{"id":4967,"date":"2019-03-28T18:53:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T23:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-gordon-food-service.pantheonsite.io\/success-story-what-dictionary-wont-tell-you-about-tex-mex\/"},"modified":"2023-02-01T14:18:06","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T20:18:06","slug":"success-story-what-dictionary-wont-tell-you-about-tex-mex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/success-story-what-dictionary-wont-tell-you-about-tex-mex\/","title":{"rendered":"Success Story: What the Dictionary Won\u2019t Tell You About Tex-Mex"},"content":{"rendered":"

All long-running restaurants have a story. Few have a story that can rival Molina\u2019s Cantina<\/a> in Houston. The food prepared in the restaurant founded in 1941 by Raul Molina helped invent a style of food that has become as common in our language as Buffalo wings or Caesar salad. We\u2019re talking Tex-Mex.<\/p>\n

Raul and his wife, Mary, blended traditional Mexican fare with Texas comfort food. Their creations, using Texas-style chili con carne to top enchiladas became known as Enchiladas de Tejas (or Texas-style enchiladas). Other dishes followed, and by the time their original \u201cMexico City\u201d restaurant had its name changed to Molina\u2019s, the word \u201cTex-Mex\u201d had been added to Merriam-Webster\u2019s dictionary.<\/p>\n

Nearly eight decades and two generations later, the restaurant is still making a name for itself with two nacho dishes heralded by Thrillist as being among \u201cThe 21 Best Nachos in America<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Famous for unparalleled nachos<\/h3>\n

For Ricardo Molina, one of three brothers (Raul III and Roberto) who now run the restaurant started by their grandfather and operated for decades by their father (Raul Jr.), being in the spotlight is nothing new.<\/p>\n

One of the famous nacho dishes was the result of celebrity fame. Singer Nancy Ames, famous in the 1960s for her folk-Latin music, was a regular customer. \u201cShe invited Dad onto her TV variety show to demonstrate how he made nachos,\u201d Ricardo says. \u201cShe started adding ingredients she liked, and people who saw the show started asking for those nachos in the restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nancy Ames\u2019 Special Nachos\u2014a pile of chips, smothered with spicy beef, beans, guacamole, cheese, diced tomatoes and jalape\u00f1os\u2014have been on the menu ever since.<\/p>\n

Molina\u2019s Fajita Nachos have also earned acclaim. Crispy chips topped with grilled chicken fajita meat, beans, guacamole, Chihuahua cheese, diced tomatoes and jalape\u00f1os can be ordered with a side of Jose\u2019s Dip\u2014a chili con queso with spicy taco meat\u2014for a plate that\u2019s always been a top seller.<\/p>\n

Counting on consistency<\/h3>\n

The nachos, tacos, burritos, chalupas and Tex-Mex specialties have won over many people, and they turned former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, into regular customers. <\/p>\n

Ricardo credits Gordon Food Service with supplying guest-pleasing food options<\/a>, and also for delivering the kind of consistency that takes food worries off his plate. He says quality products and consistency are what allows his chefs to create the restaurant\u2019s legendary Tex-Mex fare. <\/p>\n

\u201cConsistency, you\u2019ve just got to have it,\u201d he says. \u201cCustomers don\u2019t like surprises and neither do our chefs. Gordon Food Service helps us make sure the food we get is up to our standards. That helps us maintain price consistency and menu planning. Anything we need, Gordon Food Service comes to the table with all kinds of different people, products and knowledge\u2014I don\u2019t have to go to outside consultants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Restaurant Snapshot<\/h3>\n

Operation:<\/strong> Molina\u2019s Cantina
Ubicaci\u00f3n:<\/strong> Two locations in Houston: 7901 Westheimer Road and 3801 Bellaire Blvd.
Classification:<\/strong> Tex-Mex Cuisine
Number of seats:<\/strong> 525 combined, plus a banquet room
Dayparts served:<\/strong> lunch and dinner
Check average:<\/strong> $14 lunch; $18 dinner
Owners:<\/strong> Raul Molina III, Ricardo Molina, Roberto Molina
Total staff: <\/strong>130 in two locations
Guiding philosophy:<\/strong> Family owned and operated. Serving families and new friends.
 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Molina\u2019s Cantina in Houston stakes out its place in restaurant history.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culinary-ideas"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSuccess Story: What the Dictionary Won\u2019t Tell You About Tex-Mex<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/success-story-what-dictionary-wont-tell-you-about-tex-mex\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Success Story: What the Dictionary Won\u2019t Tell You About 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