An Average Joe in San Antonio

San Antonio has as many great Mexican food restaurants as there are stars in the sky, but for whatever reason it can be challenging to find a good taco north of 1604.  I have tried many places (I won’t mention them now, but will wait and review them to see if they’ve improved) that just can’t deliver.  More often than not, they are bland, and for a lack of a better word, too gringo-ized.  I decided to see if Leticia’s could change that.

Located on Stone Oak and Huebner (there is also a location on N Zazamora on the West Side), the customer is transported to a different place when he/she steps into the restaurant with a bright yellow interior and Mexican artwork.  I stopped by for breakfast and decided to get two tacos – a machacado and barbacoa — with a cup of coffee.

Now in full disclosure, I have to say that Leticia’s does come to my place of employment and has tacos in the morning.  They introduced me to machacado tacos; the tacos at work are pretty good, but you have to know taht they are not made to order and have premade tortillas and food in big serving dishes.

At the restaurant, I could tell that the tortillas came out fresh and I was thoroughly impressed.  The machacado was amazing, not being near as greasy/watery as when I get them at work.  I twas complimented nicely with the roasted salsa on the table.  The barbacoa is only available on Saturday and Sunday and it is a treat.  The meat is flavored nicely and had a good spice to it, so much so that I decided to neglect the salsa on that taco.

The tacos were a little pricey, but they were big!

The service was excellent, and I didn’t have to worry about running low on my cup of Joe or cream to go with it.  This is always a plus when you wake up a little sleepy.

The one drawback was the price… each taco ran me $2.49 (granted I got the two highest priced tacos on the menu, this is still a far cry from the $1.50 I pay at work (although barbacoa tacos are not served there)).  I think that this price is expensive for breakfast tacos; then again you have to consider they are in the “posh” part of town where at night patrons guzzle $10 drinks at the lounges.  Also, if you live in that area, you would probably have to drive a ways to get out of the northside to a good taco shack, so you have to think of the money you save on gas.

Value: 6.5/10 (at $2.49, pretty steep for breakfast tacos; although they are actually authentic tacos on the northside, so maybe this is a good value for good tacos up there…)
Atmosphere: 8.5/10 (I liked the inside atmosphere and pictures of the niños in traditional Mexican dress)
Service: 10/10 (Very friendly staff; you never have to worry about your coffee or creamer running out!)
Salsa: 9/10 (nice and smokey; went perfect with the machacado taco)
Taste: 9/10 (tortillas were great and the barbacoa was particularly good!)

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It seems as though sandwiches are the new fast food craze –> think five dollar jingles and mmm mmm mmm toasty.  Joining in the fray is Dallas based Which Wich? Superior Sandwiches who provides a plethora of sandwiches that can be customized by users in a unique way.

Even though they are from Dallas, Which Wich? has embraced being in San Antonio with some cool black on yellow screen prints of city landmarks and the Spurs logo.  To compliment the atmosphere is the ordering process that I think is absolute genius.  At the very beginning, customers select a bag for the type of sandwich they want to order (the bags are segregated on the type of meat — e.g. turkey, beef, seafood, vegetarian, etc.).   You then get a red marker and check off every vegetable, sauce, and seasoning that your little heart desires.  I enjoy making epic sandwiches/burgers and truly admire the breadth and quality of ingredient that Which Wich? presents to me.

A tip for all you newbies: be sure to draw a fun picture (such as a funny face, geometric design, or college logo) on the back of your bag so that you can track the progress of your sandwich through the line.

The reason I love this setup so much is because it allows you to bypass the slow/indecisive people.  By making them select everything on their sandwich at the onset, you don’t have to wait forever on that person who can’t decide if they want tomatoes or not, or if ranch or Italian is their dressing of choice.  As an Industrial Engineer, I approve of this process.

The way to build an epic sandwich -- check as many boxes as possible!

Again, I like to throw everything and the bathroom sink onto my sandwiches, and I can do just that at Which Wich? without any problems.  Not only that, but they include generous helpings of each ingredient.  When I got my sandwich it had ripped open the bag at the bottom — no joke.  I chose the buffalo shrimp and loaded it up with hot peppers and extra buffalo sauce.  The sandwich was very spicy and the bread was particularly good.  It came in at $5.00 and, yeah, while you can gt a foot long at Subway for that price, I truly enjoy the different types of ingredients that are offered here (e.g. there are like three types of onions alone — caramelized, red, and crispy strings).

So go to Which Wich?, draw funny pictures, cut in front of the slow people, and build a sandwich that is truly a work of art!

