Guadalajara Hacienda (Tex-Mex) in Houston, TX

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In our last post, we told you that we'd get around to sampling some Tex-Mex for our readers and as you can see, we couldn't resist long, Although, this is going to be a Livin Tejas first because it's a review of a chain restaurant. While we love chain restaurants just as much as the next person, we normally don't review them because we think they can be a little cliche. Guadalajara Hacienda on the other hand, in Houston, Texas is a huge exception to that. It exhibits originality in every department and exceeds in exceptional food.

Eating there one fine Sunday, Livin Tejas had the privilege of tasting some extraordinary above and beyond salsa and that's when we had a sneaking suspicion that the rest of the food would follow in its footsteps. It was like the salsa, which a had a really good tingling lime taste that we had never tasted in salsa before, was speaking to us. It was addicting to say the least, as chip after chip met its demise thanks to this flavorful salsa. We could go on forever about how good the salsa was, the best we've ever had as a matter of fact, but that wouldn't be fair to the rest of the delicious food.

     

Whenever Livin Tejas trys a Mexican (or Tex-Mex because the lines are blurred between those categories a lot here in Texas) restaurant for the first time and we've tried countless ones, we always start with the chicken enchiladas. We just believe they're a good test of a Tex-Mex restaurant. We always say, if they can get the chicken enchiladas right, which is a staple of Tex-Mex here in Texas, then they are likely to succeed in other areas.

   

We proceeded to order the combo plate, that consisted of a beef enchilada, beef taco, empanada, and substituted the cheese enchilada for a chicken enchilada. We also ordered a portobello mushroom stuffed with chicken....very brave. How did both how dishes stack up?

When we first tasted the chicken enchilada it was apparent that Guadalajara Hacienda cares about serving the best food possible. The reason we say this is because I almost burned my mouth at first bite. We've never had a enchilada plate at any Mexican restaurant, be served as piping hot as this one was. After that, we were thoroughly impressed with every bite as the beef and chicken enchiladas were plump, cheesy, and done just right with lots delicious Mexican flavor. A plus, and hard to beat.

Just looking at this portobello mushroom stuffed with chicken and spinach, brings to mind that we need to eat out more and be adventurous and try unique dishes on the menu. Livin Tejas was brave and it paid off because we had no complaints. 

We can't end without telling you that the service matched the food in every regard. The wait staff were very friendly and did an awesome job refilling our drinks whenever it even got close to running out, not to mention refilling the salsa; very attentive for a chain restaurant. Like big portions? You won't be disappointed here as you get great value for your money. All in all, if you ever find yourself in the Houston area, and looking to satisfy a Mexican food craving, Guadalajara Hacienda will knock you out with its salsa and keep delivering the best Tex-Mex this side of the Rio Grande. To find out locations as there are several in the Houston area, their website is a good place to start: Guadalajara Hacienda

Yucatan Taco Stand (Tequila Bar & Grill) in Southlake, TX

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This ain't no ordinary Taco Stand. Taco Stand is not even a good way to describe Yucatan Taco Stand in Southlake TX, deep in the heart of the suburbs in the DFW metroplex. The name does have a nice ring to it and besides, it is order at the counter easy so the name fits none the less.

What also fits is the food Yucatan Taco Stand serves up. As we walked in and gazed at the generous variety on the menu, we found many choices that would please even the most picky Mexican food eater. Those same Mexican food connoisseurs and there are plenty of them in Texas, would recognize Yucatan as not a Tex-Mex place which Texas is famous for (which Livin Tejas will do posts on in the future), but a redefined Mexican restaurant. Redefined because they have food selections that can be found where else but the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. To us, for an order at a counter place that has taco stand in it's name, it is rare to have food of that nature. This left Livin Tejas very intrigued and ready to sample this Yucatan's adventurous menu. One visit is not enough to do this so we are unfortunately going to have to go back and explore some more of that menu so be ready for an update. The reason is, Livin Tejas wants to be very thorough in showing the best of Texas eateries.

