What's good in Rio Grande Valley?

Hello, Everyone:

Just back from our first trip to McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley and ate at several places. The best was Costa Mesa in McAllen. Just great food, service, and room at a reasonable price. Not haute cuisine, but definitely a step up from a Mom and Pop operation. Arthuro's in Progresso, Mexico was also very nice with a menu that ranged from traditional Mexican dishes to upscale steaks, seafood, pasta - a nice room, too, with good, adult service. The Santa Fe Steakhouse in McAllen has a great wine list and (surprise) great beef but is fairly upscale in price. Uneven service.

We ate ourselves silly at Costa Mesa (two adults) for $40 plus tax and tip. We also each had an alcoholic drink. I don't know if that is "big bucks" but it was definitely the best value we found. (Also ate at the really expensive Espana and really, really, really disliked the experience.)

sbbwvu in Texas

Desperatly seeking edible food in Mcallen, Texas

Hello, Everyone:

Just back from our first trip to McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley and ate at several places. The best was Costa Mesa in McAllen. Just great food, service, and room at a reasonable price. Not haute cuisine, but definitely a step up from a Mom and Pop operation. Arthuro's in Progresso, Mexico was also very nice with a menu that ranged from traditional Mexican dishes to upscale steaks, seafood, pasta - a nice room, too, with good, adult service. The Santa Fe Steakhouse in McAllen has a great wine list and (surprise) great beef but is fairly upscale in price. Uneven service.

Last and certainly least was the highly self regarded Espana. We'd heard a lot of favorable buzz about this place and were looking forward to it, but it ranks with the worst dining experiences we've ever had anywhere in the world. The prices are simply outrageous with entries averaging around $45. You'd think you were in Manhattan. The service was just plain awful - like all those bad stereotypes of rude French waiters except these guys weren't French. The food was okay at $25, but not for this price and service. I would avoid this place like the plague and go to Costa Mesa five or six times instead. The attitude of the joint is simply insufferable anywhere, much less a nice place like McAllen.

In summary, the best food experience was at Costa Mesa. Get the chorizo appetizer. It was served on a wood fired tin stove with a metal platter for the sausage, cheese, and garnishes. The chile relleno was fabulous. And, our server, Joshua, was fabulous. They also sell nice silver jewelry!

And, you are warned about Espana. Ask around. Maybe folks have had better service and don't mind the over-pricing if it's a special dinner. Nice room, though. Great patio, too. If we hadn't been with a group, I'd have decked the main server and left after 10 minutes. Of course, I'd be in jail, but I'd be more satisfied.

sbbwvu in Texas

Morgantown, WV

Sargasso's is a new place in Morgantown (www.DineSargasso.com) on the waterfront. I had dinner this evening with my wife and a business associate. The food was very good, the room was attractive, the prices were reasonable. The service was just plain poor by comparison. Our server, a young woman, was clearly untrained and would have been perceived as a poor server in a greasy spoon. The chef really needs to work with his staff on this. Also, they have a very informal coat check system. Just a couple of coat trees and racks by the register across from the (lovely) bar. Just like the Dew Drop Inn. Might want to reconsider that, too.

But, the food was good. I had an osso bucco that was fabulous while my wife had the special which was a shrimp creole with andouille sausage over pasta. Our business associate had a pulled pork dish. We each enjoyed our dishes greatly. The cost was about $150 for dinner and another $20 for drinks (one each). If they raise the service to the level of the food, Sargasso would be an excellent place. Right now, I'd still recommend Cafe Bacchus over Sargasso.

Steve

sbbwvu in Mid-Atlantic