As you walk towards the restaurant and see the calavera sitting on the bench, you know that you are in for a good time.  The restaurant gets every small detail perfect: from how their name is cut out of metal piece that holds items on your table, the table side purse rack for the ladies, and the really cool basket that the chips come in, the restaurant makes you feel carefree, like you are on a vacation.

The Margarita La Gloria: very blue, not so tart, and potent.

I had some friends who came into town from Austin and were looking at possibly relocating to San Antonio.  I wanted to highlight that our city also has a funky kind of vibe, so I decided to show off the Pearl Brewery, the Museum Reach river extension (they loved the F.I.S.H. sculptures), and La Gloria.

My friends have a 13-month year old daughter, and I knew that La Gloria would be the perfect place to take a toddler.  There is a good buzz in the air from all the conversation and how the acoustics work, so I knew she could be a little rambunctious without disturbing any restaurant goers.  Furthermore, with Pearl’s policy of “Please, Play on our Grass” I knew that mom or dad could take her outside to play.

La Gloria serves Mexican street food, so there are an abundance of tacos, tostadas, sopes, and tortas to choose from.  The portions are small to medium sized and are designed for you to eat and share with your table.

We wanted to try a little of everything so we got a molcajete of queso with chile, ceviche verde (on the suggestion of @ShrinkingFoodie), a traditional tlayuda (think Mexican pizza), panucho cochinita pibil, and tacos dorados de pollo verde (on the suggestion of Eva at Mesa a Mesa).

You absolutely have to order a molcajete when you go to La Gloria.  A molcajete is like a morter and pestle that is used to grind spices or prepare salsas in Mexican cuisine.  If you ever decide to purchase one, the best are made out of volcanic rock and you have to cure it out by grinding rice in it.  This will smooth out the molcajete which is very important because if you don’t do it the sharp edges will tear at your ingredients instead of grind them.  Trust me.  My friend tried to make a salsa with one I bought her before she cured it and it wasn’t working…

At any rate, the molcajetes at La Gloria come out of the oven at like a billion degrees and the contents are bubbling hot.  Don’t believe me? Check out this video that I shot.

My girlfriend went to La Gloria once before and raved about the queso molcajete so we ordered it.  The one we got was a little different because in addition to the queso there were a lot of chiles mixed in.  Regardless, it was delicious with just a very mild spice.  We spooned the boiling hot cheese onto corn tortillas and devoured the bowl in no time.

Since we ordered so much food and to avoid being verbose, I am going to show a picture and briefly say what I liked about each of them for the remainder of this post.

Ceviche Verde at La Gloria Ice House

I am not that big of a fan of ceviche, but the ceviche verde was working; what tied it together were the olives.

Traditional Tlayuda at La Gloria Ice House

The traditional tlayuda was on an enormous fried tortilla and had black beans, cheese, lettuce, avocado, and some really nice tomatoes.  Kick up the heat by topping it off with some of their house salsa.

Panucho Cochinita Pibil at La Gloria Ice House

The panucho cochinita pibil is the item that I would have left out (although it still was very good!).  The pork was similar to pulled pork that you might get at a barbecue joint without the BBQ sauce.

My favorite dish of the night, Tacos Dorads de Pollo Verde at La Gloria Ice House

The tacos dorados de pollo verde was my favorite dish of the night, and I don’t even like tomatillo sauce! (Whenever I hear of a verde sauce I immediately think of New Mexico green chiles so my taste buds are never prepared for the tartness of the tomatillo.)  You get three mini tacos that are stuffed with perfectly marinated chicken and topped with farmer’s cheese and crema that give it a smooth taste.  Be sure to get this dish when you visit!

To wash it all down, I had to try the Margarita La Gloria, which is a blue colored margarita.  While it is not as tart as traditional margaritas, it is every bit potent.  They also have a wide variety of aguas frescas, and when they brought out the sandia, or watermelon drink, I had to get a cup of it.  I liked that it was not too sweet and there was a good amount of pulp in it, in addition to the fact that you get unlimited refills!

