By Guy Chapman – Navarro County Gazette
In an effort to expand our Navarro County Gazette coverage to include more of Navarro County proper, the NCG staff (John Kaiser and I) took a field trip to the town of Frost to see what surprises the area had to offer. The prospect of a good lunch also pushed our need to explore what lies out there in the county.
Wouldn’t you know it, Frost’s downtown is closed on a Sunday.
So we put a pin in that idea for another day (serves us right for not checking hours), and with the lunch matter still unresolved, we drove to Italy (the neighboring town, not the country) to see what they had to offer. Lo and behold, previous bad planning was rewarded with the discovery of La Hacienda Mexican Grill.
La Hacienda Mexican Grill, located at 129 E. Main Street, is right on the main strip of Italy, and felt welcoming as soon as we walked in. They do observe masking and social distancing, but there was plenty of table and booth seating for our visit.
The staff wasted no time serving up chips and salsa (with two different sauces), and John added to our pre-menu snacking by ordering “Guacamole Live!” I was intrigued by both the “Live” aspect and the exclamation point that capped off its description. Why was it “live?” Was it a performance based appetizer? Perhaps it was a motivational reassurance that things would get better if the dip kept pushing through? To be fair, it’s still 2020, and everyone, even mashed avocados, needs someone positive in their corner.
The reality of “Guacamole Live!” is a huge family-sized bowl of guac presented with spices, onions, tomatoes, and jalapeños. It didn’t last long at the table. It was pretty delicious.
The food was equally good, a nice selection of burritos, enchiladas with verde sauce, and seafood soup that had several crab legs in it. It looked amazing from the menu photos, and just as impressive in person. It was hearty and filling on a cold and rainy day.
Overall, the staff was super friendly and always on hand to make sure glasses were full and everything was to our liking. We had enough food left over for to-go boxes.
While we didn’t quite accomplish our goal for the day, we did find a new and tasty alternative to not only enjoy, but recommend. Getting to the restaurant is short enough of a drive away, and Italy’s main strip has a charm to it, even on a grey day.
Don’t worry, Frost. We have your hours now. We’ll be getting back to you shortly.
La Hacienda Mexican Grill
129 E. Main Street, Italy, TX 76651
Sunday – 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Monday through Saturday – 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
469-257-2090
Website: https://www.facebook.com/La-Hacienda-Mexican-Grill-Italy-Texas-705886689562031