Tom's Folk Café - 204 Boston Ave El Paso, TX 79902

           I haven't written a blog in awhile because I have had a lot on my plate (pun intended) since starting this but recently we as a family have chosen to go completely or as completely as possible organic to include grass fed beef and local produce. Tom's was a natural choice for us to go out to eat since their food is all local and as close to organic as can be expected AND they are listed on UrbanSpoon as Vegan friendly.

         

         Well my wife and I went to Tom's yesterday for lunch and as I walked in I noticed this place was very small and PACKED but had a very cool vibe to it. I noticed that up on one of the walls it showed their different ingredients were all within 12 hours distance from El Paso and they were very proud of that fact. I believe this is one of the factors in why the food was so good. When we were seated at the only table left we told the waiter we only had 45 minutes to eat and he assured us that it was absolutely no problem. We looked over the menu and selected the picnic sampler, the hunter's salad and the blood orange cheesecake. 

         Within about five minutes the picnic sampler came out it was on a long fine dining plate in three small bowls. The first thing we tried was the crawfish mac & cheese: it was absolutely superb. I could taste a little bit of the muddiness from the crawfish (which I adore) and the macaroni and cheese tasted just like Southern style baked macaroni and cheese I had as a younger man. It was definitely one of the best things I have ever eaten. Next we tried the sweet potato gravy fries which when dipped in the leftover crawfish mac n cheese sauce was absolutely to die for. Last thing up was Tom's fried chicken. I had such high hopes for this fried chicken but aside from the being spicy but not too spicy, it fell flat. The chicken almost seemed like it had been steamed instead of fried or from my previous experience in the fast food business it almost seemed like it been sitting out for a little bit too long in a warmer.

        
  
            Right after we finished the fried chicken the hunter's salad came out. It had lettuce, roasted duck, andouille sausage and a light dressing that I couldn't place my finger on. The richness of the duck and the spiciness of the andouille sausage really complemented each other and made the whole salad a raving success.

           
            Next came our blood orange cheesecake. This, this I tell you was the absolute best cheesecake I have ever in my life tasted. I couldn't tell you what was different but the graham cracker crust was little bit lighter then any other graham cracker crust I've ever tasted but it was oh so delicious. The cheesecake was so creamy and had a light sweetness to it. My wife was convinced that it was made with goat cheese and that was probably what made it taste so amazing to me. The blood orange sauce on top had just enough tartness to it that it almost made you pucker and scream out in delight. 

            Altogether, our meal, including drinks and a good tip to our wonderful waiter, only came out to $51. This was a steal for the quality of food and hospitality we received. I have rarely ever been so satisfied with a meal as I was at Tom's. It was all southern comfort food with a twist of fine dining and it didn't make you feel guilty for eating it. If you're ever in the Cincinnati District area I implore you to come into Tom's, sit down and their small dining room and eat your heart out, I might even be sitting there myself.

02/22/2012 The Bagel Shop 3800 N Mesa St # C2

On Wednesday my wife and I went to The Bagel Shop. Now we had been there before but for some reason, this time was different.

When we walked in, there were about 5 people eating. I ordered right away, an omelet with sausage on a cinnamon sugar bagel, a blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese, an orange juice and grapefruit juice. I was told to go to the cash register to pay. I think I stood there for almost 10 minutes waiting to pay. No one was there in front of me, no one was waiting to be served and again, no one was there to take my payment. Finally, the girl came to take my money and then I went to sit down. We waited for another 15 minutes or so for our food. I do not know why things were taking so long, if it had been busier or more understaffed, I would have given them a better rating.

The food was amazing as usual always tasting fresh. Very sweet but not too sweet, the orange juice tasted superbly fresh. The grapefruit juice I can guarantee the was fresh and untouched. My tastes would have preferred something sweeter but, that's not fresh grapefruit juice now is it? The Atmosphere is very nice, with pictures of men working on skyscrapers, pictures of local celebrities that have come in and I am guessing some of their first customers.

I absolutely love this place and suggest it to everyone. Hopefully when you go there, they will be quicker to let you pay and quicker to get you your food.

This place has 3 locations that I am aware of, Kern Place, Resler by Walmart Neighborhood Market and off of Transmountain and Rushing. I am going to leave their website link below in case you want to check them out.