Be sure to leave room for dessert! The Tres Leches Cake at La Gloria Ice House rocks!

Finally, you would be remiss not to order the tres leches cake at La Gloria.  Instead of garnishing the cake with sauce or chocolate, they let it stand on it’s own merits and it works quite nicely.  Incredibly sweet and moist, regardless of how full you are you have to have a bite.

Chef Johnny and his staff have created such a great experience for locals and tourists alike.  You would be well served to make a stop in midtown for not only a great atmosphere that extends from the restaurant to the river, but also for some incredible food.

Value: You can spend a little or a lot at La Gloria; while the plates can add up, you do have the ability to control how much you get.
Atmosphere: Such an amazing atmosphere! The devil is in the details and La Gloria gets it! What’s even better is that you are right by the Museum Reach portion of the river so you can go for an after dinner stroll
Service: The service had a couple of hiccups, but overall was pretty good (in fairness, they were slammed when I went); the main thing was  when my friend ordered a Caipirinha and got a pink fruity drink; the waiter said that it was correct but I know that the drink should not be pink; we pressed further and he finally got the right drink from the bartender.
Salsa: Fantastic salsa with the right amount of heat! The chips were delicious as well.
Taste: You aren’t going to go wrong with a meal at La Gloria, there is something for everyone and it all tastes fantastic! They are very deserving of the best new restaurant nod!

Twitter: Follow @LaGloriaSA
Facebook: Like La Gloria
Website: http://lagloriaicehouse.com
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The inside of Rita’s is no frills with tables, a cashier’s counter, a fridge for sodas, and a few bits and pieces of Mexican folk art on the wall.  I sat down at one of the tables and was greeted by the lady who was behind the counter.  She seemed a little short, but I think it may have been more due to her ability to speak English and the fact that she wanted to get orders in before the lunch rush rather than her personality.

Corrugated tin and red paint; this is my type of place to get Mexican food.

At any rate, I looked at the menu and found that there were about seven to ten lunch plates that all ranged between $6 and $6.50.  I decided to go with The Mix as it contained a little of everything: two enchiladas, two flautas, and one taco dorado.  After I saw the tall glass bottle of Mexican Coke in the fridge, I ordered one when my food came out.  The $2 charge for Mexican Coke is always worth it, as a soda made with sugar cane is always superior to the corn syrup American version.

My food came out promptly and I was impressed with the amount on my plate.  The waitress brought out both red and green salsas; the green version was the real deal and had a nice heat to it.

The taco dorado was my favorite item on the plate; it is a smaller fried corn tortilla folded like a taco but almost enclosed like an empanada.  Unlike an empanada, the shell is very crispy and inside had refried beans and meat.

The enchiladas were good but not what I was expecting.  Instead of being a Tex-Mex cheese enchilada with yellow cheese and soaked in gravy, their enchiladas were a red corn tortilla rolled loosely with only the white farmer’s cheese.  There was not a thick sauce, and while I missed it at first, I did enjoy the lighter feeling of this enchilada.

The Mix plate - two enchiladas, two flautas, and a taco dorado. Comes with potatoes and roasted pepper as garnish. iPod headphones not included.

The weakest link was the flautas which resembled a taquito more than a flauta.  The corn tortilla was wound so tight that it resembled Cruella DeVille’s long cigarette and barely had any meat in it and the green sauce that topped it didn’t have much flavor.  The plate was garnished with a healthy amount of potatoes and even had a grilled pepper that helped spice up the flautas.

Overall, Rita’s fit the bill as being good, quick, Mexican food that is not too expensive.  If you have grown tired of all the Tex-Mex fare and are looking for something a little different for lunch, give Rita’s Enchiladas a shot.

