Teaspoon

We stopped in the other day to try this new boba tea option in our neighborhood. We got a lemonade, a Golden Brew coffee, a House milk tea, and a Caramel Cream with no boba. They are in the soft opening phase so they did not have pastries yet.

The Golden Brew coffee was quite good. Rich and full bodied with good coffee flavor. I did not really get the hazelnut, so if you are looking for that you may want to ask for an extra squirt. The Caramel Cream was very enticing, the caramel made for an interesting look while you are mixing the drink. Flavor was excellent.

The House milk tea was pretty basic. Tea with cream. They offer sugar levels and we asked for less, which was a good idea--a sweeter drink would not have been great with more sugar. The lemonade was a disappointment. We got the basic lemonade, and it had no sugar! Lemon water. I think this was a mistake and they'll get better.

The servers were friendly and enthusiastic. The business is social media oriented, with a station set up for video posts. The decor is quite cute. The bathroom was clean and ready. The other recent entry in this space is Tea Amor, and I would say they are quite similar but Teaspoon is cuter inside.

I have mixed feelings about their ad campaign. They have put a lot of bandit signs around our area. Those are clutter that have to be cleaned up at some point. But they do their job, you know the place is open.

My Yelp Review

Taqueria la Guanajuatense in TX Mart

The gas station and food offering at this location have rebranded. I stopped in to check it out, and was pleasantly surprised. This station had been allowed to kind of go to seed for awhile, and has had a few different food vendors give it a try since Laredo Taco Company went out, but this one might stick.

I got a barbacoa taco, an al pastor pork taco, and a chicken empanada. The big thing that stands out is the portions. These are not tiny street tacos. There's a good half pound or more of protein in the tacos, one will hold you for lunch. Almost what I would expect in a burrito, so the burritos are probably huge. The barbacoa was juicy and tender, as was the al pastor pork. I got both green and red salsas, they were quite good and tasted homemade. The red sauce packs a serious punch. The empanada was not bad but they had been out for a bit, I think it would be excellent when fried fresh.

The food is quite ambitious for gas station fare. You can get a whole grilled fish plate. And all of it looks delicious on the steam table, it made it hard to choose from all the goodies.

The place wasn't perfect. My fountain coke was pretty weak. But the restrooms are clean. Things are trending in the right direction for this place.

My Yelp Review

The Grille at Willow Creek

The Willow Creek Golf Club recently opened their grill to the public on Fridays. The Grille at Willow Creek serves dinner from 5:30-8 to all comers. This is a detailed review of the Grille from the perspective of a non-member having a family dinner in the dining room.

We came on Tinis and Tapas night. The place was buzzing, I'm assuming mainly with members. You are required to call ahead for a reservation, though you can arrive any time during dinner service. They had a table with our name on it set up. If you ask, they will say they have a dress code--"dressier than jeans or shorts"--but they don't enforce it so really it's come as you are.

For starters we got the stuffed mushrooms off the Tapas menu and some fried pickles. The mushroom caps were sauteed and filled with spinach, cheese and panko. These were very tasty, a great mushroom flavor and cooked just right. The pickles were also very good--came to the table hot and fresh, with a nice dipping sauce. These are hard to get right and I can highly recommend them. One downside--the server dropped the appetizers off with no plates for sharing. So we passed the mushroom plate around.

For the main courses we got tempura shrimp (on the lunch menu but available in the evening) with tater tots, short rib ravioli and the ribeye with onion strings. The last two came with side salads.

The shrimp were disappointing. The breading was a standard seafood breading, not tempura, but it was cooked well and served hot. The problem was the shrimp itself--it was not fresh. Very soft, no way to save it with the preparation. The tater tots were standard issue.

The steak was OK. I think the grill was not hot enough to get a proper sear on it. It came with a generous dollop of steak butter, the meat was tender and had less gristle than ribeye usually does, and the flavor was good. The onion strings are a fresh version of French's, they were very tasty.

The short rib ravioli was the best dish. Cheese ravioli in a rich sauce with short rib pieces. The sauce had excellent flavor and was well cooked into the meat, which was beautifully tender. It's a meat forward dish, more meat than ravioli. I can absolutely recommend it.

For dessert we got a butter cake. This tasted exactly as I expected it to, and was quite good. The butter flavor is strong and satisfying, and it's soaked in a sweet syrup. Reminds one of cornbread, but more of a cake. Yum!

The prices for the entrees are pretty high. You'll pay more for dinner here than you would at Butler House, Craft Grill or Belly of the Beast (recently awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand rating), which set my expectations fairly high. The preparations are not that ambitious--there's only five entrees and they are pretty basic. There are no vegetarian options on the menu. They have two dressings for the salad--caesar and ranch. The staff was pretty swamped with the event. They had their priorities correct--it took some time to get in an order but the food was timed well and delivered hot. But they don't have the polish of the servers at the other local upscale dining establishments.

