Quesorita- the movement

Ojeda's

2009-12-14T12:10:00.002-06:00

Dear Ojeda's,
Maybe it was because we deviated from our normal Wednesday outing and went on a Thursday, maybe it was a full moon, or maybe your restaurant really was that bad.
Your margaritas were strong, but not very flavorful. Your queso was decent, but most of us added salsa to jazz it up a bit. Then there's your food. Someone ordered a spinach quesadilla...safe enough, or so we thought. The flour tortilla was FULL of chopped, previously frozen spinach and the cheese was on the OUTSIDE. I mean, how do you mess up a quesadilla? Even Napoleon Dynamite can make a quesadilla!
Your one saving grace is that your chips are hot and crisp AND you provide a small pitcher of delicious salsa on the table so the customer can refill as needed.
We did have some fascinating conversations that evening and, as always, the company was top notch, but overall, your restaurant just isn't very good.
Sincerely,
K-So

Tupinamba. Days of Yore

2009-12-13T21:39:00.005-06:00

"I apologize to all the people I've hurt and peed on."

-Dave Chappelle as the President

We've been out of the blogging business for too long. No excuses, but you still love us, right?

OK, Meltdown here. Tupinamba is up. I started with a distaste in my mouth for two reasons: 1) reviews online mentioned the joint is Aggie-centric. Barf. 2) I had to leave early for work reasons. I'll spare you the details. Let's just say, the 16th eosinophil is a biznitch.

Shelby Metcalf queso. Nice name. This queso was guud. It's like other Bob A in town, but the taco meat was seasoned. It was straight metal, as illustrated by the horns, & it being the exact opposite of Fred Durst covering and NKOTB song with New Bohemians. G Funk had her own shout out dish too: Grilled Chicken Breast topped with Sliced Avocados, Chopped Tomatoes and melted Jack Cheese, Grilled Vegetables and Rice. Niice.

We got famous that night. Deal with it.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/around-town/food-drink/Queso-and-Ritas-The-Experts-Weigh-In-65526432.html

Balls in your face. We still love you for following us, with patience, and for hating Nickelback.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08IrY1rFkV4

This joint is sweet, albeit not close to anything.
3+ out of 4 .

Come on you Red Devils!

Shebrzeera

Uncle Julio's 9.16.09

2009-09-17T18:46:00.008-05:00

We headed back to Uncle Julio's with the crew for a neighborhood selection evening. We expected a big turnout as all the excuses we could think of (boards, distance, girlfriend, working) were not applicable on this rainy Wednesday evening. I'll have to say that at the end of the evening, I was very proud of the turnout and performance of the QR crew.

We started out in the bar with the "use." Small bowl of queso for the early birds and a few margaritas. UJ's has a nice HH that is basically a few bucks off most of their drinks, so we went straight for the custom blended section. You see..... after doing this for almost a year not just any regular house margarita will do. We've turned into margarita connoisseurs/snobs. I went straight for the Patron Silver custom blended margarita and K-So had the Herradura custom blend. Each time I decide to be a "big baller" for the evening, I remember just how ugly the ol' Cuervo can be. Don't worry, I didn't pull a Kanye on anybody. Appealing to my upscale side, my margarita even came with a lightning bolt swizzle stick!

And now for the lowdown. The queso was great- rich, full of onions and peppers, and just the right consistency. We also sampled the queso with chorizo which was just average. Most of the guys loved it, but it was pretty heavy on the meat for the girls.

The margaritas were AWESOME- they've made the list in fact. They were the perfect combination of liquor and lime. Refreshing, clear, but not deadly.

To point out a few solid food choices: two thumbs up to the shrimp quesadillas, 4 thumbs up (Hi Reneesme!) to the veggie tamales, and a shout out to the chicken nachos.

Finally, if you haven't caught the show Three Sheets you should know that while it's not the ultimate goal for the QR project, a girl can dream. Check it out.

Avila's on Maple

2009-08-19T21:07:00.004-05:00

We were all very excited to reunite over steamy bowls of queso and frosty margaritas today!!!

We headed to Avila's on Maple Avenue to do some investigative reporting. Someone heard a rumor that they added LIQUOR to their menu. After all, what would Quesorita be with out tequila? Answer: just queso.

Speaking of queso...we ordered the straight up queso and although it arrived hot, with a sprinkle of paprika on top, it wasn't very flavorful. There were no chunks of peppers or onions and it looked like the "cheese food" we have all grown to dread. The texture was okay, not gloopy like most "cheese food" products, but not good. We even ordered the "layered" queso with beef, guacamole and sour cream (a poor imitation of the Bob Armstrong) but there is only so much one can do when your base is "cheese food".
The drinks, on the other hand, were delicious! The Partido Margarita with agave nectar and fresh lime juice was the favorite at the table. A Paloma was also accidentally ordered and intentionally consumed. Grapefruit juice, silver tequila, lime and soda = refreshing goodness.
What stole the show, however, were the absolutely divine brisket tacos. They come with a choice of three different kinds of tortillas, pinto beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and a lime wedge.

Beware!!! The salsa is HOT!!! We cooled it down with some chive-infused sour cream...DELICIOUS!
We will definitely go back to Avila's for the drinks and brisket tacos but will pass on the queso!

QR Update

2009-08-06T21:06:00.001-05:00

After a summer hiatus for swimsuit season, we will be returning in a few short weeks. Get ready!

Sol's Nieto Mexican Grill 7/1/09

2009-07-08T21:54:00.005-05:00

Hola pinches! After a long hiatus and many many hours of studying, the phoenix rises from the ashes. Although, maybe I should slept another week. Let's just say Sol did not write Creeping Death. Maybe he was busy writing the Season 4 debut episode of Psych?

I'm sensing he wasn't spending too much time perfecting the queso. It was que-so-so, at best. As per usual, I was scared of the mid-week liquid treats, so I report from my follow partners in lime Court Dog and Angelar (in my best Long Island accent). We all knew this, but it final came out in words... The fluorescence of the margarita is inversely proportional to the deliciousness. These were like John Frederick at Club Banana.

