Back to present day after a fond memory of a white trash weekend. Had lunch today at Santa Rita Cantina, a Tex-Mex joint in north Austin. This place was not on my hit list, and was a pick primarily of convenience, but that said I'm always excited to try something new.
First off this place had a nice lunchtime crowd, primarily people who work nearby from what I could tell. The place has a chain-like feel, and a pretty standard Tex-Mex menu. Not expecting anything out of the ordinary, I decided to try to go healthy, without opting for a salad. Despite best efforts, I failed.
I'll back up a few minutes though and start with the chips and salsa. It was very good. Thin chips and a very fresh salsa, which made you feel like the place was fresh and it wasn't too bad for you. I opted for the Chicken Flauta Dinner. These flautas were pan fried and not deep fried, and used corn tortillas, no cheese, and a healthy tomatillo sauce. I should have known that the technique and wrap would have resulted in a disaster, and it did. The flavor was good, but they turned out, predictably, greasy. The tortillas were soggy and translucent, having been cooked in oil not quite up to temperature. The dish came out greasy, and would have been fine if I would have leaned in a direction either way...get the deep fried ones, which likely would have had a crispy wrap, or just go with chicken enchiladas, in which you get the texture without the grease. Lesson learned. The bright spot was the tomatillo sauce. Spicy as advertised, and a classic green sauce.
I won't recommend this place based on my experience, and I believe there is much better Mexican in town, but if I needed a quick fix or a place to meet someone nearby, I'd give it another shot.
Summary:
Atmosphere: chain-like Mexican, bright, open room seating
Food: average Tex-Mex
Dog Friendly: probably on the porch, but I won't likely try it out
Crowd: surrounding businesses
What to Order for the First Timer: try anything basic and let me know
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