This is not political.  Well, kinda.

I had an opportunity to ride down to the coast with Bubba last night.  Coming home, we drove through Angleton, Texas.  As you can probably suspect, Angleton is not your hotbed of urban development.  It’s mostly farm and cattle land with about a three mile strip of city along the highway, a full mile of it being Mom and Pop Mexican restaurants.

I suspect that you folks from foreign states would have no idea how to pick a good Mexican restaurant out of a herd of Mexican restaurants.  So, I’m gonna start this story with some suggestions so you’ll know why we picked this particular one.

1.  There must be neon.  But, not too much neon.  Too much neon means they are catering to the drunk cowboy crowd and drunk cowboys will eat anything.

2.  If the parking lot is not full at 7:00 on a Friday night, drive on.

3.  The building should be painted red and green, the colors of the Mexican flag.  Or purple.  For some reason, purple is always good.

4.  Your wait staff will speak some English.  The cook will not.

5.  The menu should have a least 10 combination platters named after Texas cities, but not Dallas Ft. Worth, or Abilene.  The best one should be named Refugio, just to see if you’re from around here.

6.  If there’s a Mariachi band, go home.  Mariachi music is like polka music – a little bit goes a long way.  By Diez y Siete, I’ve had enough mariachi music to last until next year.  You won’t make it past the nachos without wishing the trumpet player would get the hell out of your ear.

7.  If it’s your first time at the restaurant, order cheese enchiladas.  Nobody can mess up cheese enchiladas.  And if they are special good, everything else will be, too.

So, Bubba and I picked a restaurant named GuadALAjuara.  I have no idea why the middle letters are capitalized and neither did the waiter.  It was green, white, and red, and had a packed parking lot.

When we walked in, I got a little nervous because there appeared to be live music.  Live music is a staple in Texas, much like you have to have animal heads on the wall at a barbecue joint.  It’s the law.  Sometimes this live music works for tips and the only tip they need is to take some music lessons.

I heard the voice of an angel last night.

There was an angel singing in a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant in Angleton, Texas, last night.   She and her husband, both with amazing guitars, sang romantic Latino music.  She sang Solimente Una Vez and Blue Bayou with aching, haunting beauty.  In a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant in Angleton.  I am certain that this woman sleeps on the clouds at night.

At some point while she sang Sabor a Mi, people stopped eating and could not take their eyes off her.  Oscar and Anita ought to be famous.  Oscar’s guitar once belonged to Romeo.  I am certain of it.  They have a style unlike any other I’ve heard.

I bought their CD and an extra one for Hal, who introduced me to Wendy Colonna. It’s a fair trade.  If you get a chance to hear them in person, jump on it.

The cheese enchiladas were okay, I think.  They weren’t the memorable part of the night.

And if any of my friends have any other hints for picking a Mexican restaurant, let’s hear them.