Ulises Gonzalez said he put 10,000 miles on his truck in two months from driving back and forth between his restaurant in Missouri City and his second location off Washington Avenue in Houston.
When Gonzalez opened his second Ula’s Mexican Restaurant location in April, he said he applied what he learned from opening his flagship location in September 2014 in Sienna Plantation.
“In this industry you never stop evolving, changing or facing difficulties,” he said. “But the beauty of that is that, once you overcome them, then you know what to do next time.”
Ulises Gonzalez, owner of Ula’s Mexican Restaurant in Missouri City, opened his second location last year. His traditional Tex-Mex cuisine is available for brunch, lunch and dinner.[/caption]
With 20 years of experience working every role in the front and back of the house, Gonzalez said he still loves the restaurant business and strives to be creative and innovative with his menu offerings.
Gonzalez said he uses space at the original location to create and test new recipes and menu items.
“You’ve got to remain innovative,” he said.
Gonzalez said he updates the Ula’s menu at least four times per year. For Valentine’s Day, the restaurant will offer various food specials and wine.
The most popular menu items at Ula’s include fajitas, Texas burritos, Los Tres ($44.95)—a pound of beef and chicken fajitas with a jumbo shrimp brochette—and the Three Amigos ($23.95). The Three Amigos dish includes shrimp brochette, ribs and a 4-ounce skirt steak served with beans and rice.
Gonzalez recommends the Mexican smoked ribs ($9.95 or $13.95), which he said are not what people expect when they come to his restaurant. The restaurant goes through about 150 pounds of the meat each week, he said.
“I promise, they will blow your mind,” he said.
Another menu item Gonzalez recommends is the tortilla soup ($10.95), which is made using his Mexican mother’s recipe.
“You’ll be really surprised what two or three simple ingredients can generate so much flavor,” he said.
Gonzalez said he enjoys pitching in at the restaurant when possible, whether that means washing dishes or helping with food preparation. He said being involved with the staff is critical to the restaurant’s success.
“You [have] got to be humble when you do stuff like that, especially with my background and how I started,” he said. “People [don’t] follow titles—people follow leadership.”
Ula's Mexican Restaurant
9009 Sienna Christus Drive, Missouri City 281-778-9345 www.texmexicanfood.com Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
