Category: Round Rock, TX

Restaurant Review – Santiago’s Tex-Mex and Cantina (Round Rock, TX – Austin, TX Area)

As I sit at home on this wonderful Sunday before Labor Day, on one hand, I look back on 2020 – so far, 8 months have been completed, 6 of which have been under the duress of COVID. March and April we were under quarantine, then things slowly started reopening and to this day, we have to wear masks. My favorite sport, college football, is a shadow of its former self – conferences like the Big 10 and Pac-10 have shut down for the season, while others (including my own graduate alma mater’s Big 12) have now postponed games yet another week. My own kids are in virtual classrooms, wondering (as their parents are) whether things will ever go back to normal. Pretty depressing, huh.

Well, yes and no. On one hand, this has truly been a year for the books (and we’re only 2/3rds of the way through!). On the other hand, though, this pandemic has been a blessing in disguise. First off, after a rough 2019 (from a work and health point of view), I got to spend much more time with my family. It was a great way to rediscover and reconnect with them, after a very tangential relationship the year before, due to work-life balance, or near-complete lack thereof. It also allowed me to really think things through – my own life, my career and what I want to do, both in the short and long haul. In fact, I will venture so far to say that were it not for the pandemic and the extra pensive time it gave me, Heataholic may not have been born. And this pandemic has also given me the ability to speak to other companies and I recently accepted an offer with one of them, in what I hope will be a better experience, at least for the near future!

So, in short, while things this year have been, well, …challenging, I have a lot to be thankful for (and still 2-1/2 months to Thanksgiving where it all becomes formalized!) – family, friends, health, finances and so many little things. While I have always known this, Heataholic has really allowed me to parse my memory and what is around me fully to realize just how blessed I am to be surrounded by so many good places to eat and how fortunate I have been to have eaten in so many wonderful places in my lifetime. When there are so many out there less fortunate who often struggle to eat every day, I am thankful that I have the ability to be close to and the means to have so wonderful options for the meals I can consume and then live to tell about them.

And with that, I move to one place I am so grateful for having opened in my neighborhood – Santiago’s Tex-Mex and Cantina. Santiago’s is a newcomer to my neighborhood. It opened up in the summer of 2017 and our family has made great use of it! Due to both its convenience, its freshly made food and for your truly, its ability to provide more than adequate heat, Santiago’s is our go-to place when we need either quick and delicious takeout in response to our weekly schedules of work, kids’ activities and the normal stresses of everyday life or when we simply want a nice family dinner without driving too far and have a craving for some delicious Tex-Mex! The inside is average for a typical Tex-Mex in suburban Austin – TVs galore, nice Southwest decor and a full bar. With COVID, unfortunately, we haven’t had much of a chance to enjoy Santiago’s in person, but still order takeout, usually once a week.

And yes, Santiago’s does serve breakfast tacos, but only on weekends and we’ve never been there during that time, but rest assured, it will happen soon! So in this review, I will review their core Tex-Mex and why I, Heataholic, love it. Simply put, it’s the salsas!

Santiago’s provides 4 different kinds of delectable sauces, and while two of them are not spicy, all four of their flavors are something to rave about! For me, it doesn’t matter what I eat – I just get enough of my favorite sauces! Lots of carnivorous items on the menu at first glance, but they can customize everything. I usually go either for either a Quesadilla with cheese, mushrooms and pico, Cheese Enchiladas but with a substitute sauce (any of the ones I’ll be discussing), Enchiladas Vegetarians, Veggie Nachos or the Veggie Fajitas. And of course, who can forget the endless chips and salsa!

The salsa, my friends, is why I love Santiago’s! Simply put, there are 4 kinds of salsas you can have:

  • Regular Salsa – comes with every basket of chips
  • Chipotle (Diablo) Sauce – the spiciest!
  • Green (Ranchero) Sauce
  • Creamy Jalapeno Sauce

The regular salsa is what comes with every basket of chips and you can always ask for more. It isn’t obscenely spicy, but does give a good kick, and together with chips, is a great prelude to an even better meal. Freshly made every day, it provides a robust blend of tomatoes, onions and green peppers to enhance your taste buds. And those green peppers are so finely cut – as I’ve stated before on different posts, the greater the surface area of your spicy items, the more intense the spice!

