There’s a bit of a trend going on with restaurant names using letters, numbers or a combination of the two. Sometimes they tie into the spot’s address or the owner’s initials. Sometimes there’s no apparent rhyme or reason at all. In San Francisco, for instance SPQR or B44 – two awesome restaurants with names that don’t give you the slightest hint about the food.
At first glance, Houston’s TQLA in the Heights almost falls into the mystery name category. But, one step inside and it all makes sense…T-Q-L–tequila!
A bright wall of artfully arranged tequilas punctuates the colorful, open space. TQLA serves a whopping 185 agave varieties to be exact–many of them hyper-chilled…kept at a blistering 5 degrees Fahrenheit. All are 100% agave. But, it’s not just about the tequila here. Give the food a shot too—it’s really good!
These are not your typical corn fritters or hushpuppies…
They come drizzled with a light citrus flavored honey and are served with a delicious blackened tomatillo cilantro sauce.
Next came TQLA’s green chiliburger—
Bert’s Green Chili Burger to be exact. It’s loaded with avocado slices, green chilies and jalapeno cheese, which I’m told they blend in house. It’s served with a pile of crispy fries.
I really liked the crawfish and spinach enchiladas. They’re cheesy without being heavy and are chock-full of crawfish tails:
A light wild mushroom cream sauce and queso fresco top them off.
Believe it or not, we were able to make room for dessert. The chocolate flan was a good choice…creamier and denser than most flans and fabulous. To top it all off, we did a shot of tequila, but not the serious stuff. We shared a coffee infused tequila…something I’d never heard of. It could have been a dessert all by itself. The perfect end to a wonderful meal!
For more restaurant information, recipes and wine pairings, head to Goodtaste.tv. While you’re there sign up for my newsletter for a chance to win a relaxing weekend at the Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort.
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