In sum:

Queso-1 out of 5 tastebuds.

Margs-(frozen, rocks, and swirl): solid 2 Glow sticks each

Glad to see we've got some dedicated followers who actually signed up to hang out with us (virtually). This one's a shout out for you!! YEAHHH! Any other random bad-asses reading this, welcome and we're glad to have you. Sign up!

Not sure where the next round of riting (rEE-ting) will be. But rest assured, there will be blog.

Peace in barbacoa grease.

Sherbs

Bandito's 5/6/09

2009-05-18T08:47:00.004-05:00

The Quesorita Movement had been yearning for inspiration as of late... enter Senor Slap. Chris ran the LA Burger Tour and a few years ago on a LA study trip we followed his supreme burger guidance and had the best burger EVER, shout out to Father's Office! We were all geared up for a good time, and a good time was had INDEED.

From the outside, Bandito's looks like an old country western dance hall- inviting, humble, faux rustic (I even had a quick nostalgic A&M moment- whoop!). On the inside, it's a long narrow bar with tables down one side that seems to have a little something for everybody. There were at least two study groups, two couples, and then I found Court at the bar eating lunch. She had had a long day and was very ready for Quesorita so we moved to the big front table and began. House margs for the table and a large queso. They have a build your own section (nice!) so we had queso with sour cream, guac, and green chiles and immediately began to discuss if this could be queso #3??? After three bowls, an appetizer plate, and a dozen margaritas, we decided that it wasn't queso #3, but for the life of me I can't remember why. Did I mention this was a "wheels off" quesorita?

Highlight of the evening: somehow The DJ managed to have a cosmetic procedure done after marg #2, and came back for #3!

There were quite a few first timers around the table this time and thanks for coming out. Special shout out to Mary, Stacy, Jeremy, and Chris. We sincerely hope it was everything you imagined and so much more.

Casita Dominguez/Nueva Casita 4/15/09

2009-04-29T20:28:00.002-05:00

There were many things hazy about this evening starting with the actual name of the restaurant. It was recommended by my awesome hairdresser, Jason (shout out!), so the quesorita crew headed out. This place is tiny and right behind the huge Half Price Books on NW Hwy if you ever go looking for it. Of note, I'm pretty sure Kelly's pre-mission was unsuccessful.

The second hazy event of the evening involved my discovery that NW Hwy does not hit Greenville, hence a twenty minute detour as I forgot my Gizmo.

The one thing not hazy about the evening was the queso, and was rated pretty highly by the quesorita crew. It won't make the leaderboard, but it's certainly above average and worth the journey of finding the place.

The ritas were also rated above average and were sucked down in the haze.

A quick confession... the haze was not what you are thinking.... and it was not swine flu.... I was sick with some awful kid fever/respiratory virus and proceeded to spike a fever at the table and left promptly thereafter- hence the haze. You'll have to ask the quesorita crew how it ended.

House Queso 3/4*
House Rita 3/4*

*Both of these ratings should be considered approximate ratings as I had to leave in a hurry (please see paragraph 5).

Cuba Libre 3/25/09

2009-04-26T10:30:00.003-05:00

We started to break down barriers this week, much like President Obama, and lifted sanctions against “other Latin American” queso and headed towards Cuba Libre. LE had googled best queso in Dallas (genius!) and discovered with our Tex-Mex only eyes we had been missing out. Who knew that across from our favorite bar (shout out Old Monk!) on Henderson, they were cooking up some delicious queso??

The queso con chorizo seemed a little daunting at first look. The quesorita movement tends to run away from queso heavy on the meat, but as soon as it hit the table we dove in. There were not big chunks of meat floating around, but rather hints of chorizo melding into the queso. It was one of the biggest surprises of the current Quesorita season. It was near perfection! A vote was taken and Quesorita, The Movement voted it #2 in town!

The DJ and I tackled the mango margarita (I really like this flavor combination), and it was "very good to excellent." House margaritas definitely "above average", and the micheladas had a big kick.

Queso con Chorizo- 3.9/4
House Margarita- 3.2/4
Mango Margarita- 3.4/4

PS- Don't miss the black bean dip and the salsa. Every dip we had there was spot on!

Matt's Ranchero Part II-3/26/09

2009-03-28T22:32:00.008-05:00

First of all, a hearty thank you to the Quesorita team for moving this week's event to Thursday so a frozen Minnesotan with limited Queso experience could partake. For this special event, the group headed to Matt's in Lakewood. Although a little hard to find (look deeply into the strip mall), Matt's had a nice atmosphere and vibe...high ceilings, lots of tables, and a nice looking patio. We headed inside to avoid the coming cold, but maybe next time it will be patio time! The best part about our table was the 2-year-old next to us who liked to throw plates and knives. Fortunately, we were out of harms way (she could only throw about a foot) and it made us look sophisticated and accomplished by comparison.

So, on to the main event...when I got there queso had already been ordered so I had to sample it a little bit cooled, although it was delicious. The queso is a traditional Bob Armstrong variety, but with L.E.'s innovative ordering technique, we had it with no meat and it was great. Nice chunks of avodado, sour cream and lots of yellowy-almost velveeta style cheese. A few bites were almost too much like Velveeta, but other bites were just perfect. The chips were nice and crispy...maybe needed a little bit of salt.

I had a margarita on the rocks and it was almost perfect. A tad too salty, but otherwise one of the best I have had while touring the Dallas area over the past year. It is also nice that they come in three size: small (6 oz), medium (maybe about 10 oz.) and large (big!). John had the king variety of margarita and had no compliants although I didn't sample it myself.

Some in our group ordered the micheladas...they were inconsistent though. The first one out had almost no tomato or tabasco in it although it was spicy. Shelby still loved it. Others were not as in love, but sequential micheladas seemed to redeem.

Queso gets at 5 out of 4. Remains the best in town and going to be hard to top.

Margaritas get 3.5 out of 4. A little less salt in the mix and it would be perfect!

Micheladas get a 2.5 out of 4. Inconsistent quality.

