Tex-Mex is the lowest form of Mexican food.

Geckos has to be on this list! Although they call themselves "southwestern"...

Anywho, they have the best margaritas. And in the nearly 10 years that I have been eating there I have never gotten anything that I didn't like.

I have no idea what Tex Mex is. Inauthentic Mexican is the closest I can come, but that doesn't seem right.

I suppose, with "Tex" in the name, large size would have to be involved.

Some of my favorite Tex-Mex in the area:
Austin Grill
Zen West
Geckos
Holy Frijoles

I think the most obvious difference between TexMex and just Mex is the language. No self-respecting Mexican restaurant has an English name.

Austin Grill is a prime example of Tex-Mex and exactly why a Top ten list of Tex-Mex is going to be a list of really mediocre food. Dreadful. Mexico has so many regional cuisines and all we get is a crappy version of the worst region.

I heard Woodrow Wilson's guns
I heard Maria crying
Late last night I heard the news
That Veracruz was dying
Veracruz was dying

Someone called Maria's name
I swear it was my father's voice
Saying, "If you stay you'll all be slain
You must leave now - you have no choice
Take the servants and ride west
Keep the child close to your chest
When the American troops withdraw
Let Zapata take the rest"

At one point Tony Bourdain did a show on the border communities. He went in search of good food. I think he mostly drank.

austin grill has my favorite wings in the area, 24hr marinated and char-grilled.
their margaritas, especially the high test are really good.
they also have great sunday brunch.

When I lived in DC, Guapo's was in my regular restaurant rotation. The fajitas featured thick strips of marinated meat, not thin slivers of meat overwhelmed by onions. And the margaritas were fresh, not made from a mix. I'm desperate to find a Guapo's-worthy restaurant now that I live in Baltimore. Looking forward to this top 10.

According to Wilkepedia, Tex-Mex is a mixture of native Mexican and Spanish cuisines developed by Texans of Hispanic descent back when Texas was part of New Spain. The term, Tex-Mex comes from the abbreviation used on the Texas-Mexican Railroad's train schedules.

Wikipedia? Really? That's like super lame. TexMex is all about like its rhyming don't get all fake erudite on us with falke wiki crap. Tex Mex is Chili's. Gag me. barforama

Tex-Mex were recipes used to involve Fritos and ground beef. I don't know anyone who died of eating any of it and it went well with beer. It would be a rare family that saved them to the family archives.

When y'all - or anyone else- have referenced Tex-Mex, I have made the same picture of the Fritos-thing and thought, Hmmmm, been there, done that Now, it turns out that actual restaurants in which I have eaten are Tex-Mex! Wow! Who knew!

I miss Armadillos.

Isn't Guapo the big word for bat poop?

I used to be able to find something to eat on the menu at Austin Grill when friends from Canton wanted to meet there. Now they have changed their menu to most burgers and other pub food, and the "Tex-Mex" food is awful. Eroc, you must not have eaten there in a while! I have had good Tex-Mex...in Texas. But not in Baltimore!

Guapo is handsome, Guano is bat poop. Growing up in Texas and spending time in Mexico City there is a vast difference in Mex and Tex-Mex. Tex-Mex tends to be more tortilla and chip based and is spicier and uses often yellow cheeses such as cheddar or american. Mexican food is more actual meat dishes and is not as spicy and uses often white cheeses like Asadero or Cortija, although I do think most tex-mex here is Charm City is not very good compared to back in Texas.

I have to admit as much as I like getting real tacos from the Taco Truck, I like "crappy" Tex Mex food too, cover it all in cheese and give me sour cream on the side. Ole!

Hon,
I know, right? I used to love The Hacienda on Belair Rd.

I used to live in Texas. There isn't much good tex-mex to be had around here. The only place that comes close is the Rio Grande in Bethesda.

It seems from the nature of most of the negative and dismissive comments above that those people have never had real tex-mex, particularly Ms. Jonnson.

It's hard to find good Tex-Mex outside of Texas, just as it's hard to find a proper "Maryland" crab cake outside of the Chesapeake Bay area.

Lots of negative and dismissive comments throughout the blog today.

Should we presume that the middle school kids are bored already with summer vacation or that Sessa's blog is down for repairs?

Exactly, Hon! I enjoyed my Chinese meal at Grace Garden last night (fish noodles - mmm!), but I also like the crummy Egg Foo Yung from the local joint. Totally different beast.

Likewise, the more authentic Mexican at the places in Upper Fells Point, and the quesadillas at a Tex-Mex joint. But that said, with a sister who has lived in Texas for 15 years (and who I make take me around for 2-3 Tex Mex meals everytime I visit), I also agree with the people who say we don't have very good versions around here, comparatively. I guess that means 3 different kinds of beasts: Mexican, crummy-tasty Tex-Mex, and real Texas Tex-Mex, each with its own virtues.

Since when is 'Mexican food' an umbrella term used to describe the cuisines of all Latin America? Last time I checked El Salvadorean and Peruvian weren't Mexican, I guess that means there's a few more beasts to consider.

RayRay,
The Hacienda was good.

I've mentioned these before, but it was awhile ago:
Chevy's Fresh Mex on Rt. 2 in Annapolis isn't bad, and they pack 'em in. I wonder how its doing now that the Parole Town Center is up the street.

In Ocean City, Tequila Mockingbird is pretty good. Its on Ocean Highway up around the 120s I believe.

Way to class it up Eve

This is going to be a tough list to compile without mixing Tex Mex and Mexican. Here is Wikipedia's attempt at defining Tex Mex (Mmmmmmmmmm fajitas):
Some ingredients are common in Mexican cuisine, but ingredients unknown in Mexico are often added. Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its heavy use of melted cheese, meat (particularly beef), beans, and spices, in addition to Mexican-style tortillas. Texas-style chili con carne, chili con queso, chili gravy, and fajitas are all Tex-Mex inventions.[citation needed] A common feature of Tex-Mex is the combination plate, with several of the above on one large platter. Serving tortilla chips and a hot sauce or salsa as an appetizer is common in Tex-Mex restaurants.[citation needed] Moreover, Tex-Mex has imported flavors from other spicy cuisines, such as the use of cumin (common in Indian food but used in only a few Central Mexican recipes).

Yes, lab rat. And because Salvadoran and Peruvian food (among others) aren't Mexican, let alone Tex Mex, people don't seem to be addressing them in this thread as yet. You know us - we're usually more than happy to head off in new directions, so if you have a contribution about one of those cuisines, why not throw it out there. (I'd love to hear where to get your favorite ceviche, for instance.)

But it hardly seems fair to assume we're ignorant because we didn't go on this particular tangent. (I assume your displeasure doesn't come from my referring to multiple Mexican restaurants in Upper Fells Point? My mention of their existence doesn't preclude the existence of other cuisines in the same