Mexican food in OKC besides Ted's?

[boscorama]

LOL I've wondered about what people in Mexico eat on a daily basis.

[Prunepicker]

LOL I've wondered about what people in Mexico eat on a daily basis.

A former student of mine was Mexican and he was a fan of Abel's
(pronounced Ahh-bels). However, he mentioned that his Mom made Fresca
cheese and he loved it. I believe that's one thing a typical meal will have.
They also eat Nopal, or prickly pear, cactus in salad. Of course, tortillas
are a staple.

[boscorama]

Have you ever been to the place in Bryant Square, on 2nd facing north (Los Alcos or somesuch)? Every time we go (lunch) we swear it's the last time, mainly because of the service. Food is ok-2-good. The lunch crowd consists of all sorts including a heavy presence of laborers of Hispanic descent, every time we've been there.

Ted's (lunch), on the other hand, is filled with WASPS; parking lot devoid of work trucks.

[Prunepicker]

Ted's (lunch), on the other hand, is filled with WASPS; parking lot devoid
of work trucks.

I won't eat at Ted's again unless someone is buying. It's not worth it.

[RadicalModerate]

So . . . I guess the true measure of the authenticity of how good a [mexican] restaurant is has finally gone full circle to that trope of the 50's: "You can tell how good a restaraunt is by the number of trucks parked outside." Therefore, it follows, naturally, that if there are a bunch of Taco Trucks in the parking lot it must be EXTRA good . . . Doesn't it? =)

[WilliamTell]

I'm not going to go back through the thread but has anyone posted about Tacos Don Nacho's?

The pictures dont do it justice, i went the other week and it was great. Right over by hobby lobby offices. Get there early because it is packed at lunch.

Tacos don Nacho - Suburban Southside - Oklahoma City | Urbanspoon

[Tavia]

I agree with you. It is clean, affordable and the food is great.

[Prunepicker]

We've been talking about Mexican food. Primarily Tex-Mex. I absolutely love
Tex-Mex. However, I can't stand the so-called "Fresh" Mexican food. What's
so fresh about a salad with a smattering of beef or chicken? And not to
mention that incredibly bad cheese they call "fresca"? Is there anything as
nasty? I mean it. Vomit has a fresher taste. Puke.

Gimme good ol' American Tex-Mex any day of the week. That so-called
Fresh Mexican is incredibly putrid. Barf.

[Rover]

LOL I've wondered about what people in Mexico eat on a daily basis.

There are lots of regional dishes in Mexico. Some of it is excellent, and some takes getting used to. I've had many great meals at some really fine restaurants in Mexico City especially.

Here, the one restaurant that tried to serve good authentic Mexican food was Cafe del Sol at Lake Hefner, but OKC didn't support it well. It was good, but not enough cheesy sauce and goo for here.

I think some of the little markets on SW 44th have good food.

Overall, I really like 1492. That opinion might be influenced by their premium Margaritas though.

[soonerguru]

I don't believe we have a truly great Mexican restaurant yet. We have many solid to very good options. The field is wide open for a Rick Bayless-style gourmet Mexican restaurant. Adobe Cafe was very, very good when it was in Moore; when it made the move to N. Shartel it didn't quite capture the same ambience. But it was very close to being outstanding.

We may need to import a serious Mexican restaurateur to pull this off, but I think OKC is clearly hungry for a five-star Mexican concept.

What I would like to see is the following five restaurants in OKC:

1. One out-of-the-park Tex-Mex restaurant. Mouthwatering, home-cooked Tex-Mex. NOT OKIE-MEX! We need that.
2. One high-concept, well-executed gourmet interior Mexican concept that is a true "destination restaurant."
3. One funky, Mexican-inspired restaurant that is hip and cutting edge with outstanding food quality (need not be "high end").
4. One inexpensive, hip burrito place that expands on the Chipotle offerings. I'm thinking a California-style place.
5. One out-of-this-world New Mexican-style restaurant, in the classic Santa Fe / Taos Northern New Mexican ouvre.

So far, we only have Green Chile Kitchen, which is quite good for the New Mexican style, but the menu is somewhat limited and it's in Yukon! There's a lot of room to expand our options in the Mexican department in OKC.

I should add that I enjoy going to Iguana Grill, but the food, while good, could be better. I also like Big Truck Tacos a great deal.

[soonerguru]

We've been talking about Mexican food. Primarily Tex-Mex. I absolutely love
Tex-Mex. However, I can't stand the so-called "Fresh" Mexican food. What's
so fresh about a salad with a smattering of beef or chicken? And not to
mention that incredibly bad cheese they call "fresca"? Is there anything as
nasty? I mean it. Vomit has a fresher taste. Puke.