I would say that if you want to try them as a non-member, pick an event Friday (they have a couple a month) and embrace that. The tapas menu had great variety and some vegetarian options, and they do other themed events that look promising. The entrees do not deliver value for the money yet. The course is under new management and the new owners seem very committed to improvement, so I expect they will get better at serving the public with time.

El Rincon de la Gocha

This Venezuelan food truck has opened a new location in our neighborhood. I stopped in the other night to try them out. Got a Venezuelan hot dog with fries and a tres leches cake.

The fries were made fresh to order so were still hot and crisp when I got home. It's up to you to season them. I like Venezuelan hot dogs, and this one had an interesting preparation. I got the deluxe dog with chicken. The bottom layer is the bun and hot dog, then they add ketchup, mustard and mayo, then a pile of potato stix and more ketchup and mustard. The chicken is a cheese and chicken mix, warmed up on the grill and placed on top of the whole thing. It's definitely a dish to eat with a knife and fork. Pretty tasty. I do wish Venezuelans were not so fond of boiling the hot dogs, but that's just me.

The tres leches cake was labeled as handmade, and did taste that way--had a nice whipped cream and cinnamon topping. Do be careful with it, mine tipped on its side and the milk leaked out.

Service is friendly but it definitely helps to know Spanish. I do not, but we got by with pointing at the menu. Overall it's a decent entry in the Venezuelan food truck category.

My Yelp Review

Taqueria El Mil Amores

This taco cart recently relocated to our neighborhood. I stopped by the other night to check them out. They offer their meats in various forms--burritos, quesadillas, gorditas--but I went with street tacos to keep it simple. One each of beef, chicken and trompo (al pastor pork). Got a side of elote to go with them. They do not offer drinks.

The tacos are pretty good. The salsas that come with them are tasty, but I had to be careful--they pack a serious punch. If you like heat the salsas really bring it.

The corn was prepared with sour cream, parmesan cheese and just a little of that hot salsa. This made it more salty than spicy. I really liked it prepared this way.

Service was friendly and it was fun to watch the server work--he's very fast. It helps to have some Spanish but with good will you'll get by without it.

My Yelp Review

Tea-Amor Boba Cafe

We haven't had a boba tea place in the Grand Parkway Marketplace area so this fills a gap. I stopped in the other day to check them out--had an avocado and banana smoothie. They offer adjustable sugar levels--I had mine standard, full sugar, but they will sweeten less or not at all. The sugar drowned out the avocado, I would do less sugar next time. Nice and creamy though. The interior is fairly plain but quite clean and ready, with games to play if you want to hang out. Bathrooms were the same.

The online menu lists sandwiches, but those aren't available yet, so it's strictly snacks. Prices are in line with other boba tea places. If you're looking for a boba fix in the neighborhood this will do nicely.

My Yelp Review

Bigotes Street Tacos (Sports Bar)

Their original location at London Way closed awhile ago, and they have just opened a sports bar in the former Jack In The Box at Rayford and Kuykendahl that has inherited the review history. We came in for a family meal to see what's new. We got their taco special, the huevos rancheros with chorizo (breakfast all day) and the sopes (barbacoa and carnitas). We led off with a spiral potato and finished with the churros, filled with Bavarian cream.

I would say my favorite item was the spiral potato. It's a potato cut in a thin spiral and skewered, then deep fat fried and covered with cheese, bacon bits and ketchup. The thin spiral cut makes it eat like fresh-made potato chips, which I love. I can absolutely recommend this.

Bigotes' food is usually very mild--no spice at all. That is still mostly the case, though the chorizo on the huevos rancheros did bring some heat. You have to add sauce to get any flavor. I am not so much a fan of this, but if you need your Tex-Mex mild (and I know some do) then this place is a decent choice.

The huevos rancheros was a generous portion, and was pretty spicy with good flavor--see the note above. The street tacos were fine--tender beef and the toppings were good, but very mild in line with most Bigotes food. The sopes were an interesting choice--the meat and toppings (cheese and sour cream) are piled high on a thick corn base. They hold together quite well so you can pick them up. The meats were tender but needed sauce for flavor. The sopes were very dense but crunchy. Overall kind of a gut bomb but OK.

The churros were pretty standard, a bit on the heavy, chewy side. The cream filling was nice.

Little things keep me from giving a higher review. They did not have coffee to accompany the breakfast items. The server was friendly and helpful but the food was slow to arrive, so the evening dragged a bit. Our dessert order got dropped for awhile, further slowing things. We got an apology but that's it.

The restrooms were cleverly decorated. Not in perfect condition but it was a Saturday night. TVs line the entire inside, so it does live up to its name as a sports bar. Overall would not be my first choice but it's OK, and delivers what Bigotes has delivered for a long time.

