El Paso Mexican Restaurants 1980

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Steve

This list is presented for anyone who is interested in the Mexican restaurants which were in El Paso in 1980. It grew out of a project I did to write down a list of all the Mexican restaurants from the telephone directory and then to make notes about the ones I tried.

Although the list was strictly for my own benefit, I think it might be of some historical use today. It certainly provides a clue about the longest running restaurants in the city, since very few of the restaurants which were open in 1980 survive today.

These restaurants were listed under the “Mexican restaurants” section in the telephone directory. I believe that it is not a complete list of all the Mexican restaurants which existed, but it is at least 80 to 90 percent complete.

Many restaurants served the style of food I call “El Paso” style. This is a modification of New Mexican cuisine (the enchiladas are similar) combined with Chihuahua style Mexican food (such as tacos, chicken mole, caldo de res, and breakfast dishes, to name a few).

Looking back, I think I rated some of the restaurants too low, but this was mainly due to having very high expectations (and at some restaurants I may have tried the wrong thing).

The restaurants I visited are in bold. All others were simply copied from the phone book to give me possible places to try.

RATING	RESTAURANT	ADDRESS	PRICES	COMMENTS
EL PASO
	Acapulco	219 S. El Paso
	Alberto’s	109 Castellano
	Alexandro’s	309 E. Overland	Cheap
	Alexandro’s II	7720 North Loop
	Arnold’s	2030 E. Yandell	Mod
	Bernadette’s	412 E. San Antonio
	Burger Boy	5500 El Paso Dr.
	Caballero	6400 Montana
	Carmen’s Cafe	8257 Alameda
	Casa Calderon	8450 Alameda	Mod
	Casa Jurado	226 Cincinnati	Mod
	Chicken Fiesta	3701 Montana	Mod
	Chico’s Tacos	4230 Alameda
	Chico’s Tacos	5305 Montana	Cheap
	Chico’s Tacos	3401 Dyer	Cheap
	Chico’s Tacos	1235 McRae	Cheap
	Ciro’s Flautas	3203 Alameda
	Cocina Arrambide	5908 Alameda	Mod	Also known as “Pepa’s”
	Conchita’s	6933 Alameda
	Coney Island	4121 N. Mesa
	Del Camino	5001 Alameda	Exp
	Delicious Mexican Food	3314 Fort Blvd.
	El Abajeno	9639 Dyer	Mod
	El Carioca	2104 E. Yandell
	El Conquistador	4950B Hondo Pass
	El Delfin	4822 Montana
	Elmer’s	6305 Montana	Mod
	El Nido	6932 Gateway East
	El Nopal	2314 Wyoming
	El Palenque	705 1/2 S. El Paso
	El Paseo	1611 Montana	Cheap
	El Ranchito	2030 E. Paisano
	El Rancho Escondido	14549 Montana
	El Rapido Cafe	617 S. El Paso
	El Taquito Place	909 N. San Marcial
	El Zarape	819 S. El Paso
	Forti’s	321 Chelsea	Mod
	G & R	401 E. Nevada	Mod
	Grandma’s Tamales	7682 Alameda
	Grandma’s Tamales	6041 N. Mesa
	Grandma’s Tamales	1212 Yarbrough
	Griggs	5800 Doniphan	Mod
	Griggs	9007 Montana	Mod
	Hamburger Hut	3700 Alameda
	Hamburger Hut	8764 Alameda
	Hamburger Hut	8541 Alameda
	Imperial Cafe	510 Myrtle	Mod
	Jasper’s	2200 Yarbrough	Mod
	Julio’s	1201 N. Mesa	Exp
	Kiki’s	2719 N. Piedras	Mod
	La Casita	3333 Yarbrough
	La Feria	419 S. Mesa
	La Hacienda	1720 W. Paisano	Cheap
	La Paloma	1017 Delta	Cheap
	La Paloma	9415 Dyer	Mod
	La Pastora	7705B North Loop
	La Posada	307 E. Overland
	Las Casuelas	1310 Magruder
	La Tapatia	8941 Old County
	La Terraza	315 Mills	Mod
	Leo’s	7872 North Loop
	Leo’s	6232 N. Mesa	Mod
	Leo’s	5103 Montana	Mod
	Leo’s	5003 Alabama	Mod
	Leo’s	5315 Hondo Pass	Mod
	Leo’s	2285 Trawood
	Lily’s	4315 Dyer
	Linda’s Jet	6211 Airport
	Los Compadres	800 N. Zaragoza
	Lucky Boy	4130 Montana	Cheap	Also called “Beto’s”
	Lunch Box	527 Giles	Cheap
	Lupe’s Coffee Shop	2919 Pershing
	Lupe’s	Rushfair Center
	Lupita’s	8929 Alameda
	Lupita’s	1230 Myrtle	Cheap
	Mexican Cottage	904 Texas	Mod
	Mi Amiga	501 1/2 E. 3rd
	Michael’s	122 S. Mesa
	Miguelito’s	1500 Lomaland
	Moe’s	6298 Alameda	Exp
	Montezuma	211 1/2 S. Kansas
	Palmera Cafe	2301 Olive
	Pancho’s	5229 Sanders	Mod
	RB’s	3905 Broaddus
	Rachel’s	2138 Cypress
	Raphael’s	Missouri & Kansas
	Riviera	5218 Doniphan	Mod
	Royal	2905 Alameda	Cheap
	Sarita’s	5541D Alameda
	Sierra’s Cafe	3027 Alameda
	Sixto	7227 Alameda
	Sunset Inn	4532 N. Mesa
	Super Burro	5901 Dyer
	Taco Burger	1414 Airway
	Tampico	119 W. Paisano
	Tenampa	310C S. Florence	Cheap
	Taquito House	915 Myrtle
	Tony’s	706 N. Piedras
	Victor’s	5000 Doniphan	Cheap
	Villa Taxco	205 S. El Paso