Matt's is a solid quesorita spot, especially if you can hit the patio. I look forward to the next quesorita outing and sampling more regional fare!

In Memory of Matt Martinez Jr. .....

2009-03-26T08:28:00.000-05:00

Mariano's 3/11

2009-03-26T08:08:00.002-05:00

See- we read your comments and take your suggestions!

This restaurant was not on our original list but due to the enthusiastic comments left on our blog we thought we should check it out ASAP. Again- a beautiful spring evening- we all gathered at the Lakewood location. Courtney was especially excited since this was closest to her place. So- home of the frozen margarita.........the orignial frozen margaritas got props for actually tasting like tequila instead of margarita mix- it wasn't the best we have had but a solid drink. Lauren tried a swirl and found it way too sweet and could not finish it (whaaaaaaa?) The queso was great- most of us thought it resembled a home job with velveeta and rotel, which is not a bad thing at all- very comforting- a good temperature- easily scooped with chips. The micheladas were a little too hot for my taste- it was like liquid reflux. I don't think we will be heading back here anytime soon but it was fun to check out!

Queso- 3/4

Margaritas (original frozen)- 2.5/4

Micheladas- 1/4- yikes! my esophagus!

Cafe San Miguel 2/25/09, The First Quesolada

2009-03-08T20:59:00.003-05:00

The chicken or the egg question surfaced this week with "Is it queso if you can't dip your chip in it?" That was the question we pondered on our weekly tour. The only queso at Cafe San Miguel is their queso fundido. Yes, it's real white cheese melted with vegetables served with homemade tortillas. We took this challenge on with a smile on our faces. My vote was no but keep in mind I don't like many creamy products including most cheeses. While the queso fundido was good, it wasn't quite the same yellowy orange runniness that we've become accustomed to dipping chips into. We called it a draw in the end.

But... the good news- this week was the first "Quesolada." Instead of margaritas we all had the michelada. For those of you unfamiliar, a michelada is a beer over ice with mixed some combination of lime juice, salt, worschtester, and clamato. It was fantastic- just spicy enough, just enough clamato, just enough fizzy. Yum, yum.

Also yum,yum was their guacamole. Holy guacamole! It is also served in warm homemade corn tortillas and the first bite of velvetly green goodness sends you straight up to avocado heaven.

Fernando's Feb 11th

2009-02-28T17:15:00.005-06:00

Hey everybody! Sorry for the delay- We were here on the most lovely sunny afternoon which I think of now when I can't feel my toes. This place was

promising- close to Lauren's house, outdoor seating, delicious chips and salsa and maybe the best damn michelada in Dallas.

But the queso was a HUGE failure-

K-so said it best "chicken". I am not sure what some of theses places are doing but we suspect it might involve cream of chicken soup. NO BUENO. The guacamole and fried jalapeno poppers were good and again the micheladas were outstanding. I don't

remember the margaritas- I kind of think everyone went with the aforementioned micheladas.

Anyhoo - great service, great chips, nice outdoor seating, GREAT MICHELADAS.

skip the queso- yucky.

The Blue Goose

2009-02-05T18:12:00.012-06:00

For our 20th Quesorita outing we visited the Blue Goose. Overall, it was quite a pleasant experience. The atmosphere and decor were good. There is a big patio to relax on in the summer months. And Jamie, our enigmatic server, was attentive.

Upon arriving, LEBW, G-unit, K-so, and I immediately and recklessly devoured two bowls of queso. The cheese seemed genuine and the accoutrement (pico and brisket) did not disappoint. Of note, the queso comes in a thick chip, rather than porcelain, bowl. This transforms what was always a sad Quesorita moment: when the queso runs out...into a terrific one: eating a soggy, cheesy, delicious last chip.

There were a few queso problems however. Most notably...every bowl of queso we had was cold! After close scrutiny and much deduction fostered from Judy Blume novels, we soon realized that the dish is served with warm queso on the bottom and cold condiments on top (sour cream, pico, etc)...thus, when mixed, the aggregate temperature falls tremendously. Cold queso just ain't that cool. We'll stick the queso in at 2.75/4....slightly a shame, cause it did have some excellent potential.

On the margarita front...the margs were fairly well received. They were slightly above average, garnering extra bonus points for tasting more like tequila than mix. We'll stick em in at 2.75/4.

Some other notable edibles included:

A Queso Fundido was enjoyed by K-so, Angela, Eric, and Courtney. This is a concoction of mushrooms, cheese, chicken, peppers, and onions served on a skillet with home-made flour tortillas. And, while I personally did not try the dish, the broad smiles on their happy faces indicated that it was likely a 3.25/4.

Josh(ie) was served a sizzling hot set of mixed fajitas on a skillet. They smelled delicious, and I can personally attest that the steak was divine. Of note, the table was also educated on the subtle, but substantial, importance of occasionally stirring your served fajitas to prevent pepper burning. My mind was blown. Fajitas - 3.25/4.

As has become habit, I sampled the tortilla soup, which, I must say, was the best I've had on this Quesorita journey. It was thick and spicy. Good flavor and presentation. I'll give it a rousing 3.45/4.

Overall, the Blue Goose is a good place to sit and drink and eat. And it earned itself a fairly impressive cumulative score of 2.85/4.

And...to end...a loud shout out to all those Quesorita readers and commenters...keep it up...we dig it! :)

Mi Cocina- HP 1.28.09

2009-02-01T10:38:00.007-06:00

I never quite understood the allure of the Mi Cocina Highland Park location. The tipsy housewives in tennis skirts and mobs of young children running between tables always made me dizzy and fearful. But at a recent Quesorita event, A&E explained about the 3rd floor secret bar up the hidden staircase and through the stained glass doors. Secret password not necessary! Maybe my opinion of this "family friendly" chain would change?

And oh how it changed. This is where all the tipsy singles go!! As Dallas was recovering from the Icestorm of 09, the Quesorita crew headed to Mi Cocina HP for some frozen treats of our own. As I entered this new found paradise, I started to see why D Magazine rated it best Tex-Mex (disputed by the Quesorita movement) in town. I hope it wasn't for the food (see queso ratings below), but Mi Cocina HP is winning for "best atmosphere."

