin, which was largely at that time the currency of online criminals. Somehow, the business’s account managed to survive all the fraud, exchange closures, and thefts over the years. Mother was in line for a large payday.
But you know Mother. She was going to have no part in this dirty money. She had an appointment with a legal eagle in Houston who specializes in cryptocurrency transfers. Her goal was to get that money from the paws of a bad man and into the coffers of the Episcopal Church, where it is to be used for works of charity and growing the Gospel of our Lord.
I was on my own much of this three day trip, and it is on my own where I come up with the majority of my missions. Before making union with the car, I walked 30 miles on this trip. The union put a hold on walking after day two, requiring me to rent a car for the first time in my life. What a strange thing to drive someone else’s car!
My mission on this trip was to eat at as many Mexican eateries as possible and report back to you, my dear friends. There are only brief mentions of Mexican food in Houston on this board, most of them coming from our friend, offshoreangler, who may be happy to learn I spent some time at Fishing Tackle Unlimited, as impressive of a tackle store as I have ever visited.
I read many articles ahead of time and had a detailed plan to eat at ten of Houston’s best known and rated Mexican restaurants each day. But it was not meant to be. After being hit by the car, I also developed a case of gastrointestinal problems which sidelined me for much of day three. I spent much of my morning and midday on our last full day in Houston in our hotel’s spacious bathroom. But I was determined not to allow my misery and discomfort to cut short the quality of this list. I literally sucked it up to get to three Mexican restaurants that evening. It was a poor choice because the last thing my stomach needed was more Mexican food.
Sacrifice is a good thing when we sacrifice to God. The ancient Hebrews immolated animals as [i[qorban[/i], which literally means “to draw near.” Through blood sacrifice, the ancient Hebrews drew near to God. It was Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice the thing he loved more than anything in this world, the one for whom he prayed to God for over 90 years, his very son, Isaac, that showed us what a personal faith looks like. And then it was Christ’s dying on the Cross that perfected our faith, that saved us, and became for all history an embodiment of the perfect sacrifice.
Mother, Uncle, and I recently traveled to Houston, which some of you will already know. It is a large city in Texas that has many highways. Houstonians, as the inhabitants are known, seem to be fanatics of driving. While on a walk through the Galleria neighborhood, I was actually hit by a car, but that is a story for another conversation.
Our journey had a twofold purpose. First, one of Uncle’s in-laws died and we wanted to show our love by attending his funeral. Second, Mother had unfinished business with a confidence man who lured her into a shady business deal fifteen years ago.
It was 2009 and one of our neighbor’s brothers was at our home for dinner. This jovial, handsome sport began talking about a new business he was developing. He called it the “Stealth Car.” Most of you have probably never heard of the Stealth Car, but I know all about it. It has nothing to do with Dodge and everything to do with what this man said was stealth bomber technology.
This mountebank of a man, despite my later protestations, swindled Mother into believing he had developed a paint that would make cars invisible to police radars. I distinctly remember him saying, “This paint will revolutionize our roads. And one day, our military.” Mother purchased about 5% of the company for $50,000.
As you would guess, this idea fizzled and would have bankrupted the business had the prevaricator not been a moral deviant. You see, this guy invested in 2011 in a new thing on the internet called Bitcoin, which was largely at that time the currency of online criminals. Somehow, the business’s account managed to survive all the fraud, exchange closures, and thefts over the years. Mother was in line for a large payday.
But you know Mother. She was going to have no part in this dirty money. She had an appointment with a legal eagle in Houston who specializes in cryptocurrency transfers. Her goal was to get that money from the paws of a bad man and into the coffers of the Episcopal Church, where it is to be used for works of charity and growing the Gospel of our Lord.
I was on my own much of this three day trip, and it is on my own where I come up with the majority of my missions. Before making union with the car, I walked 30 miles on this trip. The union put a hold on walking after day two, requiring me to rent a car for the first time in my life. What a strange thing to drive someone else’s car!
My mission on this trip was to eat at as many Mexican eateries as possible and report back to you, my dear friends. There are only brief mentions of Mexican food in Houston on this board, most of them coming from our friend, offshoreangler, who may be happy to learn I spent some time at Fishing Tackle Unlimited, as impressive of a tackle store as I have ever visited.
I read many articles ahead of time and had a detailed plan to eat at ten of Houston’s best known and rated Mexican restaurants each day. But it was not meant to be. After being hit by the car, I also developed a case of gastrointestinal problems which sidelined me for much of day three. I spent much of my morning and midday on our last full day in Houston in our hotel’s spacious bathroom. But I was determined not to allow my misery and discomfort to cut short the quality of this list. I literally sucked it up to get to three Mexican restaurants that evening. It was a poor choice because the last thing my stomach needed was more Mexican food.
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 10:04 am
13
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:02 am to TulaneLSU
TulaneLSU’s Top 10 Mexican eateries in Houston:
10. Los Tios
Los Tios is an utterly forgettable Mexican restaurant located just north of the Galleria. But I include it in this list because they served the best salsa and chips I’ve ever had. Los Tios’s menu boasts about the original puffy queso, so I chose to get it. I was very disappointed that all the dish included was a corn tortilla shaped in a ball, fried, and then covered with an uneventful cheese sauce. What a waste, but just as bad was the enchilada served. It was undercooked and I’ve had better microwave dinner enchiladas. Still, those chips and salsa alone are worthy of a spot here.