ANTHONY
	Adrian’s	Anthony

CANUTILLO
	Canutillo Tortilla Factory	Canutillo

SOCORRO
	Old Adobe	Socorro
	Riverside Saloon	Socorro

AREA WIDE
	Taco Bell	9 Locations

The four-star rating system was as follows:

	Very Good.
	Good.
	Fair.
	Poor.

El Paso has always been the “Mexican Food Capital of the United States” even though it has only claimed this title for itself recently. In 1980 I would say that Mexican restaurants composed the majority, or at least a good portion of all restaurants in the city. Most of these were mom and pop restaurants with budget prices and the standard dishes found in Mexican cuisine. Most restaurants had at least one dish which was a standout, but the ones that had at least three or four are the ones with a three or four star rating on this list.

Today El Paso has many more Mexican restaurants than existed in 1980, but I think the number would fall far short of 50% of the city’s total number of restaurants. There are many more styles of Mexican food available than in the past, representing several Mexican states in addition to the always popular Chihuahua style cuisine. What has not changed very much, though, is that restaurants still tend to be mom and pop establishments with fairly low prices and food which is familiar to the general population. There are more health conscious restaurants now, and in general I think the choices are much better now than they used to be.

Some notes about individual restaurants are as follows:

Arnold’s served the same food as Leo’s, but was owned by a different family member.
Casa Jurado–a brother opened the Casa Jurado on Doniphan (which is still operating).
Del Camino at one time was one of the best restaurants in the city, but in 1980 it was going through severe problems that led to its closing a short time later.
Forti’s is largely unchanged today from the way it was in 1980, except that I think they have added some more good dishes.
Griggs on Doniphan was my favorite restaurant in the city. Other Griggs family members operated La Posta in Mesilla, NM and El Pinto in Albuquerque. However, I thought the food at Griggs was the best of the three. The Griggs recipes are now served at Peppe’s Restaurant in Canutillo (on Doniphan Dr.)
La Hacienda was another favorite of mine. Amigos Restaurant at 2000 Montana opened after La Hacienda closed, and served the food from La Hacienda. As far as I know this food is still available.
La Terraza was another “Leo’s” restaurant.
Lupita’s on Myrtle at one time was my favorite place for lunch because they served home style Mexican plates (it changed every day, and you had very little choice about what was served, but it was so good it changed my thinking about what was “authentic” Mexican food). By 1980 it had changed more to the standard restaurant model, though.
Moe’s was great, and one of its secrets was that it used lard in the food (it still had many loyal patrons until the time it closed).
Montezuma was known for its breakfasts, and many people picked up burritos to take to work with them.
Pancho’s was good in El Paso at the same time it was bad to terrible just about everywhere else. Once I got to eat at the original Pancho’s (that was either on Alameda or Paisano), but I’m not sure if it was still open in 1980. The original Pancho’s had the best food of any of the locations I tried.
Canutillo Tortilla Factory is today known as the Little Diner, and is well known on many national hole in the wall food guides. In truth, though, the food then and now is not much different from at least a couple of dozen other restaurants that are listed here.

Oklahoma City Mexican Restaurants 1983

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Steve

This list is a transcription of notes I took about Mexican restaurants in Oklahoma City in 1983. The full list includes restaurants I copied from the telephone directory (and which were listed as “Mexican restaurants” in the yellow pages). Star ratings are for the ones I visited.

Oklahoma City had a much greater percentage of one-star and two-star restaurants than other cities included in this series of historical posts. In this respect I think Oklahoma City was actually representative of most cities in the United States at the time. It had more Mexican restaurants than most cities, but to me the quality seemed much lower than in Texas and New Mexico cities.

Some of the one-star restaurants had pure Anglo style food that did not even rise to the level of the Tex-Mex served at the majority of restaurants. There is term which is now used called “Okie-Mex,” and I think this also would describe most of the Mexican food in 1983. I did find some restaurants on the south side (Capitol Hill) that served more authentic Mexican food, either exclusively or in addition to the Tex-Mex menu. I remember Las Rositas as having some dishes I had found in El Paso at some of the better restaurants there.

I remember A&T Garcia’s as being the best Mexican restaurant in town, and this seemed to be a combination of California and New Mexico style Mexican food (with red and green chile used in place of the brown gravy-like “chili” used in Tex-Mex restaurants). Mostly, though, I thought they just had better quality food.

The difference between 1983 and today for Mexican food in Oklahoma City is striking, and I would say authentic styles of food are prevalent in the central and south areas of the city. A large number of restaurants serve Aguascalientes (Calvillo) style food, although many also offer American style dishes on the menu. You are probably more likely to find truly authentic food if you go to a take-out restaurant, taco truck, etc. than in a sit-down restaurant where they serve you at the table.