My Yelp Review

Bocado's Cafe

Bocados Cafe is related to the food truck that has been at La Plaza de los Food Trucks on Gosling for a couple of years. I stopped at the cafe to give them a try. I was thinking to try an appetizer and burger, but my server (also the manager or assistant manager, I think) directed me to the montaditos when I asked about pork belly. I am glad she did. Montaditos Los Roques is an appetizer--three small servings--but works as a lunch. Their pork belly on a fried plantain base, with coleslaw, Venezuelan white cheese and ketchup. The coleslaw is very fine and its mild sweetness complements the pork belly well. The pork belly itself was done perfectly--tender with a nice crust. The plantain is an acquired taste--it is pretty chewy and a little hard to eat--but I've had plantain at several Venezuelan places and it's always like that so I assume it's intentional. I would get the dish again.

I decided to try a dessert and got the Chocolate Marquise. It looks a little like tiramisu but is nothing like that. It is made from dense cookies layered with milk chocolate and garnished with Nutella. Six people could easily share this, it goes a long way. I might have liked some other marquise (they had passion fruit and lemon as well) better. They also have churros and cheesecake.

I washed all this down with a papelon con limon, my favorite Venezuelan drink. It's made from iced tea and lemonade sweetened with brown sugar. Theirs was strong and tasty. One note: They treat this like a cocktail. I ordered a refill and was charged for two.

The location is quite nice--spare but comfortable decor. There are a few TVs but it's easy to escape them. I sat outside because it was a beautiful afternoon, and their patio is very usable--it is set back from the street and parking lot so it is quiet and friendly for conversation. Unusual for this part of town. The menu is very large, like a Venezuelan Chili's.

My tab for the meal came to more than $50 after an average tip. That puts it in special event space for me, and I don't usually think of burgers that way. But the food and service are excellent so it's going on my list of places to revisit. I wish them success!

My Yelp Review

Taqueria Azteca at Stop 'N Bye

This location recently rebranded from 7-Eleven to Stop 'N Bye and the food inside is no longer branded as Laredo Taco Company. On the outside, the food brand says Taqueria Contigo, but inside there's a sign saying Taqueria Azteca--I'll go with that as the name.

I like Laredo Taco Company and wanted to see if this new food brand holds up. Not so much. The signs on the outside advertise hamburgers, which would be new. But one needs to be flexible--the grill and fry maker didn't really look ready to go so I got their special--four tacos for $8.99. Pretty good price. One each of beef fajita, chicken, Al Pastor and chiccharones.

The tortillas are now store-bought. The tacos themselves were OK--came with salsa already on them. Can't say anything better or worse. Certainly not anything like the Laredo Taco Company food.

The drink machines were not in great shape. Several drinks were sold out or not working, and the Coke Zero was not marked but obviously not working either. Got a regular Coke and it was pretty weak.

The bathrooms were usable but not real clean. The people were friendly. I come by fairly regularly because they often beat other Exxon and Mobil locations on fuel price. Contrary to an earlier review you can in fact use your ExxonMobil app here. I'll keep buying gas but am not tempted to go inside.

My Yelp Review

Taco Mibile at Dave's Express

There's a new Mexican Taco place being advertised in the Dave's Express. The sign on it says Taco Mibile but I don't know if that's current, or perhaps I missed a change. I stopped in to give the new folks a try. Got a nice big beef torta.

It was a good sandwich. The bun was fresh and toasted on the grill, and the meat had good flavor. The green salsa I got was also fine. It's $10 and big enough to split. I got it with lettuce, onions, cilantro and jalapenos, and I would take it over Subway.

It is best to have some Spanish language skills, we were working hard to understand each other. The rest of the store seems about the same. I got a fountain drink and it was working OK. I wish the new folks well.

My Yelp Review

Ignacio's Kitchen

This is a new offering in La Plaza de los Food Trucks. I had their special, which is available only at lunchtime--a whole roasted chicken with yellow rice, cole slaw and a liter of Coke. I also got a jamaica agua fresca and their Quesillo dessert, which is a take on flan.

The chicken is very tasty--a good strong marinate that really penetrates the meat, and a nice char on the skin. This is a big step up from the roasted chickens you get in the grocery store. The dark meat is moist and tender, but I found the white meat a bit dry--that's pretty normal for a roasted chicken as far as I'm concerned. You can cut the white meat up and put it with other sauces etc. to make several more great meals.

I liked their take on cole slaw--both sweet and sharp, with a bit of mustard in it. I'd have to say the rice was disappointing. Yellow in color but somewhat dry and very little flavor. They offer a lot of sides, I would try something else next time. The flan was a decent one, nice custard texture and the syrup was good. I also liked the jamaica--had the grape juice sweetness I have come to expect, but this version had just a bit of a bite as well, maybe a bit of lemon or lime. Very good and refreshing.

