Enchiladas, steak, and a little bit of Xango.

          Most Mexican restaurants offer little beyond traditional enchiladas and tacos but Garcia's Mexican food restaurant goes beyond the bowl in serving a variety of foods from Norteña style fajitas, picadillo dinners, chicken fried chicken, and even, brace yourself, fried cheesecake otherwise known as Xango.
          Garcia's Mexican restaurant is looking to extend their trademark cemented in other cities, like San Antonio and San Marcos, to Seguin. The thought of consuming fried cheesecake is enough to quiet a stampede which gives an idea as to why the venue has had a packed parking lot at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even brunch after only being open for over a month.
          Behind the King Ranger movie theaters is where Garcia's lies tucked away in an ironic, but very convenient, nook located in the rear of a small neighborhood as well as across the street from H-E-B. Numerous restaurants have opened and went out of business in this same spot that has coined this block of buildings as 'cursed'. However, for now, that seems to be lifted.
          Accommodating to not only a vast palette of Mexican food, Garcia's also offers a large variety of American style foods including chicken fried steak, pork chops, and catfish. Even vegetarians could become fans of their spinach or sour cream enchiladas. Garcia's also offers a number of things I've never heard of including a flauta plate, green chicken enchiladas, and chille relleno. There is also one suprising item on the menu, the homey bean fideo plate. This plate of noodles, tomato sauce, and other herbs is commonly known as a working-class food since it's cheap, easy to make, and delicious. By offering this plate alongside an 8 ounce rib-eye steak, it shows that Garcia's plays no games when it comes to the types of food and lengths it takes to satisfy the masses.
          As soon as the bell rings to welcome you to the restaurant, the waitresses, smile in your direction. While the decorations are minimal and there is no music playing, the small town chatter envelopes you in a family supper-like ambiance. Chips and salsa are a usual minor point to meal, but I want to point out that Garcia's appetizer peps not only your taste buds, but also the way your main course will taste. These are definitely worth sneaking home.
          I order what has caught my eye since my mother, who has become a huge fan of Garcia's, brought home a take-home menu (which she keeps in her purse for food emergencies). I order off of the specialty dinner section, one Garcia's deluxe which gives me a tasty smorgasbord of treasures: One cheese or beef enchilada, one tamale, and one taco within the essential trimmings of rice, beans and a tortilla.
          My grandmother, who I'm treating to lunch, orders a small tortilla soup. Our waitress was very helpful in describing the difference between a large and small bowl of soup by speaking in Spanish to my grandma, which is her first language. She also wasn't shy on our refills and was quite deserving of a tip. Together our food cost less than fifteen dollars.
          When my warm plate was laid in front of me, I quickly dip into the melting cheese covering the beef tamale which upon examination looked dry. Within, the enchiladas lacked an overflowing level of cheese, which is a disappointment since I'm heavily opposed to naked tortillas which have failed to become coated in the always fashionable yellow.
          My grandmother's soupy mixture of stringy bits of tender and tangy chicken along with torn bits of tortilla, Monterrey Jack cheese, and avocado mixes well with the bubbly broth. In one deep taste I am left with a savor that stayed with me the entire day and made me wish I had tried more.
          On my own plate, brisk onions begin to blur with the other tastes of food as I swoop into the tacos to drown out the, at times, overpowering taste. Decorated with the usual lettuce and tomatoes, the sweet juice of the tomato ripens the full effect of the meat. In seconds the crisp crunches give way to silence and crumbs. Usually tacos fail to wow me, but here they were an underdog confection that won me over. Mental notes for my next trip which will include the taco dinner as well as another menu desert that has spiked my interest, flan.
            It's easy to become immersed in the taste of the food while at Garcia's, which is motivation for trying the foods that are both delicious and different. For the moment, it becomes easier to forget about daily troubles and dive into the unfamiliar taste of a hearty onion or the smooth, cool texture of re-fried beans. At Garcia's, food is a refuge waiting to leave you, and your wallet, satisfied.