The puffy queso, a cavern of sorrows
9. The Original Ninfa’s
Houston food critics and snobs alike thumb their nose at the Original Ninfa’s. It is the sort of thing New Orleans food critics did in the 1990s with area staples like Deanie’s and ACME. There has been a slight change in position on those successful restaurants, I believe due to Hurricane Katrina reminding the critics that the NOLA dining scene isn’t built on places like Marisol, which shine brightly for a while but are simply flashes in the pan.
Ninfa’s was for many Houstonians their introduction to Mexican food. Some will call Ninfa’s Tex-Mex, an odd term rife with assumptions and misunderstandings. The same people will call Pancho’s a bad Tex-Mex restaurant. Let it be known that Pancho’s was on my agenda, but illness has delayed that trip. Next time, I will give you a full rundown of Pancho’s.
Owing to its location near our hotel, I decided to go to the Galleria Original Ninfa’s, which opened in 2019. The staff there were professional and friendly. The kitchen was humming. But it wasn’t all roses and fajitas. My biggest complaint here was the Houston tap water. I do love NOLA SWB tap water, and had heard good things about Houston. But when I tasted the water at Ninfa’s, I was disgusted. It tasted of perfume or soap. I quickly got a replacement, but not before finishing the entire glass.
Later in the meal, I went to the bathroom to wash my hands. As I did so, I smelled the same smell that I tasted. Somehow some of the bathroom hand soap had gotten into my water and ruined it. I let my waitress know so she could tell the staff at the next meeting to be careful not to put soap in patrons’ water.
I have a ferocious appetite and single entrees rarely are enough for me. It seems like portion sizes are out of control at restaurants these days, and what satiated my appetite when I was ten years old no longer does. So this evening I ordered two entrees: the Tejas combo, which comes with a taco, a cheese enchilada, and steak fajita. I chose the frijoles charros, first popularized by cowboys, which is more of a stew than a simple bean dish. Everything on the plate was solid.
With my appetizer in the past, I decided to go healthy for my entree with the vegetarian fajitas. The Original Ninfa’s claims to have invented the fajita, so I thought it important to get some fajitas. It wasn’t exactly a Eureka moment, as Mama Ninfa simply grilled steak and put it in a tortilla. The fajita was born.
When my fajitas came out, I nearly told my waitress, “The vegetables are undercooked.” I am glad I did not. Most of the time when I get vegetable fajitas somewhere, the vegetables are cooked down into a mush of oil and salt. Tasty, but not visually appealing. Somehow Ninfa’s has found a way to cook fully these vegetables while maintaining the vibrancy of their original condition. Vegetables included squash, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, corn, red and green peppers, and onions. I chose the black beans this time, and they made for a delicious glue for the fajitas.
8. Taconmadre
Located just off I-10 in eastern Houston, Taconmadre was my last stop, and a stop I made on the way out with Mother and Uncle. You won’t find Taconmadre on critic lists of best food in Houston, and I only heard about it through word of mouth. While eating a Chuy’s two nights earlier, I had my Google translator ask the bus boy what his favorite taco truck was. He replied, “Taconmadre.” I believe the name is to be read as taco N, as in and, madre, which in Spanish means mother.
The original location uses a large green bus, but this location was closer. When we arrived, there was a line of four cars in the drive through line, so we parked in the rustically adorned parking lot and walked up to the window. I was still recovering from my stomach affliction, so I ordered lightly.
The menu’s prices are all over the place. One sign says two breakfast tacos for $2. Another says $2.75. The window lady also requested that we pay in cash. I had but a twenty, so I told her to keep the change. Uncle and Mother ultimately chose not to get anything. I do not believe either has ever eaten food from a food truck.
I chose the papas con queso, which is potatoes and cheese. It was delicious, but I question the health benefits of eating cheesy potatoes wrapped in a tortilla shell. I also ordered the quevos a la Mexicano, which were eggs, peppers, and onions. As we waited for my tacos, a group of young men, six in total, approached the window to order. They were full of life and happiness. It appeared as though they were going to labor physically, and they emanated optimism and hope. I wanted to ask them if I could take a picture of them, but thought the idea could be rude. The moment was a John Sonsini painting. The tacos were good, too.
The final count was two for $3, with the tax included. Possibly the product of a computer translator, Taconmadre’s salutation is “Thank you for your continuous preference.” Clunky at first, the term will certainly enter my lexicon.
10. Los Tios
Los Tios is an utterly forgettable Mexican restaurant located just north of the Galleria. But I include it in this list because they served the best salsa and chips I’ve ever had. Los Tios’s menu boasts about the original puffy queso, so I chose to get it. I was very disappointed that all the dish included was a corn tortilla shaped in a ball, fried, and then covered with an uneventful cheese sauce. What a waste, but just as bad was the enchilada served. It was undercooked and I’ve had better microwave dinner enchiladas. Still, those chips and salsa alone are worthy of a spot here.