I believe the owner was the one who served me, he was very kind and you can taste the love. I can definitely recommend it and wish him well.

This truck is one of four I saw open for lunch in La Plaza de los Food Trucks. They have a chicken and egg problem--not enough people there for lunch to make it worthwhile, but people won't stop in unless they know places are open. Mostly the Plaza needs a better social media game.

My Yelp Review

La Garnacheria

I stopped by this fairly new food truck in La Plaza de los Food Trucks. I got a couple Tacos de Canasta with chicharrones, the Tostadas de Tinga de Pollo, and the Esquite with bone marrow.

All of the food is intensely and marvelously flavorful. The Tacos de Canasta are filled corn tortillas steamed over hot oil for one hour, then warmed up when you order. The chicharrone filling was the best I have ever had, hands down. Wonderful umami flavor and creamy pork fat. I was warned that they would probably fall apart and they did, but I didn't mind at all.

The tostadas were the traditional corn shell topped with a layer of refried beans, shredded chicken in a tomato and chipotle sauce, lettuce and cheese. They held up well on the drive home (I ordered to go). They are carefully constructed so that you can pick them up and they eat pretty neatly for a tostada. All the different flavors come through.

The Esquite is a corn dish, equivalent to what other Tex-Mex trucks call elote. At $12 for 12 ounces it is kind of pricey. But oh my, the flavor! (I know I'm saying flavor a lot. Flavor flavor flavor flavor). The bone marrow broth gives it an incredible richness. I actually finished that 12 ounce cup, which has not happened before. This has spoiled me for elote now.

The dishes came with two salsa cups. They are more spreads than liquid. There's a red one that has a pleasant kick and more delicious flavor. And a darker one that is flaming hot, but you can still get the flavor of the chile. The salsas are an achievement on their own, and complement the food wonderfully.

I wanted to try the Arroz con Leche, but she was still preparing that when I came and I chose not to wait. Based on the other dishes I think it would be great.

The owner was working the truck on her own and describes her food as home cooking. The prices are comparable to other trucks for a serving, but each item is really only enough for one (you will want three tacos if you're making a meal of them). The tostadas are a pair so you could share if you have a small appetite. I would definitely look forward to trying the rest of her menu. Can't really find anything to fault.

My Yelp Review

Ani's Chao

I stopped by during Grand Opening weekend to try out this new truck at La Plaza de los Food Trucks. We got the Tonkatsu Chicken, the Japanese Curry with pork, a potato croquette, a Fruit Sando for dessert, and I chased mine with a Thai Tea.

This is full-on comfort food. The servings are massive, and the food is easy to eat. The chef is skilled at getting the food cooked just right--all the fried items were cooked perfectly. The fried foods are done in a panko crust, which came out a beautiful golden brown. Both the pork and chicken breast cutlets were done just right, juicy and tender. The potato croquette is a fist-sized ball of mashed potatoes coated in the panko breading. The potatoes were well seasoned so while the potato-to-breading ration seemed high it was tasty all the way through. The Japanese Curry was a true meat-and-potatoes dish, with carrots, potatoes and a large serving of plump white rice. The curry sauce (also called katsu sauce) was very mild, and served as a gravy for the whole dish.

Both the croquette and the chicken were served with the tonkatsu sauce. Their take on it has the prominent flavors of teriyaki and Worcestershire sauce. This was the only challenging flavor combination in the dishes, and made them much more interesting.

The fruit sando was an amusing dessert. Large strawberries and a huge serving of whipped cream between two pieces of white bread, wrapped up so it's a bit compressed and holds together. Fun! If you don't want the bread you can just get in there and scoop the whipped cream out with your finger. The Thai Tea was fine, mostly a sweet flavor but a decent representation.

Did I say the portions were large? When I picked up the order I almost dropped it--felt like six pounds of food. The Japanese Curry will easily feed four people, the tonkatsu 2-3 (also comes with a large serving of white rice). So while the prices are mid-teens you're actually getting a lot of food for the money.

This food isn't made to impress your palate. The katsu sauce has just enough curry flavor to notice, mostly it's a savory base. What it does is fill you up with well-executed cooking. If you want to have that Thanksgiving feeling early this will do it. The owner is enthusiastic about his business and it seems to be doing well.

The atmosphere at La Plaza de los Food Trucks has been better the last couple of times I've been. The center is newly astroturfed and only one truck was playing music, at a reasonable volume. Very pleasant.

My Yelp Review

Sazon Olanchano at Root Mart

Root Mart has another new restaurant tenant.  I stopped in the other day to give them a try.  They had a selection of both breakfast and lunch items available.  I got a plate with fajita beef, refried beans, a chicken and rice dish, a chicken thigh, and tortillas.

