Ted's Cafe Escondido in BA

[MH2010]

I just ate at Ted's in B.A. for the first time today.  We got to Ted's at about 4:15pm and had to wait about 10 minutes for a table.  

When we were seated we immediately got the pre-meal set-up.  Our waitress was very attentive and also lighting fast with our margaritas.  The pre-meal salsa and queso was average but the flour tortillas were excellent.  Our meal was really good.  The steak fajitas were very good. I decided on the corn and mashed potatoes as my side and was glad I did.  They were both tasty!  The portions were huge and I couldn't eat it all.  

The atmosphere was nice and the restaurant was especially clean. The service was great. Not only our waitress but also the extras that fill up the flour tortillas and the queso. The manager even came by to see if everything was alright with our food and experience.

We left the restaurant a little after 5:00pm. The waiting room was packed and their was a line out the door waiting to speak to the receptionist.

Overall, I recommend the restaurant to people who, like myself, enjoy Tex-Mex.  If you enjoy more authentic Mexican food then you may want to go somewhere else. (Like Cancun, Speedy's, Los Americans ect.)

[Ted]

Hi all,

I'm new here to the forums and my name is Ted. Yes this is the Ted of Ted's Cafe Escondido. First of all I'm sorry some of you don't like our restaurant. We take a lot of pride in our food and service and we want to try and make  everyone happy. I have to admit this thread has hurt pretty badly but I appreciate the honesty.
We've worked very hard to keep the restaurant consistent over the years.

We're excited to be in Tulsa. I love Tulsa and the Tulsa people. I have a lot of family and friends here and pretty much grew up at Grand Lake. My family owned and operated Goodner Van/Curtis Restaurant Supply here for over 20 years. I'm also in the music business and produce many artists out of Tulsa. There is extreme talent here. It's a beautiful city indeed and I consider it my second home.

I would like to extend an invitation to any of the above that would like to try or re-try the BA location. This meal would be on me. Please contact me at tc4542@cox.net and I will arrange it for you. Also, please don't hesitate to contact me at the above if you EVER have any problems at the restaurant or if you have any questions. We will take care of you. I look forward to hearing fom you! Thanks for the feedback.

Best,
Ted Curtis
Ted's Cafe Escondido
         -or-
www.upstairsproductions.com

[Cats Cats Cats]

I would also like to add that $12 for Tacos, beans and rice makes you feel like your window got busted out in your car in the back parking lot.  Like one of your employees last time I went.

[RecycleMichael]

I eat out a lot. Most restaurants treat me like Norm on Cheers (They say my name when I enter...Mike!).

But I had never been to Ted's.

Last week I was in OKC for a meeting and Ted's had provided catering for us. It was large trays of meat, cheese, chips and extras with bags of taco shells and platters of tortillas.

I really enjoyed the beef and chicken. It was lightly seasoned and moist to the touch. The tortillas were soft and the salsa was just hot enough for me.

I liked it and plan to go to the Broken Arrow location with my family soon.

[tulsa_fan]

Ted - I've eaten there twice.  I live in Sand Springs and it is a long way away, so I don't eat there often, as well as I don't like to wait an hour to get seated.  

But, I thought the food and the service both times were very good.  I think the prices were reasonable and you are doing a fine job.  There will always be people whom complain.  If I had a problem with my service or meal, I would have talked to someone about it then.  Good luck to you in Tulsa!

[guido911]

Ted, classy and professional play.

[stormlvr]

Ted, you're my hero! I love the restaurant. I believe all the Ted's are very consistant and am so happy to have one a bit closer to home. I've never experienced such great service- and when it falls short, the waiters tell the management on themselves! Amazing! Keep up the great work!

[stymied]

I haven't quite figured out the whole queso thing.  You know, in California you won't find queso on any menu anywhere.  I find the obsession here with queso kind of cheesy.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by Ted

Hi all,

I'm new here to the forums and my name is Ted. Yes this is the Ted of Ted's Cafe Escondido. First of all I'm sorry some of you don't like our restaurant. We take a lot of pride in our food and service and we want to try and make  everyone happy. I have to admit this thread has hurt pretty badly but I appreciate the honesty.
We've worked very hard to keep the restaurant consistent over the years.

We're excited to be in Tulsa. I love Tulsa and the Tulsa people. I have a lot of family and friends here and pretty much grew up at Grand Lake. My family owned and operated Goodner Van/Curtis Restaurant Supply here for over 20 years. I'm also in the music business and produce many artists out of Tulsa. There is extreme talent here. It's a beautiful city indeed and I consider it my second home.

I would like to extend an invitation to any of the above that would like to try or re-try the BA location. This meal would be on me. Please contact me at tc4542@cox.net and I will arrange it for you. Also, please don't hesitate to contact me at the above if you EVER have any problems at the restaurant or if you have any questions. We will take care of you. I look forward to hearing fom you! Thanks for the feedback.

Best,
Ted Curtis
Ted's Cafe Escondido
         -or-
www.upstairsproductions.com

Hey Ted,

Thanks for jumping in, that shows you take pride in your business and you are interested in what people think.  You won't please everyone so don't take it too personal.

