The tell me about Mexican food thread

[javadog]

Originally Posted by Otter74

Or Chicago. I'd say that Chicago has the best Mexican food in Anglo North America after the greater LA area. Certainly more and better than New York. I wouldn't rank anything in Chicago above Guelaguetza, though.

Mexican food is a very sophisticated cuisine and there's a lot of variety. If you're really interested in it, it's worth getting a book and studying it. One of Diana Kennedy's books would be a great start, though Rick Bayless's books are probably easier for beginners.

One of my good friends had a birthday party the other weekend - she is from Jalisco, and her husband is from Guadalajara. He had made a torito de guayabana, a drink from Veracruz that I hadn't had before (though I'm familiar with guayabana.) It used guayabana juice, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and white rum (though it would normally be made with the agaurdiente.) Also commonly made with peanuts (!), parchita or mango.

Agree with most of this, although I'd rank Rick above Diana...

He's got a bunch of books out there, plus a zillion seasons of his cooking show.

If you're in Chicago, eat at one of his restaurants.

That said, his Mexican food isn't going to be what most people think of as Mexican, which in this country isn't really Mexican. Even Tex-Mex is hugely regional. Some is good, some is not.

There are a million mom and pop Mexican restaurants in the Texas/Oklahoma area, as there are many million Mexicans. Few are really any good, it's hard for me to find one I want to eat at twice. Hard to believe but there it is...

[javadog]

If you want to buy just one book on the cuisine, buy this one:

Mexico The Beautiful Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from the Regions of Mexico
By Susanna Palazuelos and Marilyn Tausend

Easy to find in used bookstores, Ebay, etc. for $6-10.

[greglepore]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

Chipotle is not Mexican food.


One time I was in Charlottesville, VA at a 'Mexican' restaurant. Here in SA we just order 'queso' and get a bowl of melted cheese with chilis in it. The server in Virginia literally brought me a bowl of shredded cheese. Oh, I'm sorry... chili con queso. Silly Yankees.

Guadaljara? Or Plaza?

Guessing you were here at JAG school. You need to come back for Mex. We have a little place now - Con Mole. The owner is a youngish guy, and he does gourmet genuine Mex with his abuela's recipe's, including a multi day mole that is to die for.

Also, some of the best authentic Taco trucks this side of LA. The wineries here all use a migrant labor force, and they demand the real thing.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

Red or green sauce?

Flour or corn tortillas?

Then you can start.

Tacos at the everyone's favorite truck stop in Mexico

https://eltrailerotaqueria.com/

[Synchro Joe]

Prefer the authentic food in Mexico away from the tourist spots. But most of them are not considered 'safe' now days.

[matthewb0051]

This lady has some really great recipes.

https://patijinich.com/cookbook/patis-mexican-table/

[Gogar]

Oh and I forgot to mention that a good Mexican restaurant has to smell -just a tiny bit- like purple Fabuloso cleaner. Not a lot, just a hint.

[fanaudical]

I enjoy Mexican food!

I also know enough about Mexican food to know that I've never had real Mexican food...

[Brian 162]

We spent a month in Scottsdale AZ last year. We ate Mexican food 40% of the time. Whether it was authentic Mexican food I don’t know but I can’t get what I had there up here. It was good.
We stayed at the El Rancho in Gallup NM on our way to AZ. I had enchiladas. The portions were huge and the meal was delicious.

[pwd72s]

Total sin with my diabetic diet...but once in a while, I'll go to the local Mexican joint for Huevos Rancheros. Pretty hard for me to get out & about now, but that's another of my rehab goal...

[id10t]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

When we were in the New England states I would ask the person at the counter at the hotel, where is a good restaurant. Often they would say, there is Mexican food on, and I would interrupt, no I want seafood! I will never bother eating Mexican food in Yankee land, or sushi at a gas station. Ain’t ever gonna happen. We have many great local Mexican food places.

Wonderful seafood in Rhode Island!

When I went to Boston a while back we ate at a seafood place that was proud to have Apalachicola and Steinhatchee oysters... but they couldn't pronounce the name. The two towns in question are basically local to me...

[look 171]

All you guys are wrong

Lard.

With that said, I happen to like Mexican food for White people so Baja Fresh or Rubio's Baja Grill I really like. Growing up in the 80s in Echo Park, every time we walked down the street, there's Mexican Food. Gone out with friend's families to some of the best Mexican places as a kid. Taco stands don't have the best Mexican food IMO, just dirty oily and cheap meat. We do go to some of the regular Mexican restaurants that use decent meat. Those are great but aren't cheap, no 1.50 tacos there.

