Grayslake spot offers homespun Tex-Mex fare

Rudy's Mexican Grill in Grayslake satisfies those occasional cravings for home-cooked south-of-the-border favorites at very reasonable prices.

Five-year-old Rudy's is a family-run storefront with just seven tables and six bar stools in a mini-strip mall next to a Curves women's fitness studio. During less-busy times, one person, often Rudy himself, single-handedly runs the dining room, simultaneously chatting up customers and cracking jokes.

The personable Rudy Garza, who grew up in Texas, decided to leave the car wash business to open a restaurant when he moved to Grayslake five years ago and found no Mexican restaurants in town. He partnered with his mother, Gregoria Delgado, and brother, Jesus Garza, and polished the family's recipes plus others that have a Tex-Mex twist.

The kitchen, under the direction of executive chef Carmelo Vasquez and chef Limber Serano, makes all salsas, sauces, marinades and seasoning mixes from scratch, relying on recipes classified as “family secrets.”

The welcoming bowl of chips is served with two salsas, one a mild tomatillo version and the other a hot, smoky red one based on chiles de arbol. They give you something to munch on while you survey the comprehensive menu.

Guacamole is the most-ordered appetizer, made with Mexican avocados Garza gets from a supplier on Chicago's South Side he found after rejecting many others. “They used to call me ‘Guacamole Man,'” he jokes.

My companion and I split a queso fundido to start — a plate of melted Mexican cheese with crumbled chorizo sausage, best scooped up with the hot flour tortillas served on the side rather than the too-soft chips on the serving plate. The salty, gooey cheese and peppery pork sausage complemented each other perfectly.

Soups are served family-style, so a customer who might want only a cup is out of luck. Bowls range from $8.95 for chicken soup to $13.25 for mixed seafood soup.

Parrilladas, or mixed grills, are the house specialty. The meat parrillada consists of grilled steak, chicken, marinated pork and sausage. A mix of meat and shrimp or an all-seafood platter also are available. The proteins are accompanied by family-style platters of rice, beans and tortillas for making do-it-yourself tacos.

Other combination plates are sprinkled throughout the menu. I sampled one that contained a chile relleno, ground beef taco and a skirt steak enchilada with green sauce and sour cream. The crunchy chile relleno — a succulent roasted poblano chile stuffed with cheese, battered and deep-fried — is a winner, along with the spicy ground beef taco. The enchilada, however, suffered from steak that was a bit tough.

I also tried the chicken fajitas, seasoned with one of those secret spice blends and accompanied by large strips of sauteed green peppers and onions. Although the lean chicken was too dry, adding either the hot red or the mild green sauce made the dish work.

A sizable fish section features various preparations of red snapper, tilapia and shrimp. The overall menu represents most regions of Mexico.

Desserts are limited to corn or vanilla flan, fried ice cream and an occasional cake and rice pudding. The vanilla flan was very sweet, but a good palate cooler after the spicier entrees. A tall glass of horchata, sweet rice water, also cools the palate during the meal, although the starch content of tortillas is the best antidote to spicy food.

A newly remodeled full bar highlights a variety of margaritas and Mexican beers. Closing time has been extended to 10 p.m. since the bar was upgraded.

Rudy's opens at 10 a.m. and serves such breakfast dishes as huevos rancheros and chilaquiles — a corn tortilla casserole. The per-person check average is $8 for lunch and about $16 for dinner with alcohol, although the frugal can eat a decent-sized meal for less.

The children's menu offers a half-dozen choices, including both tacos and hamburgers. Rudy's is definitely family friendly and a casual, fun spot for a group.

Rudy's Mexican Grill

55 Barron Blvd., Grayslake, (847) 223-6176

<b>Cuisine:</b> Traditional Mexican

<B>Setting: </b>Casual cantina

<B>Hours: </b>10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

<B>Entrees:</b> $8.95 to $14.95