Just remember Mexican food is a lot like BBQ when it comes to preferred or prejudiced tastes.  What I like, someone else might think is Alpo and vice versa.  What some people think is acceptible service, others might think is unacceptable.

Best wishes for your venture in BA.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by stymied

I haven't quite figured out the whole queso thing.  You know, in California you won't find queso on any menu anywhere.  I find the obsession here with queso kind of cheesy.

It's not food unless we can deep fry it and smother it in cheese (or ocasionally chili).

[azbadpuppy]

quote:Originally posted by stymied

I haven't quite figured out the whole queso thing.  You know, in California you won't find queso on any menu anywhere.  I find the obsession here with queso kind of cheesy.

Thats why the Mexican food is better in Tulsa than in California. Nothing worse than hard plastic barely melted cheese on your nachos.

[TeeDub]

I have heard nothing but good about Ted's...   And to be honest I have tried to go there with my wife about 5 times...  Each time was an hour+ wait.   (Not a bad problem to have for a restaurant.)

Thanks to living in Tulsa, each time we are told that, we have no problem thinking of other places that are very good with no wait at all.  Neither of us has ever had food worth waiting an hour for anyway.

Ah, you gotta love Tulsa.

[stymied]

quote:Originally posted by azbadpuppy

quote:Originally posted by stymied

I haven't quite figured out the whole queso thing.  You know, in California you won't find queso on any menu anywhere.  I find the obsession here with queso kind of cheesy.

Thats why the Mexican food is better in Tulsa than in California. Nothing worse than hard plastic barely melted cheese on your nachos.

Well, you won't find nachos very much either in California--not real Mexican.  But I digress.  Ted's is pretty good Tex Mex.  It's probably $2 - $3 overpriced per entre IMO.  The wait is a drag too with 3 little monkeys that call me their father for some odd reason.

sgrizzle - cheese sauce?  chili?  you forgot gravy.  Never seen gravy as an option for my fries and burger before.

[azbadpuppy]

quote:Originally posted by stymied

quote:Originally posted by azbadpuppy

quote:Originally posted by stymied

I haven't quite figured out the whole queso thing.  You know, in California you won't find queso on any menu anywhere.  I find the obsession here with queso kind of cheesy.

Thats why the Mexican food is better in Tulsa than in California. Nothing worse than hard plastic barely melted cheese on your nachos.

Well, you won't find nachos very much either in California--not real Mexican.  But I digress.  Ted's is pretty good Tex Mex.  It's probably $2 - $3 overpriced per entre IMO.  The wait is a drag too with 3 little monkeys that call me their father for some odd reason.

sgrizzle - cheese sauce?  chili?  you forgot gravy.  Never seen gravy as an option for my fries and burger before.

Hmmmm, lived in California for 6 years and never had a problem finding nachos at any and every Mexican restaurant. Never as good as ones you get in Tulsa, and I find a lot of the Mexican food to be very disappointing in CA.

"Mexican" food varies greatly depending on where you are, so it would be impossible to say any of it is "real". It all just depends on what tastes good.

I have to agree with TeeDub about the hour+ wait at Ted's. No food is worth that, especially with so many great options in Tulsa.

[stymied]

quote:Originally posted by azbadpuppy

quote:Originally posted by stymied

quote:Originally posted by azbadpuppy

quote:Originally posted by stymied

I haven't quite figured out the whole queso thing.  You know, in California you won't find queso on any menu anywhere.  I find the obsession here with queso kind of cheesy.

Thats why the Mexican food is better in Tulsa than in California. Nothing worse than hard plastic barely melted cheese on your nachos.

Well, you won't find nachos very much either in California--not real Mexican.  But I digress.  Ted's is pretty good Tex Mex.  It's probably $2 - $3 overpriced per entre IMO.  The wait is a drag too with 3 little monkeys that call me their father for some odd reason.

sgrizzle - cheese sauce?  chili?  you forgot gravy.  Never seen gravy as an option for my fries and burger before.

Hmmmm, lived in California for 6 years and never had a problem finding nachos at any and every Mexican restaurant. Never as good as ones you get in Tulsa, and I find a lot of the Mexican food to be very disappointing in CA.

"Mexican" food varies greatly depending on where you are, so it would be impossible to say any of it is "real". It all just depends on what tastes good.

I have to agree with TeeDub about the hour+ wait at Ted's. No food is worth that, especially with so many great options in Tulsa.

If you frequent Mexico and the restaurants there enough, you'll know what I am talking about.  There are plenty of places in California that serve "Americanized" versions of slightly more authentic Mexican food. Restaurants in Mexico not targeting American tourists don't even serve tortilla chips and salsa.  You can't even buy a burrito there.  Chips and the later concocted nachos were first introduced in the U.S.  Tortilla chips were invented sometime after World War II.  Nachos is purported to have been debuted at the Dallas State Fair in 1964.  There are about 5 main varieties of Mexican food in the U.S. - Sanoran, New Mexican, TexMex, Baja, and Monterey.  The later two being the predominant varieties in California.  We could argue which is best.  You are obviously partial to TexMex, but you can't call a snack invented for baseball games and fairs "real Mexican food".