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Showing results for tags 'Tex-Mex'.
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Originally Chef Basir started the Chef on Wheels food truck in 2012 - last year he opened (brick and mortar) Tacos & More in an obscure location off Michael Faraday Drive in Reston. Blink and you will miss it, but if you stop in, I am confident you will leave pleased. In the last few weeks, we have indulged in (Tacos) steak, chicken, spicy spare rib, shrimp, fish, bbq brisket and their homemade salsa. Check out the menu. Everything is prepared to order, but they are relatively quick. The place may seat 15-20 at small tables, but it is clean and bright. If you try their hot sauce, it is on the hotter side of spicy. -
I searched and found that nobody has started a thread for Guajillo. So, since I seem to complain the most about the lack of good Tex-Mex in the area I decided I should step up to the plate and take a swing.... Yum. It is neither inexpensive nor a taqueria, but Guajillo should satisfy a craving for real Tex-Mex when a trip to Texas is out of the question. I had the pleasure of eating a wonderful dinner at Guajillo just the other night and am counting the days until I return. The chips are fresh, the salsa complex and roasty, all and all a great start to the meal. For my main course, I had chicken with three different moles. The traditional brown mole tasted exactly as a good mole should... chocolately and earthy at the same time. The green mole was my favorite, spicy but creamy. The red mole was special too. I'd order this dish again if I haven't eaten in days... it is huge! My friend ordered shrimp and goat cheese enchiladas. They were good too. In fact the shrimp were plump and plentiful. Anyway, I can't wait to go back... thinking huevos next weekend. -
Daughter's weeding approaches, and she is scouring the area for catering options. She and my future son-in-law have zeroed in on tacos and related treats as the wedding reception fare, which I applaud. So it was off to Manassas to try a tasting menu of options at Cactus Grill. And it was, in a word or two, muy delicioso. Out came the platters for tasting. First was the dips -- queso, guacamole, and salsa, with house-made chips. The queso was different than most of the velveeta-forward quesos you might be used to, with a white tint and a decidedly Mexican flavor. The guacamole was chunky and obviously freshly made, on a bed of shredded lettuce that actually enhanced it with a extra crunch. The brownish salsa was delectable. Next came the platter of soft tacos, with birria, chicken, carne asada, al pastor -- credit to Lebanese immigrants for that one -- and I added lengua (tongue) and tripa (tripe). All were delicious, and I will return for the tongue and tripe tacos with the missus. They were spectacular. The carne asada and birria were also and will be on offer at the wedding. Three house-made sauces accompanied the platter, and added nice notes of heat and flavor to the tacos. Next came the fajitas, but we were almost too stuffed to enjoy them. Yes, they're more Texan than Mexican, but the wedding guests will have varying tastes and we are trying to accommodate the mean. And yes, there were even some desserts to sample with the churros being decadent and the xangas being obscene. The latter was pretty much a fried cheese cake, and it was ridiculous. The ownership is from Oaxaca, and the genuine side of the menu is authentic and quite good. We didn't try the vast array of dishes like mole negro or menudo, but what we tried led us to believe that the Mexican part of the menu would be worthy of its lineage. Yes, there is also a portion of the menu catering to the local Tex-Mex tastes, like fajitas and chimichangas and the like, but when you come here, focus on the Oaxacan fare and you'll be uplifted.-
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I went here with my family. We ate at Buena Vida. The complimentary chips and salsa were excellent (tomatillo, some kind of smoked red salsa and picked veggies) were excellent. We had elote off the cob, a bunch of tacos and ceviche. Even the beans and rice which we ordered for the kids was great. My favorite tacos were the lengua and the duck carnitas. Service was okay, not the most attentive server. --- Tacos, Tortas, & Tequila (ElGuapo)- 17 replies
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Local chain El Tio Tex-Mex Grill expanding where the former Great Falls Tavern (closed), then more recently Triny's Mexican restaurant existed, but recently also closed. This will be their 4th location and they are working on a refresh/remodel before opening in the near future. Location is excellent at the corner of Georgetown Pike (Rte 193) and Walker Road.
