Relish: Crossing the border at El Tiempo Cantina (online only)

By Tim Pawul and Mimi Arnold     2/11/10 6:00pm

Though Cinco de Mayo is still a few months away, we took our palates south of the border this week and indulged our appetites with some comida mexicana at El Tiempo Cantina. With its luscious food, delectable drinks and festive atmosphere, we are confident that El Tiempo Cantina will satisfy most Tex-Mex cravings.Ambiance

As soon as we entered the door of El Tiempo Cantina, we felt as if we'd stepped across the border into Mexico. The building's Spanish-style architecture - marked by low ceilings, columns and archways - is acutely reminiscent of Mexican pueblos. The inside of the building is decorated with artwork and photos of rural Mexico, and traditional music plays in the background. All in all, the restaurant's cheerful environment provides a respite from Houston's bustling streets.

Food

---

---

The food was simple, though excellent. We were wowed by the first aspect of our dining experience, the warm tortilla chips, which are served with a spicy red and milder green dipping salsas. The pale green dipping salsa has a consistency similar to ranchero sauce and offers a tasty alternative for those who can't take the heat.

But if you have the taste buds, do yourself a favor and try the red salsa. Well peppered with unique colors and zest, it was hot enough to give our mouths a comfortable burn if we got understandably overzealous. We were so impressed, we asked for extra to take home.

For lunch, Tim ordered the combination fajitas and Mimi the combination alegra. The juicy fajita meats - pork, chicken and steak - sizzle, served on top of a metal container with burning coals. The dishes come with an additional container of garlic butter for dipping, a delectable way to savor the offerings.

In addition to the generous helpings of meat, the dish came supplied with all the essentials: cheddar cheese, onions, lettuce, pico de gallo, beans and rice. Mimi raved about the beans, which were served in a sweet, barbecue-like sauce with large pieces of juicy ham. What really lifted the fajitas beyond the mean and into the memorable, however, was the rice mixed with bowtie pasta, ham, bacon, peas, corn, olives and peppers.

Mimi's combination alegra platter was enormous, brightly colored and packing a punch with flavor. It includes one chicken and cheese flauta, one cheese enchilada and one pork tamale. The delicious flauta, shredded chicken and cheese rolled inside a fried corn tortilla, was covered with a cool sour cream sauce.

Although the enchilada and the tamale were both covered in the same thick, sweet tomato sauce, the cheese enchilada combined with the sauce in a drastically different way than did the tamale, filled with barbecued pulled pork. The three dishes in the alegra platter were distinctly different experiences and stimulated the taste buds with a variety of spices.

Service

The waitress was bubbly without pestering us for our order, and the food arrived swiftly.

Price

El Tiempo is a good deal in terms of quality and quantity. This is especially true during lunch every day, when all meals are discounted before 3 p.m. and margaritas are $5. Lunch entrees run from $7-$14, and dinner entrees range from $15-$25.

Tim's Recommendation

A proud meat lover, I recommend the combination fajitas because of their incredible taste and generous portions. The garlic butter, which I poured over the meats, coupled with the rice concoction, makes these fajitas the best I have ever tried. I was a little upset, however, that their award-winning guacamole did not come with the dish, but the various flavors of all the other ingredients more than made up for it.

Mimi's Recommendation

The pork tamale was the highlight of my dish. Coming from Memphis, a city known for barbecued pork, I was pleasantly surprised by the taste and originality of this Tex-Mex dish. I am not accustomed to the combination of tomato, masa harina and shredded pork, but I thoroughly enjoyed the novel mixture.

---