My Mexican, I should say American friends, wouldn't eat Baja Fresh or Chipotle.

[917_Langheck]

Originally Posted by Gogar

IMO pinto beans are the easy barometer of whether or not a restaurant is gonna be good. If they don't care about that then the rest is gonna fail too.

My grade school classmate was Hispanic; his grandmother made the best beans I've ever tasted, and I've been chasing after those ever since. Some have come close, most do not. Whenever I have a chance to explore a new town I search out a place that does huevos rancheros, but select only the one with the best looking beans; it almost always (9/10) pays off in an excellent plate.

So ya, beans are a quality indicator.

[917_Langheck]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

This lady has some really great recipes.

https://patijinich.com/cookbook/patis-mexican-table/

I watch her, just to hear her say moooshee, which she is want to do. It's a good laugh.

La Herencia de las Viudas on youtube is about as authentic as it gets. The 3' diameter tortillas de harina are amazing.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by 917_Langheck

My grade school classmate was Hispanic; his grandmother made the best beans I've ever tasted, and I've been chasing after those ever since. Some have come close, most do not. Whenever I have a chance to explore a new town I search out a place that does huevos rancheros, but select only the one with the best looking beans; it almost always (9/10) pays off in an excellent plate.

So ya, beans are a quality indicator.

Not enough lard. Seriously. I love their beans especially with a very cold beer and I hardy drink beer, 4-5 times a year and nothing else. Lard is what I was told by my friend's mother. Beans and cheese on some hand made tortilla heated over the stove is the best. Use to eat it almost daily during my 3-5th grade years. There's always that big pot of beans on the stove waiting for us to wolf it down after a long walk home from school. The good old days. if some of you haven't had hand made tortilla, its a must try. Yes, really bad for ya but it is so dang good

[Magyar Kiwi]

Hi
Where is the best Mexican food in Los Angeles ?
Cheers

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Magyar Kiwi

Hi
Where is the best Mexican food in Los Angeles ?
Cheers

Want taco stand /dirty street food? If not, there are many. My favorite is up in Montrose, CA. A place called Joselito's. Clean, great quality meat. Not too expensive but one just can't compare to the typical Mexican joint. Some of my childhood friends will not eat there due to the cost. They can always get that food at a typical mexican joint, cheaper in both price and quality IMO.

https://joselitosmontrose.com/

[vash]

I love Huevos Rancheros!

Spent some time trying to reverse engineer the version found at Frankie’s in EP. I’m
Close enough. I’m going to make some in Taiwan for wife’s family. The hiccup are the tortillas. I might bring some. Haha.

[911_Dude]

I just spent 6 months in Baja and the Sea of Cortez, and ate a lot of local food. I frequently hear people say "the mexican food in the US is not real Mexican" and I have to disagree. Its very similar, at least to northern Mexico.

What is different is the tortillas are usually fresh in the better eateries and therefore much better than packaged. Kind of like the difference between a sandwich made with wonder bread or homemade. Food is much less salty than in the US, and less sugar as well. But the main difference is the pure heavenly spice and marinades that go into the meat and seafood. Again, the difference between made fresh and canned. Marinades take time and its harder to find a place in the US that will take the time to make good marinades. The markets are full of all kinds of dried red peppers, from hot to deep rich smokey flavor.

The seafood in Baja is incredible. If you like fish tacos, it is heaven. But in the US its not hard, in California anyway, to find "real" Mexican. Granted, the Taco Bell, Qdoba, etc, have taken Mexican flavors and components and made it into something else. But if you really try to find a good mexican restaurant in the US it is quite possible and it wont be that un familiar.

Also, whats up with those that say they spend extended time on the toilet if they eat Mexican- I can only imagine their spice rack consists of just salt and pepper. Maybe its time to turn it up a notch? Mexican food does not mean hot and spicy. It can, but its not by definition.

As a side note, the beef in Mexico is excellent. I happen to be a burger aficionado and the crave would drive me to seek them out from time to time. Mexicans have definitly latched onto the American burger and they are doing a fantastic job. Every burger I had was large, with a huge amount of cheese- what we would consider double or triple cheese. Delish.

[faverymi]

What???

El grande diablo enchitaco chimirrito mole XL is not Mexican???

I love mexican food. I really do. In college I spent 2 summers backing in Mexico. Just to eat.

Glen is right no good mexican in New England.

Mexican food is so regional, so local, so rich and so different.

Oaxaca was great...
Mercados in Guadalajara were impressive
Northen mexico if you like beef.
Seafood in Merida.....

It's never ending