I recently joined Daniel P. Walker and his son Max for a quick breakfast meet-up at Casa Mañana (6820 Cantrell). I’m a huge fan of the restaurant, but had never gone for breakfast.

When it comes to eating a traditional Mexican breakfast, this born-and-raised Houston boy will always opt for the huevos rancheros ($7.49), as I did last Saturday morning. Does it get much better than eggs and refried beans? Well, in the case of Casa Mañana’s version…the answer is yes. But that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy these huevos rancheros. I did, in fact…very much so. It’s just that I’ve had better in the past.

The eggs (cooked over easy) rested atop corn tortillas and alongside a hearty dollop of beans. You could tell there was a strict attention to detail in both the egg and bean preparations. After a quick poke of the fork, a pool of egg yolk melded wonderfully with the ranchero sauce and beans. The sauce itself was fresh, light and mild in heat. This was food heaven.

But I wasn’t overly impressed with the side of red potatoes. Make no mistake, they were very well-prepared, I just prefer a deep-fried potato option when it comes to this dish.

What I didn’t care for was the side of flour tortillas—which I found to be bland and fairly pedestrian. Eggs of this level deserve to be soaked up with a freshly made tortilla, and in this respect, Casa Mañana’s huevos rancheros fell short.

Imperfections aside, I’m still a big fan of the restaurant. I’ve had too many outstanding meals here to let a few mediocre tortillas change my opinion of the place.

P.S. I wish management would consider opening the blinds for the morning shift. Eating your breakfast in near darkness is both odd and a bit off-putting.