The puffy queso, a cavern of sorrows
9. The Original Ninfa’s
Houston food critics and snobs alike thumb their nose at the Original Ninfa’s. It is the sort of thing New Orleans food critics did in the 1990s with area staples like Deanie’s and ACME. There has been a slight change in position on those successful restaurants, I believe due to Hurricane Katrina reminding the critics that the NOLA dining scene isn’t built on places like Marisol, which shine brightly for a while but are simply flashes in the pan.
Ninfa’s was for many Houstonians their introduction to Mexican food. Some will call Ninfa’s Tex-Mex, an odd term rife with assumptions and misunderstandings. The same people will call Pancho’s a bad Tex-Mex restaurant. Let it be known that Pancho’s was on my agenda, but illness has delayed that trip. Next time, I will give you a full rundown of Pancho’s.
Owing to its location near our hotel, I decided to go to the Galleria Original Ninfa’s, which opened in 2019. The staff there were professional and friendly. The kitchen was humming. But it wasn’t all roses and fajitas. My biggest complaint here was the Houston tap water. I do love NOLA SWB tap water, and had heard good things about Houston. But when I tasted the water at Ninfa’s, I was disgusted. It tasted of perfume or soap. I quickly got a replacement, but not before finishing the entire glass.
Later in the meal, I went to the bathroom to wash my hands. As I did so, I smelled the same smell that I tasted. Somehow some of the bathroom hand soap had gotten into my water and ruined it. I let my waitress know so she could tell the staff at the next meeting to be careful not to put soap in patrons’ water.
I have a ferocious appetite and single entrees rarely are enough for me. It seems like portion sizes are out of control at restaurants these days, and what satiated my appetite when I was ten years old no longer does. So this evening I ordered two entrees: the Tejas combo, which comes with a taco, a cheese enchilada, and steak fajita. I chose the frijoles charros, first popularized by cowboys, which is more of a stew than a simple bean dish. Everything on the plate was solid.
With my appetizer in the past, I decided to go healthy for my entree with the vegetarian fajitas. The Original Ninfa’s claims to have invented the fajita, so I thought it important to get some fajitas. It wasn’t exactly a Eureka moment, as Mama Ninfa simply grilled steak and put it in a tortilla. The fajita was born.
When my fajitas came out, I nearly told my waitress, “The vegetables are undercooked.” I am glad I did not. Most of the time when I get vegetable fajitas somewhere, the vegetables are cooked down into a mush of oil and salt. Tasty, but not visually appealing. Somehow Ninfa’s has found a way to cook fully these vegetables while maintaining the vibrancy of their original condition. Vegetables included squash, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, corn, red and green peppers, and onions. I chose the black beans this time, and they made for a delicious glue for the fajitas.
8. Taconmadre
Located just off I-10 in eastern Houston, Taconmadre was my last stop, and a stop I made on the way out with Mother and Uncle. You won’t find Taconmadre on critic lists of best food in Houston, and I only heard about it through word of mouth. While eating a Chuy’s two nights earlier, I had my Google translator ask the bus boy what his favorite taco truck was. He replied, “Taconmadre.” I believe the name is to be read as taco N, as in and, madre, which in Spanish means mother.
The original location uses a large green bus, but this location was closer. When we arrived, there was a line of four cars in the drive through line, so we parked in the rustically adorned parking lot and walked up to the window. I was still recovering from my stomach affliction, so I ordered lightly.
The menu’s prices are all over the place. One sign says two breakfast tacos for $2. Another says $2.75. The window lady also requested that we pay in cash. I had but a twenty, so I told her to keep the change. Uncle and Mother ultimately chose not to get anything. I do not believe either has ever eaten food from a food truck.
I chose the papas con queso, which is potatoes and cheese. It was delicious, but I question the health benefits of eating cheesy potatoes wrapped in a tortilla shell. I also ordered the quevos a la Mexicano, which were eggs, peppers, and onions. As we waited for my tacos, a group of young men, six in total, approached the window to order. They were full of life and happiness. It appeared as though they were going to labor physically, and they emanated optimism and hope. I wanted to ask them if I could take a picture of them, but thought the idea could be rude. The moment was a John Sonsini painting. The tacos were good, too.
The final count was two for $3, with the tax included. Possibly the product of a computer translator, Taconmadre’s salutation is “Thank you for your continuous preference.” Clunky at first, the term will certainly enter my lexicon.
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 10:08 am
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:02 am to TulaneLSU
7. Fiesta Mart
Fiesta Mart opened in 1972 in Houston to serve a Hispanic clientele that had largely been overlooked by other groceries. It is now part of a large national corporation. Nonetheless, the store remains a remarkable landmark. No trip to Houston is complete without ambulating through its aisles and produce section.
The entrance here greeted customers with a boiler cooking crawfish, which was $2.75/lb. There is a hot food counter immediately when you enter to the right, and it was here that I began talking to a lady cooking on a small griddle. Her name was Maria and she spoke English. I asked her to make the best thing she could make. I don’t know what she called it, but it was a flour tortilla filled with cheese and pork and sealed. It was similar to a pupusa, but she told me it was not a pupusa. Whatever it is called, it was delicious and cheap, just $2.
After finishing the dish, I took a walk through the store and made a few purchases, including a $1.19 bandana, blue of course, and tres leches cake. The tres leches was big enough to be considered 2.5 portions in most restaurants. It was $3.47 and arguably the best tres leches I have ever tasted. The red stripe was strawberry flavored. The white tasted of custard.
