I talked McGator into trying a new place for lunch today. It’s not easy to do: he likes his regular neighborhood haunts where the waitresses know what he is going to order before he even sits down and indulge him by  stepping and fetching fast enough to keep his tea glass filled to the brim. He is a very confident and pleasant man, but for some reason, the thought of initiating  restaurant staff and breaking in a new booth makes him a little testy.

• McGator (turning on engine): Where is this place? How far am I going to have to drive?
• Me (pulling me directions up on Yelp): It’s just around the corner. 5 minutes, tops. Just go down Mueschke.
• McGator: Which way down Mueschke? I need to know which way to turn once I get there.
• Me (still waiting for the little swirly on my I-screen to stop revolving and give me directions)We’re not even out of the driveway yet. It’s at least 5 turns from here, and you know the way. Don’t worry;  I’ll let you know when it’s time.
• Mcgator (pulling out of cult-de-sac) Ok, it’s time. Which way am I gonna turn on Mueschke?
• Me (intermittently  watching swirly): Ok, stop. You know I can’t read in the car. I will get you there. I just need to pace myself before this swirly makes me car sick. Or hypnotizes me.
  

  Frio Grill, 16410 Mueschke Rd, Cypress, TX 77433

   

  We arrived at Frio Hill Country Grill in less than 15 minutes, and were very surprised to see it sitting in a neatly groomed field in full view of the road. We had driven by it hundreds of times , not realizing it had been hiding behind some overgrown shrubbery for the last 100 years, where it was built as a ranch house  way back in 1907 before being reborn as a  restaurant. I was about to point out there was plenty of parking in the back  when McGator suddenly swerved to squeeze into the last available space in the front lot. A low hanging branch screeched across the roof of his brand new truck he purchased five years ago, and he shot me an accusing look. Sigh. Like that was my fault.

McGator forgot about the tree branch as we approached the shaded picnic tables on the inviting outdoor patio  studded with corn hole and horse shoe pits. “This would be a nice place to bring the grandkids,” he conceded. We opted to sit inside since  there was a chill in the breeze,  and the hostess led us to a high table by a window in the main dining room. The view of the neighboring cattle serenely grazing in the sun complimented the pleasantly spare and rustic décor.

The menu had some enticing entrées, but I decided to stay light for lunch and settled on  the chicken tortilla soup with an order of the okra planks to share with McGator. The okra weren’t bad;  dusted with cornmeal and lightly fried (is that really possible, or am I indulging myself) with an accompaniment of creamy Tabasco sauce, I decided they counted as my green veggie for the day. I especially appreciated that they had not been dredged in salt and pronounced them healthily seasoned, but McGator went on a search for some salt and pepper shakers which were conspicuously missing from the entire dining area.

 

My soup had nice flavor with  lots of chunky chicken floating in the cascabel chili infused broth. The menu promised the inclusion of fresh avocado pieces, but instead of mingling with the carrots and corn as I expected,  I found a single anorexic slice languishing on the rim of my bowl.

 

Mcgator went healthy and ordered a portion of nicely cooked and flavorful Mango and Citrus Flame Grilled Mahi Mahi, drizzled with a delicious mango chutney. He pronounced the mahi mahi worthy of ordering again, but remained non committal on the French fries. We both decided our included slices of garlic bread were too limp and soggy to be worth the calories, and left them partially eaten.

 

We treated ourselves to a shared scoop of the prickly pear sorbet, presented with a tumbling mix of berries. It was light and refreshing with a delicate flavor I could not place, so assumed it must be the essence of prickly pear.

We left thinking that the Frio Hill Country Grill was a nice addition to the local restaurant scene. Our meal was good, and we felt encouraged to come back and try some of the other items listed on the menu that was varied enough to satisfy  meat lovers and health nuts to traditionalists and foodies alike.