what the HECK is in mexican food??

[Alan L.]

Just an adendum to my Mexican food post. We were in Grand Lake, Colorado one winter and hungry for Mexican food. I called a well known "Mexican Food" restaurant and ask for prices. I was told it would be "about $7 or $8 typically. Not bad.

I gather up the family and we went to the restaurant. Turns out, ONE taco was $7, ONE enchilada was $7, and there wasn't a plate with all the traditional entrees on it, like enchiladas, beans and rice.

To make matters worse, in the enchiladas, tomales, rice, beans, not a pepper or any kind of red sauce to be found anywhere. The food didn't taste particularly bad, but it dang sure wasn't Mexican food!!!!

 

[Bird]

Alan, I guess we're accustomed to "Tex-Mex" and generally like it best, although I'm not sure just how closely related to authentic "Mexican" food it is. A former next door neighbor couple, close friends of ours, were both of Mexican descent, both born and raised in the Kansas City area. He doesn't care for Pancho's either, and much of what they make is quite different from what we find in the restaurants, but delicious! I love her gaucamole; a little spicier than Pancho's. And in keeping with the Mexican tradition, they make tamales around Christmas time, but much different from the tamales you can buy in this area. He calls our local tamales "finger tamales". Instead of ground or shredded meat, they cut up a pork roast in approximately half inch cubes in a red sauce (I don't remember the recipe), and make tamales approximately 4 times the size of any I've seen elsewhere. And we've been joining them in December for the annual tamale making; have a great party and lots of good eating. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

However, he retired over a year ago and took up golf for the first time. Then she retired this summer and they've already moved to a retirement community in Florida so he can play golf every day. Sure gonna miss'em. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[itsmecindi]

Bird, you just described the kind of food we can get here. Tamales have chunks, burritos have chunks. It's the same concept as bar-b-que. What passes for bar-b-que out here is a joke. Who eats garlic bread and pork and beans with bar-b-que? Try getting a shredded bbq beef sandwich out here. It can't be done.

I desperately miss the Pitt Bar-B-Que places as well, do they have those where you are? Most of the bar-b-que places here serve what tastes like roast beef and don't even try to find a decent beef briskit.

 

[Bird]

Cindi, I haven't been to a Pitt Bar-B-Que in a long time; don't even know whether they're still around or not, but I think they are. We have so many barbecue places it's unbelievable, and new ones being built all the time. We usually do our own barbecue, but if we're going to eat barbecue in a restaurant, then there are 2 or 3 local independent places we go to. The only really bad barbecue we've found was in Williamsburg, VA (they must have been overstocked on syrup; it was so sweet it should have been served on pancakes /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif), and Mobile, AL (I think they must have accidentally spilled the vinegar bottle in the sauce) /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. So we do know of two restaurants we'll never try again. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[itsmecindi]

I have learned out of self defense to like italian and chinese. there are some fairly respectable restaraunts available for that, but I dream of the day when I can go back home to Texas and eat until I pop. Gues what though.....we are getting BLUBELLE ice cream next month! So all is not lost! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Cindi,

Just reading your subject line reminded me of a bit I saw a comedian do one time about working in a Mexican restaurant. He said the entire kitchen only held four ingredients; lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and beef.

I hope I remembered it correctly as I don't eat Mexican food. This guy went through I don't know how many different dishes that were made with those four ingredients.

 

[cstocks]

<font color="blue">...four ingredients; lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and beef.</font>

And tortillas. Gotta have corn of flour tortillas to wrap, roll, encase, or otherwise hold those four ingredients together. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bgott]

Bird, about Tex- Mex relating to authentic Mexican food, I went to a real restuarant in Juarez once instead of the tin shed or push cart taquerias I usually frequent when I'm down there. The waiter asked me if I wanted an english or spanish menu. I was trying to impress a girl I took down there with me so I asked for the spanish menu. There wasn't anything on it I recognized. I was going to wing it but the girl was a little smarter than me and held out for the english version. It was a good thing, too! The dish I was going to order was" Sea Squid in it's own ink on a bed of rice." /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[itsmecindi]

Gary I think that would be Taco Bell, and rightly so.

 

[B7500]

"just no guacamole. Eeee. Gross. "
Huh??? That's the best part.
-Terry