Mexican Food Top Picks!

cbuonomo


I have also been searching for Mexican Restaurants in Mass. and this is what I've found. Try Sol Azteca (solaztecarestaurants.com) in Brookline or Newton Center. I haven't been there in a while but it has rave reviews for the Sangria and my favorite dishes are Chilaquiles for an entree and Queso Asada for an appetizer. Another place I recently discovered is La Carreta (lacarretamexican.com ) in Nashua & 3 other NH locations.Pretty good chicken quesadillas, chile rellenos and many house specials but Sangria not so good. I have also tried Acapulucos in Marlboro, MA for the Arroz con Pollo. Buenos noches.

[id="quote"]quote: Originally posted by renfrew

this thread makes me jealous because i love mexican food of all kinds but live on one of the worst areas for it...the boston area is a veritable black hole when it comes to this food.

[id="quote"]

Hey, guys. I'll trade you some killer Mexican or, Tex-Mex for some fried belly clams and lobster rolls.

Anne-
   In our family of 10 Kids, 6 of the 7 boys are "Mine"! They do fit a certain basic pattern...but Josh (number three of the Boys) is a big guy. 6.6" and obviously carrying the weight to match. Janet has one son and one daughter in the total!
  We stopped taking the "whole Family" out to dinner when the check reached $500 at Hubers one time. Now we go in smaller groups !! (or do pitch-in dinners at one of the kids homes!)
 
  Here we are- From the Left- Al, Jason(30), Jeremy(39), Joshua(37), Jeff(32), Jon(41), Justin(34), Son-in-law Bill.
 
 

What a WONDERFUL family!

Great group photo! And such a nice big smile on your face...

Hello All,
Locally, I love El Charro.
The food is great and I have discovered
a great beer, "Pacifico"which they serve
in a frosted mug.
Take, Care,
Fieldthistle

Al, that's a great picture of you and the boys. You should be very proud. And, judging from the smile on your face.......

Twinwillow


Al, that's a great picture of you and the boys. You should be very proud. And, judging from the smile on your face.......

I noticed everyone's age was listed except His Honor, The Mayor----Inquiring minds want to know.
Looks like that group should be playing on the Offensive & Defensive Lines of the Indianapolis Colts!!

Foodie,

   I will break the 67 year mark in August this summer. I was a Pearl Harbor "Reaction".  Mom told me, years later, that I was conceived the night after the Pearl Harbor Attack.

I also have two daughters. One turning 45 shortly and the other will be 35 later thios month. The Son-in-law in the photo is the husband of the younger daughter.

The boys do manage to do a better job of weight-control than their Dad.

mayor al


Foodie,

   I will break the 67 year mark in August this summer. I was a Pearl Harbor "Reaction".  Mom told me, years later, that I was conceived the night after the Pearl Harbor Attack.

I also have two daughters. One turning 45 shortly and the other will be 35 later this month. The Son-in-law in the photo is the husband of the younger daughter.

The boys do manage to do a better job of weight-control than their Dad.

THANX! for fessing up! I'm 68 1/2 and my dad was in the Army Air Corps, (It later became the U.S. Air Force ) when I was born. He was a Radar Instructor for our pilots before the Axis knew we had radar capability. Top Secret stuff! Radar now is almost, if not totally, obsolete. Technology is amazing!!
Nevertheless, you have a great bunch of guys there. There is nothing more important in today's world than family! 

Regarding your comment about the value of FAMILY... Amen, My friend!

My 50th H S Reunion is coming up next year! We are planning a West Coast Roundtrip-RoadTrip-Reunion Trip for next Summer !

