buy 1 chipotle now, get 1 free chipotle later

In the land of gargantuan burritos, Chipotle wins the taste test hands down. I think it’s better than some of their competitors (here’s a hint: they rhyme with “Treebirds” and “Tission Turrito”). Some say it’s the corn, others say it’s the marinade in the meat. Whatever it is, I can’t believe it’s a company owned by McDonald’s. Who knew that red-haired clown could whip up such a mean burrito?

Today and tomorrow, if you purchase a burrito or burrito bowl from Chipotle and save the receipt, you can redeem it this weekend for the same order. Here’s the coupon. Thanks to Joanna again for her cheap eat finds.

nacho typical tex-mex fare

Hugo’s
1600 Westheimer Rd.
Houston, TX 77006
713-524-7744

3.5/5 tamales

In fact, it’s not Tex-Mex at all. (And I couldn’t help the pun.) I’ve been wanting to try authentic Mexican cuisine for some time now as most restaurants in Houston that claim to cater to our south-of-the-border taste buds serve up what we Texans call “Tex-Mex.”

Now you may be wondering what the difference is between Tex-Mex and true Mexican food. Authentic Mexican cuisine is usually devoid of heavy sauces and toppings such as cheese and sour cream. Greasy, fried foods (think refried beans) are mostly a Tex-Mex invention. Mexican food, on the other hand, often consists of fresher produce, e.g. tomatoes and peppers.

When a fellow foodaphile from school claimed that Hugo’s was the best Mexican restaurant in Houston, I had to try it for myself. (Side note: This was how our Supper Club was born–a few of us had been talking about getting out there and trying new restaurants especially since our hometown of Houston has so many great eateries. We plan to try a new venue every month, and Hugo’s happened to be our inaugural place of choice.)

For starters, we ordered an off-the-menu sampler ($35) which came with a smorgasbord of emapanadas, tamales, and taquitos. The tamales were not soggy with too much oil in contrast to the late-night ones peddled in nearby bars.

For entrees, our table ordered Huachinango a la Veracruzana–whole roasted red snapper with tomatoes, manzanilla olives, and capers ($20); Cochinita Pibil–slow-roasted baby pig cooked in banana leaf Yucatan-style with pickled onions, arroz negro (black rice), and habanero salsa ($26); and soft-shell crab which was off the menu. Everyone was generally pleased with their food, but the large appetizer sampler combined with the slow service had us feeling full before the entrees came.

Regardless, the dishes were presented with visual appeal–I was told my arroz negro came shaped as a pyramid. The portions were manageable and savory.

We ordered one of the cheaper cabernet sauvignon for less than $30. Some of their wines are priced at the half-bottle, so don’t be fooled. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

Hugo’s was busy on a Friday night. Be sure to make reservations. The restaurant’s quaint decor made my husband feel like he was transplanted to a cosmopolitan Mexican city. Overall, the food was good, but we’re not quite sure if it was worth the price. I do, however, still want to try their brunch. For dinner, I give Hugo’s 3.5 out of 5 tamales.

And so it was that evening in June that our Supper Club was conceived. (It took a while to get this post up because I was still trying to get the blog put together at the time.) Nevertheless, here is my first Supper Club post, and here’s to many more occasions for us friends to get together and eat our way through Houston one restaurant at a time.

Here are some photos from the dinner. Can you tell what is what?