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April 07, 2007
Deep In the Heart of Texas, Part One
Shawn and I are on the road, visiting my sister Carol who has moved to Austin, Texas.
Brett With Hidalgo Mural, Dallas
Before coming here, we spent a few days in Dallas/Fort Worth, being shown around by our good friend Brett (a frequent commenter on this blog) because he grew up there. I have not been to Texas for 20 some years, but seen through the eyes of a gringo who has lived in Mexico for a little over a year, it's very interesting.
First, a word about Tex-Mex food, or rather, Mexican food in Texas.
El Fénix Restaurante, Dallas
One night, we ate at the original El Fénix restaurant in Dallas, and I must say I was surprised. Okay, while it's not exactly what I've come to think of as traditional Mexican food (they offer many north-of-the-border items like fajita-style nachos and sopapillas), their menu also had some telltale signs that honest-to-goodness Mexicans were involved with the food at some point. For example, they offer their queso fundido with chorizo or with mushrooms, like you would find it at many a location farther south. They also have chilaquiles, a dish that is ubiquitous in Mexico, but hard to find up here in the United States. I have had better Mexican food in Mexico. There is no doubt about that. Yet I was surprised at the degree to which the Mexican food in Texas resembled the food I've come to think of as traditional Mexican food.
One often hears the comment that Mexican food in the United States is more Tex-Mex than traditional Mexican food. Yet a lot of the Tex-Mex I've had in this state has not been like the Mexican food I've had in other parts of the country. For example, I would not say that Mexican food in California is like Tex-Mex, because the Tex-Mex I've had resembles traditional Mexican food more than it does Mexican food in California. Of course, I've not had the food throughout the entire state of Texas, but I have to say that my first impression is that the Mexican food here in Texas has gotten kind of a bum rap, since the crappiness of the bland food passed off as Mexican in other parts of the country is so often explained as being more Texan than Mexican. In general, the Mexican food I've had here has been much better than it is in other parts of the country.
It is a lot hotter on average, though.
Hernández Finer Foods, Dallas
Posted by crispy at April 7, 2007 11:34 PM
Comments
Tex-Mex vs Mexican is an ongoing debate, Crispy. Take a look at this article, for example: http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2007/03/the_quest_for_a.html.
There's a great book on the subject of Tex-Mex food: The Tex-Mex Cookbook, by Robb Walsh. Much more than a cookbook, Walsh's book is historical, pictorial, and highly entertaining. Walsh's thesis is that Tex-Mex isn't Mexican at all, but specific regional USA cooking--obviously with some strong Mexican antecedents.
There's a link to the book on the page with the article I linked to. Have fun!
Posted by: Cristina at April 8, 2007 09:37 AM
El Rancherito serves chila quiles (two words). They cover a plate with chips, add chicken or steak chunks, cheese, onions and green peppers and drench it with a hot sauce that's not quite accurately described as red, maybe more brown.
Anything close to chilaquiles?
[crispy says: Two words? That's just plain crazy. I would tend to argue that they're not really chilaquiles if they're only drenched in the sauce without really beingcooked in the sauce for a little bit. That is, if the sauce is just poured over chips right before serving, then no. Also, most of the time, they're not chips like corn chips you get in the US. They're more like tortillas that have been dried out by baking in the oven or even just sitting out overnight on the counter, being allowed to dry up.
All the same, it makes me proud that they have something on the menu that even comes close. You don't tend to find anything that close in most Mexican restaurants in the US...or at least that's been my experience. Maybe that's changing.]
Posted by: Mark Allen at April 8, 2007 11:58 AM
Just how much HOTter?
Posted by: Jon at April 9, 2007 05:50 PM
Well, the Rancherito chips appear to be fresh and homemade. The chila quiles is very soggy so I'm sure the meat and vegetables, at least, are cooked in the sauce.
I'm not a big fan due to the soggy quality and the fact it's more hot than flavorful. I love hot food that makes other people wince (I get garlic chicken from one of Olney's Chinese places and order it extra hot, then have to bang on the table and scream between bites because it's so hot ... and good!) but the chile quiles seems bland. Occasionally I punish myself while eating it by eating the accompanying pico de gallo to add some zest to the meal.
I'm a huge fan of the chips and used to take some home. Left in a non-sealed container, however, they're stale in a few hours. Sealed, they are still good later in the evening.
The Log adds salt but I like the fact they're not salty.
El Raunchy Burrito! Woo!
Posted by: Mark Allen at April 9, 2007 06:55 PM
California chilaquiles....CAMPING style. I was just out camping at pinnacles national monument this weekend, and for breakfast we cooked up some left over tortilla chips, roasted vegetables, and salsa. It was my first exposure to chilaquiles and it was the yummiest camping breakfast I'd ever had! I can't wait to try the 'real' thing down south.
Oh... and pictures of my camping trip: http://www.soswell.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Pinnacles
Posted by: Ian at April 10, 2007 07:51 AM