Overrated Austin restaurants?

[utee94 15825]

6 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Mushrooms? You getting your fajitas at La BBQ?

Sure.  Standing in line for fajitas is the new standing in line for BBQ.

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

For the price you pay for those Lupe fajitas, I'd rather drink myself stupid and eat cheese enchiladas at y mas or maudies.

y mas is fucking terrible. THAT is the definition of overrated.


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[Brisketexan 105152]

10 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

If you think the meat used at the higher end Tex mex places (pappasitos, Lupe etc) are the same, I don’t know what to tell you. Are you saying they just suck ass with that cut of meat or are the latter using a different product?  

Your taco truck and those restaurants ain’t serving the same skirt steak just cooked differently. Shit. Does Taco Bell use the same meat in this universe?

"Fajita" is fucking skirt steak.  Full stop.  It's this:

Which is what Lupe and Pappasitos and Serranos and any place that does legit fajitas uses.

Does Taco Bell use the same meat?  I am all but certain that it does not, being that it markets things as "steak fajitas" or "steak quesadillas."  Many restaurants have taken to grilling OTHER cuts of beef and calling them "fajitas," so lots of folks think that "fajitas" is a style of tacos -- grilled meat, sliced and on a tortilla, boom, fajitas! (see, e.g., chicken "fajitas").

Places that actually use skirt steak, and grill it, are making fajitas.  The "quality" of the cut matters little -- the difference between choice and prime skirt steak is negligible, I would think (even a negative, as you honestly don't want your fajitas to be that fatty). I've used choice skirt steak a jillion times. Take the time to PREP it correctly (remove membrane, marinade, don't overcook, slice correctly), and it's first-rate.  Seriously, my family has been eating fajitas since they were .29 a pound (my dad still hates Chilis for popularizing them and making the cost of a shitty cut of meat soar).

You're talking out of your ass.

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

Skirt steak is damned expensive these days.


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[utee94 15825]

I too blame Chili's.  Seriously.  I'm pretty sure we discussed this several times at the old site.

 

I'm not old enough to remember $.29/lb, but I do recall $.79/lb being the going rate, with sales as low as $.59/lb.

 

Edited May 17, 2018 by utee94

[Hank_Hill 18831]

4 hours ago, Gardner Barnes said:

 

 

y mas is fucking terrible. THAT is the definition of overrated.


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Well, no. 

[skipperj 377]

I made that last week with some leftovers at home. It was delicious.

[Hank Scorpio 17729]

Lupe Tortilla is better than every single restaurant in Austin. Mexican or other. Come at me motherfuckers. 

[Ghost of 3:16 7]

Matt’s el rancho

[Eskimohorn 5635]

Matt’s el rancho

It is rated. Few people rave about their food, though I love their salsa.

[South Austin 52515]

Matt's El Rancho is the Luby's of Tex-Mex.

[Gale Snoats 242]

Matt's is one of those places that has a few couple of good dishes hidden in a menu of mediocrity.  The shrimp a la Matt is a surprisingly great dish.  The more standard texmex fare kind of sucks.    

[utee94 15825]

Yeah I don't think Matt's is "rated" high enough by anyone, to be considered overrated.  It's fine for what it is.

[Eskimohorn 5635]

Matt's El Rancho is the Luby's of Tex-Mex.

Well Luby’s is the best major cafeteria restaurant in the world. I’ve never been disappointed in a meal there given my expectations.

[CooterBrown 18014]

Matt's does everything well but does nothing great.  Most places do one thing extremely well (Y Mas, Maudie's) but drop the ball on everything else.  

[Orange&White 5528]

18 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Lupe Tortilla is better than every single restaurant in Austin. Mexican or other. Come at me motherfuckers. 

What in the actual fuck are you smoking?

[utee94 15825]

[jimmyjazz 45963]

40 minutes ago, Orange^White said:

What in the actual fuck are you smoking?

LOL.  It's Hank.  Re-read the post.

[deac_tracy 516]

On 5/16/2018 at 10:52 PM, ChickenSandwich said:

If you think the meat used at the higher end Tex mex places (pappasitos, Lupe etc) are the same, I don’t know what to tell you. Are you saying they just suck ass with that cut of meat or are the latter using a different product?  

Your taco truck and those restaurants ain’t serving the same skirt steak just cooked differently. Shit. Does Taco Bell use the same meat in this universe?

I’ve always heard the higher end places use outside skirt steak while the cheaper places use inside skirt steak. Inside skirt is cheaper, flatter and has more connective tissue which makes it more chewy. 

[TornACL 7698]

I can't remember the details but I had a friend in the meat industry provide me a high quality skirt steak to grill up and sample, and that shit was fucking unbelievable. Just because it's a cheaper cut of meat doesn't mean there can't be varied quality. I mean look at fucking brisket for example.