The Chipotle (Diablo) sauce is just as it name says – it is diabolical! Yours Truly can handle it with ease (had to insert that shameless pitch!), but it can pack some heat! Fire-roasted chipotle peppers with a hint of smoke comprise this creamy, reddish-orange sauce. I often get this on the side or as the topper on my cheese enchiladas.

The Green (Ranchero) sauce lets you taste the fresh peppers, onions and vinegar that comprise it. Like the regular salsa, not obscenely spicy, but does have a good kick.

Last, but certainly not least is the Creamy Jalapeno. In Austin, anytime anyone mentions creamy Jalapeno sauce, the first thing that comes to mind is Chuy’s! And yes, Chuy’s is awesome (don’t worry, they’ll get their own post soon enough!). While this does not have the “addictive” and ubiquitously known characteristics of Chuy’s famous sauce, it is its own masterpiece. More creamy than spicy, you can still taste the Jalapeno flavor as it stands out.

Every time I go to Santiago’s, I make sure to get all 4 of these salsas and they never disappoint! It doesn’t matter which entree I go with – these sauces are a great addition.

In due time, I will try their breakfast tacos, but given the quality so far, I know ahead of time it won’t disappoint!

Details:

Spicy Flavors:

  • Regular Salsa
  • Chipotle (Diablo) Sauce
  • Green (Ranchero) Sauce
  • Creamy Jalapeno Sauce

Personal Faves (I will likely be adding breakfast tacos once I try them!):

  • Cheese Quesadilla with Mushrooms and Pico de Gallo
  • Vegetarian Fajitas
  • Cheese Enchiladas
  • Vegetarian Nachos
  • Enchiladas Vegetarians
The Regular Salsa – just look at all those fresh peppers, tomatoes and onions (both regular and green)! So thick, so chunky, so spicy, so delicious!
The other three salsas – (Top Right) Creamy Jalapeno, (Bottom Left) Ranchero, (Bottom Right) Chipotle Diablo. Also on the upper left is the Pozole sauce (not really a favorite of mine, but wife and kids love it!).

Spice on, my friends!

Restaurant Review – Hoody’s Sub Shop (Round Rock, TX – Austin Area)

After having five consecutive Tex-Mex reviews, especially the last three being breakfast tacos, I decided…hey who’s in the mood for breakfast tacos??!! Okay, that was a lame joke – I am a DAD so therefore, I have to have DAD JOKES! And yes, we all know Dad jokes rhyme with Bad jokes (see, I just made another one!).

Today’s review is a type of cuisine I have not covered before on Heataholic – namely sandwiches, specifically, submarine sandwiches, aka subs! There is something about that long thick (and toasted) bun of oven-baked bread that makes even people as old as me want to scream “Aye, Aye, Cap’n!” at the top of my lungs!

In today’s era of low-carb this and Keto that, the concept of a sub-sandwich is an anathema to some people – everyone wants to associate bread with the Bogeyman. I, on the other hand, am a firm believer that everything in moderation is a good thing – even though I like certain things in more frequent moderation than others (do you really have to ask what that “thing” is?!)!

Hoody’s is a contradiction of sorts – on one hand, it is a small, not-so-well-lit sandwich shop in a tiny strip mall across a high school. “Sandwiched” (see another Dad joke!) between a now-defunct used bookstore and a low profile hair and nail salon, it’s the type of place anyone can easily overlook. On the other hand, it is an establishment that has won awards, like the 2014 Austin A-List “Best Sandwich Shop” and is known far and wide in the Austin and Central Texas area for having one of the best, if not THE BEST Philly Cheesesteak subs around. Even outside of its high-quality food, Hoody’s is also known as an active supporter and advocate in the local Round Rock, Texas community.

As you all know, I’m a vegetarian so I cannot speak to the cheesesteak, but I can speak to their one and only vegetarian option on the menu – their veggie grill sub. Like my last few reviews on restaurants with simple decor, Hoody’s continues that theme. A handful of tables on the inside, along with a single flat-screen TV, several sports pennants (college and professional football, baseball and basketball teams) and plaques showcasing local sports teams, Hoody’s is a great neighborhood hangout for both the across-the-street high school kids and families looking for a quiet, off-the-beaten-path means to enjoy good, simple food at a good price.

