i is for intero

Sometimes a restaurant is a scene; sometimes a restaurant is a dish; and sometimes a restaurant is a revelation. Intero is a revelation.

h is for holy roller

Holy Roller is comfort food for the formerly-punk/now-aspirational class, serving up biscuits, booze, and attitude. Since we fit that demographic to a (perfectly distressed) T(-shirt), we felt quite at home with rocket salad, biscuits, tasty mixology, a soundtrack of throbbing hardcore, and Saint Iggy anointing us with a scowlful "Good Morning."

g is for gabriela’s

The gorgeous koko-like glamour shots of the dishes on their web page don't match the lack of glamour of the space. But when the food arrived, we were quickly reminded of the old adage "you can't judge a cookbook by its cover."

le bleu

...it's a mighty fine bánh mì with perfectly soft-and-crunchy French bread stuffed with the freshest of ingredients. Freshness, and the simple beauty of that freshness, carries throughout the menu.

e is for el naranjo

...the Mole Amarillo was above and beyond. Although described in the menu as a "light mole", it was flavorful, nuanced, and surprising.

c is for contigo

The first thing to note about Contigo is that it is all outdoor space, about half of it covered. That's right: just like an old-skool Texas prison, there ain't no air conditioning.

b is for barlata

There's something civilized about tapas, allowing your meal to develop at your pace as you respond to the latest dish, sip, conversation, or what your neighbors' ordered.