Curra's Grill   

Proclaimed as one of the best Mexican restaurants in Texas by Texas Monthly and a dozen other publications, Curra's Grill gets nothing but good press. It can't just be the casual, ''take-off-your-shoes-and-put-your-feet-on- the-table'' atmosphere -- The State Capitol has that, too, and no one's been handing them any awards lately. More likely, it's Curra's tasty lineup of sumptuous, traditional food from the interior of Mexico (with some offerings from the Yucatan peninsula as well). The drinks aren't bad either. Curra's serves a whole line of speciality margaritas, with a particularly tasty mango concoction heading the bill. Hungry? Try their ''avocado maragarita'' -- it's nearly a meal in itself. For breakfast, eggs, mole, beans, tortillas, fried bananas and flan are offered in various combinations and styles. The lunch and dinner menus are quite extensive, featuring reasonably-priced but well-prepared dishes of red snapper, shrimp, enchiladas -- both vegetarian and traditional, and the latter are filled with Monterey Jack cheese and covered with carne guisada and more. Among other delectable appetizers, try some of Curra's Mexican Caviar consisting of black beans, avocados, pico de gallo and corn. -- Barrett Brown