I was expecting the restaurant, Tom's Burgers, to be a little run-down “hole in the wall.” I expected it to be filled with all the same old patrons that had been there since the place opened, wearing the same clothes and eating the same food, but with brand new teeth and hips. The place was a ghost town when I walked in at just after 4:00 pm. All the booths had seats that were an orange from the seventies that was somewhere in the spectrum between the University of Texas burnt orange and the scissors company, Fiskars, bright orange. The walls had a spattering of Texas or Americana decor that seems to have been put on there so that the walls were not completely bare. I could definitely appreciate the community board located on one of the walls, filled with business cards, fliers, and ads from local businesses and businessmen to baby-sitters and bands. I walked to the counter expecting to order the standard burger; beef patty, cheese, with maybe some lettuce and ketchup. After reading the menu a bit, I came across a menu item that stood out among all the rest, Mexican Jambalaya. I went in to the establishment expecting to order myself a good ol' burger and some fries, but little did I know that when I walked in I was going to get hit by a wave of nostalgia. Mexican Jambalaya from Tom's is the kind of menu item that can bring on a rush of feelings and memories for anyone that grew up with it in their school's cafeteria.
The Mexican Jambalaya was prepared in layers. The bottom layer consisted of Fritos, or whatever similar corn chip Tom's uses, followed by the chili and cheese, topped off by lots of shredded lettuce and a bit of diced onion and tomato.
The corn chips provided a nice, crunchy counterpart to the meatiness of the chili. The chili was hearty and filling if only a little bit greasy. It was almost as if the oil was in there intentionally for the corn chips to soak in and create a completely different level of heartiness. The fresh vegetables on top gave the jambalaya a lightness and the lettuce added a cool, crisp texture. The mixture of the heavier components with the lighter components completed the dish in a nice balance. The only thing that was missing from the dish was rice. Rice is a very common ingredient for nearly all jambalaya. I feel that it would have grounded the Mexican Jambalaya with a distinct texture. The Mexican Jambalaya I was accustomed to had all the same ingredients plus a scoop of steamed rice. The bouncy texture of steamed rice mixed with all that was going on in Tom's Mexican Jambalaya could give it that one little kick it needs to become a full entree.
I thought I would walk into Tom's Burgers and order a cheeseburger with fries and a shake. I expected to get a big juicy burger with mouth watering beef patties and french fries to die for. There are plenty of items on this certain establishment's menu that are of the “burger” variety, but one item on the list that is anything but a burger is what enticed me the most. Even though it was missing what I thought to be an integral piece of the puzzle, the Mexican Jambalaya at Tom's Burgers put me back in my seat at the lunch table of Elementary School.
