Z'Tejas: Sizzlin' up La Cantera

For the past month, my friend Jenny kept telling me we had to check out Z'Tejas once the restaurant opens at its new location at The Shops of La Cantera. She was familiar with Z'Tejas from living in Austin and tried to convince me that this place is the shiznits.

Four of us were able to get in on some pre-opening VIP party action at Z'Tejas on Halloween weekend (as if we our schedule wasn't jam-packed already). The dinner we were invited to included complimentary: 1 drinky-drink, 1 appetizer/couple, 1 entree, and 1 dessert/couple.

We were seated on the patio, which has a great fireplace and it's also a great place to gawk at the shoppers walking by.

{yummy Margarita}

To kick off the "free" dinner, Jenny and I got the Perfect Patron Margarita - it was strong and came in it's own shaker. Micah had a beer and J's date had a Z'Mexican 'Tini - how clever of them!

Z'Tejas is known for their fresh skillet corn bread. Each table gets a skillet and the corn bread is cut into 4 pieces. I thought the corn bread was moist and perfectly cooked; I do prefer my corn bread to be on the sweeter side.

{Micah isn't a fan of corn bread, how do I date him?}

We shared two appetizers:

Grilled Shrimp & Guacamole Tostada Bites: tostada rounds topped with fresh guac, a dash of chipotle and cilantro pesto marinated grilled shrimp

These were little bites of spicy goodness. The crunchiness of the tostada, the rich coolness of the guac, and the spicy kick from the chipotle made for a great bite! Everyone really liked this dish.

Green Chile Pulled Pork Nachos: pork simmered in green chiles and ancho peppers, topped with cheese, black beans, guac, and jalapenos.

The description above make it sounds like it's ah-mazing, right? Actual tasting proved that the dish lacked overall flavor. I think the dish would have benefited from some salt and more spice.

Entrees:
**full dish description here**

My Dish: Santa Fe Smoked Chicken Enchiladas -- This was a pretty simple dish. I liked the smokiness but the overall dish was unimpressive. The beans and rice were fine but nothing I couldn't make at home. Note: their enchiladas are of the layered variety, not the rolled kind.

{santa fe enchiladas}

Micah's Dish: Grilled Miso Salmon -- The fish was smothered in a sweet and tangy glaze. I'm not sure what's Southwestern about this dish, but it tasted good.

{pretty plating on the tuna}

Jenny's Dish: Baked Seafood Enchilada -- J said she's eaten this all by herself before, I can't even imagine doing that due to the richness of the dish. I had a bite and boy was it creamy! The seafood tucked inside the enchilada was good though.

{she is ready to dig in!}

Alex's Dish: Chorizo Stuffed Pork Tenderloin -- I really liked the bite that I had. I liked it better than the dish I got. Chorizo will help any dish though.

{chorizo stuffed pork - oinkoink goodness}

DESSERT TIME! Disclaimer: I was too lazy to take pics of the dessert.

We shared the Tres Leches and the Ancho Fudge Pie. The Tres Leches gray color was a little off-putting, but the flavors were spot-on. The pie was chocolaty but it was lacking any special kick. I didn't pick up on the ancho flavor that much.

Since the dinner was a "test-run" for the restaurant, we really enjoyed the food and the company. Margaritas + patio + mild San Antonio evening = dining bliss.