Chuy's has arrived in Abilene--get ready for the creamy jalapeno sauce!

Chuy's Tex Mex has arrived in Abilene! I usually do not focus much on chain restaurants but the arrival of Chuy's has been much anticipated locally and since they opened they have been swamped with customers since they opened almost 3 weeks ago.

Pico de gallo or salsa? Something is off.

My first visit to Chuy's was about 30 years ago at the original Barton Springs Rd. location in Austin, TX. This was long before their acquisition by Darden Restaurants (owners of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and others) in 2024. It was  positive experience and I do recall the cart with all the salsa and chips. The last time I went to a Chuy's was in Waco about 8 years ago. From that visit, I remember eating a lot of the creamy, spicy jalapeno dip with my chips and having a meal with the famous Boom Boom sauce but what I most remember is that I was tired that evening and so full after dinner that I went to bed almost immediately after getting to the hotel. 

Yesterday (Sunday), I went to Chuy's at 2:45pm to meet a friend for either a late lunch or early supper...lupper? It was a 25 minute wait for a table for two. Even at that time of day there were still several people waiting to be seated. Abilene folks have a tendency to overwhelm new places in town, especially when they are chains that people have been looking forward to having locally available. It was a nice day to sit outside, so the wait was not terribly inconvenient. There was not a lot of space in the entry for people to wait but there are benches outside and they had also put out dining chairs on the sidewalk as well.  Once you are on the waiting list, you get a text when your table is ready. The waitlist option on the website is not active for Abilene yet.  

Chicken Flautas dinner

Once we were seated, we were greeted fairly quickly by our server and the chips and salsa arrived. The salsa looked very anemic. It was more like a watery pico de gallo rather than salsa. It was a disappointment. When we asked our server about it she said that it looks that way when it comes out of the freezer before it has a chance to thaw and get more red. I am not sure about that. Perhaps they ran out of regular salsa and had to substitute something similar. By the way, it is absolutely not uncommon for there to be supply issues when a new place gets hit as hard as they do when they come to Abilene. The demand here is unexpected.for most of them. However, once we asked for the creamy jalapeno dip, that helped us have something better in which to dip the tortilla chips. It is very tasty with a nice kick. 

For my meal, I ordered the chicken flautas dinner. It came with six good sized flautas, rice, refried beans, sour cream, fresh guacamole, and chopped tomatoes. You can choose between the traditional Spanish rice or green chile rice. I went for the green chile and it was perfectly fine but a bit blander than I expected from something with green chili in it. The refried beans tasted like they came from a can. I was put in mind of either Old El Paso or Gebhardt brand canned beans by the color and consistancy...will not be ordering any bean based dishes at Chuy's in the future. However, I was impressed with the chicken flautas which had cheese as well as white meat chicken on the inside. The outer part was perfectly fried. The chicken was moist and there was plenty of it. Frequently, flautas come out dry and overcooked in a lot of places. I was only able to eat 4 of the 6 on the plate so the portions were generous and worth the cost. The guacamole was also a standout. Not too much onion or lime, very fresh and flavorful. 

Enchilada (no cheese) and taco plate

My friend ordered the enchilada and crispy beef taco dinner. It also came with rice and refried beans. She opted for the traditional Spanish rice. Since she is lactose intolerant she substituted a beef enchilada for the default cheese one and got the regular ranchero sauce on top. She liked the taste of the ground beef in her taco and enchilada but was not crazy about the sauce on top of the enchilada. The dinner was adequate but nothing to "write home about" in the end. 

Both of our dinners were between $11-$12 each which was at the lower end of the cost spectrum. The price point was very reasonable for the amount of food we were given. Menu prices on the website for pick up or delivery do not match the printed menus inside. Dine in was a little bit less expensive. There is a weekday happy hour from 3pm-6pm with drink and appetizer specials.

Service was just fine considering how busy they were in the middle of the afternoon and considering most of the servers were likely new hires. There were plenty of workers on hand to keep things moving along. The inside of the building has fit as many tables as possible so it does have a bit of a cramped feel to it and there is the usual eclectic Chuy's decor. 

All in all the experience had some hits and misses. They deserve some grace since they have not even been open a month. As I love Tex-Mex food, I am sure I will return once the hub bub has died down and the wait times are not as long. I just hope they fix the salsa situation before next time but at least the creamy jalapeno was as good as I remember. 

Chuy's

4104 S. Clack St.

Abilene, TX 79606

325-237-1113

Located at the Mall of Abilene

Website: https://www.chuys.com/home

Hours:

Sun-Thurs 11am-10pm

Fri & Sat 11am-11pm

Mexican comfort food--The Original Henry's in San Angelo, Texas

Chicken Flautas plate

Beef enchiladas

It is not secret that when I visit San Angelo eating Mexican food is often on my list of things to do. Recently, I went to visit my niece there who recently graduated from Angelo State and took her to lunch there. Despite having gone to college in San Angelo she had somehow missed eating at this local institution.

