An Average Joe in San Antonio

One day while I was ramblin’ around town, I stumbled upon Ruthie’s.  This was one of those days where I was just driving around town on back roads to get to a place instead of staying on the major thoroughfares.  I saw this huge yellow building with a sign that beckoned me to “Eat Here.”  Since I had just eaten, I filed this stop away in my mind as a place to return.

"Eat Here"? Why yes, I think I will.

Fast forward to where I had to be at a going away party for a friend at the Lion and the Rose on Blanco.  I hadn’t eaten all day and I was like, bam, Ruthie’s.  I made my way to the yellow building to see what they were all about.

Strangely enough, this was about 4:00PM, but for whatever reason I had a hankering for some breakfast (if you have followed the blog you know that sometimes I want some odd food combinations…).  I asked the waitress if they still served breakfast and she said that they did so I was pretty pumped.  I was looking at some of the plates but just felt like some tacos.  I ended up ordering the chilaquile taco to satisfy my breakfast urge and the supreme taco to see what they were all about.  Total for both tacos was only like $4 in spite of the fact that the supreme taco had sour cream and guacamole.

The food was out shortly (have to admit, I was surprised they could turn a breakfast order that fast at 4:00PM!) and the plate was enormous!  I just couldn’t believe how much food they were able to cram on these tacos!

The chilaquile taco was dang good; it wasn’t like the chilaquiles that I order at Lula’s or Thousand Oaks.  It has a really rich almost buttery flavor to it.  I asked for some of the green sauce and that spice went really well with taco.  I knew I was going to get full and not touch the other taco if I didn’t put the chilaquile one down at the halfway mark, but I kept coming back to it as it was that addictive!

NOTE: that is not a little plate, those tacos are just that huge.

The supreme taco certainly lived up to the name.  In addition to being huge, it had all that add on stuff like sour cream and guacamole that most places will charge you a buck fifty (I’m talking to you Chipotle!), or almost as much as the whole taco costs at Ruthie’s!  It was pretty good itself, but I have to admit, I didn’t really eat a whole lot of it so that I could go back to the other taco…

I should say that I went in starving; I hadn’t eaten all day and devoured the chips and salsa quick (the waitress asked if she could bring me more, and I told her “No” so I could save room for the tacos), but I could only clear out probably 2/3 of these two tacos!

A final note should be made on the tortillas; they were some of the thickest I have come across in San Antonio (no, I have not been to Blanco Cafe, it’s on the list (I know, I know…))), and man, they were pretty good!

If you are on a budget or have lots of mouths to feed, drop by Ruthie’s and just order one taco, that is all you are going to need!

Value: 10/10 (Two giant tacos for $4 and I couldn’t even eat both of them, amazing! Plus get guacamole and sour cream without paying extra on the supreme taco)
Atmosphere: 8/10 (hole in wall but clean; go to the section further away from the door for better A/C)
Service: 9/10 (no frills but really nice)
Salsa: 9/10 (good tasting, would have liked the green to be a little hotter)
Taste: 10/10 (chilaquile taco was more addicting than fantasy football)
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Well, I can’t believe that this blog has been going on for a year now; I never really had a proper celebration for it. What started out as something as just to let my family and friends know where to eat in San Antonio has actually started getting a small amount of following on the web.

Thanks to the folks over at BMPR, I realized that if I am doing something, I might as well try to do it right. At one of their meetings the let me know about the different tools available to bloggers (such as Google Analytics, Facebook Pages, ways for search engines to see your site, etc) and I took some small steps to see what they were all about.

First, after installing an analytics package, I was interested to see that a decent amount of people happen on this site on a quasi regular basis. These analytics have been interesting to watch (especially for a math/science guy like myself) and I decided to try to have a standard heading to get into search engines. You might have noticed a switch where it states “Review of [restaurant] Restaurant in San Antonio, TX” on every post. I think that this has helped me improve where I wind up on search engine results instead of having willy nilly titles every post.

The statistics showed that I have very few repeat customers, so today I decided to try to address that issue. I created a Facebook page so that you can become a fan and get a post any time I make one. I think that more people use Facebook than RSS feeds, so I thought this might help people know when I have made updates and they can check it out if it was a restaurant they were interested in.