As you walk in those beautiful doors, there is a long bench seat along a completely windowed wall facing you and tiny wicker tables just large enough for your Mambo Taxi. When it's warmer, all the windows are opened and a nice breeze comes in and all you can see are the tops of the trees. You would have no idea that you're in the middle of Dallas, much less in the middle of a large shopping complex. It's comfortable, casual, and inviting as it's more or less family style seating. Service is good, but know they only serve drinks and apps up here. I can't wait to return when it's warm out.

As for the queso... it was odd. K-So nailed it when she said it tasted like chicken. It really does! It wasn't that runny ball park style fake cheese, but it wasn't much better. I'm convinced it was thickened with corn starch. Colors disguised as vegetables were present, but there was a lot of salsa mixing going on to kick it up a notch. Don't worry we finished the whole disappointing bowl.

As for the ritas.... they were yummy. I feel like D Magazine should have instead listed the Mambo Taxi as one of "The 10 Best Things To Do in Dallas." Much more appropriate. I envision the article listing going something like this.......

"A trip to Dallas is not complete without a stop at one of the many Mi Cocina restaurants scattered across the city and suburbs. If you are looking for a happy hour spot, then a stop by the Mi Cocina 3rd floor rooftop bar is a must. Order a Mambo Taxi (frozen lime margarita expertly swirled with some extreme proofed sangria) if you're up for an adventurous night. About halfway through your rita, you will notice that your frustrating feeling left over from work is gone, and you're floating amongst the trees you see outside the windows. If you start to chirp like the beautiful birds you see, then you know you should not have ordered that second Mambo Taxi. They're deadly. Quietly excuse yourself and hail a real cab."

The Quesorita Movement recommends Mi Cocina HP definitely for it's atmosphere, with confidence for it's Mambo Taxis, and not so much for it's queso. Just saying.....

Queso 1.5/4

Ritas 3.5/4 (extra points if you can handle that second)

Atmosphere 10/4

Thanks so much to everyone who follows the blog. We definitely appreciate your comments and suggestions and will be reviewing some of these places in the coming weeks. Spread the word- Quesorita, The Movement.

Matt's Rancho Martinez January 14th

2009-01-15T21:47:00.006-06:00

I have to say, I am a little sad- I found ANOTHER DALLAS QUESO BLOG- it is called Blog Con Queso. But when I saw they have not posted since 2007- i felt a little better....
This week we decided to up the ante and hit Matt's in Lakewood.
history first....
The Matt's legend began more than 50 years ago in Austin, when Matt Martinez Sr. opened the original Matt's El Rancho. After a move to Dallas, Matt Jr. opened this spinoff in Lakewood, now managed by his son, Matt Martinez III. Contrary to popular myth Mattito's is no longer related to Matt's- it is now owned by someone named Jeff Frankel (shout out). Hence- the difference in their off the menu Bob Armstrong dip and what you will read about below.
Now- back to the quesorita...
The first arrivals got the original Bob Armstrong and top shelf margaritas on the rocks- the second wave opted for a vegetarian version of the Bob Armstrong and I think we might have stumbled on to the MOST PERFECT QUESO EVER!!!! Now, for those not familiar with this little piece of heaven- the Bob Armstrong dip has a scoop of sour cream and guacamole on top and usually ground beef which most people would be psyched about- but some times God rewards you for not eating animals- the Bob Armstrong Dip is beyond but the Bob Armstrong Dip without beef is even better (carnivores at the table agree!)
HEAVEN. plain and simple. Best queso, Best margaritas thus far, maybe ever. Not the cheapest ($8.50 per huge bowl of queso) but worth every penny.
Here are the scores-
Margaritas- 4/4 (swirls, top shelf)
Queso- 5/4

Shout outs to the friends we haven't met yet who have left comments, we can't believe you found our blog and liked it! If you have suggestions of places for us to check out- we would love to hear them!

Oh yeah, who is Bob Armstrong- thank you Blog con Queso friends- we are keeping your dream alive....

Herrera's on Maple

2009-01-12T17:20:00.008-06:00

I must confess that I felt a little pressure when I volunteered to write the blog for quesorita this week. No, not THAT kind of pressure. THAT pressure was because I ate too many beans. Not only is this the first quesorita blog of 2009, it is our first quesorita WITHOUT margaritas. I will do my best.
When you look up “Hole-in-the-Wall” in the dictionary, Herrera’s on Maple is what you will find. Their service was speedy, chips hot, salsa spicy, queso lumpy (in a good way) and liquor license non-existent.
I will start with the queso…Upon arrival to our table, I have to admit that I gave it one look and thought, “Great, it’s that Sysco powdered, flavorless, orange/yellow *%#@!.” Then we tasted it. It was surprisingly good. The closer we got to the bottom, as only Shelby and I know because we were the only two still eating it, the better it got. The onions and peppers were all there waiting to be scooped up by only a truly devoted queso lover. L.E. thought it was “fluffy” and “too airy” but other than the way it looked, it tasted pretty darn good.
Queso: 2.5-2.65/4
Again, this place does NOT serve any kind of alcohol…have no fear, Herrera’s is situated along a street catering to the thristy B.Y.O.B.ers. We got a six pack of Tecate and a six pack of Pacifico with which we washed down several plates of yummy food. Lauren (that crazy girl) got the Crazy Nachos-loaded with tac0 meat, shredded chicken, beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos. Rich had the Huevos Rancheros, Shelby didn’t eat because he was bloated and begging Lauren to “pull his finger”. I had the “Number 10” which consisted of one chalupa smothered with guacamole, one cheese enchilada (I substitooted the meat sauce for a greener one) and one cheese soft taco. It was delicious. After several inappropriate wrestling jokes, The DJ (Angela) arrived to have her Quesorita cherry popped. She refused the hazing rituals even though we promised to go easy on her but she did agree to help us finish the leftovers. Unfortunately, L.E. had to leave before she could sample the food. I think she would have liked her options considering there were several vegetarian plates on the menu.
After paying at the cash register up front (the entire bill for ALL 6 of us was 33 dollars!!!) we realized that we still needed to discuss/recruit more peeps for Surf Camp, so we sat back down, cracked another beer and talked about stuff for an hour or so…
We would all like to go back to Herrera’s at some point, it would be kind of silly not to. The prices are UNBEATABLE!!!
Shelby’s Inappropriate Joke of the Day:
"My girlfriend isn’t very good at wrestling, but you should see her box!"
Looking forward to many more Quesoritas in 2009 when we go global!!!
PURA VIDA, QUESARITA!!!
Kelly (K-so) out!