Value: 8.5/10 (at $6 – $6.50 for a lunch this is reasonable, but you will want to add a Mexican Coke which might make it a more expensive lunch)
Atmosphere: 7/10 (really no frills kind of plain dining environment; not enough ephemera to make it a quirky hole in the wall)
Service: 7.5/10 (not bad service but not anything remarkable; at the end of the meal I did get to talk with the son of the family that owns the restaurant who was really nice)
Salsa: 9/10 (green salsa is spicy and will kick up your meal)
Taste: 8/10 (good food but different than what you might be expecting; the flautas are what brought the rating down as they just aren’t all that good)
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ritasenchiladas
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La Fogata is located off of Vance Jackson and has the feel of being a neighborhood restaurant.  Parking used to be a pain as their tiny lot would fill and patrons had to park in the neighborhood (some home owners would place orange cones in front of their houses to try to keep people from crowding their street).  A year or two ago, the restaurant purchased a couple of houses across the street that they tore down to make an overflow parking lot that has alleviated much of the pain.

While there is limited indoor seating, the reason to go to La Fogata is to sit on the patio.  You will enter the patio through a huge wooden door that was once the entrance to a hacienda built in the 1880s in Mexico.  The patio has a lot of neon lights, so there is a soft blueish-pink glow.  No matter when you go there will be a wait, but don’t worry, grab a margarita from the bar and sit by the fountain while you wait for your name to be called.

I always have enjoyed the house margarita (it is on my Margarita Foodspotting Guide for San Antonio) because it is pretty big, more tart than sugary sweet, and poured by a heavy handed bartender.  My girlfriend decided to go with the frozen raspberry margarita that came with a test tube of Grand Marnier inside it (I have no clue why they didn’t mix it in).  I have to say, I was impressed by her fruity margarita and stole more than one sip from it.

The margarita at La Fogata; don't let that flower fool you, it is quite strong!

Their chips and salsa are some of the best in town with a roasted salsa that is a dark red color and a smokey flavor.  This is my dad’s favorite salsa and I will stop by HEB on the way out of town to pick him up several jars.  On each visit to La Fogata I will go through two of the bowls of salsa myself because it is so tasty.

La Fogata is one of those places that you have to get an appetizer.  I like to get either the queso flameado which they light on fire at your table side, guacamole a mano which is also prepared fresh at your table, but this time I opted for the rajas chile poblano (a lot of places might call it rajas con crema).  This appetizer is a bowl of poblano peppers and onions sauteed with white and cream cheese.  You scoop the mixture on a tortilla and it is really rich.

Rajas Chile Poblano under the neon glow of the patio.

For my main course, I went with the Tacos Norteños which is crispy tortillas filled with refried beans, cheese, and beef fajita meet and is cook on the grill.  The tacos are topped with cabbage, tomatoes, and slices of avocados.  They use a lot of fajita meat in these tacos so you definitely get your money’s worth.  While the borracho beans are amazing, the Mexican rice is not all that good.  They have improved it since my last visit, but still, it is so-so at best; this is the only drawback to the meal.

The Tacos Norteños have a lot of beef fajita meat.

The best part, however, is the fact that there will always be mariachis roaming around waiting to serenade you and your table.  Since moving to San Antone, I have found a special place in my heart for mariachis and if they are around, I have to get them to play a song.  If you are an out-of-towner, do a little research and suggest something besides La Bamba; some of my favorites include Guadalajara, Rancho Grande, El Mariachi, and Volver.  However, since I was with that special someone, I asked them to play Tu Solo Tu.

If you are in town and looking for that quintessential San Antonio experience, La Fogata will treat you right.  Have a designated driver, a healthy appetite, and $10 for the mariachis.

Value: 9/10 (the margaritas are a little pricey (and you might have more than one during your wait) but the food is reasonable)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (the best patio in town; the way it is set up takes you out of reality and into a fantasy land with a huge fountain and neon glow filled with food, friends, and tequila)
Service: 8/10 (they are usually swamped so the service can be a little slow)
Salsa: 10/10 (amazing salsa; if you are a visitor, you can find jars of it at HEB)
Taste: 9.5/10 (so good! I just wish that they could bring it with the rice!)
Website: http://lafogata.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lafogata
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Situated on the corner where DeZavala turns into Babcock, Chayitos was formerly known as Emmy’s.  A lot of folks have told me good things about this restaurant and I was looking forward to see if there could be a good hole in the wall Mexican restaurant on the Northside.

