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For the Villarreals, Christmas is never a holiday.
Norma Villarreal and her family open El Asadero every Christmas.
"We're here for everybody who can't go home," son Carlos Villarreal said one day this week, as servers delivered platters of green chicken enchiladas and bowls of the notorious jalapeño-fired hot sauce.
"We tried serving turkey once. But everybody who comes here comes for Mexican food."
The Villarreals' border-style Tex-Mex is different from most. Besides making a hotter jalapeño salsa -- they chop 140 pounds of jalapeños per week -- El Asadero grills an entire steak or chicken breast before slicing it into fajitas.
But the green chicken enchiladas, always made with shredded chicken breast, made Asadero a must-try on a block of North Main Street known for good restaurants.
The Villarreals will celebrate Christmas Eve at home, then share the work on Christmas for the 30th year.
Norma Villarreal is now the sole owner, taking over from co-founder Hector Villarreal. The name might change to something like Los Asaderos, Carlos said.
El Asadero is also selling homemade tamales this week in chicken, pork and poblano-cheese flavors ($9.50 a dozen).
It's open for lunch and dinner daily at 1535 N. Main St.; 817-626-3399, www.elasadero.com.
Also open Christmas: the tiny Daybreak Cafe in west Fort Worth, for breakfast and lunch.
Daybreak is a dining deal: $2.29 burgers, $4.69 Tex-Mex platters and $5.41 lunches.
It opens daily at 5 a.m. and closes most days at 4 p.m.; 2720 White Settlement Road, 817-335-0805.
For a Christmas lunch or brunch, check any major hotel, the Mercury Chop House steakhouse in Fort Worth, Vance Godbey's buffet in Lakeside or either Copeland's of New Orleans or Buca di Beppo in Southlake. (Read more in the Weekend Eats Beat.)
Best new stop for holiday tamales: Supermercado El Rancho, a grocery supercenter. Pork, chicken or sweet corn tamales, $10 per dozen. 1212 N. Beach St., Fort Worth, or 1909 E. Park Row Drive, Arlington; elranchoinc.com.
Backyard landmark Mi Cocinita will have a few homemade tamales to sell Wednesday through Friday at lunch; 3509 1/2 Bryan Ave., 817-923-0033.
This is the busiest week of the year at Hot Damn, Tamales!
Ione Stavron and son Constantine will sell tamales weekdays until 5 p.m., Christmas Eve until 3 p.m.
The crawfish etouffee tamales have sold well this year, Ione Stavron said. The tenderloin-jalapeño and chicken-poblano varieties remain the top sellers; 713 W. Magnolia Ave., 817-926-9909, www.hotdamntamales.com.
Bud Kennedy's Eats Beat appears Wednesdays in Life & Arts and Fridays in DFW.com Weekend. 817-390-7538
Twitter: @eatsbeat
