Mexican food in OKC besides Ted's?

[Roger S]

Another Teds thread, yay!

I don't understand the fascination with Ted's. as others have said there are TONS of other just as good options.

Well I hate to argue semantics but this thread is about places other than Ted's..... Or if you are a Radical Moderate places beside Ted's.

[Buffalo Bill]

as others have said there are TONS of other just as good options.


Tex-Mex

Big Truck Tacos

Tex-Mex? Them's fightin' words.

[RadicalModerate]

This has nothing to do with politics. Food is subjective. Politics are
cognitive.

I think that 1492 will serve good food.
Therefore, I think I will go there
If it ever opens in Cassdy Square.
I think, therefore I eat.
Ergo, et cetera: vice-versa.

To wit: Ted's is OK and therefore, by definition not MX, nor TX nor TX-MX.
And the only thing beside Ted's serving burrito like stuff is a Seven-11.

And just when was it that they started measuring restaurants in tons?
Is that some sort of creeping plot by Metricaliens?

[boscorama]

It's been said before and I'll say it again. Teds' excellent service and generosity of yummy freebies is unmatched (as far as I know). Be it Tex-Mex-Okie-whatever, it's the best deal for the price.

Not to derail the non-Teds subject matter.

[Prunepicker]

It's been said before and I'll say it again. Teds' excellent service and
generosity of yummy freebies is unmatched (as far as I know). Be it
Tex-Mex-Okie-whatever, it's the best deal for the price.

Not to derail the non-Teds subject matter.

I must say that Ted's chips and salsa are very good. However, the
Atomic is lame. I believe it was created for the sake of heat. It's
not very tasty, in fact, it leaves a noxious green bell pepper taste in
my mouth. I don't like green bell pepper.

I'm trying to think of a Tex-Mex restaurant in OKC that doesn't
provide generous portions of chips and salsa to the patrons.

[Prunepicker]

I think that 1492 will serve good food.
Therefore, I think I will go there

If I remember correctly, and I do, 1492 is located where Beverly's
was on N. Walker. I was under the impression it was South American.
Do they serve Tex-Mex? I can't stand authentic Mexican food.

[WilliamTell]

I can't stand authentic Mexican food.

Same here. I've tried to like it, but i just cant. I've been all over mexico and tried numerous restaurants (and even state side 'true' mexican restaurants) and my favorite true mexican food came from a hot food section of a grocery store in Tulum Mexico.

With that said i would rather of had a childa platter from taco beuno. I just have to have flour tortillas and shredded or melted cheese.

[bluedogok]

I'm trying to think of a Tex-Mex restaurant in OKC that doesn't
provide generous portions of chips and salsa to the patrons.

Most of the locals there include queso and tortillas in the setup, most of the national chains typically have not. Once you get outside of OKC pretty much all you get is chips and salsa and many even charge for a different flavor salsa. A cup of queso is usually about 4.00 and some places charge 25 cents a tortilla, don't even think about something like sopapillas being included in the meal. Also the prices at the national chains is typically more than the locals there and more reflective of prices nationally. Most local Mexican (Tex-Mex, Okie-Mex, etc.) places are cheaper and give you more than you get outside of OKC.

My wife likes Ted's, it is like the food that she grew up on that her mother made in West Texas and neither of us are real fond of real Mexican food, no matter the regional flavor. Most of those places that I have tried just weren't very good, either in OKC or Austin and one of those places in Austin was one that many raved about (Polvo's). It was edible, not bad, I just didn't like it as well as Tex-Mex. It was a place that I would go to with a group but would never choose to go to on my own.

[Pete]

Yes, I've never seen this setup elsewhere but in OKC it seems to be the standard.

Not only free chips and salsa (typical just about everywhere) but also free queso, tortillas and sopapillas.


IIRC, the original Cocina da Mino off of Shields started this trend back in the 80's and when they opened a bunch of locations, it seems the rest of the OKC Mexican places followed their lead.

[bluedogok]

I remember that Cafe Ole had the same type of setup at the 58th & May location before I had ever heard of Cocina de Mino but then I didn't make my way down to Shields very often. Not sure if the other, older El Chico locations had it but for some reason I think the Shepherd Mall location did as well. I know when the one opened up at Britton & May and Edmond they were resistant to the idea of providing the same type of setup but I think the older El Chico franchise owners were a bit different than the newer El Chico stores that opened up in the late 80's/early 90's.