Chuy's 12/10/08 O.M.G.

2008-12-14T19:55:00.008-06:00

"as i sit here in my empty classroom my thoughts wander to a happier place, a place where jalapeno ranch flows like wine. i wish i could speed up the hands of time most wednesdays, today is no different. even though a chill is in the air, my heart is filled with warmth just knowing that in a mere nine hours, i will be sitting down in a retro, stainless steel wrapped vinyl covered chair dipping my first of many crispy chips into countless bowls of goodness." -kelly

As you all can tell we were EXCITED about this one. A free queso bar? Sphincter says what? Balls in all y'alls faces!

We got there and had the prime queso eating table. I'm sure it was because they knew we were the Quesorita crew. Above my head was a lovely mural that read, "She thought he wanted her heart but all he wanted was her taco." Gross. We all had to eat mounds of queso and creamy jalapeno to get over the disgusting painting.

Served out of the trunk of an old car was the queso, jalapenos, refried beans, and taco meat which we proceeded to make all sorts of concoctions with. Atkins queso, Chunky queso soup, Queso and beans, Queso with meat, etc. The waitstaff was getting a little irritated with our table as every time they came around there was all sorts of mess on the table, and we begged the waiter each time to refill the queso and creamy jalapeno dip. The queso was good enough to stand alone. It was not the runny nacho cheese, but a little thicker with some nice spices and a few colorful things disguised as vegetables. And then of course was heaven. Creamy jalapeno ranch dip/dressing. I didn't know it could get better, but a light dunk of a chip through the ranch followed by a plow through the queso was AWESOME!

Margs were a little above average. It was nice that their regular margaritas were on special, even the dot which is a regular frozen lime margarita with a dot of strawberry margarita on top. It was a nice change from the typical sangria swirls. Rocks was better than frozen, and the Father Agave margarita rocked!

Then it happened.... the food coma. We were all talking about our ratings for this week and had just given the overall experience a 4/4 when the faint rumblings began to be heard and felt. Kelly quickly left, and the rest of us entered into a staring contest and started knocking points off the food as the after-effects were kicking in. We tried to talk ourselves into this just being the intermission but after about 10-15 minutes of guzzling water we all knew... we had finally over done it.

Atkins queso 3/4

Chunky queso soup ?/4

Queso bean combo 2.75/4

Queso taco meat combo 3.25/4

Plain queso 3/4

Dot Margarita 3/4

House Rocks 3/4

Father Agave rita 3.5/4

Creamy jalapeno 9/4 or "double plus one"

Overall experience (pre coma) 4/4

Overall experience (post coma) 2/4

PS- Quesorita is taking a break for the holidays, but we will resume our regular schedule again on January 7th. Happy Holidays!

Rafa's 12/3/08

2008-12-08T09:46:00.003-06:00

We took an Uptown/Lemmon detour this week and headed for a quaint strip mall on Lovers to quesorita it at Rafa's. I was only 10-15 minutes late and a full bowl of queso was already gone. Yes folks, you better get there early if you want dibs on the first bowl. Thank goodness the boys had ordered the spicy queso which was a little too hot for me and as my two best girls arrived (sorry Kelly- this is a Jillian joke that I've been trying to work in for sometime now) we got our own bowl of regular queso, and regular it was. I doctored (ha ha) it up with a bunch of salsa and it got a little better but I did have to order some nachos to tide me over. Sherby marked the spicy queso a 3.75 and under the comments section wrote, "Slightly runny. Good flavor. Nice heat when you add extra pico. Mixt w/ salsa for fun. Yum." Margs were very average and we moved on over to the Inwood Lounge for the post-party where we all got a little tipsy and spilled our guts.

All in all, food and drinks were very average and I probably wouldn't go back. I am very pleased though that my Jillian joke finally made the blog and I figured out how to use Quesorita as a verb. See y'all at Chuy's this week. G-Unit out.

SPOILER ALERT!! Cantina Laredo 11/30/08

2008-12-08T09:41:00.002-06:00

Court, Kelly, and I had an impromptu post-bowling quesorita at Cantina Laredo in Addison. Queso and Margs were delicious! The Margs were actually therapeutic and helped to relieve my post-service funk. We will be visiting here for a formal happy hour soon.

T.C. 11/26/08

2008-12-02T22:01:00.005-06:00

Who knew? Who knew? That this favorite college haunt would reappear with such royalty in my thirties. Sitting in the plastic table, staring at the dirty salsa/topping bar, with whiffs of fake corn and fake cheese floating around, ahhhh.... I felt like I was in the middle of some small backwards town with this being the only restaurant still open after a long night of drinking. I clicked my heels together three times and knew I was home again.

We started out with the 16oz queso, a whole pound of cheese! This was the first place that offered it in three different sizes! We (of course) went with the extra large and had two additional ones later. It was also interesting that the medium and the small queso come with chips, but not the large. Problem solved!!! We ordered a ton of those soft, thick yummy tortillas and lopped up the queso like a few drunk college kids! When it hits your lips....

Now for those margaritas... I had recalled that they previously were made with a questionable wine blend. On the menu, it brags "Real Tequila Margaritas." What??? When did this change come about? It did feel much like college when you had to show your ID for a cup to drink out of the pitcher. I giggled with delight showing the girl (who was way younger then me) my ID. Margaritas were frozen, something close to a lime color, and thick. But... for what they were, we drank multiple pitchers.