While some of you have listed places in other parts of the country, like MN and WV and other places where it's hard to conceive that any place there could provide authentic Mexican Food, no one was mentioned anything in AZ, so here goes! Many places in Tucson & the Phoenix area have already been discussed on here. My favorite is Carolinas on Mohave just East of 16th St. Their Machacha Beef is to die for, along with their made on site fresh tortillas. They make their tortillas there and they are warm & fresh.    
Since 1986, it has been at 1202 E. Mohave in a building that also has housed a coin-operated laundry and a grocery store.
http://www.carolinasmex.com/history.htm
There are ton's more in Phoenix & Tucson .Google is your best friend

I love beef tacos, but it's getting difficult to find really good ones in my area. I used to enjoy the ones at the Pepe's chain here in the Chicago area, but the last few times that I ate at one, the meal was quite disappointing. Nowadays, when I have a taste for Mexican food, I go to Jalapeno's on US 41 in Schererville, IN ( not a chain, I'm happy to say. )

Here's my meal at Jalapeno's; delicious beef tacos ( fried corn shells ), plus very good refried beans and Spanish rice. Not shown is the fiery green salsa that I ordered - a dollar extra but worth it.

nocarolina


I love beef tacos, but it's getting difficult to find really good ones in my area. I used to enjoy the ones at the Pepe's chain here in the Chicago area, but the last few times that I ate at one, the meal was quite disappointing. Nowadays, when I have a taste for Mexican food, I go to Jalapeno's on US 41 in Schererville, IN ( not a chain, I'm happy to say. )

Love that Sign!

Yes, great sign!

Denver was a Meca for Mex food.  One of the greats was Chubby Burgers.  The smothered green chili burrito was at least a 6 pack investment!  Sweat would por off your fore head.  Being careful once I ordered my tacos with the "salsa" on the side and was rewarded withe a coffe cup full.  Thinking Id love some spicy rie, I sauted onion and green bell peppers.  Then tossed it with cooked white rice and added a tablespoon of the salsa.  It was so hot I screamed out loud.  With that little bit the act of heating it kicked the peppers in the sauce into overdrive!  As an experiment, take an Anahiem pepper and roast it.  It will be hotter than aaa pickled jalapeno.
I was in Newark Ohio and some friend touted a new place, Las Palmas, that was opened by real Mexicans!  I was really hoping for some goodies as back in the late 80;s Ohio was a ghost town for Mexican.  I ordred the smothered Burrito.  I asked if I got my choice of sause(green or red chili?)  Nope it was drowned in nacho cheese sauce!
We have the El Ranco chain in my area.  The waiters dont even speak English so its an order by the numbers.  Still weak but the fajitas are pretty good. 
I have a lot of appts at my VA clinic in Springfield.  The past year a taco truck has been there.  One day Im going to try it.  My problem is the wife isnt a lover of that stuff.  I could get it to go, but its 25 miles from home and I dont know how it would hold up!  As for eating there all they offer is warm Mexican fruit sodas.  Not my taste and I have to have a drink to enjoy it.

Foodbme


...some of you have listed places in other parts of the country, like MN and WV and other places where it's hard to conceive that any place there could provide authentic Mexican Food...

why? Mexicans are all over this country. Maybe not as plentiful as your state of AZ, but Mexican cuisine can be found in many places.
 
In WV, housing is more affordable, and now Eastern WV has become part of the DC Metro/Northern VA metro area, new construction abounds in WV. Bringing in jobs that have a high % of Mexican workers, from building construction to electrical, to landscaping, to roadwork and, the new Mexican restaurants, just to name a few jobs.
 
I'd be willing to bet, that the same is true in and around other major metropolitan areas, like Minneapolis, or Piedmont Triad area of NC, and so on and so on.
 
The population of Mexicans, now Americans, has skyrocketed, and as the Mexican people assimilate into the US, they, like the droves of immigrants before them, such as my ancestors, are moving all over the country.
 

 

Twinwillow


Yes, great sign!

... and $3 sangria!!!!!




Dennis in Cary

I was a teenager traveling with my parents on vacation and we were in Mexico City and probably we were in a hotel dining room or maybe a nice restaurant.  It was fifty plus years ago and I remember my meal, but not the location.
 
It was a beef entree and called carne asada: on the menu.  In this case the meat was thin slices of tender beef, cooked quickly but through and plated just wet with a piquant sauce.  The meat might have been rib eye  trimmed of all fat and I think the pieces were no bigger than one inch by two.  I don't believe the meat was marianted before cooking.  Fantastic.  Obviously very memorable.
 
I have eaten in Mexican and Tex-Mex and border restaurants in this country and Mexico often since and never found another dish named carne asada that was comparable.  I have come to relish beef fajitas but they are quite different.
 