So what is so great about the veggie grill? For starters, it is a hot sub. I, for one, have never been a fan of cold sandwiches, for the most part. There are some exceptions – like Jimmy Johns and every now and then, I will try one that is good, but usually, I like my bread warm and/or toasted. Hoody’s warms its bread, after which it stuffs its fresh-off-the-grill ingredients. These ingredients are added in generous quantities, so much so that the subs can barely contain them. But that’s okay! Like an old Rally’s commercial would say “If it doesn’t get all over the place, it doesn’t belong in your face!” – lame joke, I know, but all those extra, over-the-top quantity of ingredients show just how dedicated these folks are to giving you a fresh, homemade sandwich you can feel good about eating, so you will never have to leave the table hungry!

While all those fresh, hot-off-the-grill, overabundance of ingredients make for an awesome sandwich, the key in making sure in meets Heataholic’s standards are the hot peppers! These are not just any hot peppers but B&G San-Del Hot Chopped peppers.

Produced by the giant food magnate, B&G Foods, this is a simple, in a good way (comprised of only peppers, vinegar, water, salt and basic preservatives) condiment that can be added to any sandwich (or meal) for that added spicy kick. And Hoody’s uses these as an added staple in all of their subs, hot and cold. In my case, I asked them to add as much of these hot peppers as possible, and boy did they oblige! In addition to putting these hot peppers directly in my warm sub, they gave me not 1, not 2, not even 3, but a whopping 4 packs of extra hot peppers! As I’d mentioned in one of my earliest posts, if you want people to make your food as spicy as possible (and you know I do), then all you have to do is ask. Ask and thou shalt receive!

I am a firm believer that notwithstanding the boundaries of physics, i.e., mass, volume and shape, there is no limit to how much of a hot condiment you can put on your food – be it liquid (sauces, salsas, dressings) or solid (in this case, hot peppers). Just when someone thinks they cannot add any more peppers to a sandwich, I prove them wrong again!

All in all, Hoody’s provided a great experience – a hot, fresh, spicy and filling sandwich with a bag of Zapp’s potato chips (Voodoo Heat flavor, of course!) sold there.

Details:

Spicy Flavors:

  • Hot peppers (included by default on all subs – hot and cold, but subs are customized to your liking)

Personal Faves:

  • Veggie Grill
  • Zapp’s Chips which are sold there
(Starting at the top) 1) When I say Hoody’s is generous with their hot peppers, I mean it! They gave me 4 – and this is on top of what was already baked into the sub, 2) The underside of the sub before extra hot peppers added, 3) The top side of the sub before extra hot peppers added (notice how generous Hoody’s is overall with all their toppings). You can already see the original hot peppers they cooked with. 4) The final product before I started eating – so much redness, you would think you were on the planet Mars! And there’s still one hot pepper pack left!

Spice on, my friends!

Restaurant Review – Rudy’s Country Store & BBQ (Multiple Locations)

(Dislaimer: The menu can vary somewhat by location, so before heading to one closest to you, verify availability.)

(Sorry, but starting off with some gratuitous bragging here) One of the things I take great pride in as Heataholic is my ability to not only search for, but find treasure in the most unexpected of places (and then tell you, my dear readers, all about it!). Of course, in this context, “treasure” refers to high quality, heat-laden food. And as I’d mentioned in one of my long posts, you can find great treasure if you look and do your homework, take nothing at face value and go with an open mind no matter where you are or what type of cuisine you’re trying. For me, a spice-loving (no wait, spice-ADDICTED vegetarian) to be able to go into one of the South’s premiere BBQ chains (yes, I love chains, mom-and-pops and everything in between as long as the food is good) and find an addictively heat-laden sauce can speak volumes. OK, enough of the self-aggrandizing!

