It was too much food. I had more than enough. I kept eating, but I couldn't help it. One of my most hidden inner forces made me devour whatever was on the plate before me.You might think I went to one of those all-you-can-eat joints abounding in our region. It isn't that I am against them; I actually list a couple of them among my favorite food spots. The truth is that I ventured into the world of high cuisine and experienced more than what I expected. My taste, tired defying any logic when it delves into the not-when-sober delicacies of Chicos Tacos, seeked to broaden my perspective and took me to one the best places I've ever eaten: Azafrán.Embeded on the west side of El Paso, Azafrán (Spanish for saffron) especializes on delighting its patrons with international cuisine. A wide array of dishes containing beef, poultry, vegetables and seafood --sometimes all of them combined on the same plate--, entice any palate. Yes, high cousine is synonimous of high prices, but sometimes appearances deceive and one must try something before refusing it.Azafrán makes you walk in perplexed of the extravagant decoration with its aquariums and waterfalls on the wall.The menu, as mentioned before, offers anything from Mexican dishes, pasta, salads and many other things, with an average price of $18. This is not a place in which you cannot even pronounce what you're ordering. The list of dishes tells you exactly what you're going to eat, mouthwatering combinations that make the minde fly away from the regular "to go" combos with extra large fries and soda available at any junk station. The food is so delicious at Azafrán that the "wallet-ache" vanishes before you notice. After choosing my seat and getting iced tea($5) and water, Tracy, my server, waited patiently for my order. She helpped all along the way with suggestions and remarks on how the cheff prepares every single portion of food. The chicken with marinated artichoke hearts, shrimps, escalop and mushrooms tempted me, but my pasta heart took over me. I ended up ordering linguini with shrimps and prosciutto in a vodka sauce ($15). But before I decided for this dish, I look at the appetizers section on the menu and opted for the interesting shrimp quesadillas ($12). I didn't know what I was going to get. The cheese and shrimp mixture proved to be an excellent companion for the red tortillas and the piquant guacamole side that came with them. The delicate assortment of red triangles adorned the plate in such an artistic manner, that it took me long before daring to reach in for the first quesadilla. Tracy recommended that I should also try the home-baked bread with sesame seeds and cream that would join my main order. Azafrán service is expedient. I was bearely thinking of timing the food, when Tracy came opening space for my plate and asking me if I needed anything else. I was perplexed (and half full already). But I acquiesced to a glass of wine. When the wine menu came I searched for any of the economic and practical Chilean brands, finding the excellent Reserva Santa Rita sold by the bottle ($24). I just wanted a glass. But far from souring my meal, I digested this episode sampling a glass of Altus ($5), an Argentine Merlot. Its strong aroma and dry flavor were proof enough of its place among the wines of the Azafrán house.
The prosciutto gave the dish its strong flavor, while the shrimp proved once more to be the perfect companion for the pasta. The tenuous flavor of the vodka sauce splashed my lips, and I caught myslef dripping it several times onto my blanket.
After a few stops along the way, I finished my linguini just to be tempted once more by Tracy. "You should try our desserts," she almost ordered me; and I, almost in a state of candid oblivion, accepted without any hesitation.The dessert menu displays sweet delicacies like chocolate bathed strawberries, mouse, and flan napolitano. My taste and imagination were shaken by the cheesecake with pecan crust ($7), perhaps the one with the simplest name, but the also the one with the highest remarks from Tracy. "We whip our cheesecake to point of
puddin," she said.When she brought it, I tasted the most exquisite cheesecake ever. Its jelly consistency played with the pecans to create a glorious ending to my sensorial feast. I took my time, though I was already running late. But if there's a cheesecake that deserves my time, this was the one. Sweet, solid and placid delight that I munched on tranquilly, you gave me the key to lock the memory of one of the best meals I've ever had!When the check came, Tracy recommended me to come back on Sunday. "We have a buffet and you can try all our dishes from $17."Well, I might be adding another all-you-can-eat place to my list.
Average price for a meal for two: $70
Location: 5411 N. Mesa
Telephone: 581-8100.
Specialty: International Cuisine
No reservations needed, unless special occasions (Mother's Day).
Live music every Thursday night.