6. Tatemó’
Sitting in a non-descript strip mall just northwest of the Loop, without any signage except the lifeless strip mall billboard, Tatemó is a restaurant you must seek out. Like at Gautreau’s, whose glory days are behind it, or Alinea, a restaurant I walked right past during my first visit, there are no accidental diners at Tatemó.
The restaurant itself is utterly depressing. Cheap, fluorescence overhead spills forth a nauseating light that reminded me of the opening scene in Tom Hanks’ Joe Versus the Volcano. It is new, strip mall construction: clean, fresh smelling, and entirely soulless. They have tried to spruce it up with large bags of corn, metate, and stone wheels. The kitchen, like the dining room, is diminutive, as hints at being in a small house, whose dining room gives glimpses into the room where Grandmother is at work making a tortilla. A positive on the aesthetic is the beautiful pottery on which the food is served.
Atmosphere clearly is not what has catapulted this James Beard finalist into the Houston consciousness. Opened in 2020 by Mexico City born chef, Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó opened with a small tasting menu that cost $40. Three short years later, the tasting menu has ballooned in quality and price to $125. It is also arguably the hardest reservation to get in all of Houston. For those that do not plan ahead, it is also open for walk-up brunch on Sunday mornings from 10-2.
While working in a Seattle Mexican restaurant, Chavez came to realize that Houston, where he had lived for a few years, did not have a great respect for corn. Upon returning, he perfected the process of nixtamalization, which is cooking the corn in an alkaline solution before mashing and milling it into masa, the foundation of many Mexican dishes, most importantly corn tortillas. The masa allows our digestive tracts to absorb the nutrients in corn, whereas when we eat corn off the cob much of it is simply wasted, as our stomachs cannot break down the kernels for the gold inside them. The nixtamalized corn and tortillas are to Mexican cuisine what flour and bread are to Europeans.
In his restaurant, Chavez uses over 60 varieties of heirloom corn from throughout the world. It is his return to the essence of corn in a world that has mechanized tortilla production that has garnered Chavez praise amongst the culinary community.
I started with an hibiscus aqua fresca, which was fine. As my stomach was struggling from the night before, I avoided spice and chose the masa pancakes, which were $12 for two. There was a nice butter cream atop, a slight hint of syrup. Beneath the butter was candied fruit, which I tried. Immediately, though, I spit it out, as it had been soaked in some sort of poisonous alcohol solution. I quickly discarded the alcohol spiked dross and continued to enjoy the pancakes, which were not terribly extraordinary. Next time, I will try a savory item. The savory items coming from the kitchen looked splendid.
5. Dichos Taqueria
Dichos was opened by the Cabrera family in 2016 in a stripmall in southeastern Houston. Table service is friendly, the restaurant is airy and bright, and the food is delicious.
I started with the chips and salsa, which were fantastic. The green crema salsa was slightly above average, but the reddish one was filled with a deep smoky, pepperish flavor that will not soon be forgotten.
Again, I ordered two entrees. My first was the beef enchiladas with refried beans. They were exceptional.
My second entree was the chile relleno, which, truth be told, was slightly below average in the world of chile rellenos. This dish includes three sides. My choices were the queso with peppers (would not get again), the grilled cactus (highly recommended), and the frijoles charros (also highly recommended).
All in all, the meal was $30. It won’t necessarily be in the papers or an Instagram favorite, but it serves the classics with faithfulness and fervor. The menu is extensive and everything I saw leaving the kitchen looked marvelous.
Fiesta Mart opened in 1972 in Houston to serve a Hispanic clientele that had largely been overlooked by other groceries. It is now part of a large national corporation. Nonetheless, the store remains a remarkable landmark. No trip to Houston is complete without ambulating through its aisles and produce section.
The entrance here greeted customers with a boiler cooking crawfish, which was $2.75/lb. There is a hot food counter immediately when you enter to the right, and it was here that I began talking to a lady cooking on a small griddle. Her name was Maria and she spoke English. I asked her to make the best thing she could make. I don’t know what she called it, but it was a flour tortilla filled with cheese and pork and sealed. It was similar to a pupusa, but she told me it was not a pupusa. Whatever it is called, it was delicious and cheap, just $2.
After finishing the dish, I took a walk through the store and made a few purchases, including a $1.19 bandana, blue of course, and tres leches cake. The tres leches was big enough to be considered 2.5 portions in most restaurants. It was $3.47 and arguably the best tres leches I have ever tasted. The red stripe was strawberry flavored. The white tasted of custard.
6. Tatemó’
Sitting in a non-descript strip mall just northwest of the Loop, without any signage except the lifeless strip mall billboard, Tatemó is a restaurant you must seek out. Like at Gautreau’s, whose glory days are behind it, or Alinea, a restaurant I walked right past during my first visit, there are no accidental diners at Tatemó.
The restaurant itself is utterly depressing. Cheap, fluorescence overhead spills forth a nauseating light that reminded me of the opening scene in Tom Hanks’ Joe Versus the Volcano. It is new, strip mall construction: clean, fresh smelling, and entirely soulless. They have tried to spruce it up with large bags of corn, metate, and stone wheels. The kitchen, like the dining room, is diminutive, as hints at being in a small house, whose dining room gives glimpses into the room where Grandmother is at work making a tortilla. A positive on the aesthetic is the beautiful pottery on which the food is served.
