Mexican restaurants - do you like fancy or traditional menu?

[Otter74]

I will also defend New Mexican and Tex-Mex for what they are. I used to sort of look down on Tex-Mex as “Americanized” and perhaps it is, a bit, but I eventually learned its history and, besides, it is basically “Mexican” food from the border region, which borders basically just appeared one day(s) - it was all Mexico, once, and the people didn’t go anywhere. I knew very little about New Mexico cooking until recently (nor about New Mexico Spanish, which I find kind of fascinating.)

I winced a bit at my implicitly mentioning Rich Bayless and Diana Kennedy, two Anglo people, as avatars of Mexican cooking in the US, but they are well-known. There is a Mexican chef on the same level whose name I cannot recall right now.

I will also assert, having lived here for 14 years, that Chicago is the best place in the US after the greater LA/SoCal area for finding good Mexican food of all types. About 30% of Chicago is Hispanic and 2/3 of those are either Mexican or Mexican-American.

[gregpark]

There's all kinds of fancy restaurants in my town targeting well heeled tourists spending money like drunken sailors. Really good Mexican too but the best south of the border food is off the trucks. One of my favorite trucks is a guy who is a real chef. Hand made tortillas, grills, roasts, fresh everything, wonderful sauces, sweet or garlic Plantains, etc.
He puts Flaming hot Cheetos in burritos! Sacrilegious right? Low rent right?... It's one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten. The flavor and crunch, brilliant. 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟!

[red-beard]

Look at this menu for Cuchara in Houston. Note that it does not have "traditional" Tex-Mex food. Go to the second page for "Platos Fuertes".

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58e81cbaf7e0ab847cfbaa76/t/62a7f6cc0de3b82246172e34/1655174860591/Dinner+menu.+June+2022.pdf

[javadog]

We will just have to disagree on that one. One interesting thing in fine Mexican cuisine over the last 10 or 20 years has been applying techniques from the French, as opposed to how the chef learned it from his grandmother, to some of the classic dishes in Mexico.

Mexican cooking reminds me of Italian cooking. Simple, fiercely regional and passed down through the matriarchy.

Something interesting about Mexican cuisine is how many things that we think of as Mexican that were created through the influence of immigrants to Mexico from places as diverse as the far east and the Middle East. One of my favorite taco meats is (pork) Al Pastor, which is cooked in Mexico in a way they learned from immigrants and generally thoroughly abused here in the states. I would bet that very few people have had it cooked properly, what you get in the states is generally garbage.

I generally give French cuisine number one status in the world, followed by Chinese. But I will happily eat food from literally any country in the world.

[MikeSid]

It really depends on the dish. With some Mexican dishes the difference between good and great is perhaps not so much. A burrito, or fajitas, or a simple street taco - these will all be pretty close, with some better than others. But the margin is relatively small.

But take a dish like Mole Negro and a top chef will create a life changing sauce. A local chain Mexican place might offer "Chicken Mole". But these two dishes will be night and day and even the most unsophisticated palette would not confuse one for the other.

Sometimes I want Mole. Sometimes I want Carnitas. But it's a helluva lot easier to find decent Carnitas.

[rusnak]

That mole better not be extra spicy, or I'll be making my own "mole" and it'll be mostly Diet Pepsi.

[javadog]

Mole sauces are not very spicy. In fact, Mexican cuisine as a whole isn’t as spicy as people think it is. You can make individual dishes spicy but it’s not very common.

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by Otter74

I winced a bit at my implicitly mentioning Rich Bayless and Diana Kennedy, two Anglo people, as avatars of Mexican cooking in the US, but they are well-known. There is a Mexican chef on the same level whose name I cannot recall right now.

Hugh Carpenter? I attended a couple of his classes. He touches on the French and other European (i.e. German) influences.

[KFC911]

Soooo.... the best Mexican restaurants have wheels ?

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by javadog

...even the simple stuff like tacos...

Some on the political spectrum tried to scare us with "taco trucks on every corner!"

My only response is "Please?"

