There’s a reason the first page in the menu at any restaurant is the appetizer page. It’s not just meant to entice you, it’s meant to round out your meal. After years of watering down, the experience of going out to eat has suddenly become much less of an event than it should be. Eating out used to be a big to-do. It involved going out with your friends and enjoying a meal that you couldn’t easily get somewhere else. It was about the experience as much as it was about exquisite cuisine. With that notion lost, from modern-day restaurants are still holding onto the idea that they should provide their guests with a unique experience that they can’t get somewhere else. They hope, perhaps in vain, that they’ll be able to revive the idea that going out to eat is a reason for celebrating life and all of its wonderful intricacies rather than the fact that you forgot what your meal plan included that night.
Going to a Restaurant With Friends?
Austin, Texas is probably more familiar with the importance of food than most cities. We love food, and we especially love Tex Mex. With all of the taco trucks and breakfast taco trends that dominate the area, it’s no wonder that an Austinite’s favorite destination is always an authentic Tex Mex cuisine restaurant like Maudie’s Tex Mex. When locals come out and they’re perusing the menu before their friends arrive, their eyes will first rest on the appetizer menu. It’s to urge you to get a dish that does not prohibit conversation. Many times when folks go out to eat with old friends or family they haven’t seen in some time the aim is to catch-up which means talking, lots of talking. Appetizers are the perfect dish for this. Not only are they shareable and great for breaking that initial ice that’s crusted over with the expanse of the years between your last visit, but it doesn’t take all of your attention to enjoy. So many times, people will sit down to eat when they’re ravenous and barely get to talk since their main objective is to get their food in their mouth. Appetizers take the hangry edge off and make for a great dish to share while discussing the events of your life while thoroughly enjoying your time.
The Ultimate Sampler Plate
The second reason a restaurant structures it’s menu so that you’re able to peruse the appetizers first is because we want you to get something you like. If this is your first time to Maudie’s Tex Mex, you’re going to want to sample things. The beautiful thing about Tex Mex is that it’s much like traditional Mexican cuisine, in that it’s inspired by different regions and has different influential spices and other components that might differ from your other favorite Tex Mex cuisine in another part of Texas. Being able to sample a variety of our menu options first through the appetizer section is the key to being able to pick the right entree dish off our menu. For example, sharing our amazing and innovative beef Fajita Nachos could evolve to ordering a full entree of beef fajitas. Trying out Oven Baked Nachos with the whole party could evolve into you being more daring about what spices you’re willing to try on your dishes and having a more open mind about how our dishes are influenced.
Our Favorite Appetizers
For a first-time visit to Maudie’s Tex Mex, we’d recommend a couple of standby appetizers to get the most out of your authentic Tex Mex cuisine dining experience. All of our suggested appetizers can be paired with a select few of optimized drinks that round out the experience while opening up your palate to new flavors that will round out your night as a whole.
Top Choice
Our must-have appetizer has to be the Flautitas de Pollo. It’s the best way to sample traditional Tex Mex with Maudie’s distinct flavoring and taste. The dish features cheese and chicken flautitas. They consist of a tortilla wrapped tightly around the contents inside, and they are allowed to dry so that they’re good for dipping into the unique tomatillo avocado dipping sauce. If you’re unfamiliar with tomatillo, it’s a delicious traditional Mexican component that complements virtually any dish and, as a dipping sauce, it adds the perfect amount of spice to an already creamy composition. We recommend pairing it with a round of Maudie’s mojitos, which is a delightful mix of fresh lime and mint, some simple syrup to balance the Bacardi Silver Rum and round out the flavors into a refreshing start to the night.
Perfect for Vegetarians
Our favorite vegetarian-geared dish has to be the spinach and mushroom quesadilla. Sliced and cubed tomato with garlic mushrooms mixed in with warm, melted jack cheese makes this dish an excellent balance of the savory and salty but almost sweet. Finished off with the sweet crunch of fresh spinach and perfectly toasty wheat tortillas, you’ll be almost satisfied and totally ready for your vegetarian-friendly Tex Mex entree. For a drink pairing, we recommend Maudie’s Signature Skinny to set off the savory and creamy mixture of flavors. The drink is a perfect combination of Tequila 512’s Blanco tequila, agave-lime mix and topped off with club soda for that perfect effervescence to render the drink truly and totally delicious.
The Tex Mex Cuisine Experience
If you’re looking forward to a dining experience rather than just eating for the sake of nourishment, look to Maudie’s Tex Mex. We’ve designed our menu to create an event-like appeal. Our appetizers, drinks, and entrees are all coordinated and staged in a certain order to create an authentic Tex Mex cuisine experience that you and your friends won’t forget. Come and enjoy Tex Mex in a way you previously didn’t realize possible. Contact us to arrange large to-go orders or catering for your next event, we’re happy to help in whatever way we can!