The interior has an old school Mexican diner type of feel with as much Spanish being spoken as English.  The dining area is pretty large and in the corner is a projection TV that shows a strange assortment of music videos.  While we were there we saw Whitesnake, Bruno Mars, and early 90s U2 videos; it is extremely random.

Even though it was a Saturday, they had a lunch special that included two cheese enchiladas, puffy taco, rice, beans, and an iced tea for $5.49!  I couldn’t believe that I could get that kind of price on the weekend, and knew that I had to get the special.

The chips appeared to be deep fried versions of their corn tortillas as they come out extremely hot and crispy.  The salsa was so-so and seemed like it had a lot of canned tomato sauce/paste in it.  In spite of this, it did have a decent enough taste and worked with the very crispy chips.

When I got my plate, I was impressed by the amount of food I was given.  While the puffy taco wasn’t all that puffy (it seemed more like a gordita), the picadillo meat that came in it was very flavor and spicy.  The enchiladas were really good as well, with a thick sauce and melted cheese.  Even though I like my gravy to have meat in it, these enchiladas really brought it.

Can you believe I got all this food (with an iced tea) for just $5.49?

The old standards really made the meal.  The rice and beans had such a good taste that I didn’t even bother to put salsa on them – a rarity of any restaurant I visit.  Although the tortillas were not very thick, they were extremely chewy and had a lot of substance to them.  With a little crisp on the outside, they could have made a meal on their own with some honey!  Even though I had tons of food, I managed to take down a second tortilla because they were so delicious.

I am glad to have finally found Mexican food on the Northside that not only tastes good, but is also priced right.

Value: 10/10 (if you stick with the daily special you will get a ton of food and tea for less than $6 (even on the weekend!), otherwise it is probably $7 a plate)
Atmosphere: 8.5/10 (old school Mexican restaurant feel; randomly has this huge projection screen TV showing eclectic music videos)
Service: 10/10 (very prompt service and quick delivery of food)
Salsa: 6/10 (kind of some weak sauce; the only low point in the experience)
Taste: 9/10 (really enjoyed the meal; if the salsa was better it would have been a 10!)

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I really love to use Foodspotting when I am torn on what to order at a restaurant.  It is easy to see what other folks have spotted and what their experience/recommendations are.  This alone is worth getting the app.

The other reason that Foodspotting is awesome  is that I can browse restaurants while I’m at home and see where I should eat in the near future.  The platform is so easy to use and a lot of fun.

Recently, I published a couple of guides that you might be interested in: San Antonio Joe’s Favorite Mexican Food, San Antonio Joe’s Favorite Margaritas, and San Antonio Joe’s Top Beer Joints.  If you spot five of the items on a guide you can get a cool badge for your Foodspotting profile like the ones seen below.  On top of that, if you are the first person to spot ALL the items in a guide, I will mail you a cool prize (and yes, it is cool)!

I hope you can follow San Antonio Joe on Foodspotting and that you enjoy the app as much as I do!

I went on a Thursday night and the restaurant was packed because it was Mariachi night.  Even though it was a little chilly outside, we decided to eat on the patio because we were both hungry (and hoped that the Parrot Tails might warm us up).  Unfortunately, none of the Mariachis came out on the patio (I think it was too frio for them), but our waiter told us that Perico’s pays them to play songs until 10:00PM.  Just remember to tip them when they play Tu Solo Tu for you and your special friend.

I think that it is perfectly acceptable for a guy to get a girlie drink if it is the featured drink of a restaurant.  However, I might be saying this to make me feel better about getting a pink cocktail.   At any rate, I ordered the Parrot Tail which has vodka, coconut rum, Triple Sec, Hypnotic, cranberry juice, and sweet and sour mix.  Of course, it is garnished with sugar on the rim (which makes it all the more girlie), but you know what, it tastes great.  The Parrot Tail would be a perfect drink on their spacious outdoor patio when the weather warms up.  In fact you will probably catch me throwing some down on a Tuesday night when they are on special for $2.