[Prunepicker]

IIRC, the original Cocina da Mino off of Shields started this trend back in
the 80's and when they opened a bunch of locations, it seems the rest of
the OKC Mexican places followed their lead.

El Charitto provided free corn tortillas, chips and salsa, we called it hot
sauce, in the 60's. They also served nachos. A chip with a slice of
cheddar and a slice of jalapeno that had been heated under the broiler.
Maybe a dozen chips so decorated for $0.75. In the late 50's Arizona
also provided chips and salsa, also called hot sauce, to the patrons.
This was the first time I'd ever experienced a flour tortilla. I remember
traveling on US 66 and stopping at the local restaurants.

[Prunepicker]

I remember that Cafe Ole had the same type of setup at the 58th & May
location before I had ever heard of Cocina de Mino...

OY! I thought you were older than me. Pedro's, we called it Pete's on
about S.W. 55th and S. Shields provided chips and hot sauce with all
meals. In fact, if you only ordered iced tea you'd get chips and hot
sauce. This was in the 60's and 70's.

El Chico, in Shepherd Mall, served chips and sauce from the inception,
which was in the late 60's.

The repulsive cheese sauce, so prevalent in today's Tex-Mex restaurants,
was a creation of the 80's. I think it was because it was served at
baseball parks and football games. To this day I won't eat it.

I honestly am surprised that anyone believes this started in the 80's.

ACK!

But I'm older than most on OKC Talk

[Larry OKC]

Which reminds me of when I heard Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) say on one of her cooking shows that she thought that cilantro tasted like dish soap.

I can relate...most things with cilantro in it taste very bitter to me so I try to avoid it as an ingredient...but there may be different types as the stuff Taco Bueno uses in their Pico doesnt have that bitterness to me at all???

OY! I thought you were older than me. Pedro's, we called it Pete's on
about S.W. 55th and S. Shields provided chips and hot sauce with all
meals. In fact, if you only ordered iced tea you'd get chips and hot
sauce. This was in the 60's and 70's.

El Chico, in Shepherd Mall, served chips and sauce from the inception,
which was in the late 60's.

The repulsive cheese sauce, so prevalent in today's Tex-Mex restaurants,
was a creation of the 80's. I think it was because it was served at
baseball parks and football games. To this day I won't eat it.

I honestly am surprised that anyone believes this started in the 80's.

ACK!

But I'm older than most on OKC Talk

As far back as I can remember, Casa Bonita (1968) and Panchos have always served complimentary chips/salsa/queso. Most places I have been to here and in Texas do at least the chips & salsa. El Chico a few years back started charging 50 cents for 3 flour tortillias (corn were free). But that didn't last too long. Some places charge for queso some don't. Most is worthless crap that does taste like the kind dispensed from a machine at 7-11. The "good stuff" is the kind Bueno & Casa served (made with Velvetta and Rotel), Sopapillias (sp) free or charge vary from place to place.

[Prunepicker]

Cilantro is a, barf, so-called FRESH Mexican ingredient. It's fine as a
very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very sparse ingredient.
However, if you can taste it, it's too much. Therefore it's best not
to ever use it. In fact, if it's a so-called FRESH Mexican ingredient
it's best to not use it in any way, shape or form.

So-called FRESH Mexican is disgusting. Very, very disgusting.

[bluedogok]

OY! I thought you were older than me. Pedro's, we called it Pete's on
about S.W. 55th and S. Shields provided chips and hot sauce with all
meals. In fact, if you only ordered iced tea you'd get chips and hot
sauce. This was in the 60's and 70's.

El Chico, in Shepherd Mall, served chips and sauce from the inception,
which was in the late 60's.

The repulsive cheese sauce, so prevalent in today's Tex-Mex restaurants,
was a creation of the 80's. I think it was because it was served at
baseball parks and football games. To this day I won't eat it.

I honestly am surprised that anyone believes this started in the 80's.

ACK!

But I'm older than most on OKC Talk

I seem to remember El Chico at Shepherd Mall having it as well but we didn't eat much Mexican food until I was in my teens, which was in the mid 70's (I'm 48). We went to the El Chico at Shepherd Mall or N May or Monterrey House most of the time. I didn't grow up on Tex-Mex like my wife did where it was homemade for them, she does make the best tortillas. That is one thing about regional differences, the flour tortillas here in Colorado seem to be much thinner than the ones that I have had in Oklahoma or Texas, more like corn tortilla thickness. I'm not much of a cilantro fan as well, it tends to be over used to me.