Atmosphere clearly is not what has catapulted this James Beard finalist into the Houston consciousness. Opened in 2020 by Mexico City born chef, Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó opened with a small tasting menu that cost $40. Three short years later, the tasting menu has ballooned in quality and price to $125. It is also arguably the hardest reservation to get in all of Houston. For those that do not plan ahead, it is also open for walk-up brunch on Sunday mornings from 10-2.
While working in a Seattle Mexican restaurant, Chavez came to realize that Houston, where he had lived for a few years, did not have a great respect for corn. Upon returning, he perfected the process of nixtamalization, which is cooking the corn in an alkaline solution before mashing and milling it into masa, the foundation of many Mexican dishes, most importantly corn tortillas. The masa allows our digestive tracts to absorb the nutrients in corn, whereas when we eat corn off the cob much of it is simply wasted, as our stomachs cannot break down the kernels for the gold inside them. The nixtamalized corn and tortillas are to Mexican cuisine what flour and bread are to Europeans.
In his restaurant, Chavez uses over 60 varieties of heirloom corn from throughout the world. It is his return to the essence of corn in a world that has mechanized tortilla production that has garnered Chavez praise amongst the culinary community.
I started with an hibiscus aqua fresca, which was fine. As my stomach was struggling from the night before, I avoided spice and chose the masa pancakes, which were $12 for two. There was a nice butter cream atop, a slight hint of syrup. Beneath the butter was candied fruit, which I tried. Immediately, though, I spit it out, as it had been soaked in some sort of poisonous alcohol solution. I quickly discarded the alcohol spiked dross and continued to enjoy the pancakes, which were not terribly extraordinary. Next time, I will try a savory item. The savory items coming from the kitchen looked splendid.
5. Dichos Taqueria
Dichos was opened by the Cabrera family in 2016 in a stripmall in southeastern Houston. Table service is friendly, the restaurant is airy and bright, and the food is delicious.
I started with the chips and salsa, which were fantastic. The green crema salsa was slightly above average, but the reddish one was filled with a deep smoky, pepperish flavor that will not soon be forgotten.
Again, I ordered two entrees. My first was the beef enchiladas with refried beans. They were exceptional.
My second entree was the chile relleno, which, truth be told, was slightly below average in the world of chile rellenos. This dish includes three sides. My choices were the queso with peppers (would not get again), the grilled cactus (highly recommended), and the frijoles charros (also highly recommended).
All in all, the meal was $30. It won’t necessarily be in the papers or an Instagram favorite, but it serves the classics with faithfulness and fervor. The menu is extensive and everything I saw leaving the kitchen looked marvelous.
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 10:06 am
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:03 am to TulaneLSU
4. Xochi
On our first night in Houston, I thought Mother and Uncle would want to join me at this restaurant downtown near the baseball stadium. When I called them, however, they told me they were already eating at Vic and Anthony’s Steakhouse. I did not want to ruin their evening, but it made me quite sad that they were already eating and did not consider inviting me. I would have declined, as I was on a mission to eat only in Mexican restaurants, but is it wrong to think they should have invited me?
Located on street level in the Marriot, Xochi (pronounced so-chi) is in the only part of the Houston central business district that does not feel dead, at least when the Astros are playing. Chef Hugo Ortego, who is well known in Houston for his successful chain of restaurants, each with a different name and theme, opened Xochi in 2017.
Hugo’s story is a classic rags to riches story. Originally from Mexico, he began working as a janitor before landing in a kitchen as a dishwasher. The owner of that restaurant, who later became his wife, paid for him to go to culinary school. In 2002, he opened his hugely successful Hugo’s. A decade later, they opened Caracol by the Galleria. In 2021, they opened URBE.
I also dined at Hugo’s on this trip, and Hugo’s was so similar to Xochi that I decided to include only one of them. Both restaurants are beautiful and masterfully run. The products coming from the kitchen range from as good as you will get in Mexican cuisine, almost as good as Frontera, to average. A trip to any of Hugo’s restaurants can range from superb to average because some of the dishes simply are not that good.
Two examples of the not good include the mole tasting and the insect appetizer. Critics and wait staff alike recommend the mole tasting. The former, likely because they think mole makes the restaurant authentic and not a Tex-Mex restaurant, which it is if you consider Ninfa’s as such. The latter likely recommend it because mole carries an extremely high profit margin for the restaurant. I will tell you this: skip the mole sampler ($15). It is an uninspiring dish of three moles served with a dry quesadilla that I struggled to finish.
The other avoid item is the Chicharones de Xoxocotlan ($15; sometimes Molotes de Xoxocotlan). The chicharones are pork rinds (molotes are masa) served with a white crema and queso fresco dip that is topped with a red mole and fried grasshoppers and ants. Beneath is the best part of the dish – a citrusy avocado sauce. The fried insects drew me to this dish for pure novelty. It was a sham.
My third appetizer was solid. Named Tlayuda de Res ($24), it was a tortilla as thin as Joe & Pat’s of Staten Island topped with skirt steak, a black mole, some cheese, greens, and radishes. There was a hefty amount of skirt steak that was delectable with each bite.