[Deej 76800]

This thread is turning into an aggy meat judging competition. 

[Steamboat1874 4067]

On 5/18/2018 at 11:22 AM, Eskimohorn said:

 

Well Luby’s is the best major cafeteria restaurant in the world. I’ve never been disappointed in a meal there given my expectations.

 

This is very true.......

Luby's is excellent.

 

 

[4th and 5 4914]

Read entire thread. 

Conclusions:

I miss Mike’s. A huge cold beer sounds delicious too.

I need a Dirty’s burger.

People that think Crown and Anchor is overrated should GTFO

[gsoda3 3262]

Yeah there's definitely a difference between the grade and quality of meat lupe uses vs your average taco truck or cantina.

[TheAuditor 1036]

Almost all the skirt steak you can buy in the US is inside skirt.  Most outside skirt is exported - long term Japanese purchasing contracts doing most of the damage  and remainder goes to restaurants.  Last time I saw outside skirt for sale was at Central Market and it was $19/pound.....for skirt steak....First time I ever had fajitas was in 1980 at the Round-Up in Pharr, Tx,.  Hyatt made them famous in the early 80's in Austin.   

[Brisketexan 105152]

On 5/20/2018 at 10:43 AM, 4th and 5 said:

Read entire thread. 

Conclusions:

I miss Mike’s. A huge cold beer sounds delicious too.

I need a Dirty’s burger.

People that think Crown and Anchor is overrated should GTFO

All of these.  God I miss Mike's.

[South Austin 52515]

13 minutes ago, TheAuditor said:

First time I ever had fajitas was in 1980 at the Round-Up in Pharr, Tx,.    

Were they chicken fajitas or beef fajitas?

[HouTex 1878]

Almost all the skirt steak you can buy in the US is inside skirt.  Most outside skirt is exported - long term Japanese purchasing contracts doing most of the damage  and remainder goes to restaurants.  Last time I saw outside skirt for sale was at Central Market and it was $19/pound.....for skirt steak....First time I ever had fajitas was in 1980 at the Round-Up in Pharr, Tx,.  Hyatt made them famous in the early 80's in Austin.   

I remember those Hyatt fajitas. They'd come out sizzling.

[TheAuditor 1036]

12 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Were they chicken fajitas or beef fajitas?

LOL,  that's a trick question.  There's no such thing as chicken fajitas -  don't think chickens have a "belt"

[South Austin 52515]

7 minutes ago, TheAuditor said:

LOL,  that's a trick question.  There's no such thing as chicken fajitas -  don't think chickens have a "belt"

Fair point, but every once in a while I enjoy me some pork fajitas.  I've never had venison fajitas, though.

[gsoda3 3262]

the funny thing is, as of 7 years ago, most of the outside skirt steak we have available for consumption in the US is/was imported from south america.  i assume that to still be true but i don't know.  japan's been buying our outside skirt for decades due to a quirk in the labeling process which allows them to purchase and import without paying a tariff.  

 

more and more restaurants are using outside skirt nowadays though.  certainly since the foodie explosion started in the mid 2000s.  for example, lupe tortilla?  they use outside skirt.  

Edited May 24, 2018 by gsoda3

[pepper brooks 580]

Last time I went to Maudie’s the menu and salsa were both different. They sucked ass. Will never go back. Trudy’s has sucked since the first time I ever went there in 1990. Same with Chuys. I still actually like to go to both places for drinks and hanging out.  Kerbey Lane queso is good, but nothing else is good. Hell they can’t even make decent bacon. How do you fuck up bacon so regularly.  

 

Hopdoddy is definitely overrated  almost everything there sucks including their stupid ass ordering/getting a table situation, their burgers, their holier than thou attitude that they’re saving the planet by making burgers   Fuck that whole thing.  One small exception is the queso fried  dem’ good  

I don’t think Uchi is overrated, at least not the Houston one  I can eat there of Mf sushi or kata robata and be happy at any of them   

 

[GringoSalado 1651]

On 5/18/2018 at 7:49 AM, Gale Snoats said:

Matt's is one of those places that has a few couple of good dishes hidden in a menu of mediocrity.  The shrimp a la Matt is a surprisingly great dish.  The more standard texmex fare kind of sucks.    

I like their CFS, that is all I get there. I think it is one of the specials on Thurs. So while I'm not excited about their food I respect Matt's as a well-run restaurant that, for the most part, is consistent and has a sold identity. Not overly common qualities.

[gsoda3 3262]

CFS = chicken fried steak?

[Orange&White 5528]

36 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

CFS = chicken fried steak?

sadly shakes head.......

[GringoSalado 1651]

2 minutes ago, Orange^White said:

sadly shakes head.......

Yes, I'm saying that Matt's CFS is legit.

[gsoda3 3262]

37 minutes ago, Orange^White said:

sadly shakes head.......