Continuing our theme of the evening, we moved to the parking lot where an impromptu game of wiffleball, dodgeball, and badminton broke out. All I remember was that I was chasing around the birdie, dodging a ball that hit me in an unmentionable place, when I twirled around to the sound of a loud bang and hushed giggles. Yes, the new member of quesorita, Bill, had taken out the car in the drive thru with a line drive up the middle. It was awesome.

I love Taco Cabana, not much for the drinks, somewhat for the food, but much more for the way it makes us all feel like kids/drunk college kids again!

Queso 3.5/4

Margaritas 2.25/4

Wiffleball in the parking lot PRICELESS!

Mattito's 11/19/2008

2008-11-24T21:18:00.010-06:00

Queso rocks the shit.
Bob Armstrong owns all others.
Five out of four stars.

First off, sorry to all those who have been losing sleep wondering what happening to Quesorita. I assure you, we will not falter. We will not fail. When met with great obstacles, we will meet them head on and we will whoop their roody-poo, candy asses. If ya smelllllll what The Rock is cookin'!

My obstacle was coming home from a wedding on Sunday to an apartment flooded with nasty water. Sorry that I had to get the carpet replaced and move all my furniture back into place, instead of wowing you all with tales from beyond the stars. Now that I'm back, it's time to kick you all in the brain and get you back on the Tex Mex track.

I felt, and LE agreed, that haiku should be included in my blog post. For you math nerds that don't remember 12th century Japanese poetry, it's 5-7-5. I won that bet against my girlfriend, who is awesome and sitting here as a proofreader and muse. So back to the haiku, and more importantly back to the subject at hand- queso. Let's spill this out on the table now, Mattito's is all about queso. If you have one meal in Dallas, and you're reading this blog, you need to eat the Bob Armstrong queso at Mattito's. Hopefully I can figure out how to post the photos I took. If not, stay tuned or go get 3 bowls and see for yourself.

Bob Armstrong? Who the hell is Bob Armstrong? I don't know and I don't care. And I'm too lazy to look on Wikipedia or Google, and I'm not on Facebook, so I'll never know. Nor will I ever care. I care about the amazing texture of the cheese, chili con carne, avacado slices, and dollop of sour cream that is Bob Armstrong. Five out of four stars is conservative. It needs a new scoring system: "Metallica playing in your back yard for your 18th birthday party in 1986, and then they give you an autographed red Trans Am for your "real" present." That's really how good the Bob Armstrong is."

Apparently this isn't just a queso joint, and they have a full "menu" of "food". Whatever. Since I don't really drinks the 'ritas at Quesorita, I'm speaking on behalf of the delegation. "House frozen much better then house rocks. Plain queso pretty decent too." "queso 4/4. Bob Armstrong 5/4. margaritas on rocks 2/4. frozen 4/4."

Shout out to n00b Julie. She rolled with it like a champ. Last week's pre-Turkey day Quesorita was at Taco Cabana. G Funk is on it. Stay tuned.

Too summarize, Bob Armstrong wrote Master of Puppetts.

Go Big Early. Sherby and Jill out.

The Phoenix (11/12/08 by J'Dubs)

2008-11-17T08:50:00.013-06:00

For this week's Quesorita meeting we continued our trip westward on Lemmon Ave to the lengendary El Fenix Restaurant. According to their sign (and confirmed by Wikipedia) Miguel Martinez and his family have been serving-up Tex-Mex cuisine since 1918. From their famous Enchilada Dinners to their Mexican Lunch Specials, these guys practically invented Tex-Mex cuisine. After nearly 90 years in the business, have the Martinez Family perfected this cuisine? This was the question our group of Quesorita'ers went seeking to answer...

Now for me, I am a long-time listener, first time caller to Quesorita. The Quesorita Senoritas knowingly cut me out by having these outings on the only night of the week I am unavailable. Arriving a bit late to my premier, I was happy to see such a big group but confused as to why I've been the only one left out. There were already empty bowls of queso which I thought to be a good sign for the Martinez Family. I was promptly greeted by our server who promptly returned with a house Margarita on the Rocks. So far so good...

I found my margarita to my liking. It was served-up in the classic margarita goblet, garnished with a good lining of salt and a generous lime wedge. The taste was slightly sweeter than it was tart but overall well-balanced. They were also generous (but not overally so) with the tequila. Meaning you could actually taste it. I personally gave it a 3/4. However, a show of hands landed it at 2/4 for the group.

On to the next event: The Chips and Salsa. I think the chips are often overlooked in the literature but can really affect the meal. To put it out there, there is no such thing as a bad chip, save for soggy or stale (but one might still even debate that). These were the classic old-school chips: yellow corn and thick. They were fresh (as in, not stale) but not hot-out-of- the- fryer. They were slightly dense for my liking and also a tad under-salted. I like a lighter, thinner chip. I will admit the thickness does come in handy for the queso, so sometimes it can be a mixed bag. The salsa also got high marks. It fulfilled my basic criteria. That is: cooked rather than fresh, not chunky, and not too much onion. Chips 2/4. Salsa 3/4.

Now the main event: The Queso. Now I have to interrupt quickly to explain something. I take my queso really seriously, as do most of you, I hope. But I have never really met a queso that I didn't like. That's not to say I can't discriminate between bad queso and great queso. It's just a statement of my love for this gooey, melted concoction that is rumored to sometime actually contain cheese. Now this statement got me into a heated discussion with my buddy Shelby, who believes something different. He believes that taste buds discriminate depending on their location. That is to say, ball park-like queso would taste bad at a Tex-Mex Restaraunt but good at a baseball game. While I agree that one should expect more from a Tex-Mex establishment (and it would get low ratings) I would still gladly dip my chip over and over into this inferior queso past the point my belly said 'no more.'

