Waypoint Cantina & Southwest Grill gamble on lakeside success

April 6, 2008
By Bill Sontag
Feature Writer

With excellence as their trump card, Michael Bonnee and Byron Velvick, owners of Waypoint Cantina & Southwest Grill, have again put their cards on the table with personal commitments to culinary appeal in the dicey atmosphere of Del Rio food service.

For Amistad Lake Resort – reinvented under several names with as many owners over the last decade – location alone compels a shower of attention on two customer bases: Fishermen and picky Del Rio diners. The restaurant wing of the resort, about eight miles north of Del Rio on U.S. Highway 90 West, is endowed with warm, hospitable people, a tantalizing new menu, and an amazing selection of beverages.

My better half, Debbie, and I decided to try out Waypoint Cantina & Southwest Grill for a second time, Friday (Feb. 29). Our first venture was Valentine’s Day, and, while the food was good, the holiday special obscured a real sampling of the standard menu. As we drove out, Friday, we noticed that all the standard competitors were packed, judging by the jammed parking lots. Luby’s, Chili’s, TB’s, Avanti’s, Cripple Creek, all very busy at the 7 p.m. crush.

Southwest Grill was bustling, too, thanks, in part, to the Sun Country Fishing Tournament in town. Hostess Nicole Townsend greeted us, and promptly found a table we liked with a window view toward Lake Amistad. In a wink, our wait staff server, Brenda Alderete, was on us with menus and drink and appetizer recommendations. You can see the menus, too. Go to www.amistadlakeresort.com, click on “Our Resort,” then “Michael’s Waypoint Cantina.” The selections are both daunting and tantalizing.

From the Cantina bar, managed by Ashleigh Smith and tended by Lisa Dinoir, the Waypoint “Ultimate” Margarita is a true indulgence in flavors. A blend – in a large, stemmed goblet – of 200th Anniversary José Cuervo Reserva de La Familia 100 percent Añejo Select Tequila, 150th Anniversary Cuvee de Cent Cinquantenaire Grand Marnier, and fresh lime juice, the “Ultimate” is a sipping marathon. Dinoir rimmed the glass perfectly with salt. Toss the straw; you can’t taste the chemistry of tequila, salt and lime through a tube.

Deb’s Bloody Mary was very spicy and flavorful, and both beverages were a good complement to our appetizer, Tequila Lime Jumbo Shrimp. Skewered and grilled, the big, plump camarones were perfectly marinated and cooked by Executive Chef Chris Piccininni and his workhorses in the kitchen. Lightly sprinkled with cilantro, the presentation was beautiful atop a nest of colored tortilla strips with wedges of fresh lime.

We also sampled the made-at-your-table guacamole, prepared for us by Brenda. She did a nice job of giving a mixed texture of chunks and creamy avocado. For our taste, the result could have used more salt and perhaps some chopped Serrano peppers to spice it up, but the bowl was emptied nonetheless. And the flavor was exceptional, due, perhaps, to the avocados being shipped from Mexico, not California.

Debbie chose Byron’s Fish Tacos, named for co-owner Byron Velvick who, it is alleged, concocted the recipe with the chef. Piccininni won’t reveal all the details, but did say the fish is grilled orange roughy. Until Friday night, I was unconvinced that tacos made with anything but beef are just a contrivance aimed at distorting an old tradition. Not anymore. Byron’s tacos are fresher-tasting than any we’ve tried, and Piccininni fills the shells generously, adding slaw with cucumber, onion and cilantro, and a sauce of sour cream, lime zest and mayonnaise for texture and subtle flavoring. And they’re wrapped in locally-made fresh corn tortillas.

My entrée choice was the Layered Chicken Enchiladas Verde, and again the challenge was a history of ho-hum treatments of this potentially savory dish. Piccininni’s green enchiladas are really green, with three emerald-colored tortillas ladled with the subtler shade of tomatillo sauce softened with cream as it simmers. The layers are stuffed with shredded chicken, and the whole is topped with Monterrey Jack cheese. The blend of textures and flavors is very pleasing, and more good news is the serving’s generosity. I could only eat half, and the nuked up remainder was just delicious the next day for lunch.