Enter Rudy’s. Rudy’s is known far and wide as being the “worst BBQ in Texas.” That’s been their signature line since as long as I’ve been in Texas (since 2002). Being a veggie, I can’t really speak to their BBQ, but given how popular and ubiquitous they are and how they’ve grown from a small Texas establishment to a multi-state empire, all I have to say is “if this is what being the worst is, imagine what being the best or better is! And a unique thing about Rudy’s is that while they have several standalone locations, 1) they have many locations as extensions of gas stations and 2) all their locations (including standalone) are spacious on the inside, but the decor is simple. Simple, yet unbelievably satisfying!

So what is it about Rudy’s that makes me, a spice-addicted vegetarian, go ga-ga – simply put, their potato and egg breakfast tacos! I know my last few reviews have been on breakfast tacos, so I’m sure many of you are probably sick of hearing about these, and rest assured, I will try my best to refrain from doing at least my next few on these, but as long as there’s great Tex-Mex, there will be great breakfast tacos, and I will keep eating and writing about them!

The tacos are made first thing in the morning – dozens and dozens of them, hot, fresh, wrapped and ready to be scarfed down once you’ve paid. Once they’re out of tacos, they’re out for the day and you have to wait till the next day to get any (Early to bed, early to rise!). For me, the only tacos I can consume are the potato and egg ones, but I can never tire of these. Roasted potatoes and eggs cooked to perfection, all on a warm flour tortilla. But la pièce de résistance for my taste buds is not the tacos themselves (as heavily delectable as they are) – rather, it is…wait for it…the awesomely spicy Verde (green) sauce/salsa!!!!

This is a spicy green sauce with Jalapeno peppers, vinegar and just the right pinch of garlic and salt (me thinks sea salt, but can’t be too sure). These remind me a lot of the Taco Deli Salsa Dona hot sauce I’d written about early on, but this is actually unique to Rudy’s. It is homemade. And they are very generous in giving these out to anyone who asks. Combine verde salsa with potato and egg tacos and you’ve got a match made in Heaven. And for those of you with sweet tooths out there, grab yourself some dee-licious banana pudding (with Va-Nilla wafers)!

Details:

Spicy Flavors:

  • Verde (Green) Salsa/Sauce

Personal Faves:

  • Potato and Egg Breakfast Tacos
  • Banana Pudding
(Left) That addictively spicy green verde sauce. (Right) The (non-leaning, straight up) tower of green verde sauce juxtaposed with a delicious potato and egg breakfast taco. Rudy’s gave me 6 after I had politely asked. And I only had two tacos and no salsa left over – you do the math!

Spice on, my friends!

Restaurant Review – Recuerdos (Round Rock, TX)

“Recuerdos” – That is the Spanish word for memories. At least according to Google Translate! And for me, this was memorable. Of course, with memories, as we all know, there are varying degrees of memories. There are small memories like trying to remember where you misplaced the remote control. Then there are those huge milestone memories in your life – getting married, graduating college, the birth of each of your children, etc. No offense to the folks at Recuerdos, but this won’t rank up there with those latter memories. But, nonetheless, it was an experience worthy enough to warrant a review in Heataholic – after all, if I don’t have a good memory from eating your food, it was likely not worth remembering and not mentioning in this blog!

A typical morning (at least in the COVID era) – wake up, take the dog for a quick walk, get the kids ready to start (virtual) school after giving them breakfast, make coffee and then once the kids are squared away, realize – I’m hungry! And not just hungry for anything, but got a craving for breakfast tacos! But where? Lots of great Tex-Mex, including breakfast tacos in the Austin area, but I just didn’t feel in the mood to drive much – had a busy work day ahead and wanted something fresh and satisfying, yet fast and convenient. And despite the time crunch, I wanted to try something new – a place I could review for Heataholic. Again the million dollar question – WHERE?

Utilizing today’s high tech (back in my day – ha ha, the standard way to date myself – we’d have to use Yellow Pages), I simply entered “breakfast tacos” into my phone and voila! Recuerdos popped up. I’d never heard of this place in all my years living in the Round Rock (suburban North Austin) area. Popping it into Google Maps, I drove out there – only took a whopping 8 minutes to get there and turns out it is a small hole-in-the-wall establishment (and looks like it took the place of a restaurant called “Recession Cafe” my wife and I ate at nearly a decade before).