At first glance, this queso looked like any other of the queso that have been chatted about by you bloggers out there. It was yellow but not neon yellow, giving the impression that there might actually be some real cheese in there! I dipped my chip with anticipation. The consistency was on the thinner side...somewhere between warm whole milk and Hershey's chocolate sauce. It was blatantly void of the fixings you typically find in a good queso. You would have been hard-pressed to find an onion, a pepper or even a tomato. This of course doomed it to be void of any of the things these items impart, namely taste or spice. This was, at best, fancy ballpark cheese. Personally I gave it a 1/4 but a consensus of 1.75/4. As predicted, the low marks didn't stop me from polishing off a bowl all on my own...

Quesorita is typically just a happy hour event. I only know this through word of mouth since I'm not a regular attendee. This week dinner was included in the event. This was motivated by El Fenix's Enchilada Wednesdays. Legend has it that the Brumley family used to travel-in all the way from Desoto to eat here every Wednesday night when young, impressionable Laura Elizabeth was a child. The Enchilada Special is something of a swindle if you ask me. I mean it's a good deal ($4.99) but it only pertains to the Cheese Enchiladas, not the "Whole Enchilada" menu. So I opted out of the special for something meatier and thus will comment only on my meal. I went with the Chicken Spinach Enchiladas with the Sour Cream Sauce (at the waiter's rec). I think I can say that the Martinez Family does Enchiladas right and that the 90 year's of experience has payed off. The sauce was creamy and slightly tangy. The enchilada below was soft but not soggy and filled with moist white meat chicken and fresh spinach. The meal was served with re-fried beans and Spanish rice. Both very standard but very tasty. Most of us rated the meal higher than the Queso or Ritas. I gave it a 3.5/4. The group 3/4.

Suzy Q and L-Boogie & The Enchilada Special (with Chile con Carne Sauce)

For most of us, the service was average and acceptable. But this is a group that sticks together. We are also from the South ('ish) and thus we commence the meal together. So when one person doesn't get their food (in this case Courtney), the rest of us have to wait for politeness' sake. I don't know what it was, but this waiter had a thing for forgetting (or more likely, ignoring) Courtney's order. He totally forgot her Enchilada Special and Margarita. Then he disappeared for 20 minutes while we all sat their waiting to start. Unfortunately, I had to be the rude one and I started eating to avoid a cold meal. Thus Service = 1/4.

We opted out of dessert but I was happy to see the classic Sopepilla on the menu. In addition it had been a long time since I had seen Chiclets and those Mexican Pecan Pralines at the Check-out counter. Very warm childhood memories...

Just a comment on the atmosphere and crowd. It looks like neither has changed much since it's opening in 1918...Next week, on to a younger crowd and a hopefully tastier queso at Mattito's! Of course, I'm not likely to be there but I do wish you all the best of Queso and Rita, Senoritas!

Kelly Diggin'in Tex-Mex Style

Mia's on Lemmon

2008-11-06T09:54:00.005-06:00

After braving the perils of election night cupcakes, Lauren, John, Shlerbly, Kelly, Julie (my little sis), and I soujourned to Mia's for a lovely Quesorita evening.

We started the night out with a large bowl of queso. It was a bit runny, and per the Quesorita crew, had the taste of many of the lower end quesos about town. This lead to speculation of a queso conspiracy elaborately orchaestrated by Fiesta to control the restaurant queso and ballpark nacho cheese market. It was decided that John should use his ample free time at work to research this further, possibly writing an expose for the Observer.

In Mias case, the queso base was a runny yellow cheese with occasional diced peppers and what appeared to be a little chili powder on the surface. We rated it 1.5/4, though that might have been generous.

Upon the arrival of Kelly, margaritas were had by all. They did have an interesting selection including frozen mango and sangria but they were expensive, ringing in at $8/glass with no ability to order pitchers. Thus, a 0.75/4 for value. However, at least they were relatively delicious - coming in at 3/4 for taste. I also had a shot of petron, which tasted like petron, giving it a 4/4 for authenticity.

Soon thereafter Lauren, Shlerbly, and John arrived, bringing the total in our party to six. Now the real exploring could begin. Chorizo queso was ordered as were briscuit tacos and beef nachos. Our expectations at this point were low. The margaritas were expensive, the service slow, and the queso less than par. But all that was about to change.

The chorizo queso came out first. It was mixed at the table side and thrown into flour tortillas. And it was nothing short of delicous. We ranked it a 3.25/4. Then the briscuit tacos came out. They are two to a plate accompanied by beans and rice as well as a side of gravy (don't get fooled again Kelly). These were, as well, fantastic. I'd ring em in at 3.5/4. Finally, the beef nachos came out. And they were well played. Sometimes mexican restaurants will throw a pile of chips on a plate and toss a bunch of shit on top. Mias did not make this mistake. The nachos were individually cheese wrapped with a slice of beef on each. I did not have one myself, but the table seemed satisfied. We'll stick em in at 3.5/4.

Overall it was a successful evening. While this was my Quesorita initiation, I have a feeling that Mias will fall into the middle to slightly low end of the Quesorita scales.

Service = 1/4
Ritas price = 0.75/4
Ritas taste = 3/4
Plain Queso = 1.5/4
Chorizo Queso = 3.25/4
Briscuit Tacos = 3.5/4
Beef Nachos = 3.5/4

In summary - I'm going to slap Mias down in the QuesoRita department as a 1.75/4 and in the extraneous food department as a 3.25/4.

Next week's locale is TBA, but rumor has it that the following week will be at Taco C...Have a most pleasant end of week...:)

Amigo's in Richardson 10/29/08

2008-11-01T18:20:00.003-05:00

This week was in Richardson at a little neighborhood joint called "Amigos" (located in the same strip mall where the classic hamburger joint "Thunderbirds" used to be). We welcomed guest judge, Erica. We started on their nice patio, but then the wind picked up and we moved inside.

I got there early and enjoyed my happy hour house frozen margarita for $2.75. The price went up a little seeing as how I had to add a shot of tequila, not because it was weak, but it was a little too thick to drink (when in doubt, add more liquor). It scored a 3/4, with the added shot of tequila 3.5/4. Erica got the house margarita on the rocks and it scored a 3/4 also. Lauren ordered both a top shelf frozen and a top shelf on the rocks, the latter of which tasted pleasantly like a Christmas tree. Lauren scored Xmas tree on the rocks with a 3.5/4 as it was better than the frozen. Aren't they always?