The Parrot Tail at Pericos. Yes it is pink. Yes I am a man. Yes it is delicious.

I hadn’t had any cheese enchiladas in a while and decided to order them.  As opposed to many restaurants in town where you get two enchiladas on a plate, Perico’s ups the ante and serves you three!  Be sure to pay the small up charge to get the cheese enchiladas topped with chile con carne.

The plate was filled to the brim with food when the waiter brought it out.  I really enjoyed the refried beans, and Perico’s was spot on with the rice.  The enchiladas were delicious as well.  While the chili con carne didn’t have big chunks of meat a la Tito’s, it did add a lot to the flavor of the enchiladas and had a spicy taste.

The cheese enchliada plate with chile con carne at Pericos. Notice there are THREE enchiladas on the plate; they don't mess around.

My friend ordered the chipotle enchiladas, and after having a bite of them, I knew what I will order next time.  The three enchiladas are filled with chicken and topped with a chipotle sauce, Monterrey Jack cheese, and cilantro.  The sauce was very creamy, thick, and rich and the chicken tasted like it had stewed in spices for a while.

While you might have to wait a while for good weather to enjoy the Pericos patio, the enchiladas and Parrot Tails make it worth your while to stop by today.

Value: 9.5/10 (about $10 a plate for a dinner with a $5 Parrot Tail (you can get it on special for $2 on a Tuesday night))
Atmosphere: 9.5/10 (awesome patio and they have free mariachis on Thursday night)
Service: 8/10 (normal service with a friendly waiter)
Salsa: 9/10 (I really liked the roasted salsa; it is a little spicier than other roasted salsas in town)
Taste: 9.5/10 (loved the rice; the cheese enchiladas were great, but the chipotle enchiladas stole the show)
Website: http://pericosgrill.com/
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I went down Nogalitos/
Lookin’ for some barbacoa and Big Red/
I went down Nogalitos/
Lookin’ for some barbacoa and Big Red/
I coulda had menudo/
But I got some cabesa instead!

For those of you gringos who are visiting San Antonio, you might be in the same position that I was five years ago and not have a clue what it even is.  Barbacoa is traditionally served on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and many view it as a hangover cure when paired with Big Red Soda.

Here’s the down and dirty on barbacoa (I don’t mean to freak you out, but you should know what you are getting into): it is cooked cow head in a dug out pit in the backyard.  Traditional barbacoa consists of everything associated with the head, so if you are a little squeemish (like I can be) I would suggest that you order the “all meat” version.

I was educated by Eddie and Diana at the first job I worked because we had to come in one Saturday in our busy season.  When Eddie told me what barbacoa was, it freaked me out.  I was just a young gringo from West Texas who didn’t know anything.  I told Diana I wasn’t going to have anything to do with barbacoa, and she insisted that I try it.  Seeing that Diana was like my surrogate mother in San Antonio, I had to eat it or risk disappointing her.  Boy was I glad that I manned up and tried it.

Like soul food, barbacoa is a cut of meat that most people would see no value in; however, folks who could not afford the better cuts of the cow had to make use with what they had.  Barbacoa is seasoned and allowed to cook a long time which gives it a nice flavor.

You will stir up a big debate by asking San Antonians where is the best place to get barbacoa.  Locals are very passionate about this dish, and I am not meaning to suggest the best place, but simply a place that I think is pretty good.  Some of the best barbacoa I have eaten was brought into work by someone from a little hole in the wall that I would have no idea of where to find.

I had a friend, Putman, coming in from New Mexico one Saturday for a party, so after picking him up from the airport we met another buddy of mine, Frank, down at Taqueria Datapoint to get some barbacoa. Frank had been to Taqueria Datapoint before and said that they served up some good grub, so I thought this would be an excellent place to take Putman.