[Roger S]

Cilantro is a, barf, so-called FRESH Mexican ingredient. It's fine as a
very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very sparse ingredient.
However, if you can taste it, it's too much. Therefore it's best not
to ever use it. In fact, if it's a so-called FRESH Mexican ingredient
it's best to not use it in any way, shape or form.

So-called FRESH Mexican is disgusting. Very, very disgusting.

I'm just the opposite. I love cilantro, and kind of like garlic, I don't think you can ever have to much.

[RadicalModerate]

I seem to recall that studies have been conducted that indicate certain people have a gene related to their sense of taste that makes them extra sensitive to the taste of cilantro (in a negative way). I have been learning to acquire a bit of appreciation and/or tolerance for the flavor. While I'm thinking about it: Steer clear of any "authentic Mexican/Latin/Tex(etc.)-Mex" food that uses Belgian endive as an ingredient. I bought some (it was real pricey) and cooked it just like Jacques Pepin said to and still its bitterness reminded me of rotten cabbage cooked in rancid Brussels Sprout concentrate (another thing I don't think I'll ever eat again =). (so is the "intellectual property tax" on those statements about two-cents?)

[kevinpate]

OKBBQEA, as much as I wish it weren't so, I have discovered that is is indeed possible to have too much garlic. Darn it.

[onthestrip]

I'm just the opposite. I love cilantro, and kind of like garlic, I don't think you can ever have to much.

Well I thinkg there is a limit for me but it takes a lot to get there. I think a little cilantro makes everything better, especially mexican dishes. I even think putting some on your scrambled eggs makes them better.

[Hawk405359]

I like cilantro as long as it's not overdone. Roasted garlic can never be overdone to me, but raw garlic can be.

I always liked the real Mexican food to tex-mex and any of it's variants. In fact, as weird as it is, I don't ever see a big difference between so called good tex-mex and bad tex-mex.

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
You're such a child. I didn't care for the pungent aroma of cilantro but have learned that it like other spices/herbs, when used properly (sparingly), can make a good recipe better without even knowing it's in the preparation. I have experimented with salsas and while holding my nose, finely chopped the cilantro and added it to the food processor. Then I made the same salsa without it and darned if the one with cilantro wasn't better. I'm sure one of our chef's, (RadicalModerate comes to mind) can explain this phenomenon. I do know that some other things I don't care for (not talking Mexican recipes now) are called for in some things I like really well. Now, as for cilantro, if somebody uses a lot or a recipe calls for too much, the taste will overpower my taste buds and that turns me off really quick. It still gets back to what an individual likes and sometimes just knowing something is in a recipe turns me off even if I can't taste it. Worms and grasshoppers are good protein, just don't tell me they are in what I am eating.
C. T.

[Prunepicker]

I was a bit overboard on the cilantro thing. My true opinion is if you can't
taste it why use it. I can put up with a little cilantro, in fact I grow it.

[Prunepicker]

In fact, as weird as it is, I don't ever see a big difference between so
called good tex-mex and bad tex-mex.

That's weird. I see it as night and day. There is very little so-called
real Mexican, include Central American, food I can stand. I don't like
fresca at all.

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
OK, this begs the question, if you don't like it why do you grow it? And to answer your question, have you ever used star anise? Could you taste it? I have and no, I couldn't taste it, but it made a lot of difference in the Chinese spare rib stir fry. It adds to the overall quality/taste without being overpowering. My best example is that I can't stand milk, but if I eliminated every thing with milk in it, I would starve. I also don't like mustard, but the best hickory smoked ribs I ever prepared were coated with mustard, then smoked. Not a hint of mustard aroma or taste, but they were so tender. I was about to give up on smoking ribs because they just didn't come out right. Regardless, I understand your feeling about cilantro, I'm an extremely picky eater, but wanted to point out that certain things can contribute without being a major player in a recipe.
C. T.

I was a bit overboard on the cilantro thing. My true opinion is if you can't
taste it why use it. I can put up with a little cilantro, in fact I grow it.

[SOONER8693]

Yes, I've never seen this setup elsewhere but in OKC it seems to be the standard.

Not only free chips and salsa (typical just about everywhere) but also free queso, tortillas and sopapillas.


IIRC, the original Cocina da Mino off of Shields started this trend back in the 80's and when they opened a bunch of locations, it seems the rest of the OKC Mexican places followed their lead.

Now this was before my day, not born yet, but my parents and older brother who was a youngster at the time, have told about eating real Mexican food at a place in Henderson, Texas. There they were served saltine crackers and hot sauce before the entree came. This was in the mid to late 40's.