I welcome comments about similar beef dishes that others have had.

This is further to my note about carne asada just above.  I  should also have said that I've seen carne asada on a lot of menus and ordered it often enough to expect dissappointment.  For one thing the meat was always tough.  But I just came across a cookbook by Jamison, Border Cookbook and it has a recipe for carne asada that might be what I was served.  Basically it is beef tenderloin sliced thin (1/8 th inch thick) and tossed with minced garlic, ground toasted cumin, and fresh ground black pepper.   It is to be cooked (grilled) for no more than 1-1/2 minutes per side.

It is served with "salsa mexican" on the side and the normally reliable author does not give a recipe, at least that is cited in the index.  It is stated that the recipe may have originated in Tampico, so I'd be glad to hear what salsa(s) are associated with that city,  or a recipe for salsa mexicana.   Or maybe it just means your favorite salsa?

We have wonderful Carne asada at La Tapatia in Phoenix, Oregon.
Previously reported on By the Chips family.....

Ranch Market - Phoenix!

Gumbo191


Ranch Market - Phoenix!

I second that emotion! They have several in the Valley now. Which one are you referring to?  Checked their web site and they actually have 7 in the Phoenix area. I was in the #7 store in Mesa just after it opened few months ago and talk about a Mexican Food Lovers Heaven! You name an ingredient - They have it!

Anybody been to Chili Pepper Cafe in Study Butte, Texas (near Big Bend)? 
 
If you don't mind the flys (dining outside) or cigarette smoke (dining inside), those were the best fajitas I have ever had.

OKC, hard to find Carne Asada made w/  thin sliced  tenderloin. There was a place in West Tawakoni Tx. that served it but they are now closed. It was real good.

Bhops, welcome to Roadfood! Nice tip and if I ever get that far south again I will remember it. How bout some Dallas places? The downtown El Finix is one I mention around here. Some say that is where Tex Mex started. My dad took me there as a kid 50+ years ago. He and Alfred Martinez were both WW2 pilots. Other than a few new dishes the food has stayed the same.
Joe

Thanks!  I love El Fenix.  I grew up on that stuff.  The downtown one is my favorite as well.  That's a great story about your dad.  I also like all of the texmex dives off Maple, including Herrara's, Escondido's (off Butler), Rositas, Avilas, etc. 
 
I go to Matt's El Rancho for the chili relleno (with the tomatillo sauce) and the chicken fried steak.
 
El Ranchito in Bishop's Art's district is awesome as well.  Their flaming (tequila) queso with the piccadillo meat is good stuff.  I forget what it is called on the menu.
 
Seriously though, I was not expecting much from the Chili Pepper, but a bearded old man at the gas station told us to go there... "that girl can cook" he said.  And she could.  It probably helps that we had been hiking all day and worked up quite the appetite.
 
La Kiva is quite the dive, also in Study Butte.  Lots of character, and food is pretty good.
 
One place I've been wanting to try is the Food Shark in marfa...
 
Marfa has some interesting stops.  Some tex-mex, some not.
 
 

Sol's Taco Lounge on Mockingbird had really thin sliced tenderloin for carne asada when it first opened, and some really good cheese potatoes, but it's not that good anymore.
 
 
 

Sounds like you know your food Bhops! Again, thanks for tha tips. I worked as a cook for El Chico back when they could compete w/ El Fenix. They just got tooo big.
Joe

PapaJoe8


Sounds like you know your food Bhops! Again, thanks for tha tips. I worked as a cook for El Chico back when they could compete w/ El Fenix. They just got tooo big.
Joe

too bad that place in west tawakoni shut down.  I got a brother that lives out in that direction now.
 
 
Oh, another awesome mexican food place is up in Lindsey, Texas, between Muenster and Gainsville.  It's called Zuno's.  Nothing crazy, just straightforward, super fresh tex-mex.  It's way off the beaten path, but good if you happen to find yourself in tht area.

PapaJoe8


Sounds like you know your food Bhops! Again, thanks for tha tips. I worked as a cook for El Chico back when they could compete w/ El Fenix. They just got tooo big.
Joe

did you work at the original el chico in lakewood (I think)?  It's now a cantino laredo, which personally I can't stand.