Salsa
This was my first meal after getting off a plane at IAH on a journey that was much longer than necessary. After a successful thesis defense and presentation on human trafficking—I’m technically a college graduate now, though I don’t walk until May—things took a bad turn when I missed my plane in Fayetteville and had to spend the night in a hotel by myself where I couldn’t sleep because I was so paranoid about missing my next flight.
When I got into Houston, it was technically breakfast time, though I’d already had a banana and Nutella crepe in the Atlanta airport and I was ready for lunch. My mother and I ended up at Escalante’s, where I planned to order cheese enchiladas. Our waitress brought the specials to the table, though, and I had to have the carne asada plate.
Carne Asada Special
If you can’t find anything steak-colored on that plate, it’s because it’s hidden under cheese and egg. Had I known there was egg under there, I probably would have ordered something else. I don’t do eggs, really, unless my Nana scrambles them with Velveeta and a splash of half and half. But when I was listening to the description of the specials, I was laidover, a ridiculous term I coined once upon a time after too many plane transfers and not enough sleep. (It isn’t really jetlag if you only cross one time zone.) So I suppose the word “egg” went in one ear and out the other, and the plate just looked so good.
Cheese + Egg + Steak
Much to my shock, however, the egg was a lovely little surprise. The whole thing was a gooey mess, so it was kind of hard to tell what was what once it was in your mouth. It was just silky and cheesy and salty and chewy and really, really good.
The rest of the plate was kind of a bust. The Mexican potatoes were bland, and the avocado slices were a little sad looking. (Which shocked me, since this place makes guacamole for you, table-side, and it is always stellar.) The beans, go figure, actually tasted like beans and not a huge mouthful of fat, but were the teensiest bit overcooked for my taste. I was sufficiently full after the steak though and more than ready for a nap in the car on the way home.
mmmm all i heard was nutella and banana crepe….mmmmmm. speakin of which have you been to coco’s?
It was pretty good for airport food!
And no, I haven’t been to Coco’s. Should I add it to my wishlist? :]