(February 15, 2008) When Chef Steve Southern first swept into town three years ago and substantially improved the menus at the Iron Cactus, there was a bit of grumbling from the head-in-the-sand crowd. You know how it is: some people are just change aversive. But Southern's deft touch with his tequila grill concept should be celebrated and sampled!

We began our last dinner there with the Table Side Guacamole. This is a good way to begin your dinner at the Iron Cactus. The server carves out several fresh avocados, adds the requisite spices to the customer's taste (in my case the spicier the better) and consults with you on the desired texture. Served with chips or some of their amazing grilled corn tortillas, the guacamole is an enticing preamble for what's to come. And that should include some of their Chile con Queso. The queso is mellow at its core but nuanced with spice from the New Mexican green chiles and the fire roasted jalapeno peppers. And the texture, as it should, lends itself to the time-honored art of dipping. Another recommendation is the Pecan Crusted Jalapeno Crab Cakes. Mercifully, Southern likes his crab cakes with some zest and a boatload of lump crabmeat. The Texas pecan crust seals in the flavor and offers a touch of contrast on first bite. These are not for the faint of heart: as Scotty might say to Kirk "there be some fire in these cakes captain!"

The essence of the tequila grill concept is no more evident than in a dish such as the Carne Asada con Adobo. Adobo in this sense refers to a seasoning marinade used to prepare a flat iron steak. The steak is grilled and served over rajas (roasted chile strips) along with charro beans, guacamole salad and garlic grilled flour tortillas. I really enjoy the flavors of this dish. But a note of caution: your grandma's carne asada is probably not going to taste like this. A classic Iron Cactus dish that Southern has lovingly revived is the Sweet Red Pepper Linguini. The pasta is sautéed with fresh garlic and roasted red peppers and fresh cilantro which gives it a somewhat smoky flavor. The tequila and lime butter sauce finishes the dish providing a nice balance and an engaging flavor. We also like the tequila marinated Cancun Snapper. Seared on a hot griddle and topped with a smooth mix of sautéed lobster and crab, this dish virtually radiates interesting tastes. The only disappointment on our last visit was the Pollo Relleno which should have had more flavor considering the corn bread and cheddar cheese stuffing but the chicken was on the dry side. However, that's an error of commission that can be fixed.

The postres (desserts) at Iron Cactus are worth sampling. Particularly interesting is the against-type Chocolate Raspberry Diablo: kind of a chocolate milk version of the classic Tres Leches and quite good.

We are at the Stonelake location of Iron Cactus today: 10,001 to be precise. And there is, of course, the location at Trinity and Sixth downtown. I like the tequila grill concept and the varied tastes it's capable of producing. I think you will as well.

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