With Respect To Mexican Food, I’m Fickle

First of all, I'm in love with Mexican food, but I’m fickle. The problem isn’t that I like it but don’t want to eat it all that often. I’d eat it every day if it was possible and practicable for me to do so. Also, I’m not one of those who like some of it, but not all of it. I like it all. My problem is that I can’t decide which Mexican restaurant in the Texas Hill Country I like best. Well, that’s not true. I can decide, and I do decide, but I change my mind nearly every day. That’s where my fickleness with respect to Mexican food comes into play. It’s not exactly true, but it seems that the “best” Mexican restaurant for me nearly always seems to be the last one I visited.

Given its relatively close proximity to Mexico, and the important influence that Mexican-Americans play in the region, the fact is that there are really no disappointing Mexican restaurants in the hill country. On the contrary, and, in my opinion, they are all very authentic, and all very good. Of course, I’m not Mexican-American, so my credibility to judge what authentic Mexican food is or isn’t may be questioned, but I do the best I can. Given the sheer number of places serving up Mexican food, it would be impossible to for me to actually visit them all, let alone do any kind of subjective or objective rating. So, I won’t try, and neither should you. You’ll just have to take my word for which one is best, and, continue to take my word for which one is best in the future. But, as I’ve already warned you, I change my mind from time to time. We’ll, that is not exactly true either. I change my mind very frequently.

My latest favorite place has been hiding from me in plain sight for years, and is just over in Leander, Texas. As in the past, my wife had to steer me away from my natural inclination to return to the haunts of previous “best” places, and try something new. Quite some time ago, a friend of my wife had told her about this great Mexican restaurant in Leander, but my wife didn’t remember what the name of the place was, or, just where it was located in Leander. That part didn’t bother me too much, because Leander isn’t all that big, and I’m fairly good with finding my way around places. And, like most men, I pride myself in doing it without asking anyone for directions, and I can’t be bothered with GPS devices.

Later, after driving around Leander for a half hour or so, and, after heeding my wife’s advice, I pulled the vehicle over and asked someone for directions to a Mexican restaurant whose name I didn’t know. Apparently, everyone in the hill country knows about this place but me, because even after giving a half-assed and extremely vague description of it, I got clear directions, and we quickly found the place. In my defense, I’m quite sure that within another 45 minutes, I would have located it without needing the assistance of others. We might not have been there in time for lunch, but we surely would have arrived for dinner. And, let me remind you that I’m only writing here about Mexican food, not what meal of the day I’d be eating it.

The restaurant at the end of our search, or as Texans say, at the end of our trail, is a place called Jardin Del Rey. Conveniently located (I can say that now that I found it) on Highway 183 in Leander, right by the Post Office (see, I’ve done all the hard work for you), it sits back off the road a bit, but is clearly marked by a huge multi-colored road sign right on the highway which clearly states, “Jardin Del Rey Mexican Restaurant.” I can’t believe I missed it after driving by it 3 or 4 times. I must have been distracted by my wife telling me to stop somewhere and ask for directions. Yes, I’m quite sure that was the issue now that I’ve had time to reflect upon it all.

Jardin Del Rey, is impressive, and at least for now, is clearly my favorite. Starting with lots of parking in the front , back, and side of the building, there is no doubt that friendly, prompt, and courteous service dictates the whole experience from the time you pull off the highway coming in until the time you pull onto the highway going back out.

The interior of the restaurant was clean, colorful, and festive, with a lot of booths. Booths seem to be an important seating choice in all restaurants these days. It’s a little strange when you think about it. People want to go out and eat among others, in a public place, but would prefer a booth where they are somewhat hidden and separated from the other people eating there, but, I’m getting a little bit off target.

After requesting our booth, we were quickly seated. Immediately thereafter, warm chips and salsa were placed in front of us. The salsa was spicier than at most places, but not overly so, and it was freshened with the taste of fresh chopped cilantro. During the course of our meal, my wife and I went through two servings of chips and salsa, which should tell you that we liked it quite a bit. Normally we hold back on a second serving, so as to have enough room for the meal. But on this occasion, we made an exception to our “hold back” rule and made that second round of chips and salsa disappear in a hurry.

Jardin Del Rey’s menu offers a lot of food choices, and those choices are inexpensive. There are breakfast plates, lunch specials, and a wide selection of appetizers, enchiladas, platters, plates, caldos y ensaladas, and especialidades. As with most Mexican restaurants, many side orders are available at Jardin Del Rey, and include Mexican rice, Chile con queso, frijoles charros, refried beans, as well as other selections.

