Ponte's Diner Fairfield

For a diner out in the middle of nowhere, this is a don't miss. This place has been around for at least 30 years. I know...I spent the first half of my life in Dallas and the second half in Houston with family members on both sides. But I only knew because of the road signs I've seen for decades-- I never stopped in. I stopped in last Wednesday in the middle of the afternoon and it was unsurprisingly empty for that time of day. I took that turn off the exit looking for a DQ and to get grubby with some steak fingers and tacos. No DQ. Just Ponte's. What the hell, right? Besides, they were advertising breakfast and enchiladas.

For its age, I was expecting peeling paint behind some yellowed Merle Haggard-genre concert posters. It was bright, crisp, and very clean. I've seen the pics that have been posted here, and could only offer the same. A nice soda fountain bar along one side where you can even get a "phosphate" -- the real deal. An internet juke box slightly intimidated me.

You couldnt ask for much better variety for road trip food. A couple of pages devoted to breakfast, a couple of Tex-Mex, a page of some attractive looking sandwiches and burgers, one for well-rounded American fare (chops, meatloaf, etc), and a page for the soda fountain. Hell, even the steak fingers I was looking for were there -- but I strayed.

Like I said, I live in Houston where there is a Mexican restaurant or taqueria on every corner with sometimes extra corners inserted for that very purpose. I am always in search of the circa 1970 El Chico sour cream chicken enchilada so when I saw they offered them, I went for it. I was very encouraged when the chips and sauce came out. Freshly fried, light, and very crisp. The salsa was up to the task. I like pickled jalapenos COOKED on my enchiladas and had requested same. No one ever gets this simple request right. Ponte's did! The waiter even came out with a sample to confirm I wanted pickled rather than fresh. I loved that.

So out it comes, looking like a picture. So I took a picture. A side of beans and rice, both average, and a very large crispy taco adorned with a tremendous amount of veggies and shredded cheese. The ground beef could have been spicier, I thought. Alongside that was a scoop of guac sitting on a bed of shredded lettuce LIKE IT ALWAYS SHOULD BE AND NEVER IS. It was not over-seasoned and could in no way be any fresher.

So, the moment of truth: the enchiladas were thickly stuffed with moist, shredded chicken, appropriately seasoned. The sauce -- I thought it was good, but was it? What is that I'm tasting? Cumin! Cumin in the sour cream sauce! I tossed around whether this might have been a violation of Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Protocol, but after the third bite, I was sold.

Almost $15 with an ice tea (you have to affirmatively opt-out of pre-sweetened tea in the Texas hinterlands) but considering the quality, and definitely the quantity since I couldn't finish it, it was more than fair.

I had a chat with the manager, Nate Turner, and expressed my pleasure. Nice young fellow who'd been around a bit before settling into Fairfield. He digs the vibe there.

I won't be doing anymore Dallas/Houston runs without planning my stop at Ponte's Diner and neither should you.

Diner for sure but worth the exit off the freeway. I had breakfast there many years ago hence the decision to stop for lunch. The tomatoes were not homegrown (bummer) but the balance of the meal was above average.