So far, my meal was lonely and disappointing. That was until my waitress brought out the scallops and mussel dish. Called Callo de Hacha ($38), staff served it without sauce and then at the table, poured a marvelous mole verde atop. There were pretty adorning items like the masa dumpling, but all of my attention was on the scallops and mussels, which were the best of either I have ever had.
Besides the scallops, you should also consider the desserts there. All four of my previous dishes were relatively light, so I decided to get two desserts. My waitress was concerned that I would not be able to finish two desserts, including the Cacao ($20), which she said was designed to be split between two and four people.
The cacao is a beautiful work of culinary art fit inside a white chocolate shell, made from a cacao shell mold. There are ten different types of chocolate in this dish. My waitress spoke so fast I was unable to get them all, but each was delicious.
I finished it with ease and was happy I had not followed my waitress’s advice because I still had my Cremoso de Chocolate ($13) to finish. This dish was similar to a chocolate mousse with a very light sponge cake. It had a weird hard chocolate cover and a refreshing strawberry sauce that accentuated the flavors nicely.
I was six courses down, but still, after a long day of walking, my appetite was not appeased. I asked the waitress for one more savory recommendation, as they did not have a cheese platter available. She recommended the oyster dish.
The Ostiones de Lujo ($21 for half dozen) were grilled oysters in a yellow mole topped with breadcrumbs and cheese. It was perhaps the worst dish of the night, even worse than the mole sampler. The breadcrumb-cheese topping ruined the oysters. Although I finished the dish, as Mother taught me not to leave food on my plate, I did not enjoy a single bite of it.
Xochi, like Hugo’s other restaurants, is great, so long as you stick to the good menu items. I would suggest that management consider shrinking the menu, eliminating several dishes that do not belong. Also, be sure, if you are a driver, that you are cautious with valet parking in the area, as there have been some dishonest people stealing money. The Xochi valet is located on the west side of the building in a little inlet. If you are scammed, please return no one evil with evil.
On our first night in Houston, I thought Mother and Uncle would want to join me at this restaurant downtown near the baseball stadium. When I called them, however, they told me they were already eating at Vic and Anthony’s Steakhouse. I did not want to ruin their evening, but it made me quite sad that they were already eating and did not consider inviting me. I would have declined, as I was on a mission to eat only in Mexican restaurants, but is it wrong to think they should have invited me?
Located on street level in the Marriot, Xochi (pronounced so-chi) is in the only part of the Houston central business district that does not feel dead, at least when the Astros are playing. Chef Hugo Ortego, who is well known in Houston for his successful chain of restaurants, each with a different name and theme, opened Xochi in 2017.
Hugo’s story is a classic rags to riches story. Originally from Mexico, he began working as a janitor before landing in a kitchen as a dishwasher. The owner of that restaurant, who later became his wife, paid for him to go to culinary school. In 2002, he opened his hugely successful Hugo’s. A decade later, they opened Caracol by the Galleria. In 2021, they opened URBE.
I also dined at Hugo’s on this trip, and Hugo’s was so similar to Xochi that I decided to include only one of them. Both restaurants are beautiful and masterfully run. The products coming from the kitchen range from as good as you will get in Mexican cuisine, almost as good as Frontera, to average. A trip to any of Hugo’s restaurants can range from superb to average because some of the dishes simply are not that good.
Two examples of the not good include the mole tasting and the insect appetizer. Critics and wait staff alike recommend the mole tasting. The former, likely because they think mole makes the restaurant authentic and not a Tex-Mex restaurant, which it is if you consider Ninfa’s as such. The latter likely recommend it because mole carries an extremely high profit margin for the restaurant. I will tell you this: skip the mole sampler ($15). It is an uninspiring dish of three moles served with a dry quesadilla that I struggled to finish.
The other avoid item is the Chicharones de Xoxocotlan ($15; sometimes Molotes de Xoxocotlan). The chicharones are pork rinds (molotes are masa) served with a white crema and queso fresco dip that is topped with a red mole and fried grasshoppers and ants. Beneath is the best part of the dish – a citrusy avocado sauce. The fried insects drew me to this dish for pure novelty. It was a sham.
My third appetizer was solid. Named Tlayuda de Res ($24), it was a tortilla as thin as Joe & Pat’s of Staten Island topped with skirt steak, a black mole, some cheese, greens, and radishes. There was a hefty amount of skirt steak that was delectable with each bite.
So far, my meal was lonely and disappointing. That was until my waitress brought out the scallops and mussel dish. Called Callo de Hacha ($38), staff served it without sauce and then at the table, poured a marvelous mole verde atop. There were pretty adorning items like the masa dumpling, but all of my attention was on the scallops and mussels, which were the best of either I have ever had.
Besides the scallops, you should also consider the desserts there. All four of my previous dishes were relatively light, so I decided to get two desserts. My waitress was concerned that I would not be able to finish two desserts, including the Cacao ($20), which she said was designed to be split between two and four people.
The cacao is a beautiful work of culinary art fit inside a white chocolate shell, made from a cacao shell mold. There are ten different types of chocolate in this dish. My waitress spoke so fast I was unable to get them all, but each was delicious.