Passing up on any appetizers, we ordered our lunch while munching on the chips and salsa. My wife ordered the Soft Taco Mexican Plate, and went with the beef tacos instead of the chicken. They were served with pico de gallo, sour cream, and rice and beans. I opted for the Chile Rellano, which is always a gamble depending upon the restaurant where they are served. In a lot of places around the rest of the country, this food order would have resulted in a small, shriveled, and miserly stuffed Chile pepper being served up. Not so at Jardin Del Rey, where I got an unbelievably large Poblano pepper with the stem still attached, generously stuffed with beef and cheese, and served with guacamole, pico de gallo, rice and beans, and an order of soft warm tortillas. I have to tell you, if you like cheese like I do, you really need to visit this place. The cheese was hot and melted, and literally poured out of the pepper along with the beef when I cut into it with my fork. And, to top it all off, the pepper was covered with a liberal amount of cheese, and salsa.

With the great food and outstanding service at Jardin Del Rey’s in Leander, Texas, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is the best Mexican restaurant in the Texas Hill Country. Well, at least it is until the next time I head out in search of Mexican food.

With Respect To Barbecue, You Can’t Always Trust What The Sign Says

Despite the fact that it markets itself on the restaurant signs as having the “Worst Bar-B-Q in Texas,” there is absolutely no doubt that Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q has anything but that. Rudy’s tongue in cheek marketing is, of course, playful and very much insincere. Rudy’s knows the quality of its food, and it’s darn good.

While Rudy’s has a few locations in Oklahoma and New Mexico, most of its places are in Texas. And, while some people may think that a chain restaurant could not possibly have the quality of barbecue that is found at a small family operation, at least with respect to Rudy’s, those people would be wrong.

Like eating at most great barbecue places, the experience begins before you even enter the door. The smell of the burning wood and smoking meat welcomes the visitor the minute the car door swings open in the parking lot. Unlike a lot of hill country barbecue joints, Rudy’s uses oak, and not mesquite, to cook its meat. Without debating the merits of what cooking wood is best, I will say that Rudy’s uses the oak to its advantage in producing high quality meats to serve. That point is not subject to debate at all.

With respect to the meats offered, Rudy’s seemingly has all the correct choices for a barbecue restaurant in the hill country. Offering brisket, chicken, chopped beef, pork loin, pork ribs, sausage, and turkey, Rudy’s covers it all. The meats are complimented with excellent sides, which, like the meats, are always fresh. Beans, cole slaw, cream corn, and potatoes are just but a few of them. And, of course, for dessert lovers, there are many choices, including, banana pudding.

Eating at Rudy’s, however, is not just about the good barbecue and sides. Equally important, is the experience of dining at a Rudy’s. Ordering the food, and eating it on the premises, is as delightful as savoring the delicious food.

After moving through an extremely fast moving line which wraps around ice chests filled with ice, beer, soft drinks and water, you come face to face with a refrigerated display case with little packets of cheese, servings of cole slaw, and desserts. If you want any of those, you need to grab them quick, because what comes next is the row of ordering and paying stations. “Next in line, please,” is what you’ll hear, and that is quickly followed by a “have you ever been to Rudy’s before?” If not, your personal cashier will explain to you how the ordering process works, and, of course, will patiently answer any questions you may have.

The ordering station is the place to order your meats and hot sides. With respect to the brisket, for example, you order it by the half pound. So you need to determine the appetite of your eating companions before you order. If in doubt, the cashier will help you sort it all out. During the ordering process, your cashier will throw in a half a loaf, or whole loaf of bread, depending upon the size of your party and a sheet of white butcher paper for each person. There are no plates at Rudy’s, so, in traditional fashion, you eat everything off the paper, sides included.

Once you’ve collected your order and paid for it, you visit the condiment station for onions, pickles, mustard, and plastic table service. Then, you head to either an indoor or outdoor picnic table to enjoy your meal. On the table is the “Bar-B-Q Sause,” as it is called at Rudy’s. All that’s left after sitting down at a table is spreading the butcher paper out, shoveling the food onto it, then devouring it. It’s always a lot of fun, especially when bringing guests who have never visited a Rudy’s before.

If you happen to be passing by a Rudy’s in Texas, Oklahoma or New Mexico, and see that sign which reads, “Worst Bar-B-Q in Texas,” don’t believe a word of it. As Rudy’s loyal employees and everyone else who has ever eaten there know full well, it’s exactly the opposite.

Word Of Mouth

With the overwhelming number of Mexican restaurants in the Texas Hill Country, it would be impossible to anoint one of them as the best. In the first place, it would be an insurmountable task to visit them all. But even if you could, picking the best one is simply not doable. The choices range from places with fancy atmospheres to small trailers. A common denominator, however, with respect to most, is that the food is very good.

At nearly the same point in time several years ago, both my wife and I got the same recommendation from two very different sources. Her friends, on the one hand, and my friends, on the other, both said that Jardin Corona, in Cedar Park, was the place to go for Mexican food.

