PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

Chef Hugo Ortega offers up excellent interior Mexican food, often with a wonderful contemporary twist. For an appetizer try the tostadas or the sopecitos (small, thick handmade tortillas with toppings) or the lobster tacos. Main courses include duck in a mole poblano (the classic dark red, bittersweet sauce of the Mexican highlands) and a chile relleno with roasted chicken smothered in a pipián (a spicy sauce in a base of ground roasted pumpkin seeds). In addition, there's a seasonal menu. Chef Ortega has local sources for hard-to-get fresh ingredients, which, when available, become part of the offerings. For dessert, the specialty is the homemade Mexican hot chocolate, accompanied by small churros (the Spanish equivalent of donuts). These were delicious, but so were the margaritas, which, for me, also make an excellent dessert. The dining room is large and airy with comfortable furniture. There is a high ceiling made of pressed tin, part of the original building (1935), which was once a drugstore. Sometimes the noise reverberates a bit.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Texas, 4th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Find Hotel Deals on Yahoo Travel»