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Hello all, I'm making my first trip to Taqueria Poblano tonight (Ballston location, near the home of a friend). I'm pretty excited about it quite frankly between my need for a beer (one Negra Modelo please!) and the inexpensive cuisine. Looking at the online menu, I'm very interested in trying the tacos al pastor and, as always, I need to satisfy a craving for guacamole. What are their other can't miss items? -
El Paso on Commerce St in Springfield isn't bad. I haven't found decent cannoli anywhere in the area. If there is some, please let me know too. -
Anyone been yet? I made up my mind as soon as I saw the signage (and later looked at the website) that I would never go here, but my wife's friends are already talking about a marguerita happy hour some time next week. TS' fairly scathing review, which should come as no surprise to any of us: http://www.washingto...tic-review.html -
https://www.chopshoptaco.com/ Hubby and I tried to go to Chop Shop Taco Friday night, but it was so busy that they were only doing carry-out at that point. It was a little on the later side, so we didn't think our chances at bar seating were good either. Happily on Sunday there was plenty of space to be had. They make their own tortillas here, I know as I watched them press them on Sunday. I thought the tortillas quite tasty, they were sturdy enough to hold up and not fall apart even when there was a good bit of sauce, but I thought they had good flavor and weren't bland or too tough. To be honest, I would like to see how they make them, as I was a little jealous, mine are nowhere near this good. They serve the tacos to us in this little cardboard box with three taco slots. I had chicken, brisket and chorizo. The brisket was by far and away the favorite. I thought the flavor was smoky, with nice pickled onion balance, good sauce, the meat was tender, but not too soft. I also liked the chorizo- quite oily- but good flavor with lime crema. The chicken was interesting- my least favorite of the three- it had a mango salsa that was kind of mustardy. It wasn't bad at all, but just not nearly as addictive as the brisket. I would like to try more of the menu. The staff was really nice. I haven't been to Urbano yet, but will probably soon, and will do a comparison, the meat and fillings are way better than Tios and Poblano. This place was really fun, the drinks look nice. It is a small space so it fills up fairly easily.- 2 replies
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Austin ex-pats will be pleased to know that Chuy's is opening at 11219 Lee Highway in Fairfax this autumn. They're also planning an expansion into Springfield. -
Okay, so service and swallowability go a long way when it comes to Tex Mex in DC. I had the WORST food and the most unwelcoming service of my life at Austin Grill after An Inconvenient Truth on Wednesday. It was late and the people I was with don't really love their gullets as much as you love yours, so I bit my lip and invested in my company for the night. I'm pretty indifferent about Austin Grill (though I had stronger feelings in like 1994) and I my expectations are realistic. That said, I had to send back my dinner because the romaine in the salad tasted like it had mistakenly taken a swim in sanitizer (blue # 40). Ask all the pimps and whores: I'll eat anything when washed down with magaritas (so long as there's melted cheese near by-Tex Mex is my weakness), but this was foul and so was everything else we ordered. We felt so unwelcome and they kept telling us the kitchen was closing in 15 minutes and that it would soon be last call for drinks. That's all good, but why stay open if you're gonna be brisk and your food's gonna suck ventworm cock between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.? I don't think I've sent food back more than twice in my life, and it wasn't just me; I had everyone try it and we all agreed that it tasted like Homer Simpson made it (at the power plant). No one would touch their food after sampling my salad. I appreciate this place for its work with DC Central Kitchen, etc. and for giving people on the street a chance, but please don't give me chemicals anymore. And please, don't make me wait in the front like an idiot for 10 minutes upon arrival if you're fully-staffed. Yours truly, Panda Bearito -
A Del Taco bean burrito with green sauce is better than anything in the DMV.
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Has anyone tried it? I'm a fan of the chef -- interested in this new place. Thoughts? -
With a tittle like that, maybe you are expecting tuxedo shirted waiters and mariachi music in the background {ala Samanthas) and you oculdn't be more wrong. First off, instead of a brightly painted home like interior, the place is brightly lit in the middle of an Asian owned Mercato in a strip mall on Ennalls Ave in Wheaton {even thought the card insists on Ennalls Eve!