La Gloria - (San Antonio - La Cantera Parkway)

Reviews

• ★★★★½ Sopapillas Chile En Nogada Beef Fajita Taco Visited Jun 6, 2020

  First Time Dining Here, Food Was Decent Enough, Prices Were High

  This was my first visit to La Gloria. I'd heard people mention the restaurant and had heard some good things about it, but I'd never actually eaten at one of its locations. Since I have a friend who lives near this one, we decided to stop in for dinner and see what it had to offer.
  
  I had a hard time deciding what to order because several items caught my attention. The Carne Adobada was tempting since it's similar to one of my favorite New Mexican dishes, and the Chile en Nogada caught my eye because it was something I'd never tried before. I eventually decided to go with the Chile en Nogada, which is a stuffed pepper filled with picadillo, apples, pecans, and almonds, topped with a pecan sauce and served with rice and beans.
  
  When the plate arrived, I was surprised by how small the portion was. There was only one pepper, and between that and the beans, there wasn't much food on the plate. As I write this review, I also realize the rice was missing entirely. The waitress noticed the plate, left the table, and returned to ask if everything was OK. I commented that it was a pretty small pepper, and she explained that she'd already gone to the kitchen to ask about my plate. She didn't offer much of an explanation, but she did ask if I'd like to add something else to the meal. I decided to get a beef fajita taco.
  
  The taco arrived a few minutes later with a decent portion of meat and a little grilled onion. The beef had some nice grilled flavor and seemed to be a decent cut, but it wasn't particularly well seasoned and was a little lacking in flavor. It was an OK taco, but nothing that really stood out.
  
  The Chile en Nogada itself was actually pretty good. The pecan sauce was creamy, with blended pecans throughout, and there were pomegranate seeds scattered over the top. The picadillo filling was especially interesting, with the apples and nuts adding flavors and textures I hadn't experienced together before. It was a unique dish, and I enjoyed trying something different. My biggest complaint was the portion size. The pepper wasn't much larger than a big jalapeño, and for a $17 entree, I expected considerably more food. I wish the plate had included two peppers or that the single pepper had been much larger.
  
  At the end of the meal, the waitress came back to ask if we wanted dessert. She mentioned that she felt bad about the portion-size issue and offered to cover dessert for us. I decided to try the sopapillas. Three large, square pastries arrived drizzled with honey, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. They technically were sopapillas, but they looked more like undercooked toaster strudels. They hadn't puffed up very much, and I suspect the oil may not have been hot enough when they were fried. They also could have used more cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar. The flavor was OK, but they weren't particularly impressive.
  
  When the bill arrived, both the taco and the dessert had been taken off the check. I appreciated the waitress making an effort to address the small entree portion, and her service was excellent throughout the visit. After the adjustments, I only paid for my drink and the $17 Chile en Nogada with beans.
  
  Unfortunately, this wasn't the most promising first visit. The Chile en Nogada was interesting and enjoyable, but I have a hard time justifying $17 for such a small portion, especially when the rice was missing. The taco was average, and the sopapillas were disappointing. The prices also seemed a little high overall.
  
  I do want to give the waitress credit for recognizing the issue and trying to make things right. Her service helped improve what could have been a much worse experience. As for La Gloria itself, I'm still undecided. There were things I enjoyed, particularly the Chile en Nogada, but the portion size and overall value left me questioning whether I'd return.

  — Paul