The Mexican food in San Diego and Cali really IS good. Love those fish tacos and the taquria on every corner culture. Guess my favorite place would be considered texmex, a place in Laredo called Danny's. There used to be a place in Houston (montrose area) called La Jaliescence that was killer. Big bowls of jalapenos and hot carrots and warmed salsa with every dish.
Taqueria Taconmadre on Edgebrook. Piratas tacos FTW! Queso blanco, bifstek, tocino y avocado But really tacos are separate from regional Mexican cuisine. Then within each region there are multiple influencers upon menus. Such as how much Aztec is in their blood and if the are from highlands or lowlands. Eat it all and enjoy!
Mexican cuisine by region Yucatan- In the Yucatan, a lot of the cooking is based on the use of the Annatto seed. The annatto seed is a derivative of the achiote tree, indigenous to the area. The seed is used to produce a red food coloring and also as a flavoring. Its scent is described as slightly peppery with a hint of nutmeg and flavor as slightly sweet and peppery. Northern Mexico(El Norte)- The cuisine of Northern Mexico, or El Norte, is mostly beef and meat. Specific states within this region prepare specialties unique to the region. The state of Sonora is known for its tender beef; since the beef is so flavorful the salsa in this region is usually milder. The mining town of Alamos is known for filet mignon topped with chipotle-tomatillo sauce. El Norte also prepares some dishes with goat and sheep meat. Along with the livestock industry is dairy; queso Chihuahua is one of the finest Mexican cheeses. Accompanying the beef, Mexicans usually prepare pinto beans and are usually prepared in dishes called frijoles charros or frijoles borrachos. The Pacific Coast- With the ocean on the west and the Sierra Madres to the east, the Pacific Coast region is home to Mexican cuisine that truly unique. The dishes of this region take advantage of the coastal environment. Coastal states like Sinaloa, Nayarit, and Colima prepare food centered around seafood and the tropical fruits of the region. Popular sea food dishes include: marlin, swordfish, snapper, tuna, shrimp, and octopus. The state of Jalisco is home to tequila and it is often served with meals. Nayarit is home to over ten different kinds of mangos and bananas. Some regional fruit drinks include tepache, which is made from fermented pinapple rinds and sugar as well as tejuino, which is made from fermented corn.
Below are some of the favorite cuisines of each region: Northern Region (Nuevo Leon, Chihuahua, Tampico, Sonora, Baja California, Coahuila, Baja California Sur) Cabrito al pastor - A baby goat is cooked over glowing coals in order to obtain crispiness. It is served with guacamole, salsa, roasted onions and tortilla chips. Carne machaca - This type of food was developed by Tlazcaltecas which is a specialty of Nuevo Leon. It is a sun-dried beef prepared with garlic, tomato and chili. Another variation is the machaca con huevo, having tomatoes, onions and diced egg. Machaca can be shredded with lime juice as an appetizer. El Bajío Region (Aguascalientes, Querétaro, Michoacán, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas) Blanco de Pátzcuar - This is a tender white fish from Lake Patzcuaro. It is marinated, flour coated with egg and fried. It is often served with olive oil, also having minced garlic and a side salad Enchiladas de plaza - A Morella specialty of cheese enchiladas having chicken (poached and fried), potatoes, onions, chilies and carrots Mexico City and central region (Hidalgo, Toluca, Tlaxcala, Morelos) Chiles en nogada - This is a largely mild poblano chilies recipe having ground meat, nuts, fruits and spices. It is covered with silky cream sauces, walnuts and cheese garnished with pomegranate seeds. The nation's flag is being represented through its white, red and green colors Mole poblano - This is Mexico's most famous dish having 35 ingredients being used in making its sauce. Ingredients include the following: o Herbs o Spices o Chile o Sesame seeds o Chocolates o And nuts It is fried, toasted and combined into paste. Later on, it is cooked again in lard. Lastly, it is thinned with broth and made into a multilayered sauce Pacific Coast Region (Guerrero, Sinaloa, Jalisco, Nayarit, Colima, Oaxaca, Chiapas) Birria - This is a regional barbacoa lamb made in Guadalajara. It is wrapped in aloe leaves, smoked, steamed and cooked in a fire pit. Then, it is simmered in broth with coriander and onion Camarones rellenos - This is Sinaloa's stuffed shrimp and is wrapped in bacon strips. It is fried and covered with garlic, chili and sour cream. Mole negro - Oaxaca's black mole with chilhuacle negro chili Gulf Coast Region (Tabasco, Veracruz) Huachinango a la Veracruzana - This is a fresh red snapper that is marinated, boiled and bathed in tomato sauce, capers, onion, olives and spices. Yucatán Peninsula Region (Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo) Cochinita pibíl - This is a baby pig that is marinated overnight and cooked for long hours inside a pit. It is wrapped in banana leaves having onions prior to having it baked or grilled. Sopa de lima - This is a type of lime soup that is made with shredded chicken, turkey broth, chili, tomatoes, coriander and limes. Sizzling tortilla chips are also being added to complete the meal.
Just dropped by to say if you've ever had a taco "al pastor" in Texas. It's just seasoned bits of pork cooked in a skillet. In Mexico, they cook it on a shwarma (Mexican-Lebanese culture), and I've recently found via Reddit that you can find some places that cook tacos al pastor on a shwarma out in Cali. Does anyone know of a place like that here in Texas?
I've only had TexMex, never real Mexican cuisine, so I wouldn't know the difference. My mum has been to Mexico and said the tacos she tried there was substantially different than, say, Taco Bell. She said it was kind of bland. Must be the cheese in Texas. Funny thing is that I was somewhere in Asia, saw a little "Mexican" restaurant, and missing Taco Bell like crazy, I went in. I ordered a taco and a burrito and when it came, it looked nothing like what I was accustomed from Houston. First off, they gave me a spoon and a fork with my tacos and I was like "really?" and the waitress was like "yeah in Mexico that's how you eat it," so I ate it with a spoon and fork. weird.
I knew shwarmas were popular in Middle Eastern cooking, but had no idea Mexican cooking was influenced by them. Learned something new. Neat.
The best tacos is little resturant called Los Reyes. Get the faj. tacos, flower tor. I think there are two locations. one on McCarty and one somewhere in 290.
Hey bobmarley - thanks for all the good posts here. guess I'm kinda hijacking, but your mention of Edgebrook St brings back fond memories. Is the old late 60's style Baskin Robbins still there? There was also one of those old Taco Bell's with the mission front with an actual bell also.
At Hugo's they have an awesome veggie plate. I'm a meat eater, but still get that dish occasionally because it's so good.
