AMERIQUE:


A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: It is the unspoken statistic, but it is as real as anything to do with the lingering U.S. war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the military, 1,800 American servicemen have killed themselves since the initial invasion of Baghdad. That is in addition to the more than 4,000 who died in battle. This week, families of the soldiers who committed suicide asked President Barack Obama to change the government policy of not forwarding letters of appreciation to mothers and fathers of these servicemen. By week's end, the White House had reversed the policy and agreed that such letters are needed, as well... - Eduardo Paz-Martinez, Editor of The Tribune

Monday, August 9, 2010

LANDSCAPE: The Tacos May Be Great, But The Architecture Isn't...

By RICARDO KLEMENT
Staff Writer

McALLEN, Texas - If life is a juicy, tasty, crispy chicken taco, as most of my friends here like to say, then I ask this: when, oh when are we going to see that one great, out-of-this-word Tex-Mex restaurant. I don't mean in a food vein; I mean, when is the taco joint architecture around here going to get better. If it isn't a faux adobe place, it's the corner of an economic strip mall. If it isn't a bland stand, it's an old frame house at the back of a mesquite-lined, gravel lot.

Here's what we'd like to see.

That photo atop this story looks like the perfect Country & Chicanoe cafe to me. It's a Tex-Mex restaurant in...Turkey. Or to be more precise, it overlooks the scenic city of Izmir on the Aegean Sea coast. Now, that would get me in the mood for some Mole Enchiladas and six-seven good stiff drinks, followed by at least three hours of good sex with a well-hipped, big-lipped woman. Mariachis? Helicopter those guys onto the grassy floor! And someone bring me my 2-iron. I feel like hitting some screaming line drives that'll go forever down the mountainside. With all the goddamned spice usually thrown into fiery Tex-Mex fare, well, it should come with peripheral excitement. I say a driving range, but it could be shuffleboard for the elderly or belly-dancers for the young bucks.

In our ongoing Great Taco Hunt from one end of the Rio Grande Valley to the other, we've yet to find that singular Killer place, that one spectacular restaurant that stands head & shoulders above all the rest. Some hungry-types in Brownsville say it's The Toddle Inn. In Harlingen, the night-eaters point to Las Cazuelas and in McAllen the pretty people say it's Don Pepe's. All three are okay, but their architecture does nothing for the architecture critic in me.

So next time you bop into a Tex-Mex joint in this heavily-Hispanic part of the world, just know that there atop those rolling hills of western Turkey, there alongside rebellious Syria and bankrupt Greece and mischievous Iran, sits one Helluva gorgeous Tex-Mex joint.

"Que wild, si..."
- 30 -

8 comments:

Maria Luisa Tovares said...

Alcatraz, Panchitos in San Antonio, sells great tacos de fajistas en arina with three different hot sauces, I hate to say this because I am local, but they do cook some good tacos out in Bexas county.
Las Cazuelas, is okay, but so is el taquito in HARLINGEN, by the way a lot cops go eat there, they sell some huge tacos and small tacos.
I m sure you are going to post your choice.

Patrick Alcatraz said...

MARIA LUISA:...Well, we don't eat cheese or flour, so tortillas de harina are out. Best taco I've had in Texas was at a place known far & wide in Harris County as Cyclone Anaya's Tex-Mex restaurant. Second-best came at Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth. Third-best was a joint known as Enrique's in San Angelo. Fourth place goes to Cuquita's in Big D. Fifth Place is La Fogata in San Antonio. Sixth Place is - or was cause it's no longer there - Leonardo's in Brownsville. Worst Taco: a horrible joint in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but I should've expected that, right?... - Editor

Anonymous said...

(Worst Taco: a horrible joint in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but I should've expected that, right?)

Hell, you don't have to travel far from Mexico to have some bad Mexican food. Actually, my worst meal was in Mexico. The town's name was Roswell, new MEXICO. I was starving, but I left at least half of the food on the plate.

ralphy

The taco Bell Chihuahuahuahuahuahuuuuaaauuuuaaa said...

Holy Black Frijoles Batos Gachos !!
I Love the New Cantina Tacos from My Joint; Taco Bell, come and try them , You can even get something else besides Cilantro into Those tasty Tacos !!!
Orale Batos Locos, come and Ahi Los wacho ...

> The best Tortillas de harina tacos in town were the ones from
" WAWIS " - a 2 feet long Tacote.

Luisa Tovares said...

Chihuahua, go take a hike to the outhouse of Alaska and Take Ralphy with you, his new name is: "The mouth of the South."
And feed him nothing but Taco Bell tacos. He use to be a cop, or he says, he was probably the Janitor.
And is use to free meals.

M.L.Tovares said...

Well speak Ralphy, what's the matter the cat bite your tongue???

M.L.T. said...

Just what I thought, Ralphy, went silent, you bum, I m kind of pissed off for comparing me to your Comadre.
You have been having it your way on this blog.

Anonymous said...

(You have been having it your way on this blog.)

Buahahahahahahahahaha!!!

ralphy