Category: Sauce Reviews

Reviews of Sauces

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 – 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!

Hot Sauce Review – (Louisiana’s Pure) Crystal Hot Sauce

Full disclosure – Taking a quick vacation to a small middle-of-nowhere fishing town with wife and kiddos this week. WiFi a little sketchy, and there’re only two restaurants here – both seafood (I’m veggie and wife and kids are highly allergic to shellfish, so unfortunately, won’t be reviewing those this time), but also using this as a time to unplug from the daily stresses of modern life, especially before another (virtual) school year starts! Tomorrow, I’ll be back to more regular posting, so that said…

In continuation of my new format of prefixing my reviews with…well, “Review” and prefixing my “Review” prefix with the type of review being done (have I bored you enough yet? :-)), this is the first of my official Hot Sauce reviews, titled as such. Moving on…

Aah, the state of Louisiana. My neighboring state to the East, known for so many things – awesome football (college and pro), wild parties, Bourbon Street and yes, spicy food! Cajun cooking (and the unique blend of spices it brings) is one of the staples of the Pelican State, and with it, comes a unique blend and wholehearted use of spice and flavor. Louisiana itself is also the home for the ubiquitously known Tabasco brand, and yours truly has been fortunate enough to visit Avery Island (not a real island, but the name of the town!) – the very heart of where this is made. I’ve toured the factory and observed it both from the lens of a chemical engineer (my background) and a Heataholic!

Being a vegetarian (no meat or seafood), I can’t truly experience all the delicacies Cajun cuisine has to offer – Jambalaya, crawfish boils, fish fry’s, Po’boys, etc. But I do the next best thing – enjoy the Cajun spice, without the Cajun food. I’ve tried Jambalaya without the sausage, vegetarian Po’Boys, indulging the same Cajun spice used in crawfish boils with corn on the cob and potatoes and dunking Hush Puppies in my favorite Cajun hot sauces! That brings me to Crystal Hot Sauce. Often overshadowed by its larger competitor in Avery Island and a host of smaller competitors all around, Crystal is a Louisiana-based hot sauce that provides the simple, yet sharp kick in the pants needed in your food. I admire its simplicity (given it has only three ingredients and none of those require an advanced degree in chemistry or chemical engineering to decipher).

Being in a town of 500 while on vacation, when your only source of food is a Dollar General store down the street, it’s slim pickin’s! But I followed my own advice on using grocery stores and was still able to pick up a bottle of Crystal. Crystal is great with just about anything – Cajun food, but also pizza, tacos, pasta, Bloody Mary’s, and yes, just plain on its own for a spicy kick!

Positives:

  • Good spicy kick
  • Simplicity in ingredients (only 3 – cayenne peppers, vinegar, salt)
  • Guilt-free consumption – 0 calories!
  • Good website with recipes

Negatives:

  • Flavor itself is not unique and is hardly distinguishable from Texas Pete’s or Frank’s
Three ingredients – cayenne peppers, vinegar and salt. Like they say, KISS – Keep it Short and Simple!
Zero calories, zero guilt!
Crystal Hot Sauce can be used with anything, or in my case, on its own as a quick drink! 🙂
When options for spice are limited, be creative! In a town of 500, I could buy crushed red pepper and hot sauce! No excuses!

Spice on, my friends!

Restaurant Review – Levant Cafe & Grill (Cedar Park, TX) – Part 2

The conventional wisdom is that sequels are never as good as the original movie. Or in instances when they are, it’s usually a case of a series, as opposed to a two-part story, e.g., the endearing Toy Story franchise. But, we all know of movies in the first category – Home Alone, a great Christmas movie, which introduced Macauley Culkin to the world, followed by the demented Home Alone 2, that made us leave the theaters scratching our heads, wondering “What were they thinking?” or “How in the world can anyone survive all of THAT?”

Well, as someone who is a movie fan (albeit, not as many in recent years), I can tell you that this post will defy that conventional wisdom, and this sequel will be just as good as its original (if not better)!

My most recent post on Levant Cafe & Grill was the part 1. I won’t rehash everything I’d said before, but I did mention a sequel was coming so I could highlight one of their spicy sauces I had not yet tried – namely, their homemade Jalapeno Cilantro spicy sauce. Well, today, I tried it, among other things, and as expected, it was fabulous! BUT WAIT – THERE’S MORE! I even tried an item I had overlooked before in my previous visits/orders – specifically, the Lebanese potatoes.

The Jalapeno Cilantro sauce had both good flavor and a creamy texture. My personal taste buds seemed to indicate that creamy texture is indicative of a Tahini sauce-base, but don’t quote me! The jalapenos, themselves were minced quite well and spread evenly to provide that tangy spice that went great with my Makafel sandwich. For those who are familiar with the Austin-based, growing Tex-Mex juggernaut Chuy’s (yes, there will be a review of them in the future – patience, dear grasshoppers! :)), I think that if Levant plays their cards right, this could become another famous Jalapeno dip, just like the Chuy’s one!

Onto the Lebanese potatoes…simple, yet oh so satisfying! Roasted, salted potatoes coated in a nice red pepper sauce. Spicy enough for most people, but I specifically requested mine to be made “as spicy as humanly possible” in my DoorDash instructions, and boy did they come through! This will be another side I will order in the future, during my carb-loading days!

