• Texas Monthly - The Dining Guide

    May 2006

    "Blue Quail Deli - When you've had all the Texas history Goliad can dish out, visit this high-ceilinged spot on the square. The deli bakes its own break-white and cracked wheat-on which customers may build a variety of sandwiches. But the best buy is the famous cream of jalapeno soup with an Italian Panino. Soup this good should come with a real spoon, not a plastic one, in our humble opinion.

     

    Texas Monthly - Restaurant Guide - A Selective Guide to Food and Drink

    May 2004

    "Blue Quail Deli - We discovered this delightful cafe during a visit to nearby Presidio La Bahia. A grilled road beef sandwich with provolone and a hot pastrami melt on rye were fine, but the real find was the jalapeno soup, a light, cheesy blend of creaminess and piquancy. Furnishings are whimsical and artistic, including a metal sculpture of a blue quail and her three chicks."

  • Texas Highways

    September 2008

    "On a recent trip back from the coast, we stopped for lunch in Goliad at Blue Quail Deli, just off the courthouse square. The Southwest grilled-chicken sandwich was delicious, fresh and served on cracked wheat that is baked on site. My husband had potato soup that had large pieces of potato-it was the best he'd had. The server was friendly and the service efficient. It was a great place to stop, and we'll plan lunch there again."

    Les and Winnie Gage, Austin TX

  • Taste of Goliad

    2009

    Best Soup

     

    2009

    Best Side Dish

  • Taste of Victoria

    2005, 2004, 2003, 2002

    Favorite Flavor for Cream of Jalepeno Soup

     

    April 2001

    Most Creative Food Display - Cream of Jalepeno Soup

  • Victoria Advocate - Rease Vaughn-Brooks at the Crossroads

    October 17, 2003

    Reviewing "Recipes From Historic Texas": The authors ask for readers suggestions for the second edition of "Recipes from Historic Texas"...call or e-mail and tell them about the Blue Quail Deli in Goliad.

     

  • Taste of the Texas Crossroads

    2004

    "...the Blue Quail is much larger than it looks, with meeting rooms in the back and a wonderful "Deli" ambiance; also very clean with a Goliad-Tex feeling...had a fantastic lunch...[including] the Blue Quail's 'Cream of Jalepeno Soup'. I know now why this dish won the Taste of Victoria award three years in a row! The more you eat-the better it gets - not hot, but with a real jalepeno flavor. Everything we ordered, or for that matter saw, in the deli was quite fresh and delicious."

The Dish: Follow the Blue Quail to cheesy, spicy eats

I was driving through Goliad the other day and as I was driving, a big blue quail caught my eye. Now, I wasn't tripping on blotters or hitting the pipe - though it may sound like it - there was actually a big blue quail perched on the side of the road. It just so happened it was a big, wooden cutout that read the business hours and the address for the Blue Quail Deli.

Tucked in the historic district of Goliad, the delicatessen sits a block from the courthouse square and just off of U.S. Highway 59. Their menu and hospitality was a refreshing change from the ninety degree weather and not having any air conditioning in my little red car.

I asked the smiling face behind the counter, clad in a blue apron and French-braided pigtails, what she recommended as I had never been there before. She replied with an, "everything's good." She rattled off a few different items from the menu, and I settled on a panini sandwich called Pam's Special. I was sold on the jalapeno jack cheese, the turkey, tomato and the sole fact it was a panini. I love pressed sammies. Who doesn't enjoy a crunchy outside and a gooey filling?

She also offered me some of the Blue Quail's award-winning cream of jalapeno soup, which they so dubbed "the endorphin maker." And who am I turn down an award-winning soup? And one with jalapenos in it at that.

The panini was perfect, and the tomatoes didn't even slide out of the sandwich like they do sometimes. It ended up being a lot of food for one sitting paired with the cup of soup. The soup was good, it did have a nice kick to it, but I have to admit, being from New Mexico, I have acquired quite a knack for the fiery foods. It did put a little sweat on the schnoz there, so if the fiery foods have a little spot in your stomach that warms your insides, bon appetit - its good.

essica Rodrigo is a page designer/copy editor for the Victoria Advocate. She is hungry for more and is looking for other restaurants to dish. Submit ideas to jrodrigo@vicad.com.