Mexican Food and Cooking

Tamale Me This

Fish Tacos Swimming in Popularity, Cali-Style

​Fish tacos had a banner year in 2010, but California-style tacos made with beer-battered tilapia and chipotle mayonnaise are still outpacing the grilled fish variety more commonly served in Mexico. According to a survey from industry research firm Technomic, the number of fish tacos on resta ... More >>

Texas Monthly Names Cuquita's a Top Five Mexican Restaurant

In a soon-to-be-published survey of the top 50 Mexican restaurants statewide, Texas Monthly food editor Patricia Sharpe concludes Texas is shifting from Tex-Mex to Mex-Tex - and one of the best edible examples of the trend is found in Dallas. Look out, chips and queso.​According to a teaser f ... More >>

Austin's Tacodeli: A Taco Worthy of a Roadtrip

​A trip to Austin isn't complete without a trip to Tacodeli, the quintessential nouveau taquería with a culinary base firmly rooted in tradition and a stalwart dedication to the local -- as is true of all foodways. The most apt comparison here is to Tex-Mex, but it also works for Italian Amer ... More >>

Santiago's Taco Loco Express: Crazy Big, Crazy Bad and Crazy Sad

​On a Sunday morning when our son was at his grandmother's house, the missus and I headed to Deep Ellum for brunch at All Good Café. Mike Snider's restaurant and live-music venue is a fantastic place for brunch -- if you can tolerate waiting in line. Then I saw the little building with a roof ... More >>

Desperados' Reputation Isn't Completely
Puffed Up, Even Though Its Tacos Are

​Through my taco-eating adventures, I have crossed paths with those who so revile Tex-Mex, specifically Tex-Mex tacos, that the dish's mere mention elicits a reaction similar to the one they might have if forced to watch the drowning of a child's Christmas puppy. Needless to say, I don't break ... More >>

Taco Cabana Commemorates National Taco Day with Street Taco--Wait, Isn't Every Day National Taco Day?

​In the last few years, the taco has become a mad scientist's laboratory. Many well-intentioned Vincent Prices -- whether from south of the border or homegrown -- have sought to elevate the taco, fusing it with disparate parts. Their experiments are to be commended; the masses that have dipped ... More >>

Remember When Tacos Were Just a Simple
Fast Food?

​Street food purists reviled Taco Bell's "cantina tacos," but the tenor of their response hasn't dissuaded a Texas-based chain from trying out the same shtick. Taco Cabana today announced it will launch street-style tacos on Monday. According to an e-mail from a publicist for the 150-outlet T ... More >>

This Saturday, Competitive Eating's Top Ranks Tackle Lewsville's Hot Tamales

Patrick Michels"Nasty" Nate Biller, Texas' top-ranked eater, will try and keep the tamale title in-state this weekend.​If you're planning on packing on a few extra pounds of fat and grease this weekend, odds are you're headed to the state fair. But up in Lewisville Saturday afternoon, a chosen few ... More >>

Picture Show: The Street Tacos of Dallas

Sara KerensThe Tacos of Taqueria La Paisanita, Inwood and Maple.​Yesterday Taco Bell launched a new campaign: "Tacos." Cantina Tacos, that is, with corn tortillas. Heard of those? Apparently the Bell's years of "Meximelts" and Nachos Bell Grande weren't serving the trends anymore. While Taco Bell ... More >>

British Tex-Mex Food -- How Could That Go Wrong?

​A Texas-based chain has announced plans to open 35 outlets in the British Isles, saying the expansion will help eaters across the pond learn the difference between Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines. "In the UK, we consider Tex-Mex and Mexican food to be one and the same," the first Cantina Laredo fr ... More >>

Los Cabos: Okie-Mex is About What You'd Expect.

Avila's and Mextopia: Good Tex-Mex Must be in the DNA

Rusty Taco vs. Fuzzy's Taco: The Fish Taco Foofaraw

​Baja is filled with great valleys, big sand and surf, rich volcanic soil, and even richer cuisine. It's also the home of Tecate beer and the ever popular fish taco. Although you can find what might be defined loosely as a fish taco throughout the pescado-loving world, and certainly in our fair ... More >>

Dude Food Walks Across The Street And Finds Comfort in Mediocrity

​Herrera's4001 Maple Ave.214-528-9644Dude Factor: 7, or the Mavs Maniaacs, on a scale of 1 (Mike Bacsik) to 10 (Eduardo Najera).You might find this hard to believe, but before yesterday I hadn't darkened Herrera's door in five or so years, despite the fact that it's situated directly in the shadow ... More >>