You do need to expect a wait but it is not usually too long because the restaurant is large. Henry's is very popular--for a reason. We went on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and because there were only two of us, it only took about 20 minutes. There were several large family groups waiting to be seated.

The décor is colorful. It isn't a quiet restaurant when it is busy but everyone seemed to be in a good mood and enjoying themselves. The service was very attentive and food came out fast. Of course, complimentary chips and salsa are served. Ask for the white sauce too if your like a creamy dip for your chips. It is garlicy and reminds me of something between aioli sauce and ranch dressing. 

My niece ordered the beef enchilada plate with chili con carne sauce and I got the chicken flauta plate. Bothe came with beans and rice. I have the choice of lettuce or cabbage with my flautas. They were topped with avocado sauce. I enjoyed the refried beans but the rice was a little dry but I do not usually eat the rice much anyway. 

Usually it get the tres colores enchiladas but this time I varied my routine. The flautas were calling my name.  Everything was tasty and we did not leave the least but unsatisfied with our meal. I miss when Henry's had a sister restaurant in Abilene called Enrique's which was one of my "go to" places for comfort food and a great burger as well.

The next time you are in San Angelo, give them a go. I think you will enjoy the food and leave in a good mood.

3015 Sherwood Way

San Angelo, TX 76901

325-223-0171

https://originalhenrys.com/

Uncle Julio--I love you! Tex Mex in the Metroplex

There is a chain of Tex-Mex restaurants that is my absolute favorite among all Tex-Mex places in the world...Uncle Julio's. This review is only about the Dallas and Fort Worth locations as they are the only two I have visited. The chain started in Big D in 1986. Most of the time, I go to the Fort Worth location.

Roasted salsa and tortilla chips

Let me get some of the obvious criticisms out of the way. Yes, they get crowded and there can be a long wait. Yes, the service can be "iffy" or slow, particularly when they are slammed. Yes, sometimes it is noisy. But I love U.J. anyway. The roasted salsa and tortilla chips are divine. The fajitas are fabulous, best I have ever eaten. The house-made flour tortillas--yum. This is the standard by which I judge ALL other Tex-Mex restaurants and I have loved it for over two decades.

The challenge every time is not fill up on the chips and salsa. The salsa has a wonderful smokey taste and is spicy enough to please but not so hot that it causes pain. You can see the little bits of veggies and cilantro. The chips are nice and light. Addictive, without question.

Queso

My sister and I stopped for lunch last week in Fort Worth on the way back to Abilene from East Texas. It was a Tuesday at a little around 11:15am and we were seated right away. It was cool enough to sit on the patio but we ended up inside on the other side of the window. The server came by and greeted us about 5 minutes after we were seated which was a bit on the slow side but we were not in a rush. He took our beverage orders. Shortly thereafter chips and salsa arrived. I enjoy that we each get our own salsa cups.

When the server returned with our drinks (another 5-6 minutes later) we put in an order for some queso and my sister asked some questions about the menu. He went to get the queso while we made up our minds.

Mamacita's lunch nachos with beef fajitas

I wasn't hungry enough to go for  the fajitas so I got steak fajita nachos instead ($8.99). My sister went for the chicken honey chipotle fajitas ($14.99). The beef fajitas have a great "crust" on them and are never stringy which can be a problem with skirt steak and why I often don't order beef fajitas anymore because lots of places tend to skimp on the quality of the meat.

The queso was a little disappointing at $5.99 for a cup. It tasted fine but nothing that I can't easily make at home with Velveeta cheese and some pico de gallo. It did function as a nice topping for my nachos after I had eaten the steak off of the tostada though. The nachos also came with sour cream and tasty guacamole, garnished with fresh sliced jalapenos. I asked for some pickled peppers and was accommodated. I would have liked a bit more steak but it turned out I couldn't finish it all anyway.

Honey Chipotle Chicken Fajitas (lunch portion)

My sister enjoyed her fajitas. She describe the sauce as more "bbq-ish" than glaze which she prefers but said some people may not like it. Too sweet for my taste. It was served with the usual fajita fixins', charro beans and rice. She didn't even bother with the rice and beans and went straight for the meat (after picking off the cilantro--she's not a fan of that herb). They were juicy but not overly drippy as many places try to disguise dry chicken with lots of oil.

The food came out pretty quickly and the server checked back a couple of times to refill our drinks and see if we needed anything else. The bill did arrive at the end and we were dismayed to have to drive back to Abilene instead of being able to take an after lunch nap. I can't ever recall not leaving this place satisfied and stuffed. The prices may be on the high side but it is worth it.

My favorite location is at I-30 and Camp Bowie in Fort Worth. Only a 2 hour and 15 minute drive from Abilene! You can us the "find a table" option on their website to reserve a spot during busy times.
 
