We're in desperate need of a good Mexican restaurant. El Vaquero, our favorite, has closed forever and so we're on the hunt. We tried El Korita last night and it didn't make the grade. The Planet Orland has a decent number of Hispanic residents and so you would think that finding a good Mexican restaurant would be fairly easy. But no, most of these restaurants prepare food as they think Anglos would like it and not the way they would prepare it for friends and family. Canned and not fresh seems to be the rule.
And further afield, in Chico, the situation isn't much better. Mexican restaurants open and close on a regular basis there because no one can get it right. And too many of the others are open only because their regular patrons think canned food is acceptable.
Best ever Mexican restaurant for us was El Tecolote, located in the middle of the orchards of Camarillo, California. But that's a long way to go for a plate of chile verde.
Hmmm. Now that I think about it, most ethnic restaurants cater to Anglo tastes, which is why we can't find a decent Chinese restaurant either.
I was thinking about Mints in Rancho Cordova the other day. How great was that Vietnamese food? I have yet to find such a restaurant around here. Best Mexican? Santa Fe N.M. but again too far away. When you guys come out this way, we shall have to do a food hunt for a great Mexican place here.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Remember the chicken in the pot?
ReplyDeleteI still think 'fresh' is the key. And cooks who cook to please and not to get a paycheck.
When we first moved to Oklahoma we were dismayed by the choices in Mexican food. But, with the influx of Latin Americans into the region over the years the situation has improved. We couldn't even buy cilantro here 30 years ago! There's an excellent restaurant in Tahlequah called El Zarape. It's the gold standard by which Dorothy and I judge any other Mexican food.
ReplyDelete