The meal put me very much in mind of Tex-Mex home cooking.  The refried beans were slightly chunky, not blended.  They had great flavor and I ate them all, which I usually don't.  The fajita beef was fine, good flavor but a little chewy.  The red salsa had a good kick and gave a taco a nice additional zing.  They didn't serve the usual taco filling side (lettuce, pico, cheese, sour cream) with the plate but I didn't miss it much.

The tortillas were a thick corn version, not like most places.  They held up well for making tacos and had good flavor.  They made the plate very filling.  The chicken rice side could be a main on its own, it had plenty of chicken.  Lots of good chicken flavor and nice mouth feel, I enjoyed it.  Do take care when eating it, I found several small bones.  The roasted chicken thigh was on the firm side but not dry.  It had very good seasoning and was a good complement to the fajitas.

I believe the owners are Honduran (Honduran flags on all the tables).  They were friendly and polite.  There are only a few tables but they were clean and attractive.  Overall it was a very satisfying meal, and for $10 I think it is worth it.  As with all other tenants there, you go next door to Root Mart to pay with a credit card and to get a drink.  I do wonder if that affects the profitability of the restaurant--drinks are usually high margin items, I hope the restaurant is getting a break on the rent for that.

My Yelp Review

Guajillo

I stopped in the other night to try this truck, newly located at the Plaza de los Food Trucks behind the Gosling Express in Spring. I had the special combo--a pork pastor volcan, a quesabirria and a beef fajita taco, with a jamaica agua fresca, a side of elote, and flan for dessert.

The volcan is an innovative item--I have not seen it on a Tex-Mex menu before. It's a tostada piled high with your choice of protein, topped with a cheese cap that's cooked on the grill. Great idea, but on mine the cheese cap was either not cooked enough or too much--it fell into that grey zone where it was chewy rather than melty or crisp. Also not a lot of al pastor flavor.

As for the quesabirria and the taco--I think this might be the truck for you if you really need to have a low spice level. The meats and fillings themselves had no chile, just salt and other umami spices. The salsas gave you a choice--a yellow salsa with a good strong kick, or an orange one with less heat and more of a salty flavor. Both tasted homemade and gave the items their flavor. I did not get the dipping consomme for my quesabirria, which was an oversight. I think it is sold separately.

The elote is a unique preparation. Again no chile, just the white cheese and corn--but with cashews! I liked the nutty flavor with the corn.

The flan was wedge shaped and the texture was more like cheesecake than traditional flan. I like caramel cheesecake, and it had good flavor. No syrup topping.

I got my order to take away. They packed all the items, including the drink and the flan, in one bag. So the ice in the jamaica had fully melted by the time I got home. I think it would have been good.

The truck is efficient--they arrived at 5:45 and opened at 6, right on time. My order was out in about 12 minutes, not bad from a cold start. There are some execution issues but I think they have promise.

My Yelp Review

Crust Pizza - Panther Creek

This is Crust Pizza's first location, and one we come back to even though others are closer and we like them fine. The comfortable ambiance among the trees in the Woodlands makes it very inviting. We went back for the first time in awhile the other night. Had a Carl's King (equivalent to a Supreme across other pizza places), a Tuscany (vegetarian), some vegetarian lasagna and chicken alfredo.

It's hard to say what stands out about Crust's pizzas, but they are all-around good and a cut above the national pizza outfits. The crust and overall flavor at this location seems to be different from the others, perhaps because this one is not a franchise. But I love the Carl's King and will stack it against any supreme. The vegetarian lasagna is not on the menu (regular lasagna is) but they have it if you ask for it, and it came out just fine. The chicken alfredo was very tasty and had a particularly attractive presentation, it looked great when it came to the table.

You do want to go when you have time, as the service is slow but steady. Dishes tend to trickle out. But we enjoyed our evening tremendously and it's staying on our rotation.

My Yelp Review

Lucky Cafe

Our family has been to Lucky Cafe off and on over the years. Recently I stopped in to try the beef Banh Mi and related items--we've stuck to their Chinese menu in the past. I also got the chargrilled pork spring rolls and a Vietnamese coffee.

The best part about the Banh Mi was the bread--they use a very crusty french roll, perhaps one of the best I have had. It really makes the sandwich. The other ingredients were good, though I did have to help it out with some hoisin sauce (provided at the table). At only $6.75 this is a great deal, I would get it again any time.

The spring rolls were very substantial and filling. Two large rolls with a generous serving of peanut dipping sauce. Perhaps a bit more chewy than spring rolls I've had before, but they are all chewy and in the end it ate fine.

The Vietnamese coffee was a good representation, very sweet and creamy.

I forgot to ask about fish sauce for the banh mi and spring rolls, and I missed it. I'm used to having fish sauce come with the meal. You should ask for it if you get the banh mi.