A pound of barbacoa, the fixins, and a Big Red at Taqueria Datapoint off of I-10.

You usually order barbacoa by the pound and the best way to eat it is with corn tortillas.  A pound is a good amount and can probably feed four people comfortably (even as three hungry dudes we had some left overs at our table).  Condiments are always served on the side, but I was impressed by what was included at Taqueria Datapoint.  We got tons of cilantro, onions, limes, avocado, and some great green salsa (this salsa is hot, but it is the best for barbacoa).

The tortillas were nice and thick and the barbacoa was very flavorful (again be sure to order the “all meat” if you’re squeemish).  Making a breakfast taco with cilantro, onions, green salsa and a pinch of salt will put you in heaven, or at the minimum alleviate that hangover.  The Big Red completes the experience, giving a little bit of sweet to calm that hot taste of the salsa.

If you are in town on business and staying over the weekend, forgo that continental breakfast with stale biscuits and lackluster fruit and head out to find some barbacoa.  Taqueria Datapoint will definitely do you right, but if you are on the opposite side of town, ask the person at the front desk for their opinion.  If they are a true San Antonian, they will definitely have one.

Value: 10/10 (we got the entire pound with drinks for under $15)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (great hole in the wall vibe with different art/items from Mexico on the wall)
Service: 10/10 (super nice and very prompt; tip them well since the food is so cheap!)
Salsa: 9/10 (I really liked the spicy green salsa; the red with the chips was good as well)
Taste: 9.5/10 (excellent spot to grab some barbacoa and Big Red; I am not sure about the other food as I have only been there for breakfast)
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Operating on Main Street since 1930, La Fonda has been the go to place for many San Antonians, visiting actors (Gary Cooper, John Wayne), generals (Eisenhower, McArthur), and sitting presidents (FDR, LBJ).  As you can see, the restaurant is steeped in history.  I decided to go snag lunch there earlier this week with a friend.

Right off the bat, I was blown away by the atmosphere.  You feel like you are eating in a place that has a history, and since the weather was nice, we decided to go eat out on the patio next to a huge oak tree (I am guessing that it has to be over a hundred years old!).  One thing to be aware of (especially if you are not from San Antonio), this is the time where all our Live Oaks drop their acorns and this big tree has its fair share of them!

The service was great and we were promptly greeted by our waitress.  I started out with Steve’s Margarita, and the waitress forewarned me that it is essentially tequila and lime juice and is really tart.  This is my type of margarita.  I don’t know what tequila they used, but it did have a good, tart, refreshing taste (and packed a punch).  I think it misses a little something by not having an orange liquor, but it was good none-the-less.

I decided to order the Enchiladas Rojas de Queso which was enchiladas with a red tomato type sauce and the white cheese.  I thought it was going to be enchiladas with a red chile instead (I have recently been cooking a lot with some extra hot red chile I picked up in New Mexico), so it was not exactly what I was expecting.

Think about a time when you you ordered a Dr. Pepper but got a Coke instead; Coke isn’t necessarily bad but it wasn’t what you were looking for.  Overall the main dish was really good, however, I confess that it was not what I expected.  The enchiladas with the tomato sauce actually seemed like a Mexican take on manicotti with the tortillas subbing in for the pasta.  Since it is not what I was expecting, I am going to withhold my rating until another visit where I try something more in line with the Tex Mex that I love.

The Enchiladas Rojas de Queso has a tomato sauce that is good, but is not what I was looking for; order the La Fonda Special if you are looking for Tex Mex.

My friend ordered the La Fonda Special Plate and when I saw it I was immediately jealous.  It had every Tex Mex dish on it that you could imagine, even a nice tamale with guisada gravy.  I’ll tell you what, I KNOW what I am going to order the next time I return!

So I guess the jury is still out for me on La Fonda on Main.  I think that it is a restaurant that I could love, but I definitely have to get out there again and order a different dish.