                                             
                                                         http://www.elpasobagels.com

02/21/2012 Mardi Gras - Cincinnati District

 So, I have been slacking a little bit for the last last few days  But I have been going out, eating, enjoying El Paso.

I went to Mardi Gras in the Cincinnati District. I got there around 11:30pm but the line was extremely long to get inside which does not surprise me, it took almost half an hour to get in and was $10 to do so.

As I got in, I noticed around 500-1000 people drinking and listening to pop music like Pit Bull and Nikki Minaj. As I started making my way through the crowd, I came upon an all female band on top of the Cincinnati Bar playing Metallica songs, surprisingly well too! I decided to stand there and listen to them for around 45 minutes. I wish I could have caught their name, but I really enjoyed them.

I know everyone wants to know about the boobs and the sex but I was not there for those things so I didn't go looking, therefore I don't know. I know, sorry.


I did get a couple overpriced Bud Lights and went looking for food. I found a small trailer selling hamburgers and turkey tails from Crave for about $8 each, my phone died so I couldnt get a picture of the trailer. I got a turkey tail and it was pretty decent for how turkey tails go.



I am not going to lie here, with the band and the beer, I ended up having a very very good time.

                                    I only spent about $25 and give this experience 9/10 stars.

.

02/20/2012 Burritos Crisostomo - 5658 N. Mesa St

Today we went to Burritos Crisostomo on N.Mesa mainly because it was a participating member of the VIP card (a fund raiser card that gives an average of 10% off) group of restaurants. Upon first impression you might think you are walking into a giant auto repair garage but when you walk inside, it seems more like the inside of a Subway restaurant. The menus are giant and explain exactly what everything is, which is great because the items are all named in Spanish.

We ordered a Lengua (cow tongue) burrito, 2 Winnie burritos (hot dog in tomato sauce), Chile Relleno burrito, a quesadilla and 2 drinks.  The deal with the VIP card was a free horchata. Despite a mix up and a gag reflex from getting 3 horchatas (I can't stand horchata), the food came out within 2 minutes.

The burritos were amazing. I have never been to Juarezwhere this restaurant transplanted to El Paso from) but I could imagine myself crossing the border, going down a few blocks and ordering this from a street vendor. I ate my 3 burritos and was quite pleasantly full. The only thing I wished was that the cups came in a bigger size so I wouldn't have to get up to ask for more every few sips. The price was perfect at around $20. All in all, a very great experience today at Crisostomo.

Atmosphere got an 8/10 from me.

Food got an 8/10.

Service got an 8/10.

Price got a 9/10.

Overall, I give Burritos Crisostomo an 8.5/10 stars.

I DEFINITELY recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a delicious burrito if you are on the west sode of town. Just make sure you specify that you want a diet coke when ordering.

02/19/2012 Famous Dave's BBQ - 7501 N Mesa St

Today we went to a place we have been before back in November for Veteran’s Day, Famous Dave’s BBQ on N. Mesa. The wait left a bit to be desired. We noticed that the restaurant was not full (maybe ½ full) but we still waited for around 25 minutes before we were seated. We waited for around 10 minutes before we were waited on by the waitress who seemed very rushed.

I ordered the rib tips with steamed broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes. The rib tips were seasoned with a “Memphis Dry Rub” which was absolutely amazing. I tried some of the sauces they have on the table but they just covered up that perfect flavor. The steamed broccoli was cooked to perfection with a slight seasoning that was to die for. The garlic mashed potatoes were as to be expected, moist but nothing to shout from the mountain tops about. Lastly, the corn bread muffin was the perfect substitute for a dessert, sweet and moist, just like it should be.

The prices here are pretty decent for good BBQ. Our bill was in the $35 range with my wife’s lunch of spare ribs and mashed potatoes and my son’s chicken strips kid’s meal.

Out of 10 stars for service, I would give this visit a 4/10.

For the food, I would give 8/10.

For price, I would give 9/10.

Overall, I would rate this experience 7/10 stars.

                                                                                         

If the service was where it should have been, this would have definitely had a 8/10 star rating. I certainly recommend this restaurant to anyone with a ferocious appetite for a quick sit down BBQ experience.