NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 15:27:31 CDT Xref: pale-rider.INS.CWRU.Edu austin.food:4245 A long-time Tex-Mex favorite for many Austinites, including us. But quality the last couple of years seemed to have dropped off. We tried them again Saturday night, and wow! Absolutely first-rate Tex-mex in every way: salsa, cheese enchiladas, beans and rice. Also had a steak and barbacoa de cabeza, both of which were excellent. And we found out why... Chatted with Senora Guerra about the changes in the kitchen. Seems she used to do all the cooking until retiring to run the cash register a few years ago. A chef was hired and trained to prepare food as she would. He apparently never got the hang of seasoning the food correctly, and I guess that's when old timers like myself started noticing the food slipping. But now her two sons have taken over kitchen duties and to my taste buds the food was as good as ever. The sauce on the cheese enchilada was maybe the best I've ever had, with a deep, round whole-dried chili flavor. The refried beans were second only to those at Cisco's Bakery in my experience, and even the Mexican rice received raves. Prices had gone up a bit, but most dishes were in the $6-10 range. We can't wait to go back, even if it is a heck of a long drive from Oak Hill. Any of you old El Azteca diners who haven't been there in a while, do yourselves a favor: go immediately! :-) And if you haven't ever been there, maybe you want to try real Tex-Mex for the first time, it's definitely worth the trip down E. 7th to El Azteca.
Austin, TX
Changes at El Azteca
Having lived in Austin just a year I can't comment on the ole days of El Azteca, but i will say that it is one of my favorites for TexMex in Austin. We too were there on Saturday for lunch, but I forgot to ask if they sell their salsa; it's the best I've tasted. Does anyone know? Heather Someone wrote: >A long-time Tex-Mex favorite for many Austinites, including us. But quality the >last couple of years seemed to have dropped off. We tried them again Saturday >night, and wow! Absolutely first-rate Tex-mex in every way: salsa, cheese >enchiladas, beans and rice. Also had a steak and barbacoa de cabeza, both of >which were excellent. And we found out why... > >Chatted with Senora Guerra about the changes in the kitchen. Seems she used to >do all the cooking until retiring to run the cash register a few years ago. A >chef was hired and trained to prepare food as she would. He apparently never >got the hang of seasoning the food correctly, and I guess that's when old timers >like myself started noticing the food slipping. But now her two sons have taken >over kitchen duties and to my taste buds the food was as good as ever. The >sauce on the cheese enchilada was maybe the best I've ever had, with a deep, >round whole-dried chili flavor. The refried beans were second only to those at >Cisco's Bakery in my experience, and even the Mexican rice received raves. >Prices had gone up a bit, but most dishes were in the $6-10 range. > >We can't wait to go back, even if it is a heck of a long drive from Oak Hill. >Any of you old El Azteca diners who haven't been there in a while, do yourselves >a favor: go immediately! :-) And if you haven't ever been there, maybe you want >to try real Tex-Mex for the first time, it's definitely worth the trip down E. >7th to El Azteca. >-- >jan > > >