Julio’s in Rosewood, Texas

My wife and I recently drove to the Houston area a few weeks back for the high school graduation of one of my nephews. Well, he was actually home-schooled, so there were only five graduates. It was however, a very stirring and heart-felt event with the parents (teachers!) of each child giving insight as to the experience of teaching their own children. All of these kids are models of good upbringing and Christian values and we could use more like them to tackle the messed up future they will surely inherit…but I digress.

On the drive out, we kept our eyes peeled for Mexican restaurants and spotted several along the way that seemed interesting. Driving back at around 2pm, we were certainly getting hungry.

Julio's in Rosewood, TX

With a Mexican produce market adjacent to the restaurant, we stopped at Julio’s in Rosewood because the place looked authentic, which peaked our interest.

Early afternoon is a slower period for most restaurants and we were quickly seated with chips and hot sauce served almost immediately. The chips were thin and very crispy. They were served with two salsas – a green, almost creamy avocado with just a hint of spice. This was served chilled while the second salsa was warm with a smoky tomato flavor and more kick.

I scanned the menu in the hope of finding a single order where I might be able to sample several items – after all, when am I going to be in Rosewood again? A combo plate is the obvious choice so I ordered one with a crispy taco, enchilada and a tamal but I also asked for a half order of nachos – one of my favorites. I also ordered extra corn tortillas and BJ ordered ‘Leon’s Quesadilla.’

I like quesadillas, but don’t order them often these days since everybody makes them and they are fairly difficult to screw up.

The nachos arrived and I was surprised to see that they had spread refried beans on each chip, but then poured a liquid-queso on them for the ‘cheese’ part – not the way I like my nachos. Yes, the queso was tasty and these were better than the kind of nachos you’ll find at any ball park, but not by too much. If you’re going to dress each chip with beans, take the time to put some shredded cheddar on each one and then bake them. This seemed an unnecessary shortcut for a good Mexican restaurant.

Combo Platter

My taco arrived while I was still working on my nachos. It had plenty of lettuce, tomato and cheese and the ground beef was seasoned well. The second plate came with plenty of chili con carne and cheese smothering a single enchilada and a tamale and I used the extra corn tortillas to scoop up the gravy. The enchilada was good. The tamal was okay except that there wasn’t enough filling. The outer layer was quite thick and while some people probably like them that way, to me the filling is the whole point. The outer portion is almost a container – like with link sausage.

Leon's Quesadillas

The interesting thing was that BJ’s chicken quesadillas looked like an order of soft tacos. There were three flour tortillas folded over into individual sized quesadillas with home made flour tortillas which were cooked the same as you’d prepare a traditional quesadilla. In sampling this, I was taken back by how good the chicken was – it had a very nice smoky flavor that stood out even with the various salsas and toppings added –  they were delicious.

So if you ever find yourself passing through Rosewood with the urge for some Mexican food, Leon’s Quesadillas at Julio’s would certainly be my recommendation.

Field Trip – Tex-Mex In Florida? (part 1)

Great Egret

 The average Texan doesn’t know much about Florida except for its general location. Of course we’ve heard of places like Miami by way of Miami Vice and that CSI show on television. We also know a little about Tampa and Jacksonville, only because our Dallas Cowboys sometimes travel there to beat up on their football teams. If it wasn’t for NASCAR’s big race, we probably wouldn’t know where Daytona was located – not that we know its exact location now.

So when I mention Deland, Florida, its not surprising that the usual response from a Texan is a blank stare. Of course, if you or someone close to you attended Stetson University, you’d have more of an advantage because the University is the major attraction in Deland. Located about an hour north of Orlando, I would have absolutely no reason to be there, except that my wife graduated from Stetson. 

Come on in Texas boy - the water's fine!

 Actually, it’s a nice little college town with plenty of watering holes for the student body as well as rivers and lakes close by for outdoor recreation. Of course, the whole state is just barely above sea level so swampy rivers and lakes are abundant throughout Florida. Unlike Texas however, you don’t want to swim or water ski here because of the snake and gator population.

In preparation for this trip, I jumped on the web to see what kind of Mexican restaurants might be in the area and was surprised to find six listings in Deland alone. Comparing menus and web page hype, I decided on the three places I’d like to visit if time allowed. As it turned out, the reunion festivities (including a road rally and two evening meals) filled most of our time there, but I was able to visit what I thought were the top two choices based on my research. 

In reading the menu for Los Dos Compadres on the internet, there was a photo of their Nachos de Asada and I knew I wanted to hit this place. This was not a pile of chips with the other components dumped on top (ala El Mercado in Austin). Each chip was individually layered with beans, meat (chicken or beef), cheese and jalapeno, and then baked – the way nachos should be made. 

Also listed were standard Mexican entrees like various enchiladas, chimichangas, burritos and many sea food offerings. The menu included several mole dishes which peaked my interest because mole recipes are fairly complex and vary greatly from one family to the next. Since I love some moles and hate others, this will be a subject we will revisit often. 

We had a light lunch one day and went for some nachos a few hours before our reunion dinner. Located in a strip-center, Los Dos Compadres’ exterior is fairly understated except for neon beer logos and signs in the windows announcing various specials. Inside had a Mexican feel and the service from Leticia was warm friendly. We ordered a couple of Dos XX drafts and scanned the menu.

The Mild Salsa

Plenty of kick!

The beer arrived in frozen mugs and the pre-meal chips came with two salsas served in large bowls. The red sauce was the milder of the two while the green tomatillo sauce was tangy and had the extra kick I like – both had diced onion and cilantro mixed in.

  We ordered the Nachos de Asada with chicken and asked if I could get a small sample of their mole sauce. When Leticia started explaining that each dish was created from scratch and they didn’t pre make anything, a man who was busing tables interrupted her and said he’d be happy to whip some up for us.

This man was the restaurant owner, Horacio Dominguez and he delivered the thick, dark sauce fairly quickly. It looked like the mole I prefer and had a rich taste that was almost as good as my all-time favorite. This sauce was just a little less sweet but still quite good – in fact I’d order this over the mole served at Fonda San Miguel or Manuel’s in Austin, but again I stress that my preference might not be what others like. 

The nachos arrived almost as pictured – the individually layered chips were arranged around the outer edge of a large, oblong plate with shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and sliced jalapenos in the middle. The guacamole was thick and chunky with tomatoes & diced onion, the way I like it and was very tasty. My wife thinks these were the best nachos she’s ever had. They were indeed scrumptious and my only suggestion would be to add a little more of that tasty guacamole and some more pepper slices – at least one per chip. 

Carne de Asada (Chicken) Nachos

While chatting with Mr. Dominguez we discovered that he comes from Tolucca, Mexico and many of his family members are involved in the restaurant – in fact his mom makes the mole. He said mole sauces were usually associated with weddings in Mexico – so much so that when you inquired about a young couple getting married, you’d ask, “When will we eat mole?”   

He said that many states or regions of Mexico have their own particular style of mole and that he also doesn’t care for some recipes. Many make the sauce too sweet while others make it a bit oily, which is consistent with my limited experience with moles in Austin. He said the complicated nature of the recipe is why mole might soon be removed from the menu. While some of his Hispanic customers will order it from time to time, the Anglo population in Florida just doesn’t seem to appreciate it. 

In our brief conversation, I learned a little more about this thick, savory sauce and left wishing I could try his enchiladas verdes because something tells me they’d be really good – the nachos were great! If for some reason I had to live in Deland, I know I’d eat here often and I’m confident that Los Dos Compadres is a place where my gluttonous appetite for good Mexican food would be satisfied.