Now with 10 locations in the southwestern US, Z Tejas is an Austin-born restaurant that incorporates flavors of the southwest into food that is not necessarily southwestern. Think rotisserie chicken that is smoked with the flavors of chilies or pork chops that are marinated in Adobo sauce. This is the kind of food that Z Tejas has trademarked as their own special blend of traditional and southwestern.
Years ago when I moved to Texas my husband and I tried Z Tejas and I was less than impressed. I hadn’t truly developed my taste for southwestern flavors unless they were shoved into taco or enchilada form. I was overwhelmed by the complexity of alien spices and was somewhat miffed to learn that chips and salsa weren’t free and overflowing on the table.
Let’s skip ahead many years. A new Z Tejas location on Parmer opened up and hubby and I, desperate for a night out, took the opportunity to leave the kids with my mother and dashed off for a quick dinner. Our dinner was fabulous and I was in love. We were however, in too much of a hurry to really appreciate all the menu had to offer or to totally savor the food as it is meant to be. So I decided that I would rectify that situation as soon as I could.
Let’s skip ahead several months this time. While my in-laws were visiting we went back to Z Tejas for another meal. The choices on the menu made it difficult to choose. There were items such as:
Cast-Iron Skilet Dumplings: Spicy shrimp and pork wrapped in wontons, steamed and seared, served with a sweet ginger soy dipping sauce
Catfish Beignets Catfish: crusted with cornmeal and fried crisp, with jalapeño tartar sauce
Green Chile Pulled Pork Nachos: Made with tender pork simmered in green chiles and ancho peppers, topped
with melted Jack cheese, black beans, hand-hacked guacamole and fresh jalapeños
as the appetizers. We decided on the Tejas Trio which was 3 of their favorites: fresh salsa, guacamole and queso. The salsa had a rich smoky undertone of ancho that was delightful when contrasted to the sweetness of the tomato, and it was slightly spicy but not too much so. The guacamole I felt lacked salt and could have used a bit of acidity aka lime but guacamole is highly personal; everybody likes it different. There was however, no denying the freshness of the ingredients. The queso was good but not my favorite. Chuy’s has hands down the best queso EVER!
The offered entrees were difficult to choose from with options like:
Jack’s Five-Cheese Macaroni & Achiote Chicken: Made with bleu, Jack, cheddar, parmesan and Romano cheeses, finished with toasted bacon gratin.
Chicken, Artichoke & Mushroom Stack: Wild mushrooms, spinach and artichokes stacked with grilled chicken breast, topped with a soy-mustard cream, served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables
Pa n Fried Snapper: Crispy pan fried snapper topped with crab meat, salsa fresca and cilantro pesto cream sauce,
served with green chile rice and seasonal vegetables
Green Chile Barbacoa Enchiladas: slow roasted beef barbacoa enchiladas, topped with green chile sauce, Jack cheese, sour cream and escabèche, served with green chile rice and black beans
I opted for the Green Chile Barbacoa Enchiladas and was not disappointed. The tender, smoky and succulent beef was plenty and tucked inside fresh white corn tortillas and then topped with a mild green chile sauce, cheese and sour cream. But the real star of this show is the veggies. The rice was full of tasty veggies and the enchiladas were topped with a lightly pickled combination of carrot, cauliflower, onion, celery and zucchini. I asked for veggies on the side in place of the beans and the side of veggies were a combination of julienne zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli and carrot all that were lightly steamed and topped with butter.
My husband had the Chicken Fried Ribeye that was tender and not too heavily battered, and the cream gravy was among the best I’ve had here in town. Not too thick, too thin nor too spicy.
All in all it was a great meal with great service. We went on a Monday evening and so had no wait and the restaurant wasn’t too busy but I’ve seen that place with lineups out the door.
Z Tejas is a good restaurant for fresh food, good veggies and meals made from scratch rather than just doctored up premade products from Sysco. With prices around $12.00 to $15.00 for entrees (some of the steak and fish offerings were higher) it is a great alternative to some of the larger chains or more calorie-intensive menus.
