From Ninfa's to Benny's Mexican Cafe & Bar

Jose Bernardo Gomez, originally from Colombia, used to live in New York City, until his kids got tired of the cold weather. He and his family moved to Houston in 1976, and he spent many years at Ninfa's. Now Benny, as he is known, has opened an enormous restaurant in the energy corridor called Benny's Mexican Cafe & Bar (13320 Westheimer, 281-870-1107).

"Really, I was ready to retire but I decided to open another place before I went crazy at home," Benny told Dish. "I opened this place here because it's close to my home and I noticed that there was no good Tex-Mex place nearby. I wanted a place where people would say, 'This is not the same food as Ninfa's or Pappasito's,' so I do something a little different with each dish. For example, I do a seafood enchilada with a cilantro-avocado sauce, and my creamy poblano spinach dish you won't find anywhere else...I [want] everyone who leaves these doors to be very happy." A visit by Dish confirmed everything that Benny told us, including the fabulous two dishes he mentioned. Dish can also confirm that we left very happy and very full...