Mid-Cities Tex-Mex

The BKoM and I kicked off our restaurant reviewing with a trip to Miguelito's in Hurst, a longtime mid-cities Tex-Mex favorite. The full parking lot as we arrived was the first sign of good things to come, as was the pair of Hurst's finest leaving the restaurant. Their presence promised that if, if nothing else, Miguelito's apparently fried up a mean churro. As we entered the restaurant, what did we see at the register but a pair of real life Texas Rangers, star badges and all? No churro-eaters these, each looked well-sated but still more than capable of handling the one riot assigned to him by Captain McDonald. We exchanged knowing nods, and the BKOM and I were escorted to our table.

I love Tex-Mex, and I want it served in as authentic and unfussy a setting as possible, preferably festooned with as much Pepto-Bismol pink as possible and plenty of pinatas. Miguelito's did not disappoint on that count. Each wall was painted its own unique dual combination of bright colors, with the two fields of color separated by a Virgin Mary blue chair rail. Conjunto music played in the background, loudly enough to be enjoyed but not loudly enough to interfere with conversation.

It wasn't long before we had chips and salsa in front of us. The salsa was smooth and uniform in consistency, slightly sweet and a little garlicky. It contained a seductive whisper of cilantro--enough to taste and see if one looked closely enough, but not enough to overpower. It had a little picante whang to it. All in all, it was solid. The chips were unremarkable, but I'm not very discerning about tortilla chips.

We opted to kick things off with a cup of chile con queso, and Miguelito's version was excellent. It was smooth and creamy and made of real cheese, not a translucent xanthan gum-laden cheese-like knockoff. The cheese was slightly sharp, and the spice was just right. It was the best chile con queso I've had in quite a while. On the downside, at $4.50 for a very small bowl, it seemed a little pricey.

As I usually do, I went with the cheese enchilada lunch special, which consisted of two cheese enchiladas topped with chili con carne, rice, and beans for around $6.00. The enchiladas were good but not great. The chili con carne on top was fairly rich and meaty, but there could have been more of it. They needed a little salt, and there were a few too many diced onions sharing space with the cheese. Still, they were as good or better than most

The Spanish rice and refritos, those all-important accompaniments to the Tex-Mex experience, were above average. The rice was dry and fluffy but stopped short of being great. The beans were also very good, but they were just a little too thick and didn’t taste quite bacon-y enough to be top shelf.

On the whole, it was a damn fine lunch place. It wasn’t great, but it was better than the vast majority of the swarm of Tex-Mex restaurants out there serving bland and uninspired food. The service was prompt and friendly, and it had the kind of feel you want in a lunch place—interesting and out of the way and decidedly not a chain. We will definitely be back.