I finished it with ease and was happy I had not followed my waitress’s advice because I still had my Cremoso de Chocolate ($13) to finish. This dish was similar to a chocolate mousse with a very light sponge cake. It had a weird hard chocolate cover and a refreshing strawberry sauce that accentuated the flavors nicely.
I was six courses down, but still, after a long day of walking, my appetite was not appeased. I asked the waitress for one more savory recommendation, as they did not have a cheese platter available. She recommended the oyster dish.
The Ostiones de Lujo ($21 for half dozen) were grilled oysters in a yellow mole topped with breadcrumbs and cheese. It was perhaps the worst dish of the night, even worse than the mole sampler. The breadcrumb-cheese topping ruined the oysters. Although I finished the dish, as Mother taught me not to leave food on my plate, I did not enjoy a single bite of it.
Xochi, like Hugo’s other restaurants, is great, so long as you stick to the good menu items. I would suggest that management consider shrinking the menu, eliminating several dishes that do not belong. Also, be sure, if you are a driver, that you are cautious with valet parking in the area, as there have been some dishonest people stealing money. The Xochi valet is located on the west side of the building in a little inlet. If you are scammed, please return no one evil with evil.
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 10:36 am
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:03 am to TulaneLSU
3. Brothers Taco House
It is a good sign when a restaurant has a line out the door at 7 on a Saturday morning. Opened just east of downtown by the Alejandro family in 2002, Brothers Taco House is a staple for all walks of life in Houston. The line often wraps around the block, people waiting to order from this buffet line of classic Houston Mexican cuisine. The line does not move terribly fast or efficiently, as the indoor section is tiny. There is a small indoor eating section, protected by an armored guard.
Behind the buffet line is a mad tortilla maker feverishly flipping tortillas. There are twenty or so tortillas on the grill at any given time, as he tries to keep up with the line. These are fresh tortillas. Eggs are the popular item in the morning, but they also have beef, chicken and pork available in the morning.
I had already had three tacos by this time, so I only ordered two at Brothers: the eggs with bacon ($2.50) and the barbacoa, or beef cheek, which is only served on the weekends ($3). Both were exceptional. The barbacoa was reminiscent of a spicy Parkway roast beef.
I would strongly suggest you not attempt to drink those salsas on their own. I did and wonder if that was the start of my digestive issues. But I would suggest you try Brothers for a truly authentic Houston dining experience.
2. Cuchara
My camera had run out of battery by the time I walked to Cuchara. I will only say that the mole verde I had here was the best mole of my trip.
1. Laredo Taqueria
Forty years ago, brothers Joe and Roy Soto opened Laredo Taqueria and today, the shack is one of the institutions of Houston food. I walked here early on a Saturday morning only to find a sizeable line stretching to the street. I began taking pictures and one of the workers warned his co-workers, who were making tortillas, to be on their best behavior. The smells alone coming from the smoke stack while I waited in line made the walk worthy of my time. I knew I was in for a treat.
Like Brothers Taco House, Laredo has a buffet line with choice frequently replenished. It is of the same system as Pancho’s or Subway, but with far better ingredients.
The seating area is basic, but the atmosphere is open, bright and convivial. People are happy to be here and that mood permeates the air. Wait staff bring drinks and salsa to the table. I chose three tacos, and each was enormous. The eggs with bacon were very good ($3.25). The huevos Mexican ($3) were excellent. The barbacoa, or beef cheek, ($3) was phenomenal.
Laredo Taqueria remains the Houstonian Mexican restaurant with which I leave with my fondest of memories. I do hope when you eat in Houston next, you will not have the same issues I had. But it was all worth it to bring you this list. I would sacrifice my intestinal health if this list helps but one of you decide on where to eat in Houston.
Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU
It is a good sign when a restaurant has a line out the door at 7 on a Saturday morning. Opened just east of downtown by the Alejandro family in 2002, Brothers Taco House is a staple for all walks of life in Houston. The line often wraps around the block, people waiting to order from this buffet line of classic Houston Mexican cuisine. The line does not move terribly fast or efficiently, as the indoor section is tiny. There is a small indoor eating section, protected by an armored guard.
Behind the buffet line is a mad tortilla maker feverishly flipping tortillas. There are twenty or so tortillas on the grill at any given time, as he tries to keep up with the line. These are fresh tortillas. Eggs are the popular item in the morning, but they also have beef, chicken and pork available in the morning.
I had already had three tacos by this time, so I only ordered two at Brothers: the eggs with bacon ($2.50) and the barbacoa, or beef cheek, which is only served on the weekends ($3). Both were exceptional. The barbacoa was reminiscent of a spicy Parkway roast beef.
I would strongly suggest you not attempt to drink those salsas on their own. I did and wonder if that was the start of my digestive issues. But I would suggest you try Brothers for a truly authentic Houston dining experience.
2. Cuchara
My camera had run out of battery by the time I walked to Cuchara. I will only say that the mole verde I had here was the best mole of my trip.
1. Laredo Taqueria
Forty years ago, brothers Joe and Roy Soto opened Laredo Taqueria and today, the shack is one of the institutions of Houston food. I walked here early on a Saturday morning only to find a sizeable line stretching to the street. I began taking pictures and one of the workers warned his co-workers, who were making tortillas, to be on their best behavior. The smells alone coming from the smoke stack while I waited in line made the walk worthy of my time. I knew I was in for a treat.