In the lists I made for Austin and Albuquerque, I could see how the regional Mexican styles which had developed in the area (Tex-Mex and New Mexican cuisine, respectively) had seemed to make the population more accepting of authentic Mexican food which came along later. Oklahoma City did not have its own regional style of Mexican food, but early restaurants such as El Charrito made Tex-Mex the preferred style here.

The more authentic Mexican food served in a number of restaurants now may be largely due to an influx of immigrants from Mexico, but a large number of long time residents have become fans of this food as well. In these and other ways I think Oklahoma City is very representative of a number of U.S. cities.

My goal for this article is not only to provide nostalgia but also to allow trends to be observed about how Mexican food has changed in the U.S. over a relatively short period of time.

RATING	RESTAURANT	ADDRESS	PRICES	COMMENTS
DOWNTOWN
	A&T Garcia’s	409 W. Reno	Exp
	Chicano’s	1203 W. Main
	Chuy’s	401 W. Sheridan
	Delgado’s	1135 N. Hudson
	La Roca	412 S. Walker	Very Exp	Too expensive
	Que-Pasa	100 W. Main
	Yolanda’s	1021 N. Western	Exp	Fairly authentic

NORTHWEST
	Casa Bonita	3601 NW 39
	Chi-Chi’s	4239 NW Hwy	Exp
	Don Serapio’s	11109 N. May	Exp
	El Chico	2226 N. Bdwy
	El Chico	2909 Paseo	Exp
	El Chico	Villa Prom
	El Chico	6014 N. May	Exp
	El Fenix	Quail Spgs Mall	Very Exp
	El Zocalo	4600 W. Reno
	JC Garcia’s	3000 W. Britton Rd.	Exp
	Las Chalupas	825 NW 23rd	Mod
	Last Cafe of San Jose	2625 W. Britton Rd.	Exp	Too expensive
	Monterey House	4533 NW 39th	Mod
	Nino’s	6509 NW Hwy	Exp
	Papagayo’s	12100 N. May
	Taco Palace	4200 NW 39th	Mod

CAPITOL HILL
	Chi-Chi’s	1024 SW 74th
	El Chico	Esplanade Shopping Center
	El Rancho Sanchez	5804 S. Western
	El Chalan	3325 S. Robinson	Mod
	La Roca	948 SW 36th
	La Roca	333 SE 29th	Mod	Changed to Mino’s
	Las Rositas	2608 S. May	Mod
	Los Tacos	1311 SW 44th
	Los Trillo	2608 S. Robinson
	Mi Tierra Cafe	1412 S. Walker	Mod	Open weekends only
	Monterey House	705 SW 59th
	Ninos	7220 S. Walker	Exp
	Ninos	5425 S. Penn
	Pablo’s	1408 SE 15th	Exp	Too expensive
	Pancho’s	5733 S. Western
	Pizarro’s	2908 SW 59th		Out of business
	Tacoville	3502 Newcastle Rd.

MIDWEST CITY & DEL CITY
	Casa de Zamudio	6308 E. Reno
	Chi-Chi’s	6100 Tinker Diagonal
	Del Taco	4320 SE 15th
	El Chico	Heritage Park Mall
	Hacienda Hernandez	4733 SE 29th
	Hernandos	11211 NE 23rd
	Pancho’s	1224 S. Air Depot

EDMOND
	Acapulco	400 S. Bryant	Mod
	Pepe’s	1701 S. Broadway	Mod

MOORE
	La Roca	111 S. Broadway
	Moore’s Little Mexico	1743 N. Broadway

NORMAN
	Border Crossing	606 W. Main
	El Palacio	120 E. Main	Mod
	Johnny’s Mex Food	1118 N. Berry
	Taco Fiesta	2110 W. Lindsey
	Zamudios	428 W. Robinson

YUKON
	Poquito de Mexico	422 W. Main	Mod	Enchiladas excellent. Tacos & hot sauce are lousy

TUTTLE
	Cisco’s Tacos	813 Main

AREA WIDE
	Taco Bell	13 locations
	Taco Bueno	12 locations
	Taco Mayo	5 locations
	Taco Tico	5 locations

The four-star rating system was as follows:

	Very Good.
	Good.
	Fair.
	Poor.

Austin Mexican Restaurants 1985

Gallery

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Steve

This list is a transcription of notes I took about the city’s Mexican restaurants when I lived in Austin, Texas. The full list includes restaurants I copied from the telephone directory (and which were listed as “Mexican restaurants” in the … Continue reading →

Albuquerque Mexican Restaurants 1981

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Steve

This list is presented for anyone who is interested in the Mexican restaurants which were in Albuquerque in 1981. It grew out of a project I did to write down a list of all the Mexican restaurants from the telephone directory and then to make notes about the ones I tried.

Although the list was strictly for my own benefit while I was in the city, I think it might be of some historical use today. It certainly provides a clue about the longest running restaurants in the city, since very few of the restaurants which were open in 1981 survive today.

These restaurants were listed under the “Mexican restaurants” section in the telephone directory, and while the list seems fairly accurate, I had no way to verify it.