I also put a link on each post that you can “Share on Facebook,” so if you see a particular review you like, or if it is a restaurant that is one of your favorites in San Antonio, be sure to click it and let your friends know! I think that the other opportunity that the Facebook page can afford me is the ability for people to easily make suggestions on where I should go to next or what interesting things I should try in the city.

Lastly, if you have an iPhone, you will be happy to know that I installed an update where the site will have a mobile version while you are on the go. If you are like me, however, and like seeing the full site, all you have to do is go to the bottom of the page and press the button to give you the full site! Anyway, it might make it easier for some people to read while you are out and about.

I have really enjoyed getting to explore the city and write about my experiences this past year and some odd. Hopefully the pain of having to get through my colloquial way of writing and grammar mistakes has been worth it by getting to eat at some restaurants you might not have known about.

Thanks for reading!

-An Average Joe

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I am often asked where my favorite place in town to get a margarita, and I have to say that I really like the margarita’s at El Jarro de Arturo.  I like the Arturo margarita because it is not syrupy or all that sugary sweet.  I one time talked to a waiter about how they make it, and took his advice, added a little more tequila and a twist of orange and have my margarita recipe which is seen below:

*2 shotglasses of Patron Silver
*1 shotglass of Cointreau
*1 shotglass of freshly squeezed lime (using a lime squeezer this is about 2 limes)
*twist of a fresh orange

Combine all ingredients with ice in a shaker; shake and serve in a martini glass.

I like it because you can still taste the tequila (hence the importance of using good tequila) and it just tastes fresh.

That’s it. Simple. Easy. Fresh. Potent.

Be sure to vote for El Clásico inn the Patrón Cocktail Lab on Facebook so that it becomes the most popular margarita!

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Back in December of 2008 I was at HEB and I had what most people might deem the weird idea of mixing General Tso’s Chicken with mashed potatoes and fried okra. I know that this sounds odd, but it is really not all the bizarre at all. I mean, HEB’s General Tso’s (they call it General Joe’s) Chicken is chicken nuggets in spicy sauce, essentially a boneless wing.

The employee informed me that in no circumstance was I allowed to mix a Chinese entree with American sides. What was further aggravating was the fact that they were (1) about to close the food court so all the food was in the process of being tossed and (2) the cost of both meals are the exact same. So in no way did it make sense that I should not be allowed to mix the Chinese entree with American sides.

HEB is the great wall between Chinese entres and American sides mixing.

I was slightly upset, more because to me it just didn’t make sense. This situation was akin to your parents telling you to do something and upon being asked why giving the answer, “Because I said so.” I mean, I am a rational person. Had the American plate been $1.50 more than the Chinese plate, I would have paid the difference, but they were the same price. Why couldn’t I have them?

I was up for the challenge and had some time on my hand so I wrote a letter and sent an email to every HEB email address I could find, sent a paper letter to Charles Butt (CEO), the Corporate Customer Relations Team, and the Store Manager. I actually ended up getting a message left on my machine (which I left for over a year because it cracked me up) from a lady telling me that I could absolutely mix my entrees. She assured me that we would not have this problem again. NOTE: I appended the letter I wrote in 12/2008 at the bottom of this post.

Fast forward to tonight. I had a long day. I had seen a lot of potential clients. All I wanted, for whatever reason, was General Tso’s Chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I mean, I haven’t seen a vegetable in sometime now and was craving one.

I finished my grocery shopping and went to the food court. You could tell that the food was picked over and they were about to fold up shop. I asked for General Tso’s chicken and as the lady began scooping rice, I informed her that I would prefer mashed potatoes. She stopped scooping and informed me, “We aren’t allowed to mix.”

I couldn’t believe it! I let her know that, “Yes, you can mix, they do it for me all the time,” to which she replied, “No, I can’t mix, I’m sorry.” I assured her that I had been through this before and even had a voice message from a lady from the corporate office who said I could do this. “No, you can’t mix.” I ended up sending out a couple of tweets that I hope @HEB will soon notice.