The place was quite busy for a Saturday lunchtime. They have an established clientele and don't really need boosting. The strip mall and restaurant are old and have a lived-in feeling that is pretty attractive for me. The restaurant is well decorated and has one not-very-obtrusive TV. The restrooms (identical but gendered) were clean and ready, and the decor from the dining room carried over. I'd come back.

My Yelp Review

Beans & Brews

Beans & Brews is the latest coffee chain to come to our neighborhood. I stopped in to try them out just after the grand opening. Got their Espresso shake, a bacon-egg-cheese croissant and a lemon pound cake.

The Espresso Shake is a frozen latte with an espresso shot floating on top. It was quite tasty and had a good kick. The sandwich was a good one--thick bacon but still pretty crisp, and the sandwich held together well for eating.

The lemon pound cake made me curious. They present it in a small cup with a lid and black sides and it is frosted, so it looks like a little cup of yogurt or something. I had to see what was under there. It was a decent cake, though it ate just a touch dry for me.

The shop also sells energy drinks and other pastries. There's enough food on the menu to make it a possible choice for a light lunch (the sandwiches are actually very reasonable, most expensive is about $7) as well as a snack or drink. Pricing seems in line with other coffee houses. The place is tastefully decorated in browns and the seating area is comfortable. They have games on request (not sitting out), and a conference room that looks like it seats about 10. There are two all-gender restrooms (no gender-based waiting). Service is enthusiastic and polite. Do we need another coffee chain? Not sure, but this one looks like it will be able to compete and it's worth a try if you're in the area and want a pick-me-up.

My Yelp Review

Taqueria Maravillas de Guerreros

This new taco truck is in the location where Taqueria Delicias De Guerrero used to be. Possibly it is a re-transplant of the Delicias Guerrero taco truck that was in the now-close Spring Food Park. I stopped in the other day to give them a try. They had a limited menu--just tacos and burritos. I had two tacos, fajita and chicken, and a lemonade.

I have to say they exceeded expectations. The meats had a lot of flavor. The red and green salsas tasted homemade--both packed a punch, the red more than the green. The lemonade was a 28 oz serving made with real lemons and was quite delicious. The whole meal was $9. Really can't beat that. They had plenty of business when I went by, so I'd say it's worth stopping in.

My Yelp Review

Conduit Coffee

Over the past couple of years this place has become a favorite of mine. My favorite drink there is the matcha latte--with honey and cinnamon the sweetness perfectly balances matcha's natural bitterness. I also enjoy the hibiscus Italian soda.

The food is excellent and unique as well. They serve a great avocado toast (Garden Toast on the menu). You get a whole smashed avocado with tasty fixings and a very flavorful balsamic drizzle on sourdough toast. There's enough to it to make a meal by itself. The pastries are quite good and available in gluten-free and gluten-full versions. The owners are passionate about producing high-quality items and are responsive to feedback. We've had occasional bumps--a chai tea that was a bit gritty, or a matcha that didn't get so much matcha--but they are on it and get it fixed. It's a place that continues to improve.

The atmosphere invites you to stay awhile and enjoy your comestibles. It's a small shop, about 6 tables, with lots of games, books, and a comfortable space for visiting. Service is friendly and enthusiastic. It's not cheap, but I think it's in line with other independent shops. The owners love to share their knowledge--you can arrange for classes in brewing and roasting coffee.

Conduit Coffee welcomes and affirms the LGBTQ+ community, and this is apparent when you come in. If you want to get your coffee fix by supporting an independent shop, this is a great place to come.

My Yelp Review

Mateo's Pupusas, Baleadas and Tacos

Mateo's Tire Service is branching out, offering a Tex-Mex food truck on the lot in the same location where Fatima's Pupuseria used to be. They are just getting started and the name might be a bit misleading because they don't currently have any pupusas or baleadas on the menu. They do have burritos, tacos, tortas and a few other Tex-Mex favorites. I stopped by and got a beef burrito and a pork taco, washing it down with a Mexican coke. The burrito was nice and neat, finished on the flat top grill. Lots of cheese and avocado so it was a creamy version. The taco was a street version, very tasty and only $3. The salsas tasted homemade. Both the green and red salsas had a pretty good kick. The green salsa was very bright, and complemented the pork well. The owner told me he's closing the tire shop soon.  If you're in the area and hungry consider stopping in and showing them some love.

My Yelp Review

Parrillero Catracho

This little place flies under the radar a bit, tucked away in a corner of a strip mall set back from Spring Stuebner. But it's been there awhile so I stopped in the other day to give it a try. The restaurant has a dauntingly large menu of Honduran and Venezuelan items. I had a pollo (chicken) pastelito to start, and the pork chop entree. As far as I can tell they do not offer desserts.

The pastelito is a fairly small bite, but it was fried fresh and was warm and crisp when delivered. The crust was perfectly crisp and had just a bit of that promising shine of grease. The filling was quite delicious. The texture and flavor set me up to enjoy the meal.

