Tex Mex Take Two

El Tiempo Cantina

2605 South Gessner, Houston (one of several locations)

For our second Houston area Tex-Mex adventure, we opted for El Tiempo Cantina, part of the Laurenzo family’s restaurant empire. The Laurenzo family is probably best known for Ninfa’s. Having eaten at Ninfa’s in Waco on prior visits to Texas, I was eager to try El Tiempo Cantina. With dreams of Ninfa’s margaritas and green sauce on the brain, we headed to El Tiempo Cantina’s Gessner location for a Friday night dinner with family.

Pulling into the parking lot, I was immediately impressed by the exterior landscaping of the restaurant. This will undoubtedly become my go-to place when I want to impress visiting non-Texans with some southwestern flair. The little arid garden on the side of the restaurant provided the perfect play area for the kids while we waited for the other members of our party to arrive. My kids are still very intrigued by the cacti and palm trees that are common in the Houston area. To be totally honest, so am I.  Growing up on the East Coast, the desert plants seem exotic.

El Tiempo Cantina’s interior is equally impressive. Thousands of white lights hang from the ceiling creating a sparkling, festive atmosphere. We were given the family table, which was a large, wooden table at the head of the restaurant with chairs made out of wooden barrels. I felt a bit like I was at the head table of a wedding, or maybe even as though I were eating at Medieval Times. But, the kids thought the seating arrangements were pretty great. Once I noticed our table’s proximity to the tortilla making room, I had to agree.

Yes, that’s right, I said tortilla making room. Right behind our table, visible through a large, glass window, two ladies bent over balls of dough with long wooden rollers banging out fresh tortillas at a rapid pace. If my life depended on it, it would probably take me an hour to make one tortilla. These ladies had obviously been engaged in the making of tortillas for quite some time. I wondered whether they would object to giving me a lesson.

But, we were hungry and there wasn’t time to teach the art of tortilla rolling. We ordered guacamole for the table. Though they did not offer a table-side guac, they did serve the mashed avocado with “mix-ins” on the side so that each person could tailor their guac to taste with onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes. We also indulged in chips and salsa and, of course, the Ninfa’s green sauce. If you’ve never experienced Ninfa’s sauce, I would almost say it’s worth a trip to the Lone Star State just to try the sauce. This rich, creamy, pale green sauce is a Ninfa’s staple. But, if you don’t think a fabulous appetizer dip is a reason to travel, you can also make this sauce yourself at home (you just need access to tomatillos and some quality avocados). One of my favorite bloggers, the Homesick Texan, has a recipe for the sauce on her blog. It’s a time consuming recipe, but worth every minute.

But, I digress. Back to dinner. In addition to the guac, we decided to order fajitas which lend themselves to family-style sharing. We ordered beef, pork, and chicken. Two weeks ago, we ordered fajitas at Lupe’sTortilla, so it was hard not to compare between the two. On balance, I would say Lupe’s wins on the beef. There’s just nothing like it. But, El Tiempo Cantina takes the victory on the chicken breast which is tender with a delicious citrusy marinade. El Tiempo Cantina also wins on the tortilla front. Though both Lupe’s and El Tiempo Cantina make their own tortillas, the ladies at El Tiempo take the gold. The tortillas are warm, flaky, and fresh. Having always considered tortillas a vehicle for whatever they happened to contain, I was excited to discover that tortillas can be a culinary masterpiece in their own right.

Overall, El Tiempo Cantina is a solid Tex Mex restaurant with extremely friendly waitstaff. The festive atmosphere makes you feel like you must be celebrating. Best of all, El Tiempo Cantina also serves breakfast. Two words: pecan pancakes. Okay, two more words: breakfast tacos. Yes, there’s no doubt we will be back to sample the breakfast offerings. Hasta Luego, El Tiempo!