Like Brothers Taco House, Laredo has a buffet line with choice frequently replenished. It is of the same system as Pancho’s or Subway, but with far better ingredients.
The seating area is basic, but the atmosphere is open, bright and convivial. People are happy to be here and that mood permeates the air. Wait staff bring drinks and salsa to the table. I chose three tacos, and each was enormous. The eggs with bacon were very good ($3.25). The huevos Mexican ($3) were excellent. The barbacoa, or beef cheek, ($3) was phenomenal.
Laredo Taqueria remains the Houstonian Mexican restaurant with which I leave with my fondest of memories. I do hope when you eat in Houston next, you will not have the same issues I had. But it was all worth it to bring you this list. I would sacrifice my intestinal health if this list helps but one of you decide on where to eat in Houston.
Faith, Hope, and Love,
TulaneLSU
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 10:39 am
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:14 am to TulaneLSU
Thanks - some decent intel. You went to the wrong Ninfa's for sure and need to add El Tiempo on the next trip.
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:16 am to TulaneLSU
Wow that’s a lot of effort.
Will have to explore the list sometime.
La Cocina de Roberto in The Woodlands is a place I like.
I will get downvoted into oblivion for this but I have yet to find cheese enchiladas that rival Pappasitos. I grew up in Houston and the only others that would compare would be Casa Juan in Richmond (RIP) back in the 70s.
Will have to explore the list sometime.
La Cocina de Roberto in The Woodlands is a place I like.
I will get downvoted into oblivion for this but I have yet to find cheese enchiladas that rival Pappasitos. I grew up in Houston and the only others that would compare would be Casa Juan in Richmond (RIP) back in the 70s.
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:22 am to TulaneLSU
Laredo is good, but it's not wait in a 25 person deep line good.
Go down Washington to El Tiempo Taqueria...or right off Shepherd to Tio Trompo.
Go down Washington to El Tiempo Taqueria...or right off Shepherd to Tio Trompo.
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:23 am to TulaneLSU
Homie, any list without El Tiempo is worthless
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:25 am to MAROON
quote:
You went to the wrong Ninfa's for sure and need to add El Tiempo on the next trip
The Galleria location is definitely not as good at Ninfa's on Nav...but I think Ninfa's is behind El Tiempo in terms of flavor and value...both are behind Candente, which is my standard these days for Tex Mex in Houston.
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:28 am to TulaneLSU
I think they should have invited you.
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:29 am to TulaneLSU
quote:
Xochi, like Hugo’s other restaurants, is great, so long as you stick to the good menu items.
Go to Urbe...his fast casual joint over by the Galleria.
Order of preference for his places these days for my family...Urbe, Caracol, Hugo's, Backstreet, Xochi
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:30 am to TulaneLSU
No Hugo’s?
I have not been to many of the others but if they have something better than the roasted duck with mole’ poblano sauce at Hugo’s I need to try them.
ETA - Okay. I see that #4 is part of the Hugo's family. Maybe this covers it.
I have not been to many of the others but if they have something better than the roasted duck with mole’ poblano sauce at Hugo’s I need to try them.
ETA - Okay. I see that #4 is part of the Hugo's family. Maybe this covers it.
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 12:30 pm
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:49 am to TulaneLSU
Friend,
You need to get laid.
Even if it means utilizing the allowance mother weekly affords you to procure some dark, Tulane Avenue strange.
And if you see LaRonda stalking those mean streets, tell her Stimulato says hello.
Just remember to double bag the groceries, pod-nuh.
You need to get laid.
Even if it means utilizing the allowance mother weekly affords you to procure some dark, Tulane Avenue strange.
And if you see LaRonda stalking those mean streets, tell her Stimulato says hello.
Just remember to double bag the groceries, pod-nuh.
This post was edited on 5/2/23 at 10:54 am
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:54 am to TulaneLSU
Posted on 5/2/23 at 10:57 am to offshoreangler
quote:
Order of preference for his places these days for my family...Urbe, Caracol, Hugo's, Backstreet, Xochi
urbe and Candente are my favorite Mexican spots around right now.
out of convenience, we go to superica too much. I prefer tony's or Jaunitas but neither provide the gringo touches my wife desires
Posted on 5/2/23 at 11:02 am to TulaneLSU
The amount of food you can digest is gargantuan.
Some of the grub looks good. Thanks for the rundown and photos
If your mom and uncle knew of your goal to eat at only mexican, why would they bother to invite you to eat steak? If they didn't know and didn't invite then your mom just didn't want you around.
Some of the grub looks good. Thanks for the rundown and photos
If your mom and uncle knew of your goal to eat at only mexican, why would they bother to invite you to eat steak? If they didn't know and didn't invite then your mom just didn't want you around.
Posted on 5/2/23 at 11:11 am to TulaneLSU
Did mother get the runs after any of these meals? I can pack her tight if she’s having issues.
Posted on 5/2/23 at 11:16 am to TulaneLSU
you better have gotten BBQ while in town.
Posted on 5/2/23 at 11:54 am to TulaneLSU
I loathe upscale Mexican food… like Johnny Sanchez type nonsense
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