Customer Reviews

Los Barrios Family Cookbook: Tex-Mex Recipes from the Heart of San Antonio

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

My husband purchased this cookbook for me, because he was so impressed with how easy the recipes were. He knew of the restaurant, but we had never gone there. Now I want him to take us there! (We live in San Antonio, fortunately!) The recipes are amazing, because they require simple ingredients and do not require anything complicated. I already tried out the "Chicken Chiptotle" recipe, and my husband said it was one of the best things I have made, and I agree! It was so mouth-watering delicious! There are many other recipes in there that I want to try out. In all, the cookbook is a must-have in your kitchen! Some of the recipes may be a bit complicated, but MOST of them are very easy to do. There are appetizers, soups/salads, main entrees, side dishes, desserts, and beverage recipes. The personal comments that come with each recipes are heart-touching and makes you feel close to the author of the book. Again, a must-have cookbook!

Los Barrios is our family's favorite place to eat here in San Antonio. The food is great, the place is huge and the owners are nearly always there to ask us how we're doing and if we're enjoying our meal.

That said...well, I'm a bit biased about Blanco Road's best eatery.

The cookbook, though, is a letdown. We bought it while paying for a meal and had it autographed (Diana was our cashier) immediately. The book has some great stories, but the recipes are watered down versions of what's on the menu. We attempted to replicate our fave foods at home (y somos talentosos en la cocina). We couldn't with the book.

It's a fun read, but it's not going to enable you to make tasty, Los Barrios-like mole at home.

We dined in the restaurant and enjoyed the food; I found it to be comparable with restaurants in Mexico. I ordered the book and was totally disappointed. The dishes I enjoyed in the restaurant are not in the book! It is a generic cookbook about tex-mex food obviously written to capitalize on their fame. They don't even have the recipe for the chimichurri sauce that is on every table.

One of the people who reviewed this book below hasn't even read the book or been to the restuarant. Giving something one star under these circumstances makes no sense, and isn't useful to anyone.

Anyway, I'm a San Antonio native (now in D.C.), and I like this book. It gives really easy, very basic recipes for simple, slightly north of the border cuisine. No, you won't get mango burritos or anything wildly trendy, but you will get easy
recipes for green enchiladas and fajitas-worth the price of the book alone. I've got a large collection of Mexican and Tex Mex cookbooks, and this one gets used often.

Emeril Lagasse wrote the Foreword, and was a factor in my decision to buy it. I may not have given this cookbook a full chance yet, but I am greatly unimpressed so far. I was put off at first just browsing through it by heavy reliance on ingredients like lots of grated American cheese and Velveeta, as another reviewer mentioned. I tried two recipes so far. The Chile con Carne was mediocre; you can do better with an envelope of French's Chili-o. The "Best Tex-Mex Enchiladas" were awful. I made a full batch and froze a bunch as suggested, and ended up throwing them away.

I was really looking forward to this book, but, reading through the recipes, nothing jumped out at me as a "must try this evening" recipe. I haven't eaten at the restaurant but the recipes don't seem to have much magic to them. Maybe I'm just trying to make Tex Mex more complex than it is. One change that the book brought about though. Their recipe for guacamole is just avocado, garlic powder, and salt. I tried it and I actually like the simplicity of this recipe.

I have eaten at this restaurant and was not impressed. Growing up in San Antonio, I know the difference between authentic Mexican food and just plain nasty. I was not impressed. Therefore, I will not purchase this book and will not be going back to this restaurant either. Don't want to relive a nightmare.

If you think that Velveeta cheese is an appropriate ingredient for MANY Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes, then this is your books. If Chilaquiles made with "crushed tortilla chips" and Velveeta are a good idea, look no further! I've never been to this restaurant but I've never been less inspired than I was from reading this book. If you like quick, easy and apparently bland food, this might make it but if you love Mexican food you will be bored and occasionally horrified! Great graphics. It's too bad because I was really looking forward to this one.

If you have visited San Antonio, Texas then you already know that the finest Mexican food served in the world is in this multi-faceted city and without a doubt the finest Mexican food served in San Antonio is at Los Barrios. When word got out that Los Barrios was giving away some of their secrets, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. The very best enchiladas, chiles rellenos and carne guisada are all here. This cookbook offers much more than recipes. It explains the 'how' and 'why' to some of the tastiest dishes around. If you love Mexican food, you have found the cookbook for your kitchen.