Hole-in-the-wall establishments are often hidden treasures just like I’d discussed previously about food trucks. They’re often small, thinly-staffed and the insides are typically plain with minimal seating. Home improvement/renovation is often needed both inside and out, the decor is not fancy by any means and the technology is not really “modern” by today’s standards (limited to no website, credit card machines that involve swiping as opposed to chips, etc.) but what these establishments lack in style and technology, they often make up for in food taste and quality – at least the good ones! And like food trucks, the low overhead in the restaurant, itself, can be tied to lower prices and sometimes, smaller menus. But, as with so many things in life, it’s not the quantity that matters, it’s the quality – I’d rather a restaurant (or other food establishment) with only 5 items, all of which are great, versus one with 50, with none. Usually, most places fall somewhere in between, but I’ve had my share of establishments that had nothing good.

While their menu is heavily meat-based, Recuerdos offered the one thing I went there for – breakfast tacos! Two, specifically, caught my eye. The first is their Miga taco with thinly sliced Serrano peppers and sweeter red peppers, giving Heataholic his much-needed desired morning spice. The second is the generic breakfast taco with eggs and the choice of potatoes, beans or cheese. I chose both potatoes and cheese, paying a little extra for the additional topping. And asked for their spiciest salsa – they don’t have different ones, but do have one salsa they make freshly in-house.

(As a point of reference, their beans do have a pork base, so if you are vegetarian (like me) or vegan, be sure to avoid them.)

The result – FANTASTIC! The Miga was the favorite of mine between the two, but it was a photo finish! Those Serrano peppers, as expected (as opposed to the sweeter, red ones), gave the Miga taco a YUUUGGEEE kick! But outside the spice, the eggs were cooked to perfection and the tortilla strips were crispy and had the adequate amount of oil and were blended in consistently with the eggs. The extra salsa, while it wasn’t spicy, was fresh and flavorful.

The egg, potato and cheese, was similarly hot off the grill and since it did not have the pre-built Serranos and red peppers, I added much more of the homemade salsa before gobbling it. Again, freshness dominates.

I washed everything down with a cup of home-brewed iced black coffee and voila – I was now ready to start my day and knock it out of the park! Recuerdos gave my taste buds some great memories!

Details:

Spicy Flavors:

  • Miga taco (with spicy Serrano peppers)

Personal Faves ((since this was my first time, I will likely add to these after repeat trips):

  • Miga taco
  • Egg, Potato and Cheese taco
(Left to Right) Miga taco (with those wonderfully spicy, thin-sliced Serranos), Egg & Potato & Cheese taco and Recuerdos’ homemade salsa (Not spicy in and of itself, but goes well with everything).

Spice on, my friends!

Restaurant Review – Torchy’s Tacos (Special Hot Item Menu)

I did a review of Torchy’s Taco’s a while ago – this was before I started my standard review posts that I have now. I did not even label it as a review, but discussed their fantastic tacos and their homemade, trademarked Diablo sauce – a fitting name – which you can buy in bottles at Torchy’s, and yes, I have consumed an entire one in a single sitting! 🙂

Why I’m revisiting Torchy’s on Heataholic – because from now through the end of August, they are having a special menu for spice connoisseurs like myself and i want to make sure that you, my dear readers, know all about this!

Here are the time-sensitive offerings, aptly named “Some Like It Hot”:

  • Daredevil Queso Blanco
  • Bottle Rocket Shrimp Taco
  • Ring of Fire Margarita

I tried the Daredevil Queso Blanco, except had to order with regular tortilla chips instead of the chili lime salted Chicharrones, as I’m vegetarian. It’s a fiery sensation for your mouth – the extra roasted Jalapenos and Serrano peppers along with the extra Diablo sauce provide for that jolt my tastebuds were desperate for. And it was a great opening act for the main course – the “shrimpless” Bottle Rocket Shrimp Taco.

Hats off to Torchy’s for accommodating my unique request – I had them substitute eggs (though they also gave me the option of beans) in lieu of shrimp, but everything else was still there. Phenomenal heat! My mouth was on fire and the Mexican Coke I drank helped put it out – somewhat. It didn’t help that I put on so much extra Diablo sauce, but I’m used to the Diablo and dumping it on in copious amounts – but not used to this new Bottle Rocket flavor.