}. The staff is a varied roster of very friendly, if English limited Latina's usually presided over by one of the owners. The menu, up until the printing of trifold cards with the menu printed on both sides, consisted of bad pictures on the wall. There is no sign outside with any name, and before the aforementioned cards, I heard it called only Juanita's Kitchen, and that was only once. We are the only folk I have ever seen int he place who were neither the owners nor Latino. Lots of Older Latino Dad's being taken thee by their sons. Women, almost exclusively, cook there {aside from Kay}. The food: Spectacular! Better than any of the myriad other choices serving up DC's signature combo of Salvadoran, Honduran & Tex Mex. Last night, we pointed to one of the pictures, labeled enchilladas, with another non readable name which turned out to be a huge pile of chicken fried to a golden brown with skin as crispy as that of the roast pig at Din sum, if not more so, atop a massive amount of fried plantains smothered in shredded cabbage and doused with mayo,ketchup and salsa. Had I known what it was, I would have never ordered it and my life would be lessened for the lack. If course my life may be lessened anyways from the cholesterol! When I was growing up, my teen years were spent delivering furniture for my Dad's furniture store in South Central. One highlight was the occasional trip to Queen Bee's {or was it aunt Bee's} near the infamous corner of Normandy & Florence where massive amounts of food could be had for a pittance and the dishes came either plain {with 2 sides} or smothered {with two sides and something to cover the main dish}. Inthe case of the fried chicken, it was smothered in cole slaw with a touch of salsa and the dish last night approached the memory of my last meal at Bee's! We ahd one pupusa "revuelta" or mixed cheese and pork. The pupusas are patted by hand and griddles to order. They come out greaseless {all the lard stays in the dough where it belongs}, crispy on the outside with burnt spots and a lush, incendiarilyy hot filling. Kay ordered a sopa di res that was completely untouched because of the massive amount of chicken. Two Tamarindo and a tip that brought wide eyes and big smiles from the ladies for $25. Other amazing dishes include: Sopa di Pollo when they have it. Carne Asada provided you have good teeth and the willingness to chew in order toget a gamy seasoned tough pieceof steak down the old gullet {accompanied by massively good black beans and crappy rice}. Lengua al Guisada is amazing: stewed till tender tongue with beans and rice. Not my style was a hugely rich and greasy balliades which is a sort of cross between a turn over and a quesadilla: a rich doughy tortilla/pastry folded over melted white cheese, black beans & avocado slices with chunks of meat. We spend between $15 and $25 for dinner for two. We gain insight to another culture thru the Novellas or the talk/talent shows on the TVs and we have a great meal in the bargain. 2521 Ennalls Eve {sic}, Wheaton MD 20902 301-933-5843 Hours approximately 6am 'til 10pm but they have been known to be closed by 9:30. -
Good new food cart in Rosslyn (near the metro). They have a menu of breakfasts tacos and I think they're open for lunch now too. I stopped by this morning when I was in the neighborhood. I had two tacos with egg whites, peppers & onions, pinto beans, and cheese on a flour tortilla. Only cost $5. Very good food, especially for the price. Nice warm, soft tortillas stuffed with flavorful beans, crispy veggies, and soft egg whites. Add a bit of the medium salsa and it's a good meal for a low price. -
Wat's wrong wit Del Taco? 😠 A Green Burrito is 69 cents (or was), and completely vegan, save for the cheese - this thing is de-lish. I lived off these in college, and had them as recently as two-years ago - they're my best friends.
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Tacos, Tortas & Tequila (TTT), and companion restaurant Buena Vida, will open this Friday, May 4, in the former 8407 space in Downtown Silver Spring: "Tacos, Tortas, and Tequila, Buena Vida Restaurants To Open Friday" by Mike Diegel on sourceofthespring.com --- Buena Vida (soapy)- 2 replies
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Los Tios (not to be mistaken for Los Amigos which is across from Evening Star) is a favorite destination for Monday lunches when the kitchen's closed - fantastic, authentic, fresh food at extremely reasonable prices. Next time you're on the Avenue, drop by! The restaurant is on the same side of the street as Cheesetique just before you get to the intersection of Commonwealth & Mt. Vernon heading toward Arlandria. -
Their new Ultimate Chalupa is now available. The carne asada steak appears to be seasoned a bit differently in this incarnation than it has in foods past (i.e. the limited-time only Grilled Steak Taco*). I think it's a major improvement and really brings out the juiciness of the meat. I'm also really impressed with their take on guacamole - they clearly put some effort into this, making it more than just the mashed up avocados one would expect from T-Bell guac. I heard someone in line the other day remark that all Taco Bell food is the same, just repackaged in a different shell. Excepting the fact that this isn't true, I had to explain to my clearly disinterested fiancee that it's like a fine wine. Simply changing the shape or size of the glass can profoundly affect the way the taste and smell of the wine greets your nose, tongue, and palate. To truly appreciate the subtleties of TB cuisine, one must approach it from every angle. I encourage other closeted Bellphiles to speak up with their take on this unique culinary style. I'm going to DR.com hell for this post, aren't I? *Limited time only, but still available at the Courthouse T-Bell. -
Fate: it's one of those words that you know isn't really true. So, what exactly was it that had me at Don Tito yesterday? Bad Luck? Divine Punishment? Did I do something bad in a previous lifetime that I don't know about? It started when my phone cord gave up the ghost, and the only appointment at the Apple Store was late-afternoon. Afterwards, I had a couple destinations in mind, but when I was driving up Wilson Blvd., there was Don Tito on my right, and open parking spaces on my left. Open parking spaces?! What did I do to deserve *that*? I had never been to an A-Team establishment, and wasn't looking forward to ending that honorable streak, but if I don't go, then how can I pretend to have any expertise? I parked the damned car and went in. It was exactly as I knew it would be: a sports bar. And when I asked my very pleasant bartender what the second floor was, she said, "They made it into more of a sports bar than this level is." I about spat out my draft of Miller Lite ($3 on the "Football Menu," which is available during all NFL and NCAA games, which I guess is pretty much all weekend). Miller Lite? Well, look, if I wasn't going to dine well, I was going to dine gently, see? And since I figured the kitchen was largely Latino, I figured that was the impetus behind the "Flex-Mex" shtick, and so I ordered a pair of tacos since Don Tito pushes "tacos, tequila, and beer." And I was going to dine gently: I stayed vegetarian. Okay, lemme take a deep breath: I ordered the Fried Avocado with Tomato-Jalapeño Salad Tacos ($8), on soft "corn" tortillas. The avocado was Dos Equis battered, and it came with "cabbage," smoked chili "aïoli," and roasted corn. I was actually thinking of asking them to go light on the smoked chili "aïoli," but it wouldn't have mattered if I had. The tacos arrived in less than two minutes. What showed up were best described as "cole slaw tacos," each having about an ice-cream scoop worth of industrial, mayonnaise-based cole slaw in it. On top of each was one slice of pre-fried avocado which, in itself, wasn't at all bad. Underneath the avocado were random kernels of corn; I could find no tomato or jalapeño salad. The smoked chili aïoli, as I feared, looked like a squirt bottle had an orgasm. Was I going to eat what amounted to industrial cole slaw wrapped in flour corn tortillas, and fill up on probably 800 calories worth of slop? I used my fork, and picked at the fried avocado, which was clearly fresh at one point, and got about three small bites from each taco. I milled around, looking for the stray corn kernel which hadn't been doused. I broke off a small piece of the tortilla and tried it. I had about five chips from the warm basket of Chips and Salsa (gratis), which wasn't really so bad. I thanked my bartender, paid my check, and left, having finished my Miller Lite, and having eaten about ten nibbles of food. Onward. --- Dining in Clarendon (astrid)
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Que es "Mio Rancho?" -
I have a pretty interesting story about Rio Grande. You see, there was this guy, pretty average in most respects. He was hungry one day and happened to stop into Rio Grande. He ordered a meal and consumed it, it doesn't really matter what it was. It wasn't the best meal he had ever had and it certainly wasn't the worst. It got the job done, though. The waitstaff was quick - not overly fast or anything and not too slow. They were also fairly pleasant. Nothing over the top, just pleasant. The man paid with his credit card and exited the restaurant. Three weeks later he received his credit card bill, which included the purchase at Rio Grande. He then paid his credit card bill, thus completing the transaction. -
The fridge, cabinets and freezer are excrutiatingly low on supplies right now, so the other night it was Doctor Delivery to the rescue. I wanted Thai or Mexican so I was scoping out the selections for the best options sans gluten. Decided to give El Ranchero a try since it had been a while and the menu clearly stated what had corn tortillas versus flour and a lot of the options were with corn, yay! We put in an order and when it arrived there was a bag of fresh hot corn chips and salsa, which I guess comes with every order. The chips were awesome and the salsa was really spicy, a little chunky and pretty good. A nice unexpected addition. I had one of the specials with a spinach and chicken enchilada and beef chalupa. I really liked the dressed lettuce on the chalupa, I put some on my enchilada, as well. The chalupa had gotten a bit soggy in the delivery on the bottom, but the flavors were still very good. The rice with the enchilada was well seasoned, Hubby thought his was a little underdone, but I liked mine and thought it was just right. Enchilada was good, the sauce needed a little kick, but most places do as many people in this area don't like spice as much as me. I believe it was a Ranchero sauce. But overall really good and they had good packaging for delivery and had everything we ordered which is a plus. Anyway it was good, probably would have been better if you had it at the restaurant. I always love the decor of this place when I go, it is cheesy in a good way.
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"Reopening of Beloved Roper's Restaurant Delights Residents of Flood-Weary Simonton" by Emily Foxhall on chron.com Residents of Simonton, and of Houston in general: You're an inspiration to us all - a pillar of strength and guts. Hearing that you reopened means a lot to me, personally, and I couldn't be more proud of your can-do spirit: You looked adversity in the eye, raised your collective middle fingers, put your heads down, and went to work, reclaiming your lives. The successful reopening of Roper's speaks volumes about all of you. Kind regards, Don Rockwell
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This Saturday, a group of us will be down by the waterfront and will need a place to go for lunch where we don't have to be dressed up -- in fact, we're likely to be sweaty and perhaps even slightly dissheveled. We will be close to Cantina Marina, and I had heard decent things about this place when it first opened, but nothing in recent years. So, any opinions one way or the other?