It was too much food. I had more than enough. I kept eating, but I couldn't help it. One of my most hidden inner forces made me devour whatever was on the plate before me.You might think I went to one of those all-you-can-eat joints abounding in our region. It isn't that I am against them; I actually list a couple of them among my favorite food spots. The truth is that I ventured into the world of high cuisine and experienced more than what I expected. My taste, tired defying any logic when it delves into the not-when-sober delicacies of Chicos Tacos, seeked to broaden my perspective and took me to one the best places I've ever eaten: Azafrán.Embeded on the west side of El Paso, Azafrán (Spanish for saffron) especializes on delighting its patrons with international cuisine. A wide array of dishes containing beef, poultry, vegetables and seafood --sometimes all of them combined on the same plate--, entice any palate. Yes, high cousine is synonimous of high prices, but sometimes appearances deceive and one must try something before refusing it.Azafrán makes you walk in perplexed of the extravagant decoration with its aquariums and waterfalls on the wall.The menu, as mentioned before, offers anything from Mexican dishes, pasta, salads and many other things, with an average price of $18. This is not a place in which you cannot even pronounce what you're ordering. The list of dishes tells you exactly what you're going to eat, mouthwatering combinations that make the minde fly away from the regular "to go" combos with extra large fries and soda available at any junk station. The food is so delicious at Azafrán that the "wallet-ache" vanishes before you notice. After choosing my seat and getting iced tea($5) and water, Tracy, my server, waited patiently for my order. She helpped all along the way with suggestions and remarks on how the cheff prepares every single portion of food. The chicken with marinated artichoke hearts, shrimps, escalop and mushrooms tempted me, but my pasta heart took over me. I ended up ordering linguini with shrimps and prosciutto in a vodka sauce ($15). But before I decided for this dish, I look at the appetizers section on the menu and opted for the interesting shrimp quesadillas ($12). I didn't know what I was going to get. The cheese and shrimp mixture proved to be an excellent companion for the red tortillas and the piquant guacamole side that came with them. The delicate assortment of red triangles adorned the plate in such an artistic manner, that it took me long before daring to reach in for the first quesadilla. Tracy recommended that I should also try the home-baked bread with sesame seeds and cream that would join my main order. Azafrán service is expedient. I was bearely thinking of timing the food, when Tracy came opening space for my plate and asking me if I needed anything else. I was perplexed (and half full already). But I acquiesced to a glass of wine. When the wine menu came I searched for any of the economic and practical Chilean brands, finding the excellent Reserva Santa Rita sold by the bottle ($24). I just wanted a glass. But far from souring my meal, I digested this episode sampling a glass of Altus ($5), an Argentine Merlot. Its strong aroma and dry flavor were proof enough of its place among the wines of the Azafrán house.
The prosciutto gave the dish its strong flavor, while the shrimp proved once more to be the perfect companion for the pasta. The tenuous flavor of the vodka sauce splashed my lips, and I caught myslef dripping it several times onto my blanket.
After a few stops along the way, I finished my linguini just to be tempted once more by Tracy. "You should try our desserts," she almost ordered me; and I, almost in a state of candid oblivion, accepted without any hesitation.The dessert menu displays sweet delicacies like chocolate bathed strawberries, mouse, and flan napolitano. My taste and imagination were shaken by the cheesecake with pecan crust ($7), perhaps the one with the simplest name, but the also the one with the highest remarks from Tracy. "We whip our cheesecake to point of 
puddin," she said.When she brought it, I tasted the most exquisite cheesecake ever. Its jelly consistency played with the pecans to create a glorious ending to my sensorial feast. I took my time, though I was already running late. But if there's a cheesecake that deserves my time, this was the one. Sweet, solid and placid delight that I munched on tranquilly, you gave me the key to lock the memory of one of the best meals I've ever had!When the check came, Tracy recommended me to come back on Sunday. "We have a buffet and you can try all our dishes from $17."Well, I might be adding another all-you-can-eat place to my list.
Average price for a meal for two: $70
Location: 5411 N. Mesa
Telephone: 581-8100.
Specialty: International Cuisine
No reservations needed, unless special occasions (Mother's Day).
Live music every Thursday night.
1 comment:
I love your website. It has a lot of great pictures and is very informative.
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