Ugh! Imagine how unfulfilling guacamole would be if you could not combine a Mexican avocado with a Roma tomato? Or not putting a French vanilla scoop of ice cream on that apple pie? Or no French’s mustard on a Swiss and Turkey sandwich? Uncle Ben would not even be able to make Spanish Rice for cryin’ out loud! What type of world would that be!

Don't forget, Turkey's a country too.

This is why I am upset. It is 2010. I support interracial food mixing and I hope that you do to. Be sure to leave a comment so that HEB knows that they should allow us to once again mix Chinese entrees with American sides.

You can also click here to Tweet out this story with the hash tag of #supportinterracialfoodmixing

God bless food with diverse backgrounds, God bless America.

Original Letter from 12/2008

Sir or Madam of the Customer Relations Department,

Hello, I am a regular shopper at the H-E-B on I-10 and DeZavala. I enjoy your selection of produce (particularly the Honey Crisp Apples that are now in season) and overall I am content with paying slightly higher prices than Wal-Mart because the quality is better.

I do, however, have a problem that I would like to see addressed as soon as possible. I often go to the food court inside the store and often order some of the Chinese or American food. Tonight, I was in an adventurous mood and wanted to order the General Tso’s Chicken along with mashed potatoes w/cream gravy and fried okra. I don’t know why I wanted to order that combination other than the fact that it sounded good.

I was informed by the employee that I cannot combine American sides with a Chinese main course. I asked the employee which combo meal is more expensive, the American or the Chinese, and offered to pay the higher price. He told me that they were the same cost but I could still not combine the American sides with the Chinese main course.

My question is why? I mean, the food court was shutting down; they were probably going to be throwing the food away anyway. This is the 21st century where different ethnic groups get together all the time, why are they not allowed to do the same at the H-E-B food court?

Needless to say, I was not happy. No, I did not want rice and an egg roll. I wanted mashed potatoes and okra! Fried chicken is an American entrée, so I did not see the big deal in getting a chicken entrée from the Chinese menu. I was aggravated and simply decided to leave. Not only did you lose out on my food court purchase (which was roughly $5.00) but also on my grocery purchase for the evening (which was substantially more) as I decided to do my shopping at Whole Foods instead.

Does this not seem insane to you? Why can’t you combine the American sides with the Chinese main course? I don’t imagine that this happens often, however, I can’t be the only one that you have upset.

I hope that you can resolve this issue in the near future, after all, they are the same price! I will be checking back soon to see if I can get my mashed potatoes and okra with the General Tso’s chicken. If you are unable to accommodate this request, I will just shop elsewhere.

Thank you for hearing out my complaint; I have also sent a letter to the CEO, Charles Butt, and to the grocery manager at DeZavala, Rick.

Regards

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SanAntonioJoe.com has been around for a little over a year now, and I realized that I had not yet reviewed my favorite restaurant in all of San Antonio, El Jarro de Arturo.  I have told countless number of people how great their margaritas and food are, but I guess I completely forgot to make a post.  This is about to be remedied.

El Jarro is a family owned business since 1975 and is run by owners Arturo and Sandy Cerna.  You can really tell the emphasis is on family as you will see many of the same folks working in the restaurant year to year.  I really like it because in addition to the management, many of the waiters and staff have been there for a while.  You really feel like part of the family when you dine there.

Entering the restaurant takes you away from the hustle and bustle of Highway 281 and transports you into the interior of Mexico.  On the weekends, there is a band that will play a combination of Latin and 60s/70s pop music.  You can even shake it on the smallish dance floor.

The outside patio is nice, however, it is pretty difficult to get away from the fact that you are in a strip mall next to a major highway and Party City.  In spite of this, they do a pretty nice job of trying to set up an oasis to escape the work day with one of their patented margaritas.

Speaking of, I think that the margaritas at El Jarro are the best in the city.  Don’t waste your time with a frozen one or one with a swirl.  Opt instead for the real deal, The Arturo.  Made with Patron, Cointreau, and lime juice, this potent mixture is served in a martini glass instead of the more traditional rounded margarita glass.  The margarita is $8 but packs a punch that makes it completely worth the price.  A word to the wise – if you will be drinking a couple of these you better plan on having a designated driver for the trip back home.

