Brian T.
Yelp
I always look forward to good ol' El T, as it's the best Tex-Mex in Houston, imo. I hadn't been to this location in years, but it was in walking distance to earlier plans so it was convenient.
We came as a group of 7 on a Saturday night and luckily had no wait. Not sure if this location isn't as busy or because of White Linen Night in the Heights, but I'm used to a long wait at El T, especially with a group. Even though we requested indoor seating, one of the hosts was persuading us to sit outdoors in the covered and ventilated patio. When we politely declined, they put some tables together in the dining room, so I'm not sure why he was making a big deal about this in the first place.
Normally at any Tex-Mex, chips and salsa hit the table seconds after you're seated. We waited 5-10 minutes for ours to come out. But the chips were super crispy tonight, red sauce was nice and warm, and green sauce was chilled. So maybe it was worth the wait? We also ordered a large chile con queso to share among the table. The queso was smooth and silky and came with thicker tortilla chips than the complimentary ones, but at $20, I's say the price point is a bit steep.
I ordered a house margarita on the rocks with salt on the rim. One thing I like about El Tiempo - don't let the marg size fool you. They definitely are potent and pack a punch. I'm not sure if it's the seltzers we had at the pool prior to coming, but the marg definitely made me glad that we walked here. At $10.99, I'd say these are worth it (extra $1 to add flavoring).
Three of us shared the filet mignon fajitas. Allegedly, these are a step above (~$12 difference) the beef steak fajitas due to the cut of meat. But again, at $87.99 that serves 2-3 people, I'd say the price point is a little steep. That broke down to almost $30 for each of us.
The fajitas came out on the signature charcoal mini-grill that El Tiempo is known for (specific to the medium or large sized fajitas). Sizzling hot and you are bound to smell like them afterwards, but worth it! The filet mignon was super tender, however could have used a little more seasoning. The meat did taste slightly bland, which was a little disappointing considering the cut of meat. It's served with melted butter which definitely enhances the taste, but should not take the place of the basics of seasoning the meat itself.
They brought the three of us our own bowl of rice and beans, and plenty of tortillas and accouterments for our fajitas. Overall taste was good but again, a little overpriced for the taste. Nevertheless, we had all filled up on the chips, salsa, and queso, and could only make it through half and took the other half home. The fajita meat will be good with eggs for breakfast!
We all had a great time and enjoyed ourselves. One of the people in our party was visiting from out of state, so this was the perfect Tex-Mex experience when visiting Houston. I've heard the other locations, specifically the Montrose location on Westheimer, are better in quality compared to this one, but I'm always down for some tiempo at El Tiempo.