By “Mexican” this really meant “New Mexican,” since very few restaurants served other styles of Mexican food.

One of my favorite restaurants, El Modelo, was not on the list (but it mainly serves take-out orders and maybe the Yellow Page people did not consider it to be a “restaurant”).

The restaurants I visited are in bold. All others were simply copied from the phone book to give me possible places to try.

RATING	RESTAURANT	ADDRESS	PRICES	COMMENTS
ALBUQUERQUE
	A & B Rest	6004 Edith NE
	Abeyta & Bernell’s	2805 San Mateo NE
	Acapulco Tacos	5101 Southern SE
	Amador Mex Food	4703 Central NW
	Amigo’s Cafe	1736 Central SW
	Anita’s	3314 Isleta SW
	Anita’s	2105 Mountain NW
	Anita’s	3206 San Mateo NE	Mod	Good food-not too fancy or exp
	Antonito’s	5024 4th NW
	Aunt Billie’s	9119 Central NE
	Baca’s	3311 Central NE	Mod
	Backstreet Gourmet Shop	213 3rd SW
	Baja Tacos	3527 Gibson SE
	Bird of Paradise	5211 Gibson SE
	Bob’s Fish & Chips	700 Central SE
	Burrito Bar-B-Que	515 Wyoming NE
	Camino Alegre	906 Park Ave SW
	Camino Real	416 Yale SE
	Carlos Taquitos	1634 Isleta SW
	Casa Grande	2525 Central NW	Mod	Excellent enchiladas
	Cocina de Carlos	4901 Lomas NE	Mod
	Comedor de Julia	2905 4th NW
	Del Valle	1502 Wyoming NE
	De Pinos	1435 San Mateo SE
	Diner Cafe	4519 4th NW
	El Amigo	208 Central SW
	El Burrito	602 Broadway SE
	El Camino	6800 4th NW
	Eloy’s	1826 Eubank NE
	Eloy’s	3617 Wyoming NE	Mod
	El Parador de Maria	400 San Felipe NW
	El Patio	142 Harvard SE
	El Patron	2266 Wyoming NE
	El Pinto	10500 4th NW	Exp
	El Prado	First Plaza NW Galleria
	El Ranchito	602 Central SW	Mod
	El Restaurante del Valle	1411 Isleta SW
	El Sinaloa	800 Iron SE
	El Sombrero	801 Juan Tabo NE
	Enchilada Queen	5409 4th NW
	Franco’s	1510 Girard NE
	Garcia’s Kitchen	1113 4th NW
	Garcia’s Kitchen	125 2nd NW
	Green Burrito	804 Broadway NE
	Green Burrito	1508 4th SW
	Indian Pueblo Cultural Ctr.	2401 12th NW
	Julio’s	1408 Eubank NE
	La Esquina	60 First Plaza Galleria
	La Estrellita	11417 Menaul NE
	La Fontana	1103 Mountian NW
	La Hacienda	Old Town Plaza
	La Margarita	4100 San Mateo NE
	La Mesa	7509 Copper NE
	La Mexicana	6300 San Mateo NE
	La Mexicana Tortilla Co	306 Coal SW
	La Nana’s	6417 Menaul NE
	La Nana’s	4801 Central NE
	La Piñata	6820 Menaul NE
	La Placita	Old Town Plaza
	La Quinta	319 5th SW
	La Salita	1217 Eubank NE	Exp
	Las Cazuelas	4520 4th NW
	M & M Cafe	1337 Bridge SW
	Mac’s La Sierra	6217 Central NW
	Maria Teresa	618 Rio Grande NW
	Maria’s Tamale Hut	2900 Morris NE
	Marty’s	108 6th SW
	Mary & Tito’s Cafe	2711 4th NW
	Merlinda’s	1600 Isleta SW
	Mexican Carryout Kitchen	4917 4th NW
	Mexican Main Foods	922 Coal SW
	Mi Casita	8302 Zuni SE
	Miguel’s	Gibson & San Mateo SE
	Monroe’s	1520 Lomas NW	Exp
	Monterey Inn	1000 Juan Tabo NE
	Ortega’s	Old Town Plaza
	Pancho’s	8601 Central NE	Cheap
	Papa Felipe’s	8806 4th NW
	Papa Felipe’s	520 Coronado Center	Exp	Good blue corn ench.
	Phil’s Coffee Shop	80 Winrock Center
	Puente Cafe	2002 Bridge SW
	Pup ‘N Taco	501 Central NE
	Pup ‘N Taco	4400 Central SE
	Pup ‘N Taco	4011 Central NW
	Restaurante de Gomez	8531 Northeastern NE
	Roberto’s	4615 Menaul NE
	Roberto’s	6540 2nd NW
	Rutillo’s	11016 Central SE
	Sadie’s Valley Bowl	6132 4th NW
	Sam’s for Lunch	112 Monroe NE
	Silvano’s	5016 Lomas NE	Mod	Excel. blue corn ench.
	Silvano’s	2509 San Mateo NE
	Southwest Sakari	509 Central NW
	Taco Phil’s	931 Coors SW
	Taco Sal	9621 Menaul NE
	Taco Villa	2608 Central SE
	Taco Village	4201 Central NW
	Tamale Factory	121 Coors SW
	Tia Maria’s	3313 4th NW
	Turquoise Coffee Shop	4301 Central NE
	Western Drive-In	9129 4th SW

BERNALILLO
	El Charro Cafe	121 Calle del Banco

BOSQUE FARMS
	Benny’s	1675 Bosque Farms

CORRALES
	Casa Vieja	Corrales
	El Comedor de Corrales	Corrales
	Territorial House	Corrales

RIO RANCHO
	Mexican Carryout Kitchen	Rio Rancho

SANDIA PARK
	Pete’s	Sandia Park

AREA WIDE
	Taco Bell	5 Locations

The four-star rating system was as follows:

	Very Good.
	Good.
	Fair.
	Poor.