The pork chop was lightly breaded and seasoned and pan fried. It was cut quite thin. When a chop is thin there's about a 10 second window from under to overdone. The chef hit it perfectly. The texture and flavor were great. I often hesitate to order pork chops in a restaurant because they are normally dry and overdone. This was one of the best I have had. The dish came with rice and beans on the plate. The rice is a more sticky variety than the usual Tex-Mex rice, and has some different seasonings. I really enjoyed it. The refried beans are darker and have a rich flavor.

The entree is served with a side of plantain chips. It's a very generous serving, easy for at least 2 to share. They were sliced very thin and fried to order, nice and warm when they came out. The seasoning is very light, so I did add some salt, but the texture was perfect and they tasted great.

Service was fine but we had some awkward moments--I get the impression that the customers are mostly regulars. If you decide to come, just pick a table and sit--someone will eventually come to serve. The pace is very relaxed, you will need to allow time. They do have agua frescas, I would get that next time instead of soda. I can say for sure that they know how to cook, everything was done about as well as it can be.

My Yelp Review

Dripped Birria

We tried the new Klein location of this local chain recently. We had the beef birria tacos, beef birria fries, birria ramen, elote, and a churro and ice cream sundae. I washed mine down with a pineapple agua fresca.

The birria tacos were pretty good--lots of grease in the shells but this is a feature of birria tacos, not a problem. For me they ate slightly dry but this was offset by the birria dipping sauce so overall quite good.

The ramen is an interesting dish. You get a lot of it--close to a quart. I did not love the pasta. It reminded me very much of Top Ramen. You can get several meals out of it so for my second pass I fished out the noodles and put the birria over my own pasta. Much better that way. The birria is interesting--it's got a bit of a kick and of course a lot of umami. It was pretty heavy on the cumin I think, so might not be my absolute favorite of this kind, but I was happy to finish it.

The birria fries were a real standout for me. Birria meat, onions, cilantro, cheese, and three sauces--cilantro lime, chipotle aioli and BBQ, all over fries. This is another large portion that can feed at least two people. The sauces were excellent, especially the BBQ sauce. The fries were nice and crisp, they use the breaded fries that hold up well under the toppings. I would get that again any time. I had the pineapple agua fresca, which was a good representation.

Don't skip dessert. The churro and ice cream sundae is delicious. The churros are done crisp with plenty of cinnamon so they hold up well with the ice cream. We got our order to go, which is hard on desserts, but the sundae still worked and I can highly recommend it.

Customer service was very good. They were careful to pack the cold items (agua fresca and the sundae) separate from the hot items. Items that tipped did not spill excessively, so that was well done. On the downside, we did ask for chicken birria tacos and got beef instead--so I can't tell you what the chicken birria is like.

The interior of the restaurant is quite dark--their colors are black and purple. The decoration is interesting, probably not hard to make out if you have young eyes. The restrooms (identical but gendered) were clean and ready. We came the weekend after the grand opening and it was still quite busy, so they are off to a good start.

My Yelp Review

Niky's Mini Donuts

We've been to this new sweet shop in our neighborhood a couple of times now. We love it and think we'll be back regularly. We've tried the mini donuts, the ice cream, an energy drink, a donut sundae, coffee, and some candy.

The donuts are the star of the shop and are truly delicious. The donuts are fried fresh when you order, and have the perfect crunch outside. A 4-pack is $3.99 and is a great little snack. The donuts are a must.

The donut sundae is a brilliant idea. Three donuts in a cup with your choice of ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. The combination works really well and I ate most of mine, even though it's huge and I normally don't want that much. Another item you really have to try.

The rest of the items are things you'd find elsewhere but are very well done here. They have a nice assortment of ice cream and it's good quality. A very nice feature is a mini cone--a tiny cone for when you just want a little something sweet. They also have Dole whip, for those of you who are missing it from the now closed Island Fin Poke. They have Stubborn Soda as well as a variety of Italian syrups with sparkling water. They offer some of these with caffeine as energy drinks and they are quite refreshing. They have a coffee selection with many of the standard brews--our latte was just fine and complements the donuts well.

So many new places I've been to recently have spent absolutely no resources on decorating. Niky's is a darling exception. There's a Candyland-type trail on the floor leading to the counter, lots of colorful decorations and a very attractive candy display. They have some seats shaped like ice cream cones and others in primary colors. The decor sets you up to want something playful and sweet, and then to relax and enjoy it. The single restroom was clean and ready and continued the colorful theme.

Service is friendly and pretty good but they are still getting up to speed. We did have a minor order mix up once but not really worth correcting. I think this place will be here awhile, and we'll go regularly.

My Yelp Review 

Taco Cabana

Taco Cabana has a new location near us in the neighborhood. The chain has been a favorite of ours since the early days as an ice house in San Antonio. We have been by a few times, including recently in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.