Value: 7/10 (a single sandwich costs just at $5; this can be a little expensive for some, but skip out on the chips and drink and be healthy, drink a water!)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (I love the fun, bright atmosphere that is easy to order)
Service: 9/10 (very nice people that are pretty eclectic themselves)
Taste: 9/10 (Pretty much the sandwich is going to taste as you design it, but the ingredients are so good how can you go wrong?)

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Today I was on the North Central side waiting to meet up a friend in the evening, so I decided to go to the FAR North Central Side (way up 281 until you just barely cross the Comal County Line) to go get some BBQ from Casey’s, a place that I used to enjoy eating at when I worked on 1604 and Bulverde. I decided to take the backroads to see what developments had taken place, so I went from Bulverde all the way to 281. I was amazed as there was a sea of houses where once the vast and mighty hill country had rolled through with live oaks. I was reflecting on how cities change when I pulled up to the former Casey’s BBQ which had now become My Place Bar and Grill. Deciding to check the past at the door, I went in to see what new food would be inside.

First off, the place is completely different on the inside from the old Casey’s; I will say that they did do a pretty good job with the interior, although the bar that separates the patrons from the kitchen seemed a little tacky. I was greeted by a hostess who promptly seated me; there was the ’50s music channel being played on satellite radio. The gorgeous patio that looks out at the hill country (if you want to check it out, you had better hurry before the developers catch up…) and I believe that they still have live music. I would have sat outside, but our string of 100 degree days has just beat me down.

I decided to order the special for the evening which was the steak and jumbo shrimp with mixed vegetables; you could get the shrimp either fried or grilled, and I opted for the grilled version. For a drink I got the homemade lemonade (I am a sucker for lemonade and limonada) and that turned out to be a good choice — it was on the tart side (which I like) and you could get as many refills as you wanted.

The meal took a little while to prepare, but that was ok by me because I was just on a casual evening out.  Once I got it, I started with the vegetables which were fresh squash, zucchini, and mushrooms; they were all fresh and nothing like that vegetable medley from the bag.  There was a nice taste to them, but throw healthy out the window as they were just dowsed with butter.  If you are having problems with your kid eating their vegetables, take them here.

The jumbo shrimp were nicely prepared too; they had a great flavor to them (I didn’t even bother with the cocktail sauce), but again, I was kind of overtaken by the intense buttery flavor.

The steak was the biggest disappointment.  It was a decent sized steak, but it was a terrible cut of meat.  There was almost more gristle on that steak than there was steak; all kidding aside, I would bet that a good 1/3 – 2/5 of the steak was fat.  You could tell it was a terrible cut of meat because I probably only had three pieces where I did not get a substantial amount of gristle accompanying it.  The taste was all right, but it was again a really buttery flavor.  To top it off there was a big hunk of butter on the side.  Are you seeing a theme.

See that steak? Yeah, almost all of it was fat...

The most positive thing I can say is that the staff was incredibly friendly.  My waitress was very nice and engaged in some pleasant conversation for the majority of the meal.  She was really pretty good.

You know, things are always going to be changing; you just hope that it is for the better.  I really can’t say that the food was bad, but when I go out to eat, I want to really feel spectacular about visiting the establishment.  I think the restaurant was all right, but I would trade it to have Casey’s back any day of the week.

Value: 6/10 (my bill was $18, but then again I did get steak and shrimp and homemade lemonade for dinner; that would have been a good value had the food been spectacular, but alas, it was only average)
Atmosphere: 8/10 (like the atmosphere; the patio really makes it)
Service: 8/10 (really solid service, however, I was disappointed no one told me goodbye when I left)
Taste: 5.5/10 (The food was slightly above average thanks to the lemonade and vegetables; the steak was incredibly fatty)
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Hidden off of the St. Mary’s Strip is Willard’s Jamaican Jerk BBQ which the owner, cashier, cook, server, and operator are all the same person. Driving down Mistletoe Street, you might miss it if you blink; the restaurant is tucked between a shop and Carmen’s de la Calle, but just look for the smoker out front.

If you are having a hard time finding the restaurant, look for the smoker.

I went to the restaurant with a couple of friends and upon walking up to the restaurant you get hit with that BBQ smell of smoked meat. It is one of the best smells in the world, and is the litmus test of all great BBQ restaurants. Willard was behind the counter, and the man was very outgoing. He engaged us from the moment that we came in, and told us all kinds of stories about how he was a personal chef for two of San Antonio’s great families – the Holts and the Midcaps. Willard is quite the talker and full of stories.

When I found out that he had pork ribs, I knew what I had to get; having lived in Memphis for a summer, I was educated on the positives of pork and always seek that out. I decided to get ½ pound of pork ribs, potato salad, and beans. Additionally, since this was not one of the specials so I was also going to have to pay extra for BBQ sauce (more on this in a moment) so I was going to be out about $7.50; there were specials for brisket and sausage that would be in the $6 range that included the two sides and sauce.

