Before we get into the Mexican food, I feel the need to address, um, THIS:
No, I'm not referring to my atrocious cuticles (though, hot dang, get it together Ogonosky). I'm referring to the GIANT (okay, small) om
tattoo I got on my wrist
after dinner on my 30th birthday last week (Shoutout to
Texas Tattoo Emporium, I can't recommend them enough)! I allowed myself a year of wanting it, and the result is that I love love LOVE having it.
Speaking of, on my birthday my sister Emily offered to treat me to lunch at
Ula's. Going there seemed a little slimey, as I felt like I was cheating on my husband across the street,
El Tiempo. But I've heard that Ula's and El Tiempo are friends, so I trudged on.
Our server and server-in-training were incredibly friendly and helpful. The place was packed, and service was pretty slow that day.
We were provided with warm chips and salsa, and a bean dip of some sort (which I didn't eat because it clearly had meat in it). The salsa was of the pureed variety and INCREDIBLY spicy, which we loved.
I ordered a vegetable quesadilla (not listed on the menu). When I asked if their rice was vegetarian, the server told me no. Then I asked if they had vegetarian black beans, and they said yes - refried or charro. I opted for the non-meat charro version. Right before they left the server said, "Do you want corn or flour tortillas for your quesadilla?
Huh. I've never been asked that. I've always only ever had flour tortillas with my quesadillas, so I opted for flour. He then said, "okay, but our flour tortillas are cooked in animal lard."
Huh again. I never even knew that was a thing. How many times have I ordered flour tortillas that were - unbeknownst to me - cooked in animal lard? I was equal parts miffed by this fact, and impressed with the amount of care and knowledge our server had. So I went with the corn tortillas.
Well, I learned that day that there's a reason quesadillas don't typically come in corn tortillas, and the reason is this: They're not as good. I personally love corn tortillas and prefer them with fajitas, but the corn flavor of them overpowered the quesadilla. All I could really taste was the tortilla and a hint of cheese (because it was super mild). Perhaps more spices on the veggies and a stronger cheese would have helped this quesadilla out, but for the most part it was unremarkable.
The beans were pretty bland and unexciting as well.
After we had finished eating, all of a sudden my sister goes, "Okay, don't kill me Kimberly." And I'm all, "Why, did you forget your wallet or something? No big deal." Then I looked up and saw a group of men coming towards me with a ginormous dessert, complete with sparkler.
(and yes, they sang to me.)
This dessert made up for my lackluster meal. Eating the warm, fluffy cinnamon sopapillas atop gobs and gobs of vanilla ice cream was a lovely indulgence that was totally birthday-appropriate.
While I felt that the vegetarian options were lacking, and that the quesadilla I had was uninspired, I did very much appreciate the wide range of knowledge our server had on the menu. And I thoroughly enjoyed the chips and salsa, as well as my birthday dessert. Also, it should be noted that my sister absolutely loved the steak salad she ordered. And Jon is always telling me how much he likes it there. So take what I write with a grain of salt - Perhaps the meat dishes at Ula's are where they really shine!
(Not to mention their fabulous sparkling desserts.)
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