Venga — Restaurant in Manuel Benavides

Terlingua, Texas-what can one say about this quirky deep West Texas town out in the middle of nowhere.....I myself am on my 4th visit in four years.

I just recently relocated to Terlingua from Austin, my friend Amy took me to this really cool, artsy restaurant type place called "Venga"-I love everything about the art inside this place from the vintage camera tabletop lamps to the 12'X8' Painting of Willie Nelson. There is something for everyone's taste.

On this quite Mother's Day, the host Dymphna & Shamalia (Happy Birthday) graciously offered us Mimosa. While our food order was being repaired. I couldn't decide which of the choices for their Tosadas, the "birthday girl" Shamalia suggested why not try one of each

The vegetarian option was Sliced Hass Avocados, Sumac Onion Relish and Crumbled Feta...WOW!!! The Sumac Onion Relish & Feta complimeted the sweet tartness of the mimosa-don't ask how but it worked beautifully...

The meat option was Smashed Pinto Beans, Mexican Chorizo, Black Forest Ham, Smoked Bacon Diced White Onion and PepperJack Cheese.....WOW!!! The cured saltiness of the meats with spicy creaminess of PepperJack Cheese was solid and on point...Even I tried, I would have been hard pressed to find something wrong with this toastada and mimosa...

Now the sparking wine the uses was a non vintage nothing really to get excited about....that is until you order what I'll call The Terlingua Two-Step...the eclectic mix of bold flavors of the toastada and the mimosas feels so right...like a whimsical version of your first love...

Currently, Venga is BYOB-they are however are looking into getting their license from TABC...so until then..

The only thing I can think of to make this a "Viva Terlingua" favorite is to added a few drops of Guajillo Chili Spiced Prickly Pear Puree to mimic the sunsets that Terlingua is known for..

Think about it, who better to suspend time with while sharing these toastadas with mimosas while watching a Terlingua sunset while listening to Anna Murray's "Could I Have This Dance?"

That my fellow friends is what I call the "Terlingua Two Step"....my old regret is not sticking around long enough to as Shamalia (The Birthday Girl) if she wanted to dance....oh well, guys too can dream....and besides the rules of common society don't apply here in Terlingua...just be respectful, have fun and create lasting memories.

May 12, 2024…

Javier Garza-Sommelier "The Self Proclaimed Certified Cork-Dork" Austin Texas...

So I have to say I was so excited to stop in here. I read about it in an article and was really excited to see how cute it was.

The 1 star is for the horrible atmosphere created by one particular person. I stopped in the day before and bought a hat and came in the next day to try the food. Upon walking in I noticed a really cool piece of art and inquired on the price. Mind you, the day before, in the same store I purchased a hat for $34. I've more than once been into a shop, seen a price for something and the price for an item has set my expectations for that store. So when I inquired about the art piece I had the purchase from the day before in mind ($34 hat), and was simply shocked to hear the price. Not at all thinking the art is not worth that, just surprised. NOW the reason for my one star review is how this was handled. The person behind the counter (not the woman at the register, she was sweet)didn't know the price of the piece, so she called someone...she stood in front of me while asking the price of the piece and when I made a face (because I was surprised at $3700) she said to the person on the phone "SHES MAKING A FACE LIKE SHE DOESN'T HAVE MONEY TO BUY ART".

I didn't say anything because I was truly in shock, that anyone would say anything like that, especially to someones face. I sat down trying to choke down my food because I was so shocked by the person and eventually just walked out. I will honestly say I went to my car and cried because I didn't understand why someone would choose to be that gross. I could have purchased that piece a few times over actually...she judged me..and that is just wrong. I regret even making my $34 dollar purchase the day before.

I would have had a wonderful review to write if I had not gone in the second day because the store really is beautiful, but to have someone like this dealing with your guests, customers...

The atmosphere and aesthetic are top notch. But I left with a sour taste in my mouth from the service which ultimately impacted my entire experience.

I noticed on their menu that they had gluten free bread substitutions which I was pleasantly shocked by. My line of thinking was “oh I bet they have a nice latte too” (as most modern cafes do). It wasn’t written on the menu but that’s not entirely unusual for coffee shops to not have every drink written because it’s just known they make the regulars (latte, cappuccino, etc). A warm welcome from the older lady at the counter turned bad when I asked if they had lattes which she very rudely responded with “we don’t do espresso drinks here.” That’s fine, but I was also taken off guard a little by how she responded so defensively and needed a second to look at the drink list again, which is when my boyfriend noticed that she was making an annoyed face at me not knowing what I wanted. When I decided, she handed us the cups for the pour over and didn’t say another word to us.

It was just uncalled for and a question I don’t think warranted that kind of reaction. Maybe it’s the city girl that I am, but I also find it weird that they can have GF subs but no espresso machine. Weird priorities lol.

Didn’t try the food but based on the reviews of how slowly the food comes out, I’m...