Willard asked me which sauce I wanted (a hot jerk sauce, a medium jerk sauce, or the BBQ sauce), and I told him to give me his favorite. He is quick and said, “No, this is not about satisfying me but satisfying you; I am gonna be satisfied when I get your money, you need to be satisfied when you get your food.” Point taken.

Willard came out with three of his concoctions and set down a napkin and poured a dab of each of the sauces down and asked me to taste them as he described their qualities. Being a fan of more traditional BBQ sauce, I opted for that one, but I really liked the kick of the hot sauce. Not really thinking it through, I asked him if I could have a container with the hot and BBQ mixed; that was a mistake because Willard prides himself on creating the sauces and said, “Well, I could do it this once, but then everyone will come in and start customizing their sauces and this and that.” I told him that I understood, and just opted for the BBQ sauce.

We paid for the order, and as he gave us the receipt he said, “Now, I do guarantee my food and here is the guarantee – if you don’t like what you eat, then bring back the receipt. You will get your money back, but you are never allowed to come back.” At this moment, I knew this was going to be good.

After paying for our order, it took quite a while to get the food. If you go there, don’t be in a hurry, you will only frustrate yourself. The one friend who had been before and also to an event that Willard catered told of how methodical he is with the preparation. He makes sure there is exactly the right quantity of meat, sides, and sauce and painstakingly measures to ensure this.

The ribs were absolutely amazing and made me recall living in Memphis. They were really moist and had a nice smoky flavor (I believe that Willard mentioned he smoked them for 28 hours); the BBQ sauce complimented the meat nicely, but didn’t overpower the flavor of the meat. The beans were delicious, but I would have liked to have added a little bit of salt to them. The potato salad was interesting but something that I didn’t care for; it was just a different tasting potato salad than what I am used to and will pass on it next time. But those ribs… oh my goodness… they have to be some of the best bones in the state; I am really looking forward to taking my friends to this restaurant whenever they come to visit me.

Mmmmm.... ribs.

While I definitely recommend you check out Willard’s, I was to summarize the things that you need to know before you go:
(1) Be sure to interact with Willard and hear his stories.
(2) Don’t be in a hurry – talking with Willard can take 10-15 before you order and the food takes a while to come out.
(3) Be sure to call ahead, 210.736.5375, because if he has a catering gig the restaurant will be closed.
(4) Don’t ask to mix sauces.

Value: 9/10 (if you opt for the special, you can get a dang good deal considering how much time it takes to prepare and the flavor of the food)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (total dive with pictures of family and patrons all around the inside; I completely love it)
Service: 10/10 (I love the service, because I really felt that I got to connect with the person who prepared the food; other people might not like the fact that it takes a long time)
Taste: 9/10 (The meat was amazing; the sides were good)
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So tonight I decided to grill some steak for my roommates; first off, I have to give a shout out to HEB and their combo loco for this week.  In case you are not familiar, HEB will have these yellow coupons throughout the store to save you money and once a week if you buy a bigger ticket item you get a lot of stuff for free.  The combo loco this week was if you bought two New York strip steaks (around $9-$11) you got a four pack of potatoes, cheese, sour cream, butter, HEB brand 2L soda, and steak sauce — a pretty darn good deal averaging at $5 a person!

I paired the steak and potatoes with some grilled zucchini and I throw in some serrano peppers for flavor.  I truly love hot/spicy things so I often mix in some serranos, other peppers, and green chili into whatever I cook.  I have two roommates who are both a little sensitive to some of the hot things that I cook.  The female roommate is from the south and has been living with me for around 2 years and I have brought her up to speed where she can eat a lot of the hot things that I cook in moderation.  The male roommate is relatively new to the house and is a Kansas boy — thus he is not familiar with spicy food or peppers; in fact, it has been my duty to introduce him to the world of hot foods.  Anyway, I told my roommates that there were some peppers in the zucchini and to avoid them, but the male roommate, Aaron, neglected to head my warning. He ate the pepper and his mouth was on fire.

Needless to say, after he had this small experience with a serrano pepper (he actually didn’t even eat it — he spit it out), I decided to make a bet with him.

The bet was that Aaron had to eat a sliver of the serrano pepper, and after he swallowed it and had nothing in his mouth, he had to wait a minute until he could put anything (water, milk, sour cream, bread, etc.). If Aaron was able to do this, I had to give him $5 and a six pack of Lone Star Beer. If he wussed out and had to drink or eat something because of the heat, he had to buy the six pack and we would split it.

This is the video that documents this bet. Will he make it or will he wuss out. Remember, he is from Kansas and not Texas!