Happiness is a Warm Sol's Taco, Delivered Right to Your Door

​Sol's Taco Lounge 2626 Commerce St. 214-651-7657 Promised delivery time: 30-45 minutes Actual delivery time: 35 minutesScoring SummaryFood that makes you go to your happy place: 30 On-time delivery when beef fajita nachos are involved: 35 Wanting to become BFFs with the delivery driver: 20 Not ... More >>

How Dallas Gained After the Swiss Immigrated to Mexico and Began Cooking

Grupo Sanborns is a large department store, pharmacy, retail and restaurant chain. Headquartered in Mexico City and employing some 18,000 workers, Sanborns was founded in 1903 by California immigrants Walter and Frank Sanborn, who also established the country's first soda fountain. Think Wal-Mart ... More >>

The Beef Enchilada Rumble: The Tale of Two Tortillas

​Since time immortal or, at least during my stint on this good planet, Wednesdays have been Enchilada Day. As a child in a Dallas public elementary school, we were offered a Wednesday lunch plate made up of corn tortillas, cheese and a simple sauce of chile con carne. Even as a young man I though ... More >>

On the Range: Chalupas

Wikimedia photo​Chalupas or tostadas? Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. Of course you know what constitutes a tostada. That's a flat, crispy disc made from corn, then loaded with all sorts of freight including lettuce, tomatoes, beans or meat, cheese, possibly pico or crema, and topped ... More >>

Jorge's Tex-Mex reaches for the ordinary and beyond in its upscale digs.

On The Range: Sopapillas

​On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.Many of us got our first taste of sopapillas by raising the flag. Doesn't make sense? Well, back when dining out options were fewer and farther between, Panchos Mexican Buffet was one of the few places where you co ... More >>

Veggie Guy: Mexican Comfort Food

​The On The Range piece about Machacado con Huevo last week brought back some old memories from my childhood. I was born and raised in South Texas by immigrant Mexican parents. My mother was from Guanajuato, and my father migrated from San Fernando, Tamaulipas. Mom's home cooking mostly entailed e ... More >>

Refried Beans With Extra Virgin Olive Oil? The Mexican Says For the Love of Lard, "No!"

On The Range: Huaraches

Ooops...wrong image.​On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items."If everybody had an ocean/Across the U.S.A/Then everybody'd be surfin'/Like Californ-I-a/You'd see 'em wearing their baggies/Huarache sandals too..." Despite the popularity brought to them by ... More >>

On The Range: Tortas

​On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.No matter that you haven't read the strip in many years, or even if you've never perused the comic that has been a staple of the funny papers across the country for over 70 years, you still probably know that Dagwoo ... More >>

On The Range: Migas

PedroserafinA Spanish version of migas.​On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.Eggs, tortilla strips, onions, chiles, and cheese. Or bread, oil & vinegar, spinach, alfalfa, and....licorice flavoring?? Believe it or not, these are some of the raw ingre ... More >>

On The Range: Tostadas

​On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.How do you describe a tostada? As with many Latin dishes, it often depends on what side of the border you come from. In Texas, or most of the other Estados Unidos, the tostada ("toasted") is most familiar in its cla ... More >>

Veggie Guy: Vegan-Friendly Tex Mex Chains

Latin stir fry at Mi Cocina.​A lot of people ask me where they can get some good vegan Tex-Mex around town. I usually guide them to Monica's, where vegans can get the best enchiladas in Dallas, but I understand that driving down to Deep Ellum isn't always practical...especially if you're on the w ... More >>

Veggie Guy: Monica's Aca Y Alla

​The City of Ate's, um, kind and generous editor...yeah...once asked me what I thought this city needed in terms of vegan food. My answer: "I wish the Mexican restaurants would catch on." Because it's true--Mexican restaurants are slim pickings for vegans in Dallas due to the fact that most of t ... More >>

Hot Comic Action

Surviving Another Encounter With Convenience-Store Tacos

On The Range: Quesadillas

On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.Say cheese.Quesadilla translates as "little cheesy thing"--so no true recipe can exist without it. Even vegan variations tend to use soy cheese prominently. Writing in his book Mexico: One Plate at a Time, Rick Bayles ... More >>

