El Charrito El Charrito El Charrito is a brand of Tex-Mex TV dinners. The word is Spanish for "little cowboy". The brand was introduced in 1980 by the Campbell Taggart company, who owned the El Chico restaurant chain. Though its entrees included taquitos, queso, and beef enchiladas, it was also known for the uniquely named Saltillo Dinner, a three-compartment dinner consisting of two enchiladas (one each beef and cheese), Spanish rice and refried beans. In 1995 the parent company became Earthgrains and chose to focus on baked goods, selling the El Charrito brand to Don Miguel Mexican Foods, now a part of
Ninfa's own travels to Mexico City. The food had an Italian influence because Laurenzo's deceased husband, Domenic Thomas Laurenzo, was an Italian American. Mozzarella, olive oil, and parmesan were used as ingredients. The signature dish was "tacos al carbon," which later became called "fajitas." The Ninfa's fajitas included chopped, char-grilled beef fillets placed in handmade flour tortillas. Ninfa's used a smoky marinade in the beef fajitas. The restaurant popularized fajitas in the Houston area. This dish was so influential that, by 2001, just about all Tex-Mex restaurants in Houston served a version of the Ninfa's fajitas. The second most popular dish