And the final piece – Levant also gave me some Iraqi amba on the side. Not necessarily spicy (at least, according to my taste buds), but this yellow-orange (mango-based) sauce is so full of tangy flavor and zest. I’d tried the amba several times before, but this was the first time I experienced it standalone – and it won’t be my last! 🙂

Details:

Spicy Flavors (Updated):

  • Palestinian Mhammara bread
  • Jalapeno hummus
  • Homemade spicy chili sauce (not on the menu – you have to request)
  • Homemade Jalapeno cilantro sauce (not on the menu – you have to request)
  • Lebanese potatoes
  • Iraqi amba (more zest than spice, but great flavor, nonetheless)

Personal Faves:

  • As long as it’s vegetarian or vegan, I love it! This place is Middle Eastern perfection!
  • Tried twice the Makafel sandwich with Iraqi amba (didn’t I say the place was diverse!)
  • Recently tried vegetarian Syrian moussaka
  • On my low carb days, I go for one of the bowls versus sandwiches
(Left to Right) Jalapeno cilantro, Iraqi amba, Jalapeno cilantro, Spicy chili sauce – it’s kind of like my own version of Duck-Duck-Goose!
Bright red Lebanese potatoes – I didn’t use a stopwatch, but I think I devoured the whole thing in under a minute!
My Makafel sandwich – three layers – first the chili sauce, then the Iraqi amba and Jalapeno cilantro to follow!

Spice on, my friends!

Happy Independence Day with Trappey’s Ghost Pepper Sauce!

To all my readers in the United States – Happy Independence Day! And a Happy 4th of July to those outside this great nation! 🙂

As we Americans celebrate 244 years (and counting) of our independence, we always like to spend our time with our friends and family members during this holiday. This summer did present a challenge where most of us Americans had to do our own fireworks and celebrations, in light of COVID.

But not to worry – it was still a fun and enjoyable one! Many Americans love to use this time to grill out, BBQ and enjoy the usual American fare of hamburgers, hot dogs (yes, I know these originated from Hamburg and Frankfurt, Germany, respectively!), chips, potato salad, watermelon and the like.

And in my household, we were no exception! Wifey and kiddos enjoyed their BBQ-ed ribs and sausage. I, on the other hand, being the sole veggie, joined them with some dee-licious Dr Praeger’s natural burgers (I love Dr. Praeger’s among all vegetarian burgers because they make their burgers mostly from natural ingredients – vegetables, beans, quinoa, etc., and there aren’t any filler ingredients; they also have a whole variety of vegetarian burgers so you never feel like you’re eating the same thing over and over) and of course, spiced it up with Trappey’s Ghost Pepper sauce!

Ghost peppers are about the hottest peppers around and should never be taken lightly, no matter how high your spice tolerance is, but they are often presented in palatable ways to enjoy their intensity without having to be rushed to the ER! Trappey’s is just one of those ways. The heat is in-your-face intense but tolerable and makes you desire more. I used Trappey’s on my burger and joined in the Independence Day festivities with my family outside on our patio right as fireworks started to go off, all in the midst of the intense Central Texas heat and humidity – spicy foods, by the way, are even spicier when in the presence of hot weather!

So the next time, you want to experience the concurrent thrill and agony of ghost peppers, grab a bottle of Trappey’s use SPARINGLY! 🙂

I bought this a year ago and as you’ll notice, the bottle is still fairly full. I don’t use the adverb “sparingly” for just any reason!
The best part about Trappey’s? Not only does it give an awesome, spicy kick, but you can do it guilt free! No calories!
Dr Praeger’s California veggie burger and sporadic drops of Trappey’s – a match made in Heaven! The obligatory cut red onions underneath add to the spicy experience! And notice the red, white and blue popsicles on the plate, well-suited for celebrating Independence Day!
Unlike my post on Plucker’s Fire in the Hole sauce where I had my fries made “extra wet” and had to leave some behind, my more limited use of Trappey’s sauce allowed me to produce a completely cleaned, aka “happy plate”! Rest assured, I aim to reach extra wet with ghost pepper sauces too!

Spice on, my friends and Happy Independence Day/4th of July!

Mike’s Hot Honey

Whoa! WTH, you ask?? What’s the meaning of this? I thought this is a family-friendly site catered to those with a love of spicy food! This sounds like some kind of “R” (or even higher) rated post!

Relax, folks. I’m not talking about someONE, but rather, someTHING – the kind of honey we all know about – the one that comes from thousands of buzzing bees! 🙂

Always a pizza lover (in addition to spicy food), I succumbed to my cravings today and went Detroit-style – grabbed a curbside from Via 313. Did my usual loading up of crushed red pepper on top of a jalapeno-loaded pizza, but this time (my second time ordering from them), I noticed something on the menu I’d never noticed before – Mike’s Hot Honey. I ordered a side of it, wanting to see if it truly lived up to its name.

Needless to say, it did! I noticed its red color, and boy did it give a kick! Never did I think pizza and honey go well together – two great things, but never thought a merger of sorts could happen – just no discernible synergies (how’s that for business speak – need to put that MBA of mine to use once in a while!). But for the first time EVER, I found myself pouring it on my pizza (sometimes below, sometimes on top of the crushed red pepper) and dipping my crusts. It had such a knockout kick, you kept wanting more!

Mike’s Hot Honey standalone and with a slice of DEELICIOUS Detroit-style pizza in Austin. Yeah, I guess you could say I enjoy a little pizza with my crushed red pepper!

After finishing what I’d ordered, I did a quick Google search and lo and behold – They’re a Brooklyn, NY-based company! Here’s their website again – https://mikeshothoney.com/. You can order directly and they’ve got recipes too. Needless to say, I’m impressed and they’ll be getting a new customer for life!

Spice on, my friends!

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