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La Casita (Closed)
3355 N. Yarbrough Dr.El Paso, TX
La Casita has a long history in El Paso, as described on the restaurant's web site. Starting as a
small restaurant near downtown that primarily provided lunch to nearby factory workers, it has since
grown into a fairly large space in a neighborhood strip shopping center. Located away from Interstate
10, Montana Avenue, or other major highways in east El Paso, La Casita is obviously not expecting
to attract a large number of tourists driving through and looking for a place to sample some border
style Mexican food. Instead, it relies on its reputation with local residents and anyone from out of town
who knows about the high quality food served at La Casita.
I really think almost all the Mexican restaurants in El Paso have something enjoyable to offer, and
someone driving through town could not go too far wrong by stopping at any of them. La Casita, though,
is better than most in offering what I call "El Paso style" Mexican food. This is really Mexican
food as it as been developed in the neighboring Mexican state of Chihuhua and refined in El Paso
based on locally available chiles and perhaps local tastes. La Casita's founder from Nuevo Casas
Grandes, Chihuahua, probably had her own take on Mexican food that was slightly different from those
who came to El Paso from other cities in the region.
Fajitas are possibly the specialty of the restaurant, although I think there certainly have to be
other items that inspire equal loyalty with La Casita's patrons. I will admit that I am not an expert on fajitas
although growing up in beef country I do know some things about steaks. I think in terms of meat quality
the Beef Fajitas here are about as good as anywhere. I suspect the marinade and spices used
in fajitas may usually be an attempt to cover up bad meat, but such is not the case at La Casita. This was
tender beef without gristle or undesirable pieces.
Since beef fajitas are quite a complex dish, though, there were other aspects of the experience.
I found the way the beef was cooked to be a little off, with some of the outside being overdone and much
of the interior being undercooked. This was not to the point that I did not like the dish, but I just found other
versions to be better. The grilled onions at La Casita were quite good, but did not match the ones at
Wyngs that turned a vegetable I usually push to the side into one that I devoured. The fajitas at La Casita
came on a hot grill as they should, and everything about the experience was good except for a few
undercooked pieces.
La Casita uses a marinated beef in the fajitas that was different than others I have tried. The marinade
had quite a strong flavor that I think you will either like or dislike, but no one will say they did not notice it.
Personally I preferred the fajitas at Wyngs that did not have such a strong marinated flavor.
I cannot give any objective reasons for saying one was better than the other, it was simply a matter of
how it tasted to me.
The best part of the fajitas at La Casita, that was not the case at Wyngs, was that customers are able
to get a half order with a quantity of food that to me is reasonable. Even though I thought Wyngs served the
best fajitas I have ever eaten, I would most likely go to La Casita now that I know they have a good
alternative in a smaller quantity and a lower cost. I have not yet tried the chicken fajitas and they may
be even better than the beef. Of course a large order could always be shared, but I just think the
fajitas served at Wyngs and most other restaurants, as well as the regular order here, are too big. I
am not against restaurants serving a good quantity of meat as long as it is not to the point that
the size of the meal is totally out of proportion to the amount that can comfortably be eaten.
The on line menu states that the guacamole and pico de gallo cost extra with the half order. In my
case they came with the meal and the waiter did not mention anything about having to order them.
The bill was not higher than I expected, so I think they gave them to me for free. In any case, they
were quite good and I would probably not recommend the fajitas without these usual toppings.
Flour tortillas came with the order, and I enjoyed it more making rolled tacos using the tortillas.
Some Red Enchiladas I also sampled turned out to be even more impressive to me than
the fajitas. I am always looking for good flavored El Paso style enchiladas, and the ones here were
like the ones I remember but that seem to be gradually disappearing from restaurants. These are
the rich red enchiladas that almost taste like the ones from New Mexico but with a unique blend of
spices that seem to typify the El Paso style. I definitely think these enchiladas deserve to be on
the list of the restaurant's "best items" (and are some of the best in El Paso for that matter).
The Chips and Salsa were other standout items at La Casita. The chips were thick
and not too salty, and I enjoyed eating them plain. The salsa was good enough that I could
recommend it to anyone traveling through town who just had one meal to eat here and wanted to
try typical El Paso style food. L&J Cafe might be better because they have two salsas (and both
are quite different from the one here). Personally, though, I would not be disappointed to have the
salsa here instead of the ones at L&J.
The Ice Tea is quite good and comes in large glasses that are sometimes necessary to
quench the heat here (the food is about average for El Paso style restaurants but may be hotter than
some of the restaurants that specialize in tacos, seafood, or serve a style of food from one of the states
of Mexico other than Chihuahua).
If you have passed by La Casita but not dropped in, I definitely think it is worth a visit. I wish to
thank Rito for suggesting that I visit and pointing me to some good dishes to try. I am glad to know that
others also hold La Casita in high regard.
Beef fajitas are a specialty at La Casita
Guacamole, beans, and pico de gallo are served with fajitas
Red enchiladas at La Casita are some of the best in El Paso
RESTAURANT DETAILS
RATING: 22
Cuisine: Mexican El Paso
Cost: $$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Smoking: No Smoking
Chile Index: |
Most Recent Visit
Sep. 13, 2007
Number of Visits: 4
Best Items
Red Enchiladas, Chips, Salsa
Special Ratings
Red Enchiladas:
Beef Fajitas:
Refried Beans:
Chips:
Salsa: