Maudie’s Tex-Mex
12506 Shops Pkwy., Bee Cave, 512/263-1116Sunday-Thursday, 8am-9:30pm;
Friday-Saturday 8am-10:30pm
www.maudies.com
This is the first Maudie’s location that isn’t housed in a pre-existing structure, and as such, it’s the first time the Maudie’s team got to design what they ideally wanted in terms of architecture and decor – and it’s a knockout. Spacious and inviting, it boasts a sporty bar area, a private events room, and two ample patios with Hill Country views. The interior dining rooms are cool and shaded and look out over the patios to the same soothing vistas. The color scheme is sage green and white with touches of chocolate brown, and the ambience is clean, cool, and relaxing.
As upscale as it looks, this location uses the same colorful menu of Tex-Mex favorites as the other Maudie’s locations, and the fare is executed ably. Once you’re seated, the basket of aromatic chips, fresh salsa, and dewy glasses of iced tea arrive, and the place feels homey and relaxing. The menu features old-fashioned combination plates such as the Mexican Plate (two cheese enchiladas, chile con carne, chopped onions, and rice and beans, $7.25) and the Regular Dinner (crispy beef taco, two cheese enchiladas, chile con carne, chopped onions, and rice and beans, $8.25), all done up authentically enough to grace a ZZ Top album cover. But the menu does not neglect more Interior specialties such as carnitas tacos (roasted pulled pork, spicy tomatillo avocado sauce, corn tortillas, cilantro, onion, and black beans and rice, $7.50) or carne guisada tacos (beef tips in savory gravy on flour tortillas with cilantro, tomatoes, onions, and borracho beans, $7.25). The entire Maudie’s panoply of enchiladas, burritos, and tacos are available, all for the same economical prices as the in-town stores.
Always attentive to customers’ needs, the folks at Maudie’s made it a priority years ago to easily accommodate both vegetarian and gluten-sensitive diners. Recently, they went a step further and are now using only natural and cruelty-free meats and poultry. With such a combination of casually elegant surroundings and home-style Tex-Mex at economical prices, this Maudie’s location is bound to become a neighborhood standby that consistently draws a crowd, just like the original.
This article appears in July 1 • 2011.