Gravity defying nachos combined with high quality ingredients are a rare breed even in Texas

We heard a rumor while reading reviews for this Taco Stand, that Yucatan serves up a mean nacho plate. By "mean" we mean good in every sense of the word. Livin Tejas had no idea that it would surpass us in even that expectation so we thought it very important to sample the nacho plate for our readers to see if the rumors were true. One rumor being that it's almost a foot high tower of nacho heaven. As soon it reached our table we knew that rumor stood on solid truthful ground and thankfully that ground was our table.

They have five different nacho plates that accomplish this gravity defying feat and we'd love to have tried them all which include ground sirloin, Tequila lime chicken, grilled vegetarian, and Carne De Puerco (pork). With so many different choices it was obvious that it was going to be hard to choose the right plate. We love food challenges though so the one we did test was the garlic shredded beef nacho plate and it did not disappoint our taste buds in the least. How could they? They were met with an infusion of melted Chihuahua cheese and not your ordinary nacho cheddar cheese as this is a Mexican cheese from the Chihuahua region of Mexico that is white in color and melts well and can be used for fondues. Simply an amazing ingredient to get beyond your ordinary nachos.

The other ingredients that really pushed this dish to be one of the best nacho plates we've ever had in Texas were high quality crispy tortilla chips that had the right kind of crisp and a special seasoning that brought a ton of flavor to the plate. Added to that important ingredient were tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, purple cabbage, topped with sour cream and very fresh stand out guacamole. All these quality ingredients combined with a very generous portion that could easy feed two hungry stomachs and coming in at a value of $8.75, has led us to believe that you could search Texas your whole life and not find nachos of this caliber.

Livin Tejas didn't stop at that nacho plate, which we could of easily and been more than satisfied but we also decided to sample the Tequila Lime Tacos. After all, the name does have Taco Stand in it so it wouldn't be fair to our readers not to go for the tacos.

It's hard to see covered in fresh lettuce and cabbage but like the nachos these tacos were above expectations. Speaking of expectations we were expecting that we wouldn't find much of the main ingredient of tequila lime chicken but we very surprised that we had to use two hands to eat these. That is to say that the chicken filled this taco more than enough. As evidence of this is, Yucatan uses double the corn tortillas to keep everything from falling out. If that wasn't enough, we found the shredded chicken to very moist just the way Livin Tejas likes it and we're assuming that is the majority of people on Earth. Also, like the nachos, we were met with the wonderful taste of Chihuahua cheese.

With all of this for only 3.50 a taco, you'd swear you were in a taco nirvana.  Then imagine in this perfect taco world, that three of these bad boys would set you right the rest of the night. Taco fans you should indeed rejoice for not only is this more than likely true but there would be nothing to stop you from getting the most out of the taco menu. Accomplishing this would be by not just ordering the same tacos for each but sampling some of the others that include tempura fish tacos, special ground sirloin, garlic shredded beef, grilled vegetarian, pork, spicy aged chorizo, spicy shrimp all for 3.50 a piece except for the chorizo and shrimp taco which are only a dollar more. That is quite a taco feast for such a low price, and guaranteed you'd walk out the door a happy taco camper.

Does this really look like your typical order at the counter place? 

With all great food aside though (which it's hard to put great food aside), Livin Tejas does appreciate a comfortable and laid back atmosphere. Yucatan Taco Stand was above reproach in this category as it was very different from your typical order at the counter eatery. We usually go to those kinds of places which don't warrant a post, and it's like going to a fast food restaurant all over again. This is one of the ways Yucatan Taco Stand surprised us because like we said, it is order at the counter like a fast food restaurant but when we got past the order counter, we were amazed to see a spacious, clean, well laid out   place with more than enough booths and tables to go around. We were very pleased with this because in all our days of eating out, this was the nicest and most pleasant order at the counter place we'd ever been to. Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon where you might want the privacy of someone NOT coming to your table every couple minutes and interrupting your conversation as the servers only bring you the food that matches your number and nothing else.

It was so impressive and tasty, we had to demolish this once towering to almost a foot nacho plate

By all means and right away, get your delicious Mexican food number served at Yucatan Taco Stand. For help in achieving that and hitting this taco stand up for impressive items that consist of nachos, tacos, burritos, salads, burritos bowls, grilled Yucatan foods that include fajitas and chimichangas, grilled Latin sandwiches, and this only names a few items of their impressive and extensive menu, please visit: Yucatan Taco Stand