When El Cantina Superior opened last summer in The Heights, we did not visit it twice. (We couldn’t bear to write about it after the first visit — we hoped it would improve with time.) The early reviews on other local foodie blogs and websites were so dismal that we could think of no reason to skip a visit to the new Pico’s (on Kirby at Richmond) to go here instead. The restaurant, which was from Ken Bridge’s Delicious Concepts (they also have Lola’s and Pink’s Pizza) struggled. After stumbling along for several months, the management eventually did a rather amazing thing: They reached out to a competitor to help them get it right.
The F.E.E.D TX group (BRC, Liberty Kitchen, Petite Sweets) took over operation of The El, as it’s commonly known, in December. Within days they flipped the menu, took over the kitchen and rolled out a new bar menu. By the time we visited at the end of January, The El had found its footing. The discombobulated staff, augmented by wait and kitchen staff from other F.E.E.D. venues, had smoothed out the bumps. Chef Crash Hethcox, group chef Lance Fegen and operator Lee Ellis put their heads together to write a menu that is Tex-Mex, but also has several other beloved Texas foods on it, most particularly some damn fine barbecue. (Check out the beef short ribs below.)
Barbecue and Tex-Mex on the same menu? Oh, yes! We dropped in for lunch last Friday as guests of the restaurant, and we gave it our best effort. But four ladies were no competition to this meat-heavy, goofy, over-the-top menu that includes a “Gorilla-style Burrito Bowl Salad” ($15.75, photo below) that delivers black beans, French fries and your choice of barbecue over hearts of romaine along with three cheeses, avocado, tomato, red onions, fresh jalapeño, chile con carne, queso, cilantro ranch dressing and a fried egg. We know what you’re thinking: perfect hangover food. Yep.
Nothing here is light – this ain’t no Skinny Rita’s – but there were a couple of fun salady things, such as marinated jicama, cucumber and pineapple served in a plastic baggie ($3.75), a tribute to Mexican street vendors, and a few seafood dishes such as escabeche ($9.75) and campechana ($12.75). But mostly this is a menu of rib-sticking Texas favorites, including chicken-fried steak ($16), old-fashioned crispy tacos ($10.75), fajitas and some outstanding (watch out El Real!) cheese enchiladas (two to an order, $11.99, photo below)
One of the more unusual and one of our favorite offerings is the J ’n B Dorado Plate ($14, photo below). Can you guess what that is? If you’re a fan of Jack-in-the-Box two-for-a-buck tacos – some of us refer to them fondly as “dog-food tacos” – you will love these. They are stuffed with spiced meat and cheese, deep-fried and then dressed with white American cheese, lettuce and pico de gallo. Thin “packet-style” taco sauce is served on the side.
There’s much to try here. The menu is long and complex and includes fish tacos ($13), Oaxaca frito y hamburguesa (a burger with griddle-fried Oaxaca cheese, pork belly and fries, $10.25), pan de campo open-face (Dutch oven quickbread smothered with chile con carne, three cheeses, a fried egg and pickled jalapeño, $9), fried chicken enchiladas ($13.99), poblano chiles stuffed with smoked brisket ($13.95) and the boca chic backpack taco plate (‘fried’ cheese flour tortilla, crispy corn tortilla, carne asada steak, onion, cilantro, queso fresco, $12.99, photo below).
At dessert time, try the “breakfast cereal-style cake” ($8, photo below) that is Quik-soaked with cream and milk, cajeta caramel and spiked with Kahlua. The cake flavors rotate — it was chocolate when we visited.
They are currently open for brunch Saturday and Sunday and will be open for breakfast soon.
El Cantina Superior, 602 Studewood, 832.203.5180, theelcantina.com