Eat This: Hickory Ribs at Las Palmas Tex-Mex

Before I became the Observer's food critic, my beat was barbecue. I'd occasionally cover other cuisines, but if a restaurant smoked protein over fire, chances are I would write about it.

Even though my food coverage has expanded since taking over the food critic's chair, I still have a fondness for all things barbecue. But recently my colleague Hank Vaughn put me on blast for not trying H-E-B's barbecue offerings. As a Chicagoan, Vaughn longs for hot dogs topped with salad at every turn, so writing a barbecue story probably puts him out of his comfort zone. Joking aside (I enjoyed Vaughn's take on H-E-B) I did have another barbecue find in my hip pocket that I had been meaning to check out.
Las Palmas has been cranking out some solid Tex-Mex for the last four years; in fact, it was the 2022 Reader's Choice pick for best all-around restaurant in Uptown. The votes poured in for good reason: the restaurant nails the classic dishes and serves them up in a classy dining room that mixes Dallas with a splash of Hollywood. But via Instagram, we learned that Las Palmas also serves some fantastic-looking ribs, so we made a point to hop in for lunch to get the scoop.

Just because we came for the ribs doesn't mean we can't partake of some of Las Palmas' more traditional hits. And any meal you enjoy here that doesn't start with a bowl of queso blanco ($12) is a misstep you should correct. Las Palmas' take is fantastically creamy, not too thick and not too thin. There are slivers of garlic and jalapeño, and the bowl is topped with fresh herbs as it leaves the kitchen. Las Palmas' chips come fresh out of the fryer and pair perfectly with the cheese and with the verde or roja salsas that arrive on your table just after you're seated.
A half-rack of the hickory-grilled ribs, served on a bed of fries with a side of charro beans, will set you back $28. Our waiter tried to upsell me to a full rack for just six bucks more, but after gorging ourselves on chips and queso, a half-rack was plenty. The ribs are sauced with a tangy and slightly spicy sauce, and we barely had to nudge a bone before it let go from the juicy pork. Overly tender ribs like this may not win barbecue competitions, but in the mainstream, people judge ribs by their ability to "fall off the bone," and Las Palmas wins in that regard.

In fact, we did most of the eating with a fork, because we could pick up a bite of fries at the same time and multi-task while enjoying lunch. The fries are a thinner shoestring variety, whose only fault is that they are served under a hot rack of ribs, causing them to lose their crispiness rather quickly. The charro beans are a great tie-in to Tex Mex, with a savory broth and fresh cilantro brightness.

As my friends sipped margaritas and nibbled their way through plates of spinach enchiladas and shrimp tacos, I was lost in my own barbecue world. Las Palmas does Tex-Mex well, but these ribs are a welcome diversion from the norm, sprinkled with a dash of Uptown flair.

Las Palmas, 2708 Routh St. Sunday – Wednesday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Thursday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.