Normally served in a taller martini glass, this margarita packs a punch. Have a DD if you plan on drinking two.

Their chips and salsa are pretty addicting.  The salsa is always made fresh and pretty chunky.  It is almost like a pico de gallo but not quite; depending on how hot the jalapeños are that day it can be medium to really spicy heat.  Arturo recently talked to the San Antonio Express News and gave them his salsa recipe which is pretty quick and easy to make.  Apparently they make 40 gallons of it a day!

If I have a friend visiting me in San Antonio for the first time, we will inevitably make a stop here for dinner.  For all first timers, I make sure that we order the Queso Flameado as an antojito (or appetizer).  As opposed to queso that most gringos are used to (the kind at Super Bowl parties), this is more of a thicker consistency that has some peppers and chorizo mixed in with it.  They will usually bring it out and light it on fire while mixing all the ingredients together.  It is best eaten on a corn tortilla.

In addition to having the traditional Tex-Mex fare, El Jarro offers a nice variety of Mexico-Mex including Norteño and coastal food.  This is why I typically rotate between three main options for my meal:

If I am feeling a little Tex-Mex, I usually order the El Jarro #3 which is two cheese enchiladas, a crispy taco (be sure to sub in the puffy taco!), rice, beans, and guacamole.  At just above $10, this plate will leave you completely full and satisfied.

For all you seafood lovers, you won’t be remiss to go with the Red Snapper a la Pepe.  More on the expensive side (about $22), the fish is served with a tequila tomato sauce that is really nice. You also get a Salad a la George with this meal, which is a Romaine lettuce salad with mango, jicama, red bell pepper, purple onions, avocado and a vinegar dressing.  The salad almost equals the fish; I love this meal because after I eat it I am full but I do not feel weighted down.

The third option I usually go with is a Norteño delicacy called Cabrito, or baby goat.  I know firsthand that this might sound strange to a lot of folks because when I moved to San Antonio 5 years ago and visited El Jarro for the first time I was kind of shocked to see it on the menu.  I kept going back to restaurant and wondered what it tasted like until one day I got the courage to ask my waiter about it.  He said that it was a specialty and one of his favorites so I ordered it.  I’ve been hooked ever since.

Apparently, I’m not the only one.  In 2009, a foodie for the New York Times wrote an article about how he learned to love goat meat.  The taste of cabrito is really nice because it is so tender and really isn’t a greasy meat.  I was a little afraid that it might have a gamey taste (I don’t like venison for this reason), but I don’t think it is gamey at all.  Cabrito is good either by itself or by making a taco on a corn tortilla with a little bit of guacamole.

The cabrito is a specialty at El Jarro; I ordered it this past visit.

After telling folks how much I liked El Jarro’s cabrito, some of my Mexican friends told me I should check out El Rey de Cabrito in Monterrey, Mexico.  Always up for an adventure, a buddy and I took a midnight bus down to Mexico back in 2006 with the express interest of getting the cabrito.  I will say that El Rey de Cabrito is better, but it is only by the slimmest margins.

El Jarro is one of my San Antonio staples.  I go there to celebrate birthdays, new jobs, or life in general along with going there to commiserate after a bad day or a failure.  It has been a place to take friends and family the first time that they visit me in San Antonio, and a place to return time and time again to catch up.  In short, the overall friendliness of the staff and exceptional food at El Jarro is San Antonio to me.  God willing, their doors will be open for years to come.

Value: 9/10 (you can get a Tex-Mex dinner for $10 that will fill you up or some higher cuisine for $20; the margaritas are $8 but pack more of a punch than two of the typical $4 ones elsewhere)

Atmosphere: 9/10 (Inside atmosphere is really nice and cozy; the patio is good, but you are in a strip mall)

Service: 9.5/10 (really nice servers who will guide you through the menu; I would give it a 10 but the thing is that the service can sometimes be slow; don’t worry, you are in the land of mañana, sit back, relax, and visit )

Salsa: 10/10 (different than most in San Antonio, chunky with a nice heat; don’t forget the recipe seen here)

Taste: 10/10 (my favorite spot in town; if you visit me for the first time we are probably going there)

Website: http://www.eljarro.com

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