 

34 minutes ago, GringoSalado said:

Yes, I'm saying that Matt's CFS is legit.

well the name checks out and all.

 

help me out, i knew it couldn't be chicken fried steak but for the life of me can't come up with anything else other chicken fajita salad.  

[LonghornLib 5]

I enjoy Matt's El Rancho.  Their margaritas are great and I 2nd the Shrimp a la Matt's is a great dish.  Their grilled salmon and their redfish mojo de ajo and a la Mexicana are also very solid.  Get an order of Matt's Fries to go and mix them with scrambled eggs and chorizo in the morning for a fantastic breakfast taco. 

Someone mentioned liquid smoke in an earlier post which reminds me that Hoover's is overrated, if they are rated at all.

[hornbri 1399]

5 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

 

well the name checks out and all.

 

help me out, i knew it couldn't be chicken fried steak but for the life of me can't come up with anything else other chicken fajita salad.  

It is fucking Chicken Fried Steak have you never been there? The pro move is to get it covered in enchilada sauce instead of gravy. 

[gsoda3 3262]

8 minutes ago, hornbri said:

It is fucking Chicken Fried Steak have you never been there? The pro move is to get it covered in enchilada sauce instead of gravy. 

are you serious?  it's chicken fried steak?  i've been to matt's many times but i've never ever thought, or heard anyone recommend, to get the chicken fried steak.  

[hornbri 1399]

They have a whole section on the menu called "Texas Favorites" 

1 minute ago, gsoda3 said:

are you serious?  it's chicken fried steak?  i've been to matt's many times but i've never ever thought, or heard anyone recommend, to get the chicken fried steak.  

 

[skipperj 377]

You can also get a burger or fried shrimp if you so desire.

[VolenteHawk 495]

I wound up at Chuy's for lunch.  Not that anybody thinks it's good, but when did it go from below average to totally sucking?  The salsa tasted like diced tomatoes.

 

[YoungCounty 165]

Maybe I was late to the party, but my first time to Juan in a Million was about 7 years ago.  It sucked.  I couldn't believe how mediocre it was after hearing so much about it.  Went a few years later, and regretted it again.  I have no clue why people go there or how it became so popular.

[Gardner Barnes 1562]

Maybe I was late to the party, but my first time to Juan in a Million was about 7 years ago.  It sucked.  I couldn't believe how mediocre it was after hearing so much about it.  Went a few years later, and regretted it again.  I have no clue why people go there or how it became so popular.

Yeah. I agree. It’s awful.

[Hank Scorpio 17729]

The best chicken fried steak in Texas is the Lupe Tortilla beef fajitas. 

[Brisketexan 105152]

39 minutes ago, YoungCounty said:

Maybe I was late to the party, but my first time to Juan in a Million was about 7 years ago.  It sucked.  I couldn't believe how mediocre it was after hearing so much about it.  Went a few years later, and regretted it again.  I have no clue why people go there or how it became so popular.

 

29 minutes ago, Gardner Barnes said:

Yeah. I agree. It’s awful.

You gotta stick with PLAIN AND SIMPLE at Juan in a Million.

The crispy tacos are the classic, solid execution of the style.  And -- hear me out -- their refried beans are the best on this side of the Rio Grande.  Made with real lard (and I suspect, bacon grease).  They're fantastic.

Their breakfast tacos (regular, not the big monstrosity) are good, simple versions of the classics.  Not earth-shaking, but very solid.

Everything else is pretty pedestrian.

[jimmyjazz 45963]

2 hours ago, skipperj said:

You can also get a burger or fried shrimp if you so desire.

Whenever we go out for a meal with my in-laws, my FIL often demands that we go for TexMex.  Then he orders a cheeseburger.

[BabaYaga 15300]

1 hour ago, VolenteHawk said:

I wound up at Chuy's for lunch.  Not that anybody thinks it's good, but when did it go from below average to totally sucking?  The salsa tasted like diced tomatoes.

 

When they franchised out, homogenized the menu, and dumbed everything down so near-minimum wage chefs could prepare everything.  Same shit with Torchy's.  Used to love that place.  

[Art Vandelay 1712]

11 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

 

You gotta stick with PLAIN AND SIMPLE at Juan in a Million.

The crispy tacos are the classic, solid execution of the style.  And -- hear me out -- their refried beans are the best on this side of the Rio Grande.  Made with real lard (and I suspect, bacon grease).  They're fantastic.

Their breakfast tacos (regular, not the big monstrosity) are good, simple versions of the classics.  Not earth-shaking, but very solid.

Everything else is pretty pedestrian.

All of this. And I have always suspected they used bacon grease in their refried beans. That's almost like cheating it's so good. I'm a gringo, but refried beans are one of the most important criteria for me when judging a Tex Mex restaurant.