Bloggers' Brunch & Pepe's y Mito's Mini-Review

When: This past Saturday, 11:00 a.m.

Where: Pepe's y Mito's Restaurant, Deep Ellum

Who: Dallas-area Bloggers

Why: To get to know each other and to eat delicious Tex-Mex food

Well, Saturday was full of "firsts" for us DallasEats ladies. It's not often that we venture into Deep Ellum while the sun is still shining, and rarely if ever do we arrange to meet new people *before* cocktail hour. Still, we were both excited about the idea of talking shop with a group of Dallas bloggers while tucking into what was purported to be some pretty great Tex-Mex at Pepe's y Mito's on Elm Street.

Miss Margie, author of one of our favorite online food diaries, Eating in Dallas, had arranged this internetworking brunch (get it?), and the folks behind many Dallas food blogs had been invited. We arrived together and were greeted with open arms by Margie and her hubby, Hubbard, as well as the Food Czar and his wife, the "Rock Star". All faces were bright with smiles and we settled in with menus, chips, salsa and conversation.

Neither of us had ever been to Pepe's y Mito's, and while it does present a "dive"-like facade, the interior of the restaurant is quite large, encompassing two dining areas and one of those nifty partially-enclosed patios for semi-al-fresco dining just about all year round. It reminded FP a lot of some of her favorite places in Cozumel.

Our table was located in the bar area, which is decorated with all manner of colorful Tex-Mex kitch, and we were treated to some of the friendliest service we've ever encountered. (Note: We were especially impressed by this fact, given that early weekend brunch is notoriously loathed by waiters, often inciting resentment on their behalf which can translate into poor service on ours. Not the case at P's y M's!)

Conversation continued to flow through the aforementioned chips and salsa, an appetizer of crispy tacos and on into the main course. The crispy tacos, while a tad on the greasy side, were great eatin' nonetheless. FP sampled one of the chicken variety, and the meat was tender and flavorful with the lettuce and salsa (of course, she picked the tomatoes off) adding just the right amount of freshness and spice.

C&S's veggie fajitas were excellent - fresh and sizzling and seasoned to perfection. She swooned over bites of crisp potato, caramelized onion and sweet bell pepper piled into fresh, warm, homemade flour tortillas. That's right - homemade tortillas - the ugly, spotty, misshapen kind that taste like pure, lard-laced heaven. Awesome!

FP has been unable to stop thinking about the Cheese Enchilada included on her combination plate since leaving Pepe's y Mito's on Saturday. They seemed to actually contain--wait for it--actual honest-to-God cheese, not the processed kind you normally find in this type of enchilada. This made them chewier and more flavorful than your average cheese enchilada, and sent her to Tex-Mex heaven.

All in all, it was a lovely time. Margie was every bit the sweet, sunny lady we expected her to be from reading Eating in Dallas, and Hubbard was a treat to meet as well. Food Czar and his wife were also funny and fun, and our group was joined by another blogger, Donna of Donna Cooks, along with her better half, toward the end of the meal. She is friendly and sweet and we wished we could have chatted with her some more. So nice to meet everyone!