Value: 7/10 (it is a little pricey for lunch (the La Fonda Special Plate is $12))
Atmosphere: 10/10 (awesome atmosphere with a lot of history; the patio has to be one of the best in town)
Service: 9/10 (great service that was incredibly fast and friendly (one of the little old ladies called me “handsome” completely out of the blue as I was leaving; flattery is worth something as far as I’m concerned!))
Salsa: 6/10 (I will say that I was a little disappointed in the salsa; it was fresh but it seemed like it was missing something; while adding a little salt will bring out the flavors, it is not spicy at all)
Taste: ???/10 (going to have to go back to get another plate; if you are in town for some Tex Mex, you would be best to avoid the Enchiladas Rojas de Queso as it tastes more Italian than Mexican to me)
Website: www.lafondaonmain.com/
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The weather was really starting to cool off, so my friend and I decided to eat on the patio.  I was really impressed with the atmosphere inside when I went in to be seated by the hostess.  It was really chic and had a welcoming vibe to it.  Equally as nice was the patio, where they carved out a secluded place that really took you away from the outside world.  The fountain outside is soothing and really drowned out the outside noise.

The chips and salsa were excellent; in fact, I will say that the roasted salsa is the best I’ve had in town to date, even surpassing that of La Fogata (my friend also agreed with this).

When I opened up my menu, I was glad that I had come for lunch.  The prices seemed completely out of touch with Mexican restaurants (even the nice ones) throughout the city.  Plates seemed an average of $5-$10 higher than normal for dinner; I guess they have to make sure they can cover that Alamo Heights rent.

I ordered the Chile Relleno Tradicional de Carne which is a poblano pepper stuffed with ground beef, potatoes, and white cheese.  It was topped with a red chile sauce that was really tasty.  The rice and borracho beans were a notch above typical restaurants.  While the relleno was pretty good, all I could think about was the fact that (1) how glad I was that I got the lunch price and (2) how glad I was that I had a Groupon to save even more money.  It’s definitely more expensive than I thought it should be.

Chile Relleno Tradicional de Carne at Paloma Blanca.

A final word should be made on the service; it was absolutely top notch.  Our waitress was not only friendly, but prompt while being unobtrusive, knowledgeable, and extremely helpful.  Unfortunately, my friend noticed that some of the ground beef in his enchilada was undercooked (not so good for ground beef).  Now, I firmly believe this was atypical for Paloma Blanca based on the pride that they obviously take in the restaurant; sometimes things go wrong in a restaurant, but to me this is a time for truly good service to shine.  Our waitress did just that.  She apologized profusely, immediately took the plate back, and promptly brought out a new plate.  I admire how she handled the situation herself without having to bring in a manager.  To me, this shows how awesome Paloma Blanca’s service truly is.

I really think that you need to determine what you are looking for before going to Paloma Blanca.  If you are just looking for some good food, then there are tons of options in San Antonio that I think deliver the same quality of food at a cheaper cost.  However, if you really are looking for an amazing atmosphere and service, and are willing to pay a premium for it, then Paloma Blanca will not disappoint.

Value: 6/10 (I felt like the prices were incredibly inflated; I would advise visiting them for lunch where they aren’t quite as expensive; however, if you are looking for awesome atmosphere and service (and don’t mind paying for it), then this could be the place for you)
Atmosphere: 10/10 (super cool atmosphere both inside and out on the patio; you can definitely unwind at this restaurant)
Service: 10/10 (absolutely some of the best in the city)
Salsa: 10/10 (the roasted salsa is phenomenal; don’t even waste your time with the other type of salsa that they bring out to you)
Taste: 8.5/10 (overall the food has good flavor in the same vein as the more upscale Mexican restaurants in town)
Website: http://www.palomablanca.net/

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Here’s what you are going to need:

*1 Fully Cooked Chicken (I can find these are my grocery store; if not you can cook 3-4 chicken breasts on your own)
*1 lb grated cheese Mexican Blend
*1 medium onion chopped
*30 pack of corn tortillas (you’ll probably only use 20)
*3 Hatch Green Chiles (6 to make it really spicy)
*28 oz of chicken broth (use 2 of the 140z cans)
*1/2 cup butter
*4 TBSP flour
*2 cup sour cream (use the 16oz container)
*gang load of vegetable oil

-Preheat oven to 350F
-Heat vegetable oil in a pan on Medium High and dip each tortilla in the oil for about 2-3 seconds (see more detailed explanation below)
-Chop and saute onion, defrost green chile remove charred skin (feel free to de-seed/de-vein the chile to decrease heat) and chop; mix together with shredded chicken and cheese
-In another pan, combine butter and flour and melt
-Add chicken broth and stir; add sour cream and bring to a rolling boil
-Roll chicken mixture in with the tortillas (should make approximately 20-24 enchiladas) and place in pyrex pan
-Pour sour cream sauce on top of the enchiladas
-Cook in the oven for 20 minutes
For more details, read below.

Here's all the ingredients that you are going to need.

Go ahead and get your oven preheated at 350F so it will be ready when you are done rolling all your enchiladas.

Now the first step can be difficult if you are a gringo like me and don’t really make enchiladas on a regular basis.  You might think that corn tortillas are like flour tortillas and are ready to go out of the package.  Not so.  You actually have to dip them in hot oil so that they don’t break.

Pay careful attention to these directions and you’ll be cool (and have a bag of flour nearby in case you start a grease fire).  Get a skillet and fill it up with oil where it will completely cover a tortilla.  Heat up the oil a little bit more than Medium High; you are going to want it to get hot enough that when you dip the tortilla in with tongs it immediately starts bubbling up.

Two Scoops is showing you how to cook the corn tortillas in the hot oil. Be careful not to burn down your house in this step.

When the oil is nice and hot, have a plate with a paper towel square on it.  Dip the tortilla in the oil for a couple of seconds, flip it to the other side, hold it above the oil and let the excess drip down, and then place it on the paper towel.  Put another paper towel square on top of it and repeat the process.  You are eventually going to have a stack of tortillas alternating with paper towels (kind of how you you get cheese slices separated by paper from the deli).  Do this with the exhaust fan on high (so you don’t trip your fire alarm) and BE CAREFUL.  The oil is VERY HOT!  Remember that if a fire does happen, use flour and NOT water to put it out.

While you are cooking your tortillas, place your chopped onion in a skillet nearby with a little bit of oil and saute them where you get a little bit of brown edges.  This will probably be done around the time you are finished with the tortillas.  Place the onions to the side and go and shred the meat from the chicken.  If you buy a cooked chicken from the grocery store, try to get all the meat you can off of it and shred/dice it up using both the white and dark meat.  Otherwise, cook your chicken breasts through and shred the meat.

Mix the chicken, onions, cheese, and diced green chiles (that you have defrosted and de-skinned) all together in the bowl.  I found that the best way to do this is with you hands so that you can get everything mixed up really good.

The chicken, onion, cheese, and green chile mixture. Your hands are a much better mixing utensil than a spoon (just be sure to wash them).

You are now ready to get your sauce going.  Melt the 1/2 cup of butter (one stick) in a pan and mix in the 4 TBSP of flour on Medium High to get good mixture.  You are then ready to stir in the chicken broth for a little while followed by the sour cream.  You will notice chunks that appear in the sauce, keep stirring until you get a nice thick sauce without any lumps.  This is crucial and will make a good sauce; if you rush it will be kind of runny and the ingredients won’t blend together.

Do you see any lumps in the sauce? Nope. Be sure to take your time and you'll get a good, thick, and consistent sauce.

While your sauce is simmering, start rolling your enchiladas with a handful of chicken mixture in each.  Line them up in the pan, and once you are through you should have a 9×13 pan and a 8×8 pan filled with them.  Pour the sauce over both the pans and place them in the preheated 350F oven for 20 minutes. Once the time is up, get ready to eat some of the best enchiladas in the world!

The finished product. Enjoy!