Abuelo?s Offers Four-star Dining Experience

Food Industry 2/16/04

OPINION

Abuelo’s Mexican Food Embassy
4005 West Walnut
Rogers

We arrived at Abuelo’s Mexican Embassy ready to see what the newest Mexican joint in town had to offer. The furnishings alone in this upscale Tex-Mex chain make it worth a trip. The indoor courtyard design helps diners forget they are in the middle of the dead of winter in Arkansas. The water fountain in the courtyard, and the mustard-colored walls are reminiscent of a warm southwestern locale.

We were seated immediately, and the place soon filled up with power lunchers.

Our server sold us on the “chile con queso” dip ($5) to accompany the complimentary “eat too many because you can’t stop yourself” warm tortilla chips. We didn’t have to wait for the dip to cool. The cheese dip with roasted poblano peppers wasn’t spicy enough for the two female diners, so they opted to swirl the house salsa with the cheese to kick it up a notch.

The male diner in the group opted for the “brocheta de filete” ($16). It was an easy choice for this seasoned business traveler, who has ordered the dish at another one of Abuelo’s 13 locations across Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona. He said the bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin medallions were very tender. The dish also comes with “papas con chile” (mashed potatoes with pepper and onion topped with cheese) and frijoles charros (beans).

Both female diners ordered from the lunch special ($7-$8) selection, which is served daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Most specials come with your choice of beans and rice or the “papas con chile.”

An aficionado of the “chile relleño” said her cheese-stuffed pepper was “tender enough to cut with a fork.” The other ordered the the “enchiladas calabacitas rancheras”. The green and yellow squash stuffed in the enchiladas was cooked just right and melted in her mouth when it was combined with the white cheese sauce on top.

One female diner found that special place in her stomach that’s reserved only for the fanciest of desserts. She convinced her male companion to roll up his sleeves and join in on the chocolate flan with kahlua cream ($5). The traditional Mexican egg custard was a triple threat of “mmmmms” when combined with the chocolate Kahlua sauce. The male diner loved it.

However, the use of whipped nondairy topping on the rich custard almost brought our discriminating reviewer’s chocolate buzz to a screeching halt. She didn’t understand why they would cheapen such a rich dessert like flan with “fake” whipped cream.

The unique flavor combinations and offerings at Abuelo’s would keep us coming back for curiosity’s sake alone. With their beef and fish offerings from mahi mahi, salmon and scallops to beef medallions and Yucatan barbecue sauce, the menu offers a twist on Mexican fare we hadn’t seen here before.