They have a couple of limited time items that are worth trying. The best one is the loaded fries. Taco Cabana now has fries, and they are executed quite well. We've had them with steak fajitas and carne asada, and both are good. I expect this one will stay around because deep fat frying is a big investment.

I have also tried the tortas--mine was carne asada. They are fine, I would get it again but it's not quite up there with the loaded fries.

In the week following the hurricane Taco Cabana was one of the few places open, since it shares a pad with Home Depot (a critical business). We ordered on the app and picked it up. We had fajita nachos, a carne guisada torta, a sampler plate, a fajita quesadilla, and churros for dessert. I tested the fountain with a 7-up.

Props to Taco Cabana for polite customer service in a stressful time, though by the time we got their food they were no longer slammed. The torta was described above. The sampler plate had lots of good things. The nachos are massive--over 2 pounds of food served in a medium pizza sized box.

Our enjoyment of the food was negatively impacted by a couple of things. We didn't get the fajita quesadilla, and not getting what we order is a pet peeve of mine. There is no decent way to tear apart an order that size to check it. We also didn't get any of the salsas we asked for on the app. I know TC can do better.

The churros were also disappointing, I would not get them again. They were very heavy and squishy in the middle, couldn't tell if it was a filling or they simply weren't done all the way through. Unless the batter was made incorrectly this isn't a quick fix. I'll get the sopapillas next time--they are not on the app menu but the store has them.

The store is plain inside--white walls and no decoration. They serve alcohol (margaritas, not too bad) so one might think to hang out but not really. But the place has been clean.

All in all, I'm glad we have one close by now.

My Yelp Review

Manin Food Truck

There's a plain white food truck parked in front of the gas station at the Rhodes Crossing Shopping Center. They are serving delicious Dominican food, and the owner has big plans for it. I stopped in the other day to give it a try. I had the pernil (pulled pork shoulder) with white rice and beans. I washed it down with one of their natural juices, a blend they call Die Dreaming.

The pork shoulder is fantastic--perfectly but simply seasoned, moist and tender. It has a nice bark on it that really concentrates the flavor--I've never seen it this well done. The white rice was well prepared. The beans have a very mild flavor and complement the pork quite well. You pay about $15 for a huge portion--this will easily feed three people, or eat it yourself for 3-4 days. The pork would be a nice add-in for other savory dishes too.

The Die Dreaming juice was delicious, a creamy blend of what tasted like orange, pineapple, and maybe one other juice. The sweetness perfectly complemented the savory pork. I had a small and drank it pretty fast, you might consider a large.

The hours on Google say they open at noon--this is approximate, I would go a bit later. The action picks up in the evening when they put out speakers and play music. They are open until 2am. The owner has plans to mount screens on the outside for sports viewing.

It is good to have a few words of Spanish when ordering here, but with good will a monolingual english speaker can get by. Nice people and delicious food--can't ask for more.

My Yelp Review

Popsibar Mobile

The PopsiBar mobile truck has been parked at the Plaza De Los Food Trucks on Gosling near West Rayford, and that's where I tried them. I got a vanilla with dulce de leche ice cream bar with a dark chocolate coating, rainbow sprinkles and almonds.

The owner was staffing the food truck and served us with a smile. The ice cream bar was fine--maybe not quite as smooth as some, but not icy. The price point makes more sense with a food truck than at a brick and mortar location, but if you add a tip you're paying more than $7 for an ice cream bar so it should blow you away. I was whelmed, but not overwhelmed.

My Yelp Review

Barbarossa Coffee at Gosling and Spring Stuebner

We stopped in to this new location for brunch. We had a honey latte, Turkish coffee and Vietnamese coffee to drink. Got a beef roll and a parfait for brunch food.

The honey latte was quite tasty, and we always enjoy the latte art. The Turkish coffee was powerful as expected. I sometimes take cream and sugar, but a high-quality strong coffee has a bit of sweetness on its own and this delivered--I didn't need sugar. The Vietnamese coffee disappointed a bit. We generally get these as a sweet drink. But this version wasn't made with the usual condensed milk. It tasted like regular milk, not really sweet at all. Maybe something went wrong there.

The food experience was mixed as well. The yogurt parfait stood out for the freshness of the strawberries. It's a nice generous serving with plenty of fruit and granola. The beef roll was well executed--the pastry was perfect, flaky and delicious. But it's plain hamburger scattered through a pastry, not really much seasoning and a lower ratio of beef to pastry than I expected. Kind of boring, I would not get it again.

I love the vibe of Barbarossa Coffee--the decor is modern but not obtrusive, and the furniture is practical and comfortable. It's a great place to relax. I know they can do better on the food and coffee. I'm glad we have one near us now.

My Yelp Review