Additional Comments

The four-star rating system was based on my experiences throughout New Mexico, particularly in Santa Fe and Española. Baca’s and Casa Grande were the two notable restaurants in Albuquerque which I thought could be classified as among the best in the state.

I had expected Albuquerque to be the New Mexican food mecca in the state, and I was surprised by the number of three and two star restaurants I found. I was not really surprised, though, that several of them were in Old Town or the other tourist areas.

In looking at the big picture, I would make the following observations from this list:

At the time, Albuquerque had one of the highest number of Mexican restaurants per capita in the United States.
The restaurants were located throughout the city, and were quite prominent in the areas which I knew to have a large Anglo population.
Almost all of these restaurants were what we now call “New Mexican” cuisine (not south of the border Mexican style food as is more the case today).
Many of my expectations for New Mexican cuisine today are based on my early experiences in Albuquerque and other areas of the state. Thus if enchiladas are rolled instead of flat, the chile does not have a really good kick, or sopapillas are served only for dessert (and not with the meal) this is just not real New Mexican food to me (although it might still be good). Also, they really should use blue corn tortillas (although in 1981 only about 50% of the restaurants did this).

True Thai–El Paso, TX

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Steve

True Thai (Closed)
4309 Fred Wilson Ave.
El Paso, TX

Date of Review: Nov. 2007

True Thai Restaurant–El Paso, TX

History: For the several years True Thai existed it had several cooks, changes in staff, and changes in some of the food served. I said in the review that the overall rating of the restaurant did not change over time, but the list of “best dishes” was different with each cook.

The original True Thai was my favorite, though, because of the special dishes they could make. One of these, the Isan style phad thai, is really the reason I want to include this review on my blog. Unfortunately I never got a photo of this dish, but it is something I will seek out whenever I am able to visit an Isan style Thai restaurant in the future.

The rating of this restaurant did not reflect the “special food” I was able to get (which included the Isan style phad thai). In subsequent years I have had many experiences of being able to get specially prepared items at various restaurants, so this makes good for good discussions on blogs but does not normally cause me to raise the ratings of these restaurants (unless other customers can also order this food and be able to get it on demand).

One note about True Thai is that I was always intrigued by the sign (which was written in Thai). I have since learned that it says Thai Teh (real or genuine Thai), which I know was the case at least to a certain extent.

This seems to be the most authentic Thai restaurant in El Paso (thus the name “True Thai,” I suppose). True Thai is small and sometimes requires a wait to get a table, but it is always friendly and courteous.

It has taken some experimentation to find some of the more interesting plates. This has been made more complicated by the fact that there used to be a different cook, and now it seems I have to try everything over again. I do not think the restaurant is any better or worse than it used to be, but I have definitely developed a different list of “favorites.”

Phad thai (from the regular menu)

At first my favorite was the Phad Thai, something I think the restaurant was encouraging novices in Thai food to order (as I was when I first starting going to True Thai). Although the lime, sugar, peanuts, and Thai chiles served as a condiment on the table made it enjoyable, I found the noodles to be rather sticky and gooey (how do you like my technical descriptions of Thai food?). I think this is the tamarind version of phad thai that can be contrasted to the one at Singapore Cafe that has a more brown or white color and is made without tamarind sauce. Both seem to follow authentic Thai recipes, and it is probably a matter of taste as to which one is better. When Becky at Singapore Cafe does the phad thai just right I think her version is much better. I have never found the one at True Thai to be bad, though.

I say the phad thai used to be my favorite dish because I was spoiled when the former chef made a northern Thailand style Isan Phad Thai upon special request. I was talking to her one day asking if she could make anything that was not on the menu, and this was her suggestion. Northern style phad thai is made with a tomato sauce (I assume instead of the tamarind) and is more spicy than the southern style dish. This became my regular request at the restaurant, but I had to go at a time when the restaurant was not very busy and the ingredients for the dish were available (which I could never predict). This was one of the best Thai dishes I have tried, but it never caught on so that it would be added to the menu. The current chef either cannot or does not wish to prepare northern Thailand dishes, so I have not had the Isan phad thai in quite a while.

The main lesson I have found from going to a number of Thai restaurants is that almost all Thai food is good, but only a few restaurants bring it to the level of greatness that I think represents Thailand’s best food. The northern style phad thai I used to get at True Thai was one of those dishes I thought rose to the level of greatness. Most of the things on True Thai’s menu are not what I would consider special when compared to some of the best Thai restaurants in other cities. Still, there are quite a few things I enjoy and can recommend.