Uncle Julio's 
5301 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
817.377.2777

Casa Herrera--An Abilene Institution

I have long lamented the lack of really top shelf Mexican or Tex-Mex food in Abilene. We have many adequate places and some have a few dishes that stand out but there isn't a place that I would tell the world was the best. Lots of people pick Casa Herrera as there favorite spot in Abilene to quell a quesadilla craving. It has been in its current location by the Mall of Abilene for many years and before that it was located in Burro Alley (we are talking about 25 years ago) on S. 1st so it truly is one of the longest lasting places in town. Casa Herrera is locally owned so I give them points for that because the other most popular Mexican food in town is a chain called Abuelo's.

Last Friday night was date night for me and the mister. We were craving some Mexican food so we decided to go to Casa Herrera as we hadn't had dinner there as a couple before. I ordered the deluxe nachos and he had a carne guisada (beef chunks in a flavorful gravy) plate that came with beans, rice and flour tortillas. The meal started with complimentary chips and hot sauce. The hot sauce is quite spicy and has the consistency of taco sauce rather than a chunky salsa, as if you mixed tomato sauce and Tabasco sauce together. The chips came unsalted and were reasonably fresh though they had an aftertaste that was a bit odd. My husband really enjoyed his carne guisada and I liked the nachos with the lettuce and tomato though the meat was under-spiced. The meals ran about $7-8 each...not overpriced for what you get though the portions were not huge. The food is much like your average taqueria but the surroundings are classier and the service is better. As you read other online reviews of the restaurant you will find that people tend to either love it or hate it.

Deluxe Nachos

Casa Herrera also serves a weekday and Sunday lunch buffet that people really seem to enjoy.  The lines are long to get in during those times and on Friday and Saturday nights. I have found the buffet to be rather hit or miss. Buffets just tend to be unimpressive in my book, everything gets soggy under the heat lamps.

Our server was very attentive and professional. We could tell that he had been working in the business for years and he was great at anticipating our needs. He asked if I needed jalapenos for my nachos before I had a chance to request them, kept our glasses topped off and promptly took away the dirty dishes. This fact alone helps to elevate Casa Herrera above a lot of the other Mexican restaurants in town.

4109 Ridgemont Dr, Abilene, TX 79606
(325) 692-7065
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Casa-Herrera-Mexican-Restaurant/164570176924603

CLOSED Enchilada Express--Update June 2015

This was a good place at one point but something has changed the past few times I've gone. Beans don't taste homemade. Papas seem like doctored instant flakes. Prices are high for quality similar to Rosa's or Taco Cabana. Makes me sad.

Original Review--

Guacamole salad

Enchilada Express has grown up. They have built themselves a new building with ample seating and are now a more traditional restaurant instead just a take-out/delivery place (though those are still options).  The menu has expanded considerably. If you like Tex-Mex this is your place.

Three types of enchiladas with cilantro lime rice and chipotle potatoes

I took some family there on a Wednesday evening for dinner when you can get "all you can eat" enchiladas for $8.99! You can mix and match from all their 7 flavors (only one is beef though).  My sister got a chimi which she really enjoyed. My mom had a guacamole salad which was nice and fresh (maybe a few too many onions for her).  One of my nieces had tortilla soup and a tostada. She liked the tostada but found the soup too spicy. Me, my other niece and my husband had the enchiladas. Even with all you can eat looming, I still couldn't eat more than 3 and a half.  The three enchilada plate costs $8.99 regularly. I indulged in too many chips with their spicy salsa before my meal came out.

Tostada and charro beans

Chimichanga with rice and chipotle potatoes

I am a big fan of their cilantro lime rice and now they also have chipotle mashed potatoes which were also quite good and as far as I could tell were not made from instant potatoes.We also ordered a bowl of queso to go with the chips but it was a bit small for $4.99.

Next time I go I'm trying the brisket rellenos. Always looking for the perfect relleno that isn't too greasy. In fact, tonight might be a great night to go out!

Service was attentive if a bit slow (still working out some kinks). Value for the entrees is very good.  Appetizers were a bit on the high side. They do have beer and wine but no hard liquor, so no margaritas.

If only it was still close to my house...but it is worth the drive across town. I have no doubt that they will expand in the future, probably to other cities.

2134 S. 27th
Abilene, TX 79602
(325) 232-8682
enchiladaexpress.com

Chck Facebook for specials--
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Enchilada-Express/165097273507086?sk=wall

 

Chuy's in Austin

Chuy's is an Austin institution that has spread to many other locations outside Austin and outside Texas, the original Barton Springs location is still my favorite. On this visit we went to the one off of W. William Cannon in Austin.  There are a ton of reviews about Chuy's out there and for Tex-Mex they are difficult to beat. The chips are light and the salsa is flavorful. Service is speedy and professional despite the wait for a table and crowds on a Saturday night. Portions are huge. Decor is a pinata explosion meets Elvis.

Chicken flautas, refried beans, guacamole and sour cream

 
I had the chicken flautas, my sister had carne guisada tacos, and my brother in law had the Chicka-chicka boom-boom which is pulled chicken in a green chili tomatillo sauce. We were all stuffed and happy.

If you find yourself near one and you are craving Tex-Mex, give Chuy's a chance.