The Real Deal

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I am a big fan of Robb Walsh.  In fact for Christmas I even received his Tex-Mex Grill Cookbook and Tex-Mex Cookbook, and highly recommend them for anyone who is looking to make some autentico Tex-Mex or just have some different recipes to spice it up.  Robb's favorite project of mine does not come on paper though, it is a collaboration with the always awesome Bryan Caswell and Bill Floyd (the team behind some of Houston's best places to eat), El Real Tex-Mex.

El Real is housed in the old Tower Theater on Westheimer near Montrose, and they have done a great job of maintaining not only the essence of the theater, but the essence of classic Tex-Mex and the pioneers behind it.

There is usually a classic black and white Western, or some John Wayne movie playing on the screen, and the room is filled with pictures of famous Tex-Mex figures like Mama Ninfa.  The menu does an even better job of paying homage to these people, and the history behind great foods like puffy tacos or stacked enchiladas.

My personal favorite dish is the Enchiladas #7, cheese enchiladas covered in a delicious chile con carne that is second to none I have ever tasted.  The real clincher here is the fried egg, our first trip here the waiter tried to convince us to try it, and we just stared at him like he was certifiably insane.  Needless to say, listening to that man was quite possibly one of the greatest decisions ever made, and sense then I do not know if I can ever truly go back to egg-less enchiladas.

That is one delicious mess my friends.

My other favorite dish, in a whole different flavor ballpark is known as the Chingo Bling Plate, named after a local Houston rapper.  I do not really know any of the man's music, but I can say he has his name on an awesome dish of a smoked chicken relleno, a chicken enchilada smothered in salsa verde, and quite possibly one of the best pork tamales I have ever had.  Even the rice and beans do these dishes justice, whereas usually I can resist the side dishes, the rice is moist and the beans are creamy making them absolutely amazing. All of this delicious food would mean nothing of course if you did not have something delicious to wash it down with,and this evening I was knocking back the Victorias.

Victoria is a darker lager from Grupo Modelo (the same company that brings us the Modelo line and always popular Corona, not to mention my favorite beer in Mexico known as Leon), that only began importing to the US in the last few years.  All I can say is better late than never.

So if you find yourself in Houston and craving a delicious, not to mention real, Tex-Mex experience wander on down to El Real and let your taste buds partake in this fiesta.