The plate comes with standard fare, refried beans (although Brenda offered charro beans and black beans, as well) and Spanish rice. But both had extraordinary flavor. Yes, the beans were refried in lard, accounting for their traditional flavor, but they were also a bit fluffy, not a greasy paste as so many places serve, and nicely seasoned.

For dessert, I can never resist flan, the creamy Spanish-style custard resting on a light sauce resulting from the caramelized sugar during baking. The serving at the Southwest Grill is both liberal (Warning, conservatives!) and satisfying, decorated with a small dollop of whipped cream. With a decent cup of coffee, no meal can be punctuated better than with a good flan.

Piccininni came tableside for a greeting, telling us about two new entrees he’s introducing to seduce customers with his ever-changing menu of tempting items. Next, grilled halibut with a mango-pineapple salsa served on a bed of cilantro-spiked mashed potatoes. On the side, Piccininni said, will be grilled asparagus with a mayonnaise habañero chile sauce. In addition, he will soon offer southwestern baby back ribs. “And these are big, big Tyrannosaurus ribs!” Piccininni asserted. “I put a rub on them, and then grill them with my own chipotle barbecue sauce.”

Piccininni said he understands the entire Amistad Lake Resort enterprise is doing well, with 90-100 percent occupancy rates slated for the next few months. “They all are,” said Donna Langford, Del Rio Tourism and Convention Bureau director, Monday (March 3), speaking of most of the hotel accommodations in town, largely attributed to a flush of increasingly lucrative spring fishing tournaments. Langford, too, had recently indulged in the layered green chicken enchiladas, and was thrilled with the results. “Aren’t they just great?” she exclaimed.

“Waypoint” is defined as a navigational landmark, a distinctive feature, something permanent on the landscape that travelers can count on. Langford feels the name is appropriate, hinting at a permanency that the Amistad Lake Resort has not enjoyed in recent years. “Almost everybody I’ve talked to has just raved about that restaurant,” Langford said. “Since these young men have chosen Del Rio as their home and their business challenge, I don’t believe you’ll see changes in the availability or quality of food in the near future. I think – and hope – they’re here to stay.”

The three-room structure of Waypoint Cantina & Southwest Grill is conducive to party set-ups. The Cantina holds 35 persons, the ground floor entryway dining room, 50, and the lower dining area, 80. For reservations or more information, call 775-8940.

Tequila Lime Jumbo Shrimp live up to their name, served six to a skewer, sprinkled with cilantro and lime after grilling. Shrimp are so easily under- or over-cooked, and ours were perfectly prepared. (LIVE! photo/Bill Sontag) (click image to enlarge)	Executive Chef Chris Piccininni swirls cream into tomatillo sauce in the busy kitchen at the Southwest Grill. Piccininni is a graduate of Le Chef Culinary Academy in Austin, TX. Piccininni says, "Our long term approach and philosophy has sustained a true unpretentious, neighborhood eatery and it is our goal to provide a memorable experience every time you dine with us.” (LIVE! photo/Bill Sontag) (click image to enlarge)
Bill Blankemeyer ladles creamy tomatillo sauce, assembling the multi-layered structure of the Southwest Grill’s chicken enchiladas verde. (LIVE! photo/Bill Sontag) (click image to enlarge)	Server Brenda Alderete hoists two platters of dinner entrees to waiting diners at the Southwest Grill. Alderete is an experienced, attentive waitperson, and maintains a cheerfully hospitable rapport with her customers. (LIVE! photo/Bill Sontag) (click image to enlarge)
Diner Eddie Escobar admires his steaming, sizzling plate of beef fajitas, fresh from the kitchen of Southwest Grill. Escobar’s fajitas were accompanied by tortillas, cheese, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, sour cream, tomatillo rice and charro-style beans. (LIVE! photo/Bill Sontag) (click image to enlarge)	Frank Denny, right, threw a Friday night party to help his two sisters, Dorothy Thomas, left, and Linda Wright, on Denny’s right, celebrate their birthday at Southwest Grill. The women were born on the same day – February 26 – but ten years apart. (LIVE! photo/Bill Sontag) (click image to enlarge)