If you haven’t had Big Tex’s corned beef hash, you’re missing out. Yes, this is one time I have to unleash my foodie superego, that urge to tell others what to do, where to go, and how to eat. I don’t do this often. Perhaps the last time was for Haru Ichiban’s paper hot pot yosenabe, but this is another time. Yes, just go. Try it. And tell your friends what you think.
Specials
The corned beef hash is a smoked meat heaven.
Yes, I know, Foodie Buddha said he didn’t like it. To be fair, the rational side of me thinks this is merely a product of FB coming early to restaurants before their teething period is complete. Just go. Make up your own mind.
Brisket tacos and a good jalapeno cole slaw
The other things they serve range from decent to pretty good. They know they have a winner in terms of their brisket, that’s why it’s featured in three different tacos. Their sides are good. I liked both their slaw and their turnip greens. This virtue is a holdover from their parent, Fox Brother’s Barbecue (see here and here).
There are a bunch of burgers here, something of a hat tip to Houston’s Goode Company Hamburgers and Taqueria, which was doing the same back in the 1980s (though back then the word “hamburgers” wasn’t in the name. GCT was the the first place I ever had pico de gallo on a burger, and at the time, was the best burger in the city, bar none). There are, of course, enchiladas, yellow cheese, and yellow queso. The beer selection is quite good.
Does this place compare, say, to a cornerstone Tejano icon, such as the original Ninfa’s on Navigation in Houston, back in its heyday? No, not really, but it’s not supposed to. The appropriate comparison is to Guy Wong and his endlessly inventive foods in Miso Izakaya. It’s not a copy, it’s a jazz riff off the original idea of Tejano. Expect some hits, expect some misses, expect them to grow into their menu and to slowly adapt the form to what the Fox Brothers do well. It may not be a home run now, but the corned beef hash is a solid hit of a dish, and I expect more from this place as it evolves.
Big Tex Cantina
308 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 377-3939
Goode Company Hamburgers and Taqueria
4902 Kirby Dr
Houston, TX 77098
(713) 520-9153
August 22, 2011 at 11:19 am
I didn’t like it because it wasn’t good. I also didn’t like it when i went back several weeks later.
August 22, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Yes, but the teething period for a restaurant can be long. For Miso Izakaya, it was on the order of a year. I get the impression this restaurant hasn’t found its focus yet either, but it will, and I suspect their big seller won’t be chicken enchiladas.
My 0.02. Of course, your opinion is welcomed.
FnS.