Gimme good ol' American Tex-Mex any day of the week. That so-called
Fresh Mexican is incredibly putrid. Barf.

I don't know what to say to this other than I wish you would accompany me on a food tour. I might be able to change your mind on some things. Sorry you've had some bad experiences.

[bluedogok]

3. One funky, Mexican-inspired restaurant that is hip and cutting edge with outstanding food quality (need not be "high end").

We miss Torchy's Tacos that we went to in Austin, it started out as a food trailer. They have started expanding in Texas. We still haven't found a similar place here in Denver.
Torchy's Tacos

4. One inexpensive, hip burrito place that expands on the Chipotle offerings. I'm thinking a California-style place.

Another Denver based burrito place (Chipotle is based in Denver), Illegal Pete's has expansion plans to other states.
Illegal Pete's

[kevinpate]

I don't know what to say to this other than I wish you would accompany me on a food tour. I might be able to change your mind on some things. Sorry you've had some bad experiences.

Braver man than I. Last person I'd want on a food tour is someone who manages to repeatedly spew references to vomit and puke into their communications.

[Prunepicker]

I don't know what to say to this other than I wish you would accompany me
on a food tour. I might be able to change your mind on some things. Sorry
you've had some bad experiences.

I'm ready. Just tell me when.

[boscorama]

There are lots of regional dishes in Mexico. Some of it is excellent, and some takes getting used to. I've had many great meals at some really fine restaurants in Mexico City especially.

Here, the one restaurant that tried to serve good authentic Mexican food was Cafe del Sol at Lake Hefner, but OKC didn't support it well. It was good, but not enough cheesy sauce and goo for here.

I think some of the little markets on SW 44th have good food.

Overall, I really like 1492. That opinion might be influenced by their premium Margaritas though.

Thank you for that, but I still wonder what they eat in the mornings, at lunch, and dinner. Breakfast tacos, quesadillas and burritos, respectively? Waffles, roast beef sandwiches and fried chicken?

No disrespect intended, I'm just ignorant.

[Prunepicker]

Thank you for that, but I still wonder what they eat in the mornings, at lunch,
and dinner. Breakfast tacos, quesadillas and burritos, respectively? Waffles,
roast beef sandwiches and fried chicken?

No disrespect intended, I'm just ignorant.

For breakfast there's something called Megas (eggs) and it's served with
tortilla chips and salsa. Beans and tortilla are eaten, too.

[bluedogok]

Many of the restaurants in the Austin area serve a Mexican breakfast and most have migas. We have missed the Mexican breakfast places down there, a breakfast burrito (while some are good) is just not a proper substitute. We make breakfast tacos every so often since there isn't a bunch of places to go by and pick some up.

My wife said when growing up (in West Texas) they had homemade tortillas with every meal just like we had bread with almost every meal. The tortillas here tend to be thinner than those in OKC or Austin.

[Hawk405359]

Thank you for that, but I still wonder what they eat in the mornings, at lunch, and dinner. Breakfast tacos, quesadillas and burritos, respectively? Waffles, roast beef sandwiches and fried chicken?

No disrespect intended, I'm just ignorant.

Traditionally, tortillas and beans with almost every meal, generally. Breakfast will have eggs served one way or another (Huevos Rancheros and Migas are common). Spicy cuisine is normal at all times, with various chiles. Lost of long-cooked soups and stews are common. A lot of our tex-mex did come from Mexico, but it looks differently (corn tortillas rather than flour, for one).

That said, the way the world is today, they have many of the same food options that we do, so it's not rare to see more American style meals in Mexico now.

[Prunepicker]

Many of the restaurants in the Austin area serve a Mexican breakfast and
most have migas.

Migas is was I was meaning! Austin is where I first experienced Mexican
breakfast in the 70's. There was one place that was called the Bakery
and Sir Doug of the Sir Douglas Quintet was there almost daily. Another
place was George's and the Arroyo.

[RadicalModerate]

So I'm really curious about Cafe do Brazil and 1492.
Let me know the results of your culinary expedition. Please.
I'm a big believer in balancing both sides of The Culinary Experience Equation.
Like, I would really be P.O.'d (metaphorically speaking, without puking for no good reason) if Ingrid's started serving wraps in an attempt to be "trendy".
No?

[RadicalModerate]

Traditionally, tortillas and beans with almost every meal, generally. Breakfast will have eggs served one way or another (Huevos Rancheros and Migas are common). Spicy cuisine is normal at all times, with various chiles. Lost of long-cooked soups and stews are common. A lot of our tex-mex did come from Mexico, but it looks differently (corn tortillas rather than flour, for one).

That said, the way the world is today, they have many of the same food options that we do, so it's not rare to see more American style meals in Mexico now.

Flashback to The Day . . . (with apologies for re-posting =)

The sullen, vaguely Indian, but probably Mayan/ColoMex/Noble Plains Indian dude, who called himself "Jim" and maybe had five years on me at the time, with whom I worked at a Lumber Yard on the outskirts/sprawl development of Denver, up in Colorado ("Broomfield" heh heh heh] back around the time of The Nam (when i was a callow lad, or thereabouts) used to always have his breakfast from home consisiting of some tortillas, some eggs, maybe some inexpensive pork product and the hottest peppers ever to grace that particular point in time. We members of the Kowboy Honky-Klan, who chose to carry lunch to the workplace were always amused at those thin, primitive substitutes for bread. Now, I know better.

Back then, "Mexicans" around Denver were like "Ngrz" in OKC.
Yet that was a long, long time ago in a different world.
Jim was very quiet. One day he shared a story with me: He said, "The other night, I went to (this bar) and someone called me a 'dirty mexican'. I thought for a moment about driving him into the floor but thought again. I'm not a mexican and i'm not dirty. So I didn't. I thought, 'He can't be talking to ME. So instead of punching him out, tearing up my best new going out shirt my wife got me and going to jail I went in an had a good time."

Forgot to mention: Jim and I were good friends after that. I guess he needed someone to talk to and I wanted him to vouch for my fake ID at that bar. =)
To this day I have not sought out the peppers he used to improve his wife's gift from home in his lunchbox. (too spicy)

"Mexican Food in OKC Besides Ted's?" . . . indeed.


Edited to Add (for audio context without cilantro)



.

[bluedogok]

Migas is was I was meaning! Austin is where I first experienced Mexican breakfast in the 70's. There was one place that was called the Bakery and Sir Doug of the Sir Douglas Quintet was there almost daily. Another place was George's and the Arroyo.

El Arroyo on West 5th is still open, never did have breakfast there. We typically went to Don Dario's on South I-35 but most non-Mexican specific places like Kerbey Lane have migas and breakfast tacos/burritos as well. Rudy's BBQ was a regular breakfast taco place in addition to a few small places. The real popular Mexican restaurant for breakfast is Juan In a Million in East Austin, the wait there get a bit ridiculous.

[Rover]

Thank you for that, but I still wonder what they eat in the mornings, at lunch, and dinner. Breakfast tacos, quesadillas and burritos, respectively? Waffles, roast beef sandwiches and fried chicken?

No disrespect intended, I'm just ignorant.

I know my response was very generic. Again, much of the food is pretty regional, but generally they would have some combination of beans, eggs, chorizo, and tortillas (and there seems to be a pretty good variety of tortillas.. However, are alternative foods like a breakfast bread called pandulce. Fried potatoes are popular in some areas, often fried in the scrambled eggs. In the countrysides and small villages, many people are poor and don't eat so much meat, especially for breakfast. In Mexico City there are breakfast tortas, a kind of sandwich, like we might have an egg McMuffin. Salsa is served with everything and every meal.

In some places I have had chilaquiles (tortilla with tomato sauce, chicken or egg, served with cream, onion and fresh coriander). There are lots of other regional specialties that are delicious and I can't remember the names.

I like the simple lunch and dinner...steaks and fried strips of jalepeno peppers in lots of butter.

[boscorama]

Many of the restaurants in the Austin area serve a Mexican breakfast and most have migas. We have missed the Mexican breakfast places down there, a breakfast burrito (while some are good) is just not a proper substitute. We make breakfast tacos every so often since there isn't a bunch of places to go by and pick some up.

My wife said when growing up (in West Texas) they had homemade tortillas with every meal just like we had bread with almost every meal. The tortillas here tend to be thinner than those in OKC or Austin.

Last year I had breakfast at Maude's in Austin. Breakfast burritos. It was very good but OMG, that was a lot of food!

So, is Maude's representative of what people in Mexico have for breakfast?

[RadicalModerate]

Perhaps if the Maude's location is in Mexico City, Mazatlan, Acapulco, Puerto Penasco or Matamoros . . . =)
(and if there are a lot of hardworking Mexican trucks with hardworking Mexicans parked out front instead of a bunch of Gringo rent-a-cars)