I was a little worried about Lauren liking the queso because she doesn't technically like cheese OR cream and this is one creamy queso. It is made with a white cheese and small strips of spinach? for color? We scored it well with a 3.5/4. Service was good, hot chips arrive frequently and tasty salsa cups were refilled as needed.

Overall, a pleasant experience.....

Shout out to L.E. who was sick and couldn't make it, and a shout out to Kelly for writing this week's blog! Next week Mia's- get ready quesoritaers!

Queso 3.5/4

House frozen 3/4

House rocks 3/4

Top shelf frozen 3.5/4

Top shelf rocks aka "Xmas tree" 3.5/4

On The Border- Knox Location 10/22/08

2008-10-22T22:04:00.007-05:00

Kicking it old school today with K-ueso and Courtney. Battling Uptown traffic was a little dreary and slow but once we got there and took our place at the bar we all breathed a giant sigh of relief. Margaritas were much better then expected for this chain restaurant and the prices were perfect! A big schooner swirl rita for $4.25??? A large bowl of queso for $2.50??? My total bill was less than $5! Bonus points for sure. No one got paged either... another super bonus! Oh yes... back to the "quesorita." Queso was served warm and spicy and was deliciously not unlike Velveeta! I didn't have to mix any salsa in it either! Salsa was wonderful and I'm pretty sure we had thirds. And finally, a shout out to Cal our awesome server! Next week we're heading to Mia's- you know our numbers. Quesorita girls here.

Queso 3/4

Margaritas

*Happy hour swirl with sangria 3/4

*Top shelf 3.5/4

*On the rocks shelf 3/4

Manny's October 15th, 2008

2008-10-18T09:30:00.006-05:00

I realize the first picture is out of focus- manual was on and I need glasses. Will do better next time.
Happy to have guest judges Courtney Layton, Shelby Melton and Kristen Ohlenforst!!

Mixed reviews on the queso- but again- the bowl was reduced to finger scraping (mostly by L.E. who thought it was pretty good). Lauren again had to dump lots of salsa in it to choke it down. Service was pretty awful- no refills on the salsa or water. Now- to the drinks. The on the rocks margarita was the clear winner here, good job Courtney! The frozen was too sweet, ditto for the swirl. All and all not impressive but the company made for a great late lunch. The nap afterwards was pretty awesome too!! Next week we will kicking it old school with On the Border- get excited!! ( We realize we are saving the best for last- Mi Cocina mambo taxis and Bob Armstrong queso at Matt's- but hold your horses, we have all year!!!)

Overall scores:

queso- 2/4 (*disputed)

on the rocks margarita- 2.75/4

frozen margarita- 2.5/4

swirl margarita- 2.5/4

Taco Diner (West Village) 10/8/2008

2008-10-11T21:53:00.003-05:00

Oooh. I love Taco Diner. We sat outside (weather is finally nice) and enjoyed the scene while sipping some mango margaritas and lapping up queso. The margaritas are swell, delicious, not too sweet and appropriately strong. The queso was good but not amazing, we still scraped the bowl though. Lauren is still getting over her gonorrhoeal eye infection so she whined about that a bit. I was nice and tipsy but had a few hours to sleep it off before Kol Nidre. Next week Manny's to complete the West Village area. Come join us- we'll be there around 4 unless we can sneak away earlier.....you know our numbers.

Margaritas 3/4 (best fruit margarita)

Queso 2.5/4

State Fair Of Texas 10/1/08

2008-10-11T21:40:00.003-05:00

Let the fried food extravaganza begin with an introduction of our guest judge for the evening, Kelly Lisle. This was a two hour sprint through the fair in search of the best fried food there. Reviews had rated the fried bacon as numero uno, but our guest judge thought the fried guacamole (not pictured) was superb. I have to disagree and say that the fried queso rocked!!! By far the best fried food there, especially with your choice of different flavors of ranch dressing (who knew?) as your dipping sauce. There was a "food baby" competition to end the evening (please see above picture), and as you can see I should have consumed more. There was no room for margaritas this evening as I was saving room for the fried grilled cheese, corn dog, fried bacon, chicken fried steak slider, fried snowball, fried queso, fried PB&J, fried guacamole, and beer!

Margaritas ** too full

Queso 3.5/4

Casa Blanca 9/24/08

2008-10-11T21:27:00.002-05:00

So, this was a long shot- but it was on Lemmon Ave, so we gave it a whirl. Too freaking hot to sit outside but that is okay because their patio was super depressing, just a slab of concrete with iron fence. The queso was AWFUL but we still finished it. It tasted very very fake- like all Velveeta, no Rotel. The margaritas were FINE but got an inflated score because I started to get misty-eyed talking to Lauren about how much I love being a pediatrician. Would never set foot in here again, except for a margarita, skip the queso.

Margarita 2.75*/4 (score is higher due to the emotional response after ingestion)

Queso 2/4

Uncle Julio's (on Lemmon) 9/17/08

2008-10-11T21:22:00.002-05:00

Saddled up to the bar by 4:15 never felt so good. The swirls were a little overswirled for my taste (needed more rita, less swirl), but they did the trick. Queso was a little below average and I had to dump a large amount of salsa in it to make it better (always a good judge). Would definitely go back as the prices are right, and it's muy circa to the hospital and LE's house.

Margaritas 2.5/4

Queso 2.25/4

Gloria's (on Lemmon) 9/10/08

2008-10-11T21:09:00.004-05:00

Ahh, the first of our weekly quesorita happy hours. Gloria's, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways, #1 the delicious black bean dip which comes with the salsa #2 the happy hour margarita swirls are $4 and really solid #3 the chips are nice and crispy. It was too hot to sit outside so we went with a table inside, which is really a shame cause they have a nice patio. We might need to go back in that case.

Margaritas (swirl): 2.5/4

Queso: 2.5/4