Unfortunately, I did not try the Ring of Fire margarita – gave up that bottle 5 years ago and have not looked back. No, I was never an alcoholic, but as I aged, I found I could not handle it anymore like I could when I was much younger. So cannot give you a good review of it, but if it’s anything like the queso and taco, it will give you a burning sensation so intense you will need another “normal” drink just to put it out! 🙂

Details:

Spicy Flavors:

  • Daredevil Queso Blanco (limited time)
  • Bottle Rocket Shrimp Taco (limited time – I had mine without the shrimp)
  • Diablo Sauce (they’ll give you plenty for free and they sell bottles of it)
  • Regular Queso (they put Diablo sauce in it, but not as much and no Jalapenos or Serranos like the Daredevil Queso Blanco)
  • Street Corn (They dust with chili powder and will add as much as you want)

Personal Faves:

  • Breakfast Tacos (served all day)
  • Damn Good Tacos (Fried Avocado, Independent, Brushfire – without the chicken but with eggs substituted)
  • Queso (Daredevil and Regular)
  • Guacamole (Not spicy, but I love how they load it up with Cotija cheese)
  • Street Corn
  • Lil’ Nookies (for all you Sweet-Toothers)
Ask and thou shalt receive – when I ask for “extra” Diablo sauce, they are very generous!
You can purchase this Diablo sauce to take home! I love how it’s in a bottle similar to old-school alcoholic flasks – seems like they know people like me have and are always tempted to drink straight out of the bottle! Just try to control yourself (I keep telling myself that)!
Delicious Bottle Rocket taco with eggs, in lieu of shrimp. Always love those nice criss-crossed lines of Diablo sauce!
Top: Regular Torchy’s queso. Yellow colored, has Diablo. Bottom: Daredevil Queso Blanco. Notice the whiter color, the extra Diablo and the submerged Jalapeno and Serrano peppers. Spot the difference?

Spice on, my friends!

Mirror Mirror, on the wall, who’s got the greatest tacos of all (in Austin)?

For someone who moved to Austin in 2002 and has seen this city grow by leaps and bounds, I often marvel at just how dramatically things have changed in the Live Music Capital of the World from a generation ago. But the one thing that has not changed is – trying to identify who has the best tacos in Austin?

Asking that question is like asking – Who has the greenest pasture in Ireland? There are just way too many!!!

So sorry, my dear readers, but I won’t be answering that question – not in this post and not in any future ones. Not because I’m trying to be coy, but simply because I can’t answer it – some days I’m in the mood for one place, some days another, and there are so many I simply haven’t tried with one new place after another opening shop.

What I will tell you about today is ONE of my favorite spots in Austin for getting my spicy taco fix – and that would be Taco Deli. Plenty of veggie options and if you get there (usually before 11 AM on weekdays or 3 PM on weekends) early enough, some great breakfast tacos.

But what I crave the most when I go to Taco Deli are their two spicy salsas. There’s the well known one (the Salsa Dona – sorry for leaving out the tilde!) and the lesser-known and even spicier orange habanero (again, no tilde!). The former is a creamy green mixture of jalapenos, garlic and salt that is a tamed level of spice. It is so well-liked that you can buy a package of it at Whole Foods. Unfortunately, as of this post’s publication, I have not been able to find it on Amazon.

The latter is a much more ferocious (and delicious) salsa that will challenge your taste buds. It’s orange with the fiery habaneros that will make you wish you had filled your water up early on! Not as popular as the green stuff to most, but to me, I love ’em both!

Anytime I go to Taco Deli, you’ll always see me as the guy who’s loading up cup after cup after cup of both salsas. One time, in a Seinfeldesque way, someone said to me – “Hey, the farmers called. They’re running out of jalapenos.” (Such nerve of some people! Ha!) My response – “Tell them to grow more!” And to answer your question – Yes, I have done shots (multiple, in fact) of both these salsas and I usually pour both onto my tacos.

So the next time you venture to Taco Deli (as of this publication, there are 10 including the Austin Bergstrom Airport), be bold and try both! Your spicy taste buds will thank you graciously!

Note: The orange salsa is not found at all locations, e.g., AUS Airport.

error

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)

Follow by Email
Twitter