Dude Food: Ojeda's

Ojeda's chili rellenoEach week the Dude Food guys assess the 'masculinity' of Dallas area dives. The more fried meat and junk on the walls, the better the rating...Ojeda's4617 Maple Ave. 214-528-8383Dude Factor: 8, or Lucky Day, on a scale of 1 (The Singing Bush) to 10 (El Guapo)Thanks to its quick ... More >>

On The Range: Flautas & Taquitos

From street vendor snack to the frozen food aisle.On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.Sometime toward 3 a.m., when the drinking is (usually) winding down and serious munchies coming on, almost anything will make for a snack, providing it releases th ... More >>

On The Range: Burritos

Kvanhorn, via FlickrOn The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.San Francisco in the mid-1960's. Peace, love, and cable cars. Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. If you were into music, you could go to the Avalon Ballroom or Bill Graham's Fillmore Wes ... More >>

How Can They Call It Mexican Food If It Doesn’t Bring the Heat?

Agave Tex-Mex: Good, Bad and Ugly

On The Range: Chiles Rellenos

Chiles rellenos, Emeril-stylePoblano peppers or Anaheim? When making chiles rellenos, the chef must first consider which pepper might better serve his or her vision of the completed dish. Indeed, they are similar and both are widely used, but tasting reveals subtle but noticeable differences. ... More >>

On The Range: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Mexican cooks reuse leftovers like nobody's business. Consider the plight of the frugal family in days of yore, north or south of the border. The basics of life--shelter and food--are not certainties. Since the beginning of farming, rural families learned not to toss any part of a plant or a ... More >>

On The Range: Chimichangas

Toasted monkey or [expletive deleted]? These are the two prevailing definitions for the origin of the term chimichanga, that ever-popular fried burrito that has become a staple at Tex-Mex establishments.Chimichangas may have originated as early as the 1940's, when cooks at a bar in Nog ... More >>

On The Range: Tortillas

Corn or flour?Depends on the filling. This comes from Alison Cook, author of "Taco Capitol, USA," a groundbreaking Texas Monthly cover story on the subject of Tex-Mex cuisine, who notes that while flour tortillas are better suited to Northern Mexico-style grilled meats and to breakfast tacos, "certa ... More >>

On The Range: Enchiladas

Let's face it: A true Tex-Mex establishment succeeds or fails on the strength of its enchiladas. I realize I'm speaking only for myself, at least as far as popular dishes go. Many patrons of an El-or-La-something-or-other (as Rosemary Kent dubbed Tex-Mex restaurants in her Genuine Texas Hand ... More >>

On The Range: Tamales

Pig's head tamales?Well, yes. Robb Walsh notes in his Tex-Mex cookbook that traditional emporiums use pig's heads as their base meat when making their husky creations. The head is boiled until the meat and lard cook away, then the broth is used to moisten the masa harina (corn meal infused with lime ... More >>

At Agave Azul, Tequila and Ornery Old Men Bring a New Look to Old Town Carrollton

On The Range: Mexican Breakfasts

Beans for breakfast? Are you kidding?Ah, but according to the indispensable tome The Tex-Mex Cookbook, here in the Lone Star State a pot of beans was often used to break a cowboy's fast on the long trail, whether plain (as preferred by eminent Texas writer J Frank Dobie) or with a little bacon and ... More >>

On The Range: Combination Plates

Dwight Eisenhower (right) took Mamie for a Tex-Mex combo plate at The Original Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio before WWILet's get one thing straight: Tex-Mex has never pretended to represent Mexican cuisine in its entirety. In fact, according to Robb Walsh, author of The Tex-Mex Cookbook, the ge ... More >>

On The Range: Fajitas

I made a rather startling discovery while continuing my quest into the origins of Tex-Mex. For some reason I had assumed fajitas were a California addition, perhaps because of their ready adoption in to the presumably healthier Cal-Mex lineup. But no--legend credits Ninfa's in Houston, although a ... More >>

On The Range: West Texas Enchiladas

The first of a series documenting Chris Meesey's personal quest for authentic Tex-Mex. But we'll let him tell you more... I'm a genu-wine Texan, born and bred. In fact, I began life at Nix Hospital, San Antonio--less than one mile from The Alamo, the acknowledged epicenter of the Texas Universe. ... More >>

Short Orders: Cyclone Anaya's (Oak Lawn)

Cyclone Anaya's3211 Oak Lawn Ave.214-420-0030Recent visits to this popular outpost of the Houston-based chain inspire two observations.First, bars and restaurants in Dallas consider the Margarita a child's drink. Order the famous Tex-Mex cocktail and, with a few exceptions, they bring out something ... More >>

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