The curry dishes have consistently been the best in El Paso. They started out being thin and runny, being just slightly better than at the other restaurants. I have been pretty impressed, though, by the way the current chef has made the curry thicker with a more vibrant flavor. It is now coming close to some of the better curries I have ever had.

Phad prik king

Phad Prik King is one of the better curry dishes, consisting of a red curry served with green beans. I have tried several meats with it, with shrimp being the best. The chicken did not have a flavor that was quite as enticing as it should be. Probably the versions I like best are with vegetables or tofu. Until 2007 the phad prik king has always been like I have found it in other restaurants–red curry made without coconut milk. For some reason the chef has now begun using red curry with coconut milk, which I do not believe is the traditional way this dish is made. However, I do not know whether to complain that the curry is non-traditional or be glad because it is so good. I have certainly not exhausted all the Asian restaurants in Texas, but the only ones I have experienced that have better curry (with the coconut milk) are the Lao restaurants in Amarillo. I suspect, though, that if the chef would make it without coconut milk, as it was before, it would be just as good if not better.

Phad king

The Phad King (ginger) has a delicious sauce, but the vegetables have been disappointing. The vegetables usually consist of a lot of bell peppers and other crunchy things that I do not like as much as the more traditional green vegetables. More than anything, I just have not found the dish to be filling enough when I order the vegetable version.

Tom yum

One of the best items has been Tom Yum. It consisted of a good amount of vegetables in a soup broth with curry paste and a generous amount of lime (a choice of meat was also available). The lemongrass and galanga provide just about everything that makes this dish good (there is even a jar of Thai peppers and fish sauce on the table that can be added).

Other types of soup with seafood have been very good, but I do not remember what they were called on the menu.

So far I have found that just about everything except the phad thai is better with a side order of rice. It costs extra, though.

The Thai Tea is one of the best I have found at any Thai restaurant, and has never been disappointing on the numerous times I have ordered it.

One problem I have found at True Thai has been the lack of variety on the menu and the fact that they do not serve a lot of items I find at just about every other Thai restaurant I have visited. Some of the items that are served occasionally lack some of the ingredients that are normally included in the dish. (I think both of these shortcomings are symptoms of El Paso’s isolation from a large Asian population and a lack of Asian super markets). I believe the restaurant is doing the best it can, and at least is delivering more authentic Thai food than can be found in other establishments around the borderland.

Probably my biggest gripe with True Thai is that I do not think either the chicken or tofu are as good as they should be. I have tried some beef dishes that were not very exciting. Probably the only items I would recommend here are ones made with seafood or vegetables, and even the vegetables have left me disappointed on occasion. The curries and sauces here are pretty good–it is just the items that go with the sauces that are disappointing.

The restaurant is small with about eight tables, and I don’t care much for the plastic patio chairs that are used. While the food is not expensive, an order of spring rolls or soup will push the price up so that it becomes one of the higher priced Asian restaurants in the city. Rice is extra and Thai tea is more expensive than the regular tea.

There are several other dishes I have tried and found mediocre (three stars). There are many more that I have not tried, and may be quite good. I do know that the curry dishes are pretty good and seem to have improved from when the restaurant first opened. It is well worthwhile giving True Thai a try.

RATING: 19

Cuisine: Thai
Cost: $$
Hours: Closed Sun.
Assessible: Yes
Most Recent Visit
Nov. 10, 2007

Number of Visits: 10+

Best Items
Tom Yum, Phad Prik King, Thai Iced Tea

Special Ratings

	Tom Yum
	Phad Prik King
	Phad King
	Phad Thai
	Thai Iced Tea

Casa Jurado–El Paso, TX

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Steve

Casa Jurado (Closed)
226 Cincinnati Ave.
El Paso, TXDate of Review: Feb. 2007 (updated Mar. 2016)

Casa Jurado in Kern Place–El Paso, TX

History: For many years Casa Jurado was one of El Paso’s most popular restaurants, serving the classic “El Paso style” Mexican food. This was characterized by red and green chile enchiladas, a large variety of items (some of which seemed to be unique to the El Paso area), and the fact that it contained elements of New Mexican cuisine as well as authentic dishes from Mexico.

In the meantime, a second location opened on Doniphan Drive in El Paso’s Upper Valley, known as Casa Jurado West. This was operated by another Jurado family member, and had food which was much the same as at the original location.

Henry Jurado, the long time owner and manager of the original Casa Jurado, sold the restaurant in 2004. The new owners continued the same menu as before, but long time customers seemed to notice subtle changes to the food and began to come less frequently than before (they kept the same cooks and waiters that had been at the old Casa Jurado, but there was enough variability in the food that I wasn’t always sure it was still the “same old” Casa Jurado). The restaurant closed in 2010. I think changes in the food were not the only reason for this, or even the main reason. At the time the “Cincinnati District” was going through drastic changes, becoming more of a night club scene than the traditional shopping and restaurant district that had been there before. It became almost impossible to find a parking spot even if you wanted to go to Casa Jurado, and the restaurant just did not fit the neighborhood very well any more.

Casa Jurado West is still operating with the traditional Jurado family recipes. I never liked it quite as much as the original restaurant, but it is nevertheless one of the top “El Paso style” restaurants in the city.

The following review was written after the ownership of the original restaurant changed, and is a description of the “post-Henry” restaurant with allusions to the original.

