Crucita’s Kitchen has great food, but service is lacking

EDINBURG — I thoroughly enjoyed the Tampiqueña plate one recent afternoon at Crucita’s Kitchen.

The plate, covered with generous helpings of beef and grilled vegetables, warm rice, refried beans and tender enchiladas smothered with melted cheese, quickly quelled the hunger pains that had been harassing me all day.

My first impression when I walked in is that the cavernous dining area seemed more like a big ballroom filled with tables. It is rather plain, with green vinyl table covers and metal-framed chairs over floral carpet.

Photos of prickly pear cactus, old ruins, serapes and San Luis Potosi hung on the walls, along with paintings of fruit and ceramics. Steam swarmed off three lines of long buffet tables filled with more enchiladas, salads and soups.

No waiters approached me; I picked up a menu and went to a small square table against a wall. The menu reveals a good range of dishes, which include appetizers, several different kinds of quesadillas, seafood and a children’s menu.

The Colungas Plate (two enchiladas, one fajita taco and a chicken flauta) for $7.25 looked especially appetizing in the especialidades Mexicanas section. They also had some great soups — menudo, caldo de marisco and caldo de res — and their salads looked really good too.

I finally decided on the Tampiqueña plate, which came with fajita steak and two enchiladas for $7.95. I closed the menu and waited, but no one came to my table, at first. One waiter noticed some customers a few feet away and tended to them, glanced at me for a moment, then went back to the kitchen area. Another waiter finally saw me with my menu closed and in plain view, and he quickly came to my table.

He asked if anyone had taken my drink order. I said no and asked for water. He was very attentive, quickly bringing my water and then taking my order. He brought me salsa and chips, thin strips of cooked tortilla chips sprinkled with a delicious seasoning.

The following Sunday I had breakfast with my girlfriend, Dahlia. Once again, a buffet was laid out. A waitress quickly tended to us and Dahlia chose the buffet. I, on the other hand, wanted to order from the menu and soon chose the machacado plate. However, while Dahlia enjoyed her breakfast, I had to wait a while to place my order. I had to wave at our waitress twice before she actually saw me; it appeared there were not enough wait staff available this particular morning.

She took my order, and it didn’t take long for my plate to arrive. Dahlia had commented on the refried beans she had dished up off the buffet, saying they were very good. She was right. The beans that came with my meal were smooth, creamy and delicious. The eggs had big chunks of shredded meat in them, more than I have ever before seen in a machacado plate.

Dahlia found the buffet a bit peculiar; different kinds of egg dishes swimming in sauce. She took the challenge and was rewarded with some great egg concoctions which I also sampled. One was spicier than the other, yet both were good.

Crucita’s Kitchen has a great menu and delicious food, but they could use a little help with their service. However, the food was very good. I really liked the hot corn tortillas that came with my meal. The cook had released the flavor of the beef magnificently and the eggs were great. If you don’t mind the wait, the end result is well worth a little inconvenience.

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Travis Whitehead covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4452. For this and other local stories, visit www.themonitor.com.