To be serious, there's some awesome food from many places in Mexico. To call all of it "Mexican" food is like calling tapas, beef bourguone and wiener-schnitzel "European" food in the same sentence.

[gregpark]

Originally Posted by KC911

Soooo.... the best Mexican restaurants have wheels ?

A few years back Conde Nast listed an LA string of taco trucks number one restaurant chain in CA

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Look at this menu for Cuchara in Houston. Note that it does not have "traditional" Tex-Mex food. Go to the second page for "Platos Fuertes".

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58e81cbaf7e0ab847cfbaa76/t/62a7f6cc0de3b82246172e34/1655174860591/Dinner+menu.+June+2022.pdf

Xochi, Hugo Ortega's flagship:
https://www.xochihouston.com/menus/#dinner
Picos, famous Houston central-Mexico menu:
https://www.picos.net/menus/#dinner-entrees
Even Ninfas, which is Texas derived, but still more Mex than Tex Mex...
https://ninfas.com/

[GH85Carrera]

One of my co-workers who was born and raised in San Antonio wanted to take a couple of the guys at work to a "real Mexican food" place in the middle of the Mexican part of town. He had to order for us, and translate the menu. No one there spoke English. I declined to order the brains or any of the organ meats.

It was um, very different from the typical Tex-Mex food I was used to. I did not want to go back.

Back in the mid 1970s I took a road trip in my 914. I spent the night at a hotel in downtown Houston. I asked the chick at the front counter if there was a good place to eat nearby that I could walk to. My car was parked in a "good" spot, and I did not want to to lose the spot if I drove to go eat. She said there was a great Mexican food place across the street, and down on block.

I was the only white dude in there, once again, I was not impressed. Very authentic Mexican food, not the Tex-Mex I like. It was OK, but I never dreamed about going back as I have with other great meals in other cities. That same trip also took me to New Orleans, there I had some Cajun food that to quote Jerry Clower, was so good it makes ya wanna slap yer momma for never cooking something that good.

[craigster59]

Originally Posted by KC911

Soooo.... the best Mexican restaurants have wheels ?

And virgins....

[Jolly Amaranto]

In the early 70s, I was dating a Hispanic girl, a fellow student at the University of Houston. We occasionally visited her folks who lived in Laredo. They would take us out to eat at some little "restaurants" that were operated out of folks home kitchens. There were a couple of table where you could sit while ordering and eating your food. Served home style, you just scooped out various ingredients from bowls on the table and rolled them in corn or flower tortillas. I did not ask what was in the meat dishes, just ate it. Was all delicious. One time they took us over the river to Nuevo Laredo to a real nice restaurant. First time I ever had Chateaubriand. Served with grilled asparagus and scalloped potatoes. Not exactly Mexican food but it was in Mexico so I will call it that.

[David Inc.]

I wouldn't worry about what's in the meat--if you've ever had a US hotdog you've had far, far worse than you'll find at a Mexican restaurant.

Unless you go to a Oaxacan restaurant and the bugs and worms start showing up...

[javadog]

My father-in-law was from Falfurrias, Texas and his mother was Mexican. He retired years ago to live on a lake in the area around Belton, Texas. 15 or 20 years ago he took me to a restaurant that was literally in the middle of nowhere. It was in an old stone house, one room if I recall correctly, and I think it had dirt floors. It was about the size of a bedroom.

I can’t remember what I had to eat, I’m sure it was whatever they were making that day and there probably wasn’t a choice, and I wish I remembered where it was.

He had simple tastes and was happy with anything, including Tex Mex. He did want refried beans included for breakfast, every day. As a result, his wife and kids got to where they couldn’t stand to even look at refried beans.

[raguilera]

Can anyone guess what this is?? One of my all time favorites.

[javadog]

Hard to tell under all that queso, crema and salsa. Could be anything, even part of Jimmy Hoffa.

A pambazo? Potato and chorizo?

Got a recipe for that salsa in the background?

[Otter74]

Looks like a pambazo to me.