Casa Jurado is not only an El Paso institution, its Kern Place location is in one of the city’s most interesting neighborhoods. Surrounded by several bars, coffee houses, and other restaurants, Casa Jurado itself is decorated with bright colors to convey the feeling of festivity felt throughout Cincinnati Avenue.

Casa Jurado gained a reputation through the years for the quality of its food, and I believe one secret to its success was the constant attention by its long-time owner. When Henry sold the restaurant in 2004, however, the big question became whether the quality could be maintained.

For a while the food did not seem to be the same as when the Jurado family still had the restaurant. However, through keeping the same cooks and waiters the restaurant has maintained a continuity so that as of 2007 it seems to be the same “Casa J” as before.

Chips and salsa at Casa Jurado

In theory, the food should be even better now than before. The Salsa is the only item that has been purposely changed to a more fresh and light flavor. I think it is still pretty heavy on the comino but I thought it was good. If you wish to take a taste test you can try the one at Casa Jurado West which still serves the original salsa.

A conscious effort has been made by the owner of the Casa Jurado in Kern Place to keep things fresh by making the food daily and not keeping anything overnight. One time I went they had run out of green sauce for the enchiladas because they had more customers than anticipated that day, and the sauce is only made in small batches that would not be prepared again until the next morning. This also means that if you go in the evening not everything on the menu might be available.

Enchiladas Norteñas

Enchiladas Norteñas was my favorite dish at the old Casa J., and currently at the Doniphan (Casa Jurado West) location. This is characterized by a distinctive dark red sauce with a well-balance chile flavor that has been one of my favorite enchilada dishes in El Paso (partly because the enchiladas are stacked instead of rolled). When I tried them shortly after the changeover they had too much garlic and had been transformed into a bright red sauce that was little different from countless restaurants in the city. Based on my recent experiences at the restaurant I suspect they are now back to the original style, but without ordering this specific dish I cannot make a rating of it. It does seem, though, that the restaurant tried to change at first, then went back to the original way of doing things that made Casa Jurado a success in the first place.

Chicken flautas

My recent experience with Chicken Flautas was quite good, and convinced me that Casa Jurado is once again among the best Mexican restaurants in the border city. If you have ever had a “perfect” order of flautas where the shell, guacamole, and side dishes (beans and rice) were done just right, you will know what the ones at Casa Jurado were like. The flute shaped taquitos were small, without much meat filling, but this is the classic way of serving them. From the freshness of the lettuce served on the side to the refried beans, everything seemed the same as some of the excellent flautas served in Ysleta, Socorro, and San Elizario, where I think the best examples of the dish are normally found. The only component of the flautas that I thought was less than perfect was the chicken that had a flavor I frequently encounter in Mexican food, but that I nevertheless do not like very much (kind of a dry taste). Still it was good, and next time I will probably get beef flautas. Even if you order chicken, I still highly recommend this dish.

At the old Casa J. the Chile Relleno was one of the best items (the melted cheese inside was the best part of it). I have not tried the relleno recently, but it is likely still the same.

Chicken Mole used to be very good. It is a matter of taste on this dish, but currently I like the version at Carnitas Queretaro the best.

Salpicón has always been the restaurant’s specialty–a type of beef salad that is served cold. It actually reminds me somewhat of the lab salad served at Thai and Lao restaurants.

One of the best dishes at Casa J. used to be an order of Green Enchiladas. Although they came with the typical puréed green chile, a waiter who knew me (and who still works at the restaurant) suggested that the cook add green chile strips on top to make them spicier. This may cost extra, but I think it would be so worth it.

Rice is still excellent and is one of the few examples in El Paso where the cooks seem to take as much care to cook them properly and keep them heated as they do with the main dishes.

Refried Beans are better than before. It could be that they have now started using vegetable oil, but I really do not know the reason they seem to be so good.

One of the toppings for flautas is Guacamole, which is also quite a good dish in itself. The one here is fresh and flavorful, and one of the best in El Paso.

The flauta plate comes with Chile con Queso on the side, or this can also be ordered as an appetizer. I thought the one here was fresh and flavorful, and was the type of queso that could only be dreamed about in most Oklahoma Mexican restaurants. The Tex-Mex restaurants in other parts of the country usually give a comlimentary serving of something called “queso,” but which is so far removed from the one served at Casa Jurado I am not sure they are made with the same ingredients. A waiter told me the one here was made with Velveeta (something I am pretty sure is used in the Tex-Mex restaurants), but mixed with Monterey Jack cheese that I think gives the Casa J. queso its special flavor. Of course, the fresh chiles inside are also a key ingredient.

I should also mention the fact that the Chips at Casa Jurado are thick and flavorful, and are some of the best in the city. The ones at the “old” restaurant were good, but I do not remember them being this good.

The Flan over the years has been one of the best I’ve eaten.

I am glad the new owner is taking a serious approach not only in maintaining the Jurado family traditions, but also in making improvements that are noticeable. If some of my previous disappointments have now been rectified, the restaurant can now be considered better than before. I think it is at least close to the type of food Henry brought us for a number of years.

