Mexican food is more than tacos and fajitas in Houston, Texas

Mexican food is more than tacos and fajitas, and Mexican Restaurant Hugo's in Houston, is an excellent place to experiment the diversity of Mexican cuisine.

Mexican chef, Hugo Ortega, is in charge of making sure that every dish at Hugo’s is as authentic in the United States as it would be in Mexico.

To begin the evening, I had spicy peanuts and empanadas made with plantain dough filled with cheese: the sweetness of the plantain invaded my mouth with each bite, and the cheese melted throughout my mouth preparing it for the next dish.

The menu offered a large variety of tempting dishes like: Tampiqueña BBQ meat, huachinango a la Veracruzana, duck with mole poblano, stuffed chilies, shrimps with black sauce, among others. I finally decided upon cochinita pibil, one of Mexico’s most typical pork dishes. The cochinita was so tender that I didn’t even have to bite it, since it melted as it touched my lips.

For dessert, I decided to venture myself with an interesting dish: chocolate cake with chilies. The strong taste of chocolate and the spicy chilies made an explosive combination: curiously, first you tasted the sweetness of the chocolate, while after a couple of minutes, you felt a spicy after-taste that enabled the taste to remain in your mouth for a long time.

After tasting the food at Hugo’s it is no wonder that the restaurant won several awards: Sante Award for the excellent traditional menu, "Houston Branch of The International Wine & Food Society Award", a mention as "Best Mexican Restaurant" according to Best of Houston-Host Press 2005, and an Award to the Restaurant of the Year in 2003 according to Houston Press.

For that reason, if you find yourself in Houston, stop by Hugo’s, it is a good option to escape the typical Tex-Mex food, and enjoy authentic Mexican food in a cozy and familiar atmosphere.

HUGO’S RESTAURANT
1600 Westheimer Houston, TX 77006
Phone: (713) 524-7744
Fax: (713) 521-7719

Working Hours:
Monday to Thursday and Sundays: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

See Map

Dancing like a Cowboy in Texas

Yijahhhh. Two. Two. Oooone. Two. Two. Oooone.

We started the night dancing "two-step" in Wild West, a country bar in Houston, Texas.

We danced in circles around the dancing square along with men with boots, checkered shirts, and cowboy hats, and women with tight clothes and exaggerated make-up (a look that enhanced their beauty despite being outrageous).

We observed the cowboys and their peculiar clothing with amazement (we had only seen people dressed like that in cowboy movies). They also looked at us, our sober clothing and our lack of rhythm as we attempted to dance that type of intermittent vallenato called two-step.

With time, we got used to them, and they got used to us. Together, we continued to enjoy $1 drinks and the good vibe of the place as we uncovered a side of Houston we hadn’t explored before.


How to get there:
6101 Richmond Ave.
Houston, TX 77057
Promo: 713-266-3455
Happy Hour: 713-266-2282

Hours of Operation:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 6:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Wed-Thu: 7:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Friday: 5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Saturday: 7:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sunday: 4:30 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Dance Lessons: 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

San Antonio: Speckled Attractions

San Antonio is located about 200 miles from Houston, and it is one of the most popular destinations within Texas. It is well known for its various attractions: the attractive River Walk, “El Alamo” (that represents the battle where Texas became independent from Mexico, March 6, 1836), and its cultural and historic museums (El Alamo Museum, Wax Museum, Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, among others).

Its historic district is very picturesque due to the Spanish architectonic influence. The Alamo Plaza is located in the heart of the historic district, where the Spanish Mission, and the chapel that hosts the Museum of Historic Artifacts are located. At the Plaza, one can also find a gigantic Alamo, whose smell is so pungent that it does not go unnoticed. In fact, one can probably reach the plaza by trying to find the source of that strange aroma.

“A block away from the Alamo Plaza, you can relive the historic Battle of the Alamo in the IMAX Theater of San Antonio’s Rivercenter and in the special effects theaters watching ‘Texas Adventure’,” according to Mile Leco from USA Tourist.

After visiting the museums and the historical part of the city, one should move over to the River Walk to take a break and relax while observing the boats floating down the river (if you happen to visit San Antonio during Christmas, you might be able to hear the chorus signing Christmas carols from the gongolas). If you happen to have time, it is a great idea to have a drink in one of the bars right on the Riverside or to take a boat ride down the river.

It is important to highlight, that San Antonio is not just a touristy destination. It also has a very active night life with various bars and live music.

Even if you travel in July or August (when it is very hot), or December (when it is simple chilly), San Antonio is a great destination with wide-ranging attractions that meet various tastes and all ages; it is almost an obliged destination for anyone visiting Texas.

How to get there:



From Houston, take I-10 West
From Austin or Dallas, take I-35 South

On Top of the Bar of Coyote Ugly in San Anotnio

Who hasn’t fantasized about dancing on top of the bar after watching Coyote Ugly?

Come on! Be honest! Not even for a second?

And what would you do if you found yourself in that bar?

Surprisingly, I did not live my fantasy of dancing on the bar when I visited Coyote Ugly Saloon in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

The bar was very similar to the one in the movie, only a little bigger. It also had an arsenal of bras hanging from the top of the bar that screamed out: “Unleash yourself!”

Why didn’t I dance?

Maybe, because I am no longer that careless teenager who loved to dance to call attention to herself.

Or, because I was intimidated by the interesting bra-display that made the place look more like a strip bar than a bar of dancing Coyotes like in the movie.

Or maybe, because as soon as we entered the place, one of the girls that was dancing on the bar fell to the floor in the middle of her dance because she was too drunk to keep her balance.

Or simply because our fantasies rarely come true.

As of today, the story ends here. However, I leave you the address in case you want to go and write a different story. If I ever return, I’ll let you know if my story changes.




How to get there:
Coyote Ugly Saloon San Antonio
409 East Commerce Street
San Antonio, TX 78205
Close to Rivercenter Mall and Hemisfair Park


Times:
Monday to Sunday 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.

Other Cities:
New York (original – 1993)

Las Vegas (November 2001)

New Orleans (February 2002)

Chicago (March 2003)

Tampa (April 2003)

Austin (January 2004)

Panama City Beach (April 2004)

San Antonio (July 2004)

Charlotte (August 2004)

Nashville (December 2004)

Denver (Mach 2005)

Ft. Lauderdale (January 2006)

Memphis (May 2006)

I lived a Poem as Julio Bocca said Goodbye in Houston, Texas

Last night I lived a poem, a musical poem, a dancing poem: “Bocca Tango”, stared by Julio Bocca and the Argentinean Ballet at Jones Hall, Houston, Texas, USA.

The dancers swung around the stage with the lightness of spores traveling with the wind as they exposed their tango-ballet fusion. Each movement was a work of art, a brushstroke of skill, harmony and perfection.

At the same time, the musical selection complemented the poem marvelously, helping transmit with word the essence of being Argentinean, and the profound nostalgia and longing felt by the person who leaves their motherland.

The message of the piece was intense and precise, and as an Argentinean away from home, I felt each movement and each word with heightened intensity.

Even though Argentineans tend to complain about their country’s bad economic and political situation continuously, when an Argentinean leaves their home they always leave behind part of their soul, since an Argentinean is not Argentinean without their family and friends, their caravan of memories, and after all Buenos Aires will always be their “Buenos Aires Querido”.


Songs of the Show:
Balada para un Loco – Astor Piazola
Naranjo en Flor – Virgilio Expósito
Mi Buenos Aires Querido – Carlos Gardel

Oil Platforms Unable to Erase Peace from Corpus Christi, Texas

I am a mountain girl because my body claims the vaiven of Avila´s trails (Caracas, Venezuela) and my retinas miss the mountainous horizons.

However, I haven’t been able to find refuge in the mountains lately, instead, my destiny has frequently placed me in places where I get lost in the serenity of beaches platinated by the falling sun; a novel feeling of tranquility that I am beginning to enjoy more and more every day.

Last weekend I found peace in Corpus Christi, a place in the South of Texas, USA that I had heard about many times but I hadn’t had the time to visit.

We got to Corpus around midday, and we headed straight to the beach to absorb the last summer’s sunrays (a wise decision considering Monday started with 52°F).

Since the season was almost over, the beach was practically deserted; we only shared to beach with about a dozen people, a group of seagulls, and an oil platform that looked strange in the horizon but was unable to remove me from that tranquil scenery.

I was tired and stressed… exhausted… my body was overworked and my mind was on fast-forward. I needed the sea breeze to oxygenate my thoughts and the pacifying and constant sound of sea waves to soothe me down.

Corpus might not be the glorious white-sanded/turquoise water beaches that we see in postcards from the Caribbean, but it is the closest “paradise” to Houston, a fabulous cosmopolitan city where traffic stills your life away.

Welcome to Houston where LARGE is the Standard Size

Everything in Houston, Texas seems to confirm its State´s slogan: “Everything is big in Texas”.


Compared to Buenos Aires where gourmet meals are in fashion (characterized by adorned reduced portions served in excessively large plates), in Houston, the plates conserve the large size, yet each portion can easily satisfy two hungry customers.

After seeing such succulent portions, it is not surprising to hear that Houston was considered the “fattest city” in the United States from three consecutive years until 2004.

Nevertheless, in this city chefs do not sacrifice quality for quantity, for that reason tourists and locals can easily enjoy varied cuisine in one of the 8,000 food facilities in Houston.

Little by little, I will share with you my experiences in this city. But right now it is dinner time; exploration time.

Bon appetite!