Texas Monthly named Cyclone Anaya's to be one of the best Mexican restaurants in Texas. With this in mind, I had to go check it out.
I visited their Plano location which was very modern and upscale. It is the second Mexican restaurant I have seen in my lifetime to have fire torches outside for their main entrance.
Customer service their was bland, but who cares... I am here for the food!
The chips really didn't stand out besides being fresh. Perhaps the chips were neutral because they were simply tools used for you to enjoy the queso and salsa.
The salsa was great. Very tangy and spicy which felt authentic to me. The tomatoes in it were finely mashed with a perfect blend of spices and chiles. It was perfect.
Chile con Queso was the main appetizer for my meal. I was shocked to see that their queso was in fact traditional Mexican queso. It was white compared to most places who use the non-traditional yellowish orange queso. Cyclone Anaya's queso was delicious. It had a great zesty queso blanco flavor and an underlying spice to it that had the power to transport you straight to Mexico. It was rich in flavor and you can easily discern the true authentic queso blanco it possessed.
Upon pursuing the menu, I decided to have their famous dish named Cyclone's Soft Tacos. The menu indicated that their soft tacos are laced with their "special sauce" that made the restaurant famous. Clearly I needed to try these tacos for myself and put them to the test.
Blah!
The tacos weren't even tacos! They were rolled up into an enchilada state. I asked my server, "Are these tacos?" She answered, "Yes." I then asked, "Why do they look like enchiladas?" Her response baffled me, "We roll up our tacos that way because they are soft and they can get messy."
No! They are tacos! You eat tacos with your hands! You eat enchiladas with a fork and that's how I had to eat my dish: With a fork! The "tacos" were so thin I didn't even need a knife. I just used my fork to cut straight down on the "tacos". Their online menu has been updated since I left their establishment to indicate that these tacos are "rolled". Perhaps my complaint was heard by the powers that be at Cyclone's to the point where they had to add "rolled" into the menu.
Cyclone Tacos were a disappointment. The meat tasted similar to that of Taco Bell and they were greasy just like Taco Bell. The "special sauce" tasted just like sour cream. There was nothing special about the dish. The Mexican rice tastes just like the Mexican rice I make which begs the question, "Why the heck am I eating here and paying for something I know I can replicate at home?"
I then indulged in the flan. It was good. It would have been awesome if the flan jiggled. This means the flan was overcooked to the point where it was stiff and required some effort to dig into. The flavor was sweet and slightly burnt.
Beaner Certification: FAIL!
You know it was coming. The only good thing about Cyclone Anaya's was their salsa and Chile con Queso that I can truly say was the best queso I have had in years. Everything else was was way over priced and would make any Mexican cry in shame.
Believe me... I wept.
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