XL Food & Drink: On the side

Adolfo's Café Flameante

Adolfo's Café Flameante brings more good fare to Texas 71

Whenever I drive around Central Texas, I watch the parking lots at restaurants. Full lots usually — but not always — indicate a restaurant worth a stop.

Ricardo B. Brazziell
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

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Owner Adolfo Carbajal, with Brianna, 3, left; wife, Adriane; and Claudia, 1.

Ricardo B. Brazziell
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

(enlarge photo)

Carbajal's previous work taught him about preparation and ingredients.

Ricardo B. Brazziell
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

(enlarge photo)

The grilled tilapia is topped with grilled shrimp and a cilantro cream sauce.

Adolfo's Café Flameante.

• 1591 W. Texas 71, Cedar Creek.
• (512) 321-4400.
• Rating: Forks up.
• Price: Cheap/moderate.

So, after spotting cars surrounding a relatively new spot on Texas 71 between Austin and Bastrop on a Friday night, I decided I should investigate Adolfo's Café Flameante.

Once again, the auto predictor was on the mark.

Adolfo's "New World Tex-Mex" brings together a multilayered, vibrant depth of experience and flavor.

Adolfo Carbajal, owner of the nine-month-old restaurant, worked at the Texican Cafe in Manchaca for nearly 17 years, rising to general manager. That experience clearly taught him about preparation and ingredients.

In the New World pescado ($11.95), for example, the grilled tilapia is served with rice and beans and topped with grilled shrimp and a lightly spicy cilantro cream sauce. Because of the delicate nature of the delicious "Adolfo" sauce, which is made from salsa, sour cream, cheese and jalapeños, it is prepared fresh each time the dish is ordered.

Another entrée, the beef-filled chile relleno ($7.95), features an equally tempting sauce, although this one is as hardy as the Adolfo sauce is delicate. The "flameante" sauce combines grilled tomatillos, charbroiled onions, fresh jalapeños and cilantro in a thick emulsion. I have to admit I had my doubts, but one taste eliminated them all; I loved the tomatillo sauce blanketing the nicely prepared pepper.

The salsa, made with roasted tomatoes, also had an appealing flavor, as did the queso blanco ($4.95), prepared with white cheese and bits of jalapeños, onions and tomatoes.

The nachos compuestos ($5.95), with a pile of chips covered in refried beans, ground beef and melted cheese, was the only item I wouldn't order again. That's not because it was bad; there was just nothing special about it.

And that's the reason to stop at Adolfo's Café Flameante: Mexican food that's something special.