Thursday, Aug. 06, 2009
Texas-style Comfort Food is Big at Papi's
Papi's Texican Grill
for Weekly Surge
Carne Asada Burrito at Papi's Texican Grill in Little River. - photo by Becky Billingsley for Weekly Surge.
SETTING THE TABLE
When Nigel Cossey first saw the restaurant that is now Papi’s Texican Grill, he knew it was ideal for his concept.
Cossey is originally from the Houston area and worked in the Texas hotel, resort and restaurant business for 15 years. He loves interacting with diners and cooking food, but as he advanced in his job he spent more and more time being a manager and sitting at his desk. He felt like he had to try the restaurant business.
So now the Little River restaurant, which was formerly Pig Out Barbecue, looks like a Texas roadside joint and serves simple Tex-Mex cuisine. The exterior is painted red, white and blue to match the Texas flag, and the inside décor is rich with hub caps and Texas license plates, mismatched wood chairs and plank walls. Outside is a pleasant dining area complete with cacti, festive lights and umbrella-topped picnic tables.
Music plays at an agreeable level. You’ll hear Texas rock, bluegrass, Soggy Bottom Boys of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” fame and the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
DOWN THE HATCH
Value is the norm here, with 90 percent of the entrees listed at less than $10. You place your order at the front counter, then find a table and wait for your food to be ready.
This is Texas comfort food, and it’s all made fresh with one exception: the tortillas are not cooked in-house. Cossey says he simply does not have room in the kitchen to make tortillas, but he tested many brands before settling on the one he uses.
Guacamole is prepared in-house with fresh avocados, and the chips served with Chips and Salsa or in the nachos are cut and fried to order. Texican Nachos are piled with refried beans, Cheddar and Jack cheeses, jalapenos, sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes, and you get a choice of shredded chipotle beef or shredded chicken. An individual portion is $6.95, and a plateful big enough for the table to share is $9.95.
For my entrée, I tried the two dishes Cossey says are his best sellers: Carne Asada Burrito and Chicken Enchilada.
The burrito is well-seasoned but not too spicy. The carne (meat) is skirt steak basted in a special “Papi’s Seasoning” and then grilled. The thinly sliced meat is extremely tender, and is bundled into the soft tortilla with lettuce and rice.
My favorite part of the dish is the house-made cheese sauce (queso) that’s poured over the burrito; it’s made with butter, sautéed garlic, onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, bay and milk. This is luxuriously spicy comfort food.
The Chicken Enchilada was even better. The chicken is marinated for four hours before it is grilled, and you get a kiss of jalapeno. The mole sauce in there is smokily wonderful, and a pleasant touch of cumin adds an earthy kick.
If you want to make a salad your meal, Papi’s has a Taco Salad served in a crispy tortilla shell, and a Southwestern Caesar Salad with a distinctive spicy dressing. When the weather cools off the house soups of Shredded Beef and Vegetable and Cheesy Chicken Tortilla will be welcome warm-ups.
You can also order Fajitas served on sizzle platters, Tex-Mex burgers, and Carnitas featuring pork served in tortillas. The pork is Boston butt that’s chopped into 2-inch cubes, roasted, diced smaller and then flash-fried “to crisp it up.” It’s juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, Cossey said.
Other entrees include Tacos, Seasoned Ribeye, Chili Relleno and Fajita Quesadillas. If you love the Chipotle Shredded Beef in the burrito, you can order a whole plate of just the meat served with mango salsa. Tacos are automatically served on soft tortillas, but you can ask for them to be crunchy.
CHECK, PLEASE
Cossey is so devoted to his “fresh is best” principles – he doesn’t have a microwave in the kitchen. Your food is guaranteed to be freshly prepared.
Papi’s has a full bar, so you can also order a margarita or Dos Equis. If you order a premium drink, such as a Grey Goose screwdriver, the staff will make it using freshly-squeezed juice. Happy Hour is 4-7 p.m. daily with $2 margaritas and domestic beers.
There’s always flan for dessert – custard with caramel topping – and other sweet finishes are rotated into the dessert choices as opportunities and cravings occur.
Papi’s is at 4310 McCorsley Ave., Little River, just off U.S. 17, and the number is 281-9000. Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For additional info, visit www.PapisTexicanGrill.com.
Becky Billingsley serves daily restaurant news at www.MyrtleBeachRestaurantNews.com.
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