*** Also see Three Versions of Enchiladas–New Mexico, El Paso, and Mexico Style

RATING: 25 (Pre-2004)

Cuisine: Mexican El Paso
Cost: $$
Hours: Closed Sun.
Cooking Oil: Vegetable
Alcohol: Full Bar

Chile Index:

Most Recent Visit
Feb. 27, 2007

Number of Visits: 10+

Best Items
Salpicón, Chiles Rellenos, Chicken Mole, Flautas, Enchiladas Norteñas (at the original restaurant)

Special Ratings

	Enchiladas Norteñas (this is the pre-2004 rating)
	Chiles Rellenos
	Chicken Mole
	Flautas
	Refried Beans
	Salsa

LM Restaurant–Amarillo, TX

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Steve

LM Restaurant (Closed)
5813 E. Amarillo Blvd.
Amarillo, TX
Date of Review: Feb. 2007

LM Restaurant is one of several Asian and other ethnic restaurants along the eastern end of old U.S. Highway 66 in Amarillo, a couple of miles north of Interstate 40. While many tourists flock to the Big Texan Steak House on the Interstate, few seem to be aware of the decidedly “untourist” Southeast Asian restaurants that serve the community of immigrants and refugees from Laos, Vietnam, and surrounding countries as well as a growing number of the “non-ethnic” local residents who seek out cheap and interesting cuisine.

LM Restaurant is attached to the LM Market that sells mostly Thai imported goods, and this in itself is worth exploring. I particularly liked the selection of Thai fruit drinks at a very reasonable price. Next to the dining room is a large hall that houses large parties and live Lao music, as well as serving as the smoking area of the restaurant when not being used as an entertainment hall.

Lab salad with chicken

On my original visit to the restaurant I asked for a recommendation for a typical Laotian dish. I was told that the Lao people like beef jerky, but I settled on Lab (pronouned laap), a Lao-style salad with small chunks of chicken, chiles, other ingredients that I did not recognize, with slices of cucumber and Thai eggplant on the side. This turned out to be one of the most delicious Laotian food items out of the several things I have ordered at various Amarillo restaurants. The mint and cucumber provided a cool contrast to the spicy chicken. Another interesting aspect was the temperature. It tasted as if the dish was both hot and cold– probably because of the cooked chicken and the cold vegetables. Lab comes with either beef or chicken. When I visited LM Restaurant the second time the waitress said the chicken version was her favorite, so I ordered the same thing as on my first visit. I do not know if the beef or chicken is considered a more traditional version of the dish, but I thought the chicken was quite good. It should also be pointed out that the traditional version of Lab is quite spicy. I would put the spice level at about 7 or 8 out of 10, with 10 being the spiciest dishes I find in American restaurants.

Chicken soup, sticky rice, cucumber, and Asian eggplant for lab salad

On my first visit in 2004 a large bowl of Chicken Soup was served with the lab for a total cost of $5, and also providing a mild contrast to the spicy salad. I do not know what happened, but on a return visit the soup was both more expensive and not as flavorful as it had been originally. This does point out, though, that several types of soup are available. The lady who currently cooks at LM Restaurant seems to follow the Asian tradition of adding her own touches to the recipes and perhaps changing some of the food daily for variety. While I did not care as much for the soup the second time, I thought the lab salad was better than on my first visit.

LM Restaurant has a fairly extensive menu, and also seems to have some Chinese and Thai dishes. I would judge the number of traditional Lao dishes to be about a dozen or so, although the distinction between Lao and Isan, or northern Thai food, is sometimes quite small. The menu does not really explain all of this, nor does it provide much description of the various items. The waitress suggested, though, that the most popular Lao items served were the lab salad, beef jerky, and seafood soup.

Also not explained on the menu is the fact that a basket of Sticky Rice (shown in photo on left) is a traditional supplement to a Lao meal, and is a good fire quencher to offset the hot spices used in the food. I also happen to think sticky rice is delicious, with the version served at LM Restaurant being probably the best I have tried in Amarillo.

LM does not make its own Thai tea, but serves ones from the market next door. The jasmine tea I ordered, though, went pretty well with the food.

I have eaten at two Lao restaurants in Amarillo that are now closed, but currently the only ones that specialize in Lao food are LM Restaurant and Ly’s Restaurant a short distance to the west where Houang’s used to be (Thai House also serves some Lao dishes). Ly’s provides pictures of all the dishes, which to me seems like a great advantage to first time diners of Lao cuisine (one which I did not have on my fist several visits to the various restaurants). While LM Restaurant lacks pictures, the waitress takes all the time necessary to explain the food and find out what the customer would like to order. I certainly feel that customers at LM will be given all the help they need to explore the world of Lao and northern Thai cuisine.

RATING: 22

Cuisine: Lao
Cost: $$
Hours: Closed Tues.
Accessible: Yes
Tea: Jasmine (bags)/ Thai tea
MSG: No
Smoking: Non-Smoking Area
Buffet: No

Most Recent Visit
Feb. 3, 2007

Number of Visits: 2

Best Item
Lab Salad

Special Ratings

	Lab
	Chicken Soup
	Sticky Rice

Steve's Food Blog

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Monthly Archives: March 2016

El Paso Mexican Restaurants 1980

Oklahoma City Mexican Restaurants 1983

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Albuquerque Mexican Restaurants 1981

True Thai–El Paso, TX

Casa Jurado–El Paso, TX

LM Restaurant–Amarillo, TX