Hidden way in the back of a strip mall, which itself is not too visible from the street, is Jardin Corona. But what the restaurant may lack in visibility, it makes up for in tasty food. Noon hour is very busy, not so much that you won’t get served promptly, but you’ll definitely notice the crowd, especially since the place is not all that big. As such, we started going around 3:00 in the afternoon for a really late lunch. That helped a little, but not as much as we expected. Jardin Corona is busy because it is popular, and it is popular, because the food is great.

Unlike a lot of restaurants I frequently visit, Mexican or otherwise, I tend to order the same menu selection, because I am familiar with it, like it, and know I won’t be disappointed. But at Jardin Corona, I order something different every time, because I am that confident that whatever I order, will be outstanding. My random methodology has not yet proven to be a mistake. I must admit though, I am obsessed with the queso at Jardin Corona. And, no matter what I order, you can be sure I’ve got some queso coming with the meal. Usually, I just ask them to dump some queso on whatever I order.

Given what I’ve just said, I can’t recommend a favorite at Jardin Corona, because they are all my favorites. I can tell you, however, what I ate during my last visit a couple of days ago. It was a chimichanga, stuffed with chicken and cheese, and, of course, covered, at my request, with queso.

I’m not saying that Jardin Corona has the best Mexican food in the hill country, or, I’m not saying that it does not. But, what I will tell you is that, in my opinion, it serves really good Mexican food. My opinion is supported by, what I consider to be very reliable source when considering whether to visit any restaurant, and that source is “word of mouth.”

Unlike Austin’s Commuter Rail, This Train Actually Runs, And On Time

The big controversy around Austin these days involves Capital Metro’s new commuter train. The opening of the 32-mile rail for commuter traffic from Leander to Austin’s city center has been plagued with a lot of whatnots and whatevers.

Originally supposed to be ready in early 2008, the latest estimate is now early 2010. And with all the broken earlier projections, who really knows?

But train lovers, and I count myself one, do not despair. There is one train in the hill country which actually runs, and on time. It’s a train run by the Austin Steam Train Association out of Cedar Park, Texas.

A number of wonderful trips, most on Saturday and Sunday, are available courtesy of the association’s diesel-electric locomotive (the steam engine is currently undergoing repairs). The locomotive pulls a variety of historic coaches, and riders have their choice of open-window coach, climate-controlled coach, or first class Pullman.

My wife and I decided to take the Hill Country Flyer trip to Burnet. We booked a private compartment, and, quite frankly, we were immediately sorry we did once getting on board. Or, as my wife would say if she was writing this blog, “he” booked the reservation and “I” was immediately sorry that “he” did. Privacy we had, but most of the fun was out in the coach cars and concession car. We’ll know better next time. We spent the better part of the trip walking through the other cars.

The trip to Burnet through the hill country was relaxing and scenic, and the train’s slower speed really allows you to take in the views, and get some nice photographs.

Upon arrival in Burnet, we had enough of a layover for lunch and a walk about the town square. We went on a Sunday, so, unfortunately, everything was pretty much closed around the immediate area except for an antique store and a couple of places to eat. We ate fast food. Make a note to yourself please, do not let me make your train reservations, but please take my advice. Coach seating and a Saturday trip is preferable. And, it's best to get reservations in advance.

The association also offers a number of specialty trips during various seasons, including, Halloween rides, Murder Mystery rides, North Pole and New Year’s Eve rides. Prices are reasonable, and if you love trains, I am quite sure you will enjoy whatever trip you take. The volunteers who run the train, including the engineer, are a friendly and outgoing crew.

But the best part is not the friendly crew, the scenery, or the ride in historic coach cars, it’s the fact that this train actually runs, and it runs on time.

All Aboard!

The End Of A Long Hot And Dry Summer?

Summer 2009 was particularly hot in the hill country. Austin recorded 68 days with temperatures at or above 100 degrees fahrenheit. This is one day short of the record set back in the 1920's.

With the rains last week, temperatures have cooled off considerably back into the mid 80's. The hill country, in the midst of a two-year drought, needed the rain. Everyone was excited when the dark clouds rolled in and the skies opened up. But we need so much more. Lake Travis is currently just a tad over 631 feet above mean sea level, which is nearly 50 feet below a full lake pool. The "old-timers" who have experienced many droughts over the years say when the rains finally come, the lake will fill quickly. With the coming El Nino, the hill country is expected to experience a wet fall and winter.

Despite the drought, and the lower lake level, there is still a lot of recreation on the lake. Boats, although fewer than normal, are still plying the waters. And my evening swims in the lake attest to the fact that there is still plenty of water for whatever activity one enjoys. So, despite some of the rumors, the lake is not "gone" and it hasn't been closed. It's still here, albeit smaller, providing lots of fun and enjoyment.