New Braunfels, TX - Huisache Grill

Key Lime Pie at Huisache Grill

http://huisache.com

I'm teaching a class for Hitachi Data Systems this week at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. When making the travel arrangements for this week, I decided to stay at a Courtyard hotel in New Braunfels, TX. The hotel is on I-35 and gives me easy access to work and to downtown New Braunfels.

While sitting at a wine bar in New Braunfels, I got a tweet from @ciphero suggesting I try Huisache Grill. The restaurant was just in the next block, so what the heck. I went Monday evening at 9pm (they close at 10pm), and there were just a few diners in the place. I had a glass of a nice Riesling to start, and that carried me over into the starter. When asking the waiter what he'd pick between the Shrimp and Green Onion Cake and the fried brie, he said the shrimp cake, so the decision was made. It was quite good, the shrimp stuck well to the breading and onion of the fried cake. It was served with a sauce that was sort of a cross between tartar and remoulade sauce--not as mustardy as a NOLA remoulade, but not a mayo-heavy sauce like tartar.

This was followed by their Tortilla Soup, which was spicy and flavorful. So far, so good. (Entrees come with a choice of soup or salad.)

For a main, I went with the "Mix and Match Combo." The choices were a bacon-wrapped sirloin, buttered/poached shrimp, grilled duck breast, and blackened semi-boneless quail. I went with the steak and the duck, shifting to a Malbec to drink with them. The medium-rare steak was peppery and cooked right-wrap any steak in bacon and it's all good. The duck was fantastic, with a red-wine reduction that blended well with the new potatoes on the side. The Malbec was a great choice for these two.

For dessert, the key lime pie and the flan caught my eye on the menu. When I asked the waiter for an opinion, one of the gals working in the kitchen shouted out "flan!" It was a good choice, Huisache's flan is a bit heavier/creamier than most, and I'm all for rich desserts.

By 9:30pm or so, I was just about the only diner left in the restaurant, so my table service was attentive without being pushy, and the other servers and kitchen folk would say hi as they walked by. All that positive energy made me determined to return this week, something I don't usually do on the same trip. I went back last night (Wednesday) to try a few other things.

The place was packed! You know the wait staff will be slammed when you walk in and you hear a large group start singing "happy birthday" at 8pm! The gal who suggested the flan on Monday night recognized me and waved me in. I told them I didn't mind sitting at the bar (it seemed the safest with all the big groups they had anyway).

My server at the bar was a charming lady. Alas, I didn't catch names on either trip, but she had on a cute red-and-black skirt. I started with a Provenance Sauvignon Blanc that I figured would carry me through the starter, possibly the main as well. Since I had the shrimp cake on my previous visit, I decided to try the Fried Brie with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. The soup was a vegetable that sounded good, and I ordered the Pecan Crusted Breaded Pork Chops for the main.

I was kicked back at the bar, enjoying my wine and watching the activity of the almost-exclusively female service staff when one of the gals came out of the kitchen with two plates of food. Seeing two plates, I turned back to my e-book reader, figuring it couldn't be mine. Imagine my surprise when I discovered she was trying to serve me both the starter and the main at the same time! My server intervened immediately, serving the starter and having the gal bring the pork chops back to the kitchen.

The fried brie was awesome. The cheese was a good consistency, not so hot that it was messy, easy to manipulate with a fork. The raspberry sauce was incredible, just enough kick to it to remind you that it said "raspberry chipotle" on the menu. there were toasted bread rounds and apple slices on the side. The apple and the sauce were a wonderful combination. A cup of the vegetable soup came out next, and that was also quite good.

Then they brought out the same pork chop plate.

Now, here's where I run into a problem as a diner. I had a great experience on Monday night. These folks are friendly, the kitchen clearly knows what they're doing, but I ended up in a position where I had to eat a meal where the timing was just awful. I was forced into a choice I hate, should I be an asshole and ask them to cook me new pork chops, or eat the kept-warm food? I opted for not saying anything.

The pecan-crust on the pork chops was a great flavor, and the "Jack Daniels butter sauce" on the side went well with them, as did the slice of grilled apple served with them. It's just that they could have been warmer! The veggie medley on the side had cooled to lukewarm as well, leaving it to be a bit underwhelming. Still, it was a tasty meal, just not the same as the laid-back atmosphere of the previous trip.

As I noted earlier, Huisache was slammed last night, with several 8+ parties and all the smaller tables in use when I got there around 8pm. What confused me was the way-too-fast response I got at the bar. It's not like there was a need to turn my seat at the bar around; there were a number of empty chairs there if another single or couple wanted to dine. Still, I couldn't help but feel rushed, from the initial presentation of all my food at once to the speed with which things came out once that was resolved.

She of the red-and-black skirt redeemed the evening, however, with dessert. My second choice from Monday was the Key Lime Pie, and my server cut a slice, dressed it with whipped cream and a some lime sauce on top (see photo above), and brought me a big cup of coffee.

Dessert cures many ills. :-)