When it comes to claiming the crown for Houston’s enchilada kingdom, the Enchilada Queen is without question Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen owner/chef Sylvia Casares. Her restaurants serve a whopping 19 varieties of enchiladas – each hand-rolled to order – along with a variety of other border and Tex-Mex dishes.
First-time diners at Sylvia’s can easily detect that it is different from other Houston Tex-Mex restaurants. “The influence of the border is evident in my cooking and adds to the variety of dishes that we offer,” says Casares. “The Tex-Mex of the Valley is a simpler style of cooking. We don’t use as much cheese, which can mask and overpower the delicate flavor of our food, and we cook fajitas over a wood fire, which is a point of difference with other Tex-Mex eateries in Houston. I think what we serve at Sylvia’s is more home-style, more hand-made. It’s as fresh as you can get, and made with care.”
The only canned items used at the restaurant are the jalapeño slices for the nachos. In fact, the kitchen doesn’t have a freezer, only a cooler. All of the sauces, the rice and beans start with raw ingredients. Each of the fresh-made sauces represents hours and hours of carefully tended cooking.
As the restaurant’s name implies, enchiladas are the stock-in-trade at Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen. Named after the many border towns near Casares’ native Brownsville, the dishes include the “standards” such as “Refugio,” cheese-filled, topped with chili gravy; and “Donna,” beef enchiladas with chili gravy. Other more unusual enchiladas are the “Hidalgo,” filled with grilled pork served with choice of green or red sauce and topped with avocado slices; the new “Lubbock,” a meaty beef enchilada with a chile con carne topping; the vegetarian “Crystal City,” named after the Texas town that is the spinach capital of the world, consisting of fresh spinach sautéed with herbs and spices and covered with a tomatillo sauce; and one of Casares’ original enchilada creations, “Sarita,” made with traditional Mexican vegetables – squash and corn – and topped with a delectable light cream sauce. In all, there are 19 delectable enchiladas to choose from, and each lives up to the restaurant’s slogan, “Enchiladas to Drive For.”
Beyond enchiladas, Sylvia’s offers patrons the gamut of Tex-Mex offerings, from mesquite-grilled fajitas and quesadillas to soft and crispy tacos and chalupas. The list of Chef’s Specialties includes the popular Mexican-style beef stew, Carne Guisada; Chile Relleno, a fresh poblano stuffed with beef or cheese, and prepared either baked or fried golden; and Flautas, crispy rolled corn tortillas filled with chicken and served with a side of Española sauce.
Rounding off her menu are traditional Mexican sweets, all made in-house. Texas Monthly proclaimed Sylvia’s Tres Leches as the “Best in Houston,” and she also makes a decadent Chocolate Tres Leches. Also on the menu are flan and sopapillas with honey or chocolate.
Casares is also the author of “The Enchilada Queen Cookbook” (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2016, $27.98).