Pink is my favorite (enchilada) color.

When you think of childhood, there is always one or two memories that pop up first right?  Good or bad, as we get older, all of those memories begin to fade and dwindle until there are only a handful of these flashbacks left.  After 20 years, I still remember eating pink colored enchiladas.

Every fall/winter my Dad and I would travel to just outside of San Antonio to go deer hunting.  On the way, we would pass a little town called Helotes.  If you blinked, you would have missed the El Chaparral on the side of the road.  Just a little hole in the wall restaurant that sold mexican food.   In fact, I wouldn't even say hole in the wall, it was such a small restaurant.

To this day, I still remember, vividly, eating a cheese enchilada where the outside tortilla was literally pink!  They were the tastiest enchiladas ever!  My Dad and I would sit there eating drunken beans waiting for our plate to come out, enjoy some pink cheesy goodness, and on the way out getting a Chupa Chup lollipop!  I've always wanted to go back, but really haven't been out in that direction in a long time.

It wasn't our plan to go to Helotes on our vacation trip this week to San Antonio, but after debating on what to eat for dinner too long, we made a mini-road trip to the famous-in-my-mind restaurant: El Chaparral.

The little mexican food joint wasn't such a hole in the wall place anymore!  It expanded!  The original entrance was now a game room and there was a huge patio addition out back.  I was scared the little restaurant got "commercialized" and more importantly, did not serve pink enchiladas anymore.  It was the first question I asked the waiter.   I was in luck.  They even served the drunken beans with my chips and salsa.  I ordered the pink enchiladas, of course!  Just as good as I remembered!

It's crazy the things we hold on to in the ol' noggin... pink enchiladas after 20 years!  It's one of my fondest (and oldest) memories growing up and going hunting every year with my Dad.  If you're ever in the San Antonio area, stop by one of there three locations!!  I guess other people like the pink enchiladas too.