[DFW] Better-Than-Good Tex-Mex in the Mid-Cities
Lupes (not related to Los Lupes) is in the shopping center on the SE corner of 183 and Central Dr., directly across Central from the stadium. And it's great Tex-Mex. They start by bringing the traditional chips and salsa and also a bowl of black bean dip. I'd bet $$ that they are all made in-house. I've eaten there twice and between myself and a friend, have had the crispy taco (LOADED with ground, spiced beef), an exceptional cheese enchilada (not jammed up with a big blob of cheese, but you have to ask for onions) with a thin consistency, but good tasting chili sauce, beef enchilada, spinach enchilada, and pork tamale.
The chips were thick and rustic looking. Before tasting, I thought they would be hard and crunchy, but they were in fact crispy with a wonderful corn flavor. I wish I'd have asked if they make their own tortillas (I'm suspecting "yes) as their use in the enchiladas had the same distinct corn taste.
All of it was homemade tasting and worthy of a multiple revisits with a couple of exceptions. I'm not much on Tex-Mex rice, so can't comment there. But the refried beans, on both occasions were too loose for my liking and there was no spattering of queso blanco or other on top. The tamale had good potential, but lacked terribly - Large chucks of pork made a great visual impression, but unfortunately were dried out and tasteless. Due to the size of the chunks, the surrounding masa was also much to thick.
The ritas are $3.00 for happy hour which last until 7:00 - I think. But nothing special here. I had 2, which were a decent size, but tasted nor felt any effect of tequila.
All in all, very good. Traditional Tex-Mex lunches are around 7.00 and I think dinners were bumped up a dollar or so.
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A Lupe's must try is the mole sauce which is dense and very dark brown, bordering on black. It carries very complex flavors reminding me of the first time I tasted Guinness stout. There was a distinct taste of roasted nuts followed by an underlying flavor of dark chocolate. My friend tasted cinnamon, although I didn't. Initially, I didn't really care for it as from a taste point, it was quite heavy, but as I ate, it became almost addictive until which time I had to push it away due to the overall richness. The mole was was the requested sauce on camarón (with saute'd onions) enchiladas. Unfortunately, the mild flavor of the shrimp was completely lost to the boldness of the mole, but the onions offered a nice sweetness, contrasting the heaviness of the mole. While I would definitely order this again, I'd ask that they go light with the sauce, or perhaps even have it served on the side.
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re: kindofabigdeal
While it had a balanced flavor, I didn't detect any sweetness to the mole itself, which is why I enjoyed the natural sweetness of the sauteed onions balancing the general intensity of it. However, my friend tasted cinnamon and I didn't..... If you asked, they'd probably let you do a taste test prior to ordering.
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