"What happened to Brix?" asked my friend as we walked into the door of its packed-to-the-rafters replacement, Laredo's Tex-West Grill & Cantina. I shrugged my shoulders in a don't-ask-me gesture. This is the third restaurant occupying the same address in less than five years, so it's tough keeping up. The ownership remains the same (it's the outfit behind the neighboring McCoy's Public House), but the focus has gone from wine-friendly Italian to tequila-accented Tex-Mex.
Appetizers ($4 to $12.50) include guacamole mashed tableside, a trio of mini barbecue pork sandwiches, quesadillas stuffed with shrimp and avocado, a tostada version of a pizza topped with chorizo and black beans, and whole ears of grilled sweet corn finished with chile powder and mild cotija (a Mexican cheese).
From there the menu gets big: sandwiches and burgers (shaved smoked brisket with a whiskey barbecue sauce, a burger topped with beans, a fried egg and bacon, $8.50 to $11), a pair of eggs-anytime options (huevos rancheros and white corn tostadas topped with chicken, fried eggs and salsa verde, both $8), tacos, fajitas, enchiladas ($8 to $13) and a half-dozen entrees, including green chile meatloaf and a peppercorn-crusted strip steak ($14 to $23).
The setting reflects the menu's changes. Sort of. Much of the urbane Brix vibe remains, good-old-boy-ed down by wagon-wheel chandeliers and several strategically placed potted cactuses. Here's what really reminded me of Texas: The $2 Happy Hour tacos. Yee-haw.
RICK NELSON
