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From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

Beth1 has it right -- I grew up near the Mexican border in San Diego (18 year) before moving to Los Angeles (12 years) and now San Francisco (6 years).

The further away I got from the border, the worse the Mexican food got. Even as something as stupid as a Rubio's Fish Taco tastes better in and around San Diego than it does further north. It is one of those cuisines that has not traveled well and to imply that Chicago or New York has the best Mexican food is insidiously stupid. Don't you people know anything????

From Talk

NordicWare Annual Competition!!

I entered the NordicWare contest a year or two ago with what I *seriously* thought was the most brilliant recipe ever. The problem with mine was that it was 100% homemade and from scratch. It really is a great recipe. The winning recipe that year was from a boxed cake with canned cherries spiked with a bit of wine.

I'm serious and I have lost complete faith in these types of competitions.

From Talk

San Francisco sushi restaurant?

This is incredibly ironic... I live in Japantown and would heartily recommend Kiss, Toraya on Fillmore, or Fuku in the mall.

The ironic part is that I am in Panama right now and have had *really* excellent sushi at Sake Sushi in the Torres de las Americas building at Punta Pacifica, near the hospital. It really is comparable to what I eat in San Francisco! Sadly, the best sushi in California is located in a little town called Gardena, a bit south-west of downtown Los Angeles. San Francisco's sushi just isn't as good.

BTW, you Panamanians have the BEST Middle Eastern restaurant = Beirut at Ricardo Arias at Calle 52, near the Marriott Hotel. Stunning!

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Recent Comments | Response to Comments

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

Beth1 has it right -- I grew up near the Mexican border in San Diego (18 year) before moving to Los Angeles (12 years) and now San Francisco (6 years).

The further away I got from the border, the worse the Mexican food got. Even as something as stupid as a Rubio's Fish Taco tastes better in and around San Diego than it does further north. It is one of those cuisines that has not traveled well and to imply that Chicago or New York has the best Mexican food is insidiously stupid. Don't you people know anything????

From Talk

NordicWare Annual Competition!!

I entered the NordicWare contest a year or two ago with what I *seriously* thought was the most brilliant recipe ever. The problem with mine was that it was 100% homemade and from scratch. It really is a great recipe. The winning recipe that year was from a boxed cake with canned cherries spiked with a bit of wine.

I'm serious and I have lost complete faith in these types of competitions.

From Talk

San Francisco sushi restaurant?

This is incredibly ironic... I live in Japantown and would heartily recommend Kiss, Toraya on Fillmore, or Fuku in the mall.

The ironic part is that I am in Panama right now and have had *really* excellent sushi at Sake Sushi in the Torres de las Americas building at Punta Pacifica, near the hospital. It really is comparable to what I eat in San Francisco! Sadly, the best sushi in California is located in a little town called Gardena, a bit south-west of downtown Los Angeles. San Francisco's sushi just isn't as good.

BTW, you Panamanians have the BEST Middle Eastern restaurant = Beirut at Ricardo Arias at Calle 52, near the Marriott Hotel. Stunning!

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

This one is an absolute no brainer. I am a software programmer and fortunate enough to work for a company that allows me to work from home, I try my best to make a point of living in a different city every year, I pack light and go. I've gone from southern cali, mid-west to the east coast and NOTHING compares to the mexican food in San Diego! Travel just 60 miles up the coast to Los Angeles and the difference is night and day, doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same category. San Diego is on the border of Mexico, and the mexican food gets exponentially worse the farther you get from it. Ask anyone who has actually tried mexican food in mulitple cities, I will guarantee the same response, San Diego hands down. Anyone who calls them nachos instead of carne asada chips, or taquitos instead of rolled tacos can automatically be discredited in this discussion. Those of you who have lived in San Diego will know what I mean.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

Good grief, anyone who says that San Antonio has bad Mexican food and is "touristy" clearly didn't stagger far enough from the Riverwalk to learn anything about this city and its cuisine. People who actually *live* here don't go near the tourist areas, unless they have no choice.

And to say that LA *isn't* touristy but still has good Mexican food is just laughable. I didn't find one decent restaurant in all of California when I lived there. The food was horrible, and the service abominable.

When you get away from the downtown area of San Antonio, that's when you find out just how awesome the Mexican food is here. There are dozens of wonderful mom-and pop joints tucked into unexpected places all over San Antonio. You just have to know how to look.

And if you want the best Mexican food, anywhere, Texas's Lower Rio Grande Valley is the place to go. Until you've had seso or eyeball soup or panchos, until you can lay out the perfect botana platter, you don't know jack about authentic MX food.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

There is a place a bit north of Santa Fe called Chimayo. This is where the world famous Chimayo chiles come from. The place to eat there is Rancho de Chimayo--THE BEST for Mexican! Amazing atmosphere, service and food. Don't miss it.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

Tucson, Arizona. Glad to see so many giving love to The Old Pueblo.

1) Sonoran Hot Dogs (El Guero Canelo/BK's) - bacon wrapped hot dogs with beans, onions, mustard, mayo, tomatoes, your choice of salsas, cheese and grilled peppers/green onions on a soft bolillo roll. $2.29, $1.75 on Wednesdays.

2) 24 hour drive through taquerias. Under $4 for a burrito? At 3am?

3) Really good sit down Mexican restaurants. Mi Nidito. Love the nopales simmered in red chile sauce with freshly made flour tortillas.

4) Even the U of A's Mexican place, Cafe Sonora, has decent mole and chimichangas. If a damn college cafeteria can provide good Mexican food, there should be no argument.

I rest my case.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

Los Angeles obviously. It's not just about good mexican, but the diversity of mexican cuisine that LA has very few weaknesses in. Then, I'd give Texas second place and Chicago third with SF a close 4th.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

In Nashville the taco trucks are more authentic, and better then most sit down Mexican restaurants. This town is a total fail for Mexican food.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

I agree with fivrforfun. I live in Bend and the Mexican food at Pepe's rocks. My friend Marcos has a restaurant called La Rosa that is also a locals favorite.
Some really awesome burritos de carne asada can be found at El Grullense in Salem OR. In fact when I'm there I get a cooler and ice and load up before driving home... yes, that good!

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

Houston? What you have there is Tex-Mex. Chicago? I think not. I have lived in both cities. San Diego, CA which is 15 miles north of the Mexican border by far, has the best Mexican in the US. Old Town is dedicated to offering you one Mexican restaurant after another in addition to all the other Mexican restaurants and taco stands located around the city. Real Mexican food is found there.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

rozilla - there are some good Mexican restaurants in Nashville. Pueblo Viejo and Pueblo Real in Franklin, Las Cazuelas (can't beat the entertainment on Saturday night) or Los Arcos on Nolensville Rd. are all real good.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

C) Los Angeles. Taco trucks - 'nuff said.

I'm going to jump on the San Antonio is not real Mexican bandwagon, too. Some of the worst "Mexican" food I've ever had was there. Guess that's why they call it Tex-Mex.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

This is a poorly worded question. There is quite a bit of difference between Mexican and Tex-Mex.

LA and Houston have the two largest Mexican populations and will have the best and most representative regional Mexican food. Houston does have an edge here because:

1) Mexican food is not segregated to one part of the city, as it is in LA. Houston is a working city without zoning, where people live and eat right next to one another. Try to find passable Mexican food in Beverly Hills, on the other hand.

2) Houston has Hugo Ortega (who bests even Rick Bayless if you ask me) and Hugo's, one of the best upscale Mexican restaurants in the country. LA doesn't even come close in this category.

Now, if you are looking for Tex-Mex, it's a completely different story. Houston and San Antonio have both originated very distinctive brands of Tex-Mex food, and I have trouble choosing one over the other.

Skirt steak has been cooked around Texas since 1930's, but fajitas in their current incarnation took off in Houston. Today you find them all over the world, but Houston is without a doubt a fajita city.

Similarly, San Antonio have signature dishes that you rarely find faithfully replicated anywhere else. Puffy tacos, cheese enchiladas, thick and doughy flour tortillas. All unique to San Antonio and in a different world when it comes to Tex-Mex.

So to sum up, Houston is the best city for Mexican food, with a tie between Houston and San Antonio for Tex-Mex.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

I know I'm going to start a riot here (after reading the above comments), but San Antonio should not even be on this list. There are several decent taco joints, but that really is the extent of it. Most of the "Mexican" food here is really lacking, and other than a handful of recent arrivals (the aforementioned Picante Grill, as well as Cascabel's, and Guajillo's), there is almost no real Mexican food. We specialize in Texican, characterized by flour tortillas and chili gravy. Taco trucks have started to arrive in San Antonio in the last couple of years, so perhaps things are on an upward trend.

On the other hand, Chicago has phenomenal Mexican food all over the place, and a long weekend in Santa Fe last year was among my greatest runs of consistently amazing food (90% of it Mexican or New Mexican) ever.

(Full disclosure: My recent life: San Antonio 6 years -- Chicago 6 years -- San Antonio 2 years.)

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

Hey Lambowner - the "jump" is when you read an article that starts on the main page of the blog and is continued with full details on another page that's reached by clicking on a hyperlink in the first page. When you click on that link to read the full details you "jump to the other page.

I lack the experience to say where the best Mexican food is but it's sure as heck not in NY city or NY state. And I think that although having a large Mexican population does raise the chances of having good Mexican food available... adjacency to the border is an even stronger factor.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

G) Phoenix or Tucson. I'm horrified that one of them isn't on there.

From Serious Eats

What's the Best Mexican Food Town in the U.S.?

Of the limited subset of cities on your list Santa Fe wins by default, because it is the only one in New Mexico, which has good Mexican food even by Mexican standards. In San Francisco, Regalito Rosticeria on 18th @ Mission is actually very very good. Houston and San Antonio each have more than any one person's lifetime quota of deliciousness but they are more Texan than Mexican, not that there is anything wrong with that. If you are the kind of benighted connoisseur who thinks that a burrito is food go to Burritos Moyagua in Zacatecas or any of the major roads anywhere near it and shed a tear for your wasted years with "Mission-style" garbage. Truth be told the Mexican food in Mexico is getting a lot worse post Nafta and it won't be long before some hippy American assholes have caught up, in all likelihood it will be the southwest first.

From Talk

NordicWare Annual Competition!!

I totally understand where you are coming from.
That most famous Nordicware Tunnel of Fudge recipe came in second in the 17th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in 1966.
I have always felt that the baker was SusanLucci-ed out of a solid victory.

The grand prize in the contest went to a bread made with cheese spread and dry onion soup mix.
http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2007/02/07/pillsbury_runner_up_perseveres/

(Is there any chance of getting you to share your recipe?
There is no way on earth it can even stoop to the level of the boxed cake. And, if past history is any judge, you may yet have a solid winner on your hands.)

From Talk

San Francisco sushi restaurant?

That's so funny that you are in Panama now! Yes, the sushi at Sake is the best around, the rolls are good, but is lacking freshness/variety when you order sashimi. Beirut is really good. Let me know if you need more recs for Panama City.

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