Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tex-Mex
250
Loma Linda
Puff the Magic Taco
Houston, Texas
Loma Linda means “beautiful hill” in Span-
ish. And though this unpretentious little
restaurant in the funky East End doesn't
have a picture-window view of rolling hills,
the puffed-up bubbles of the handmade
tortillas served here are beautiful hills
indeed for those who love old-fashioned
Tex-Mex food.
Set in a pink block building trimmed
with wrought-iron window bars, Loma
Linda's nothing fancy. In fact, it began its
restaurant life as a simple East End lunch
counter. In the mid-1980s, however, own-
ers Thad and Joyce Gilliam saw that their
favorite Mexican restaurant was closing
down (part of a small local chain called
Loma Linda—a Houston landmark as one
of the very first Mexican restaurants in
town). Before the whole chain died, they
bought the recipes and equipment and
converted their cafe to a reincarnation of
Loma Linda here on Telephone Road.
By design, the Gilliamses' re-created
Loma Linda harks back to an earlier age,
before the rise of the fajita made Tex-Mex
trendy. The tortillas are freshly made on an
onsite vintage 1930s tortilla maker—just
the right equipment to make old-school
puffy tortillas. They start out with an incred-
ibly thin tortilla base that balloons beauti-
fully when it hits the deep-fryer—then
presto, there's your puffy tortilla. It only
works with superfresh
masa
(corn dough)—
a finicky detail most newer Tex-Mex restau-
rants can't be bothered with. Add to that
the Velveeta-like ooze of cheese, the savory
smoothness of the pale brown chili gravy
and refried beans, and the mix melds
together in a subtle way that's pure retro
Tex-Mex—the result when Mexican cooks
toned down their pepper quotient for
gringo palates long ago.
The dishes to order here are, of course,
the puffy chili con queso for an appetizer
and the puffy beef tacos, the perfectly
seasoned Texas-style enchiladas with chili
gravy, and the combination dinners. Along
with the tried-and-true dishes, however,
you'll also find some more unusual items
such as
carne guisada,
chicken
mole,
and
chili dulce
(stuffed bell peppers). For des-
sert, their
sopapillas
are especially sweet
and flaky.
2111 Telephone Rd. (
&
713/924-6074
).
(
George Bush Intercontinental (37
miles/60km).
L
$$$
Hilton University of Houston,
4800 Calhoun Rd. (
&
800/HOTEL-UH
[800/468-3584] or 713/741-2447; www.
hilton.com). $$
Best Western Down-
town Inn and Suites,
915 W. Dallas St.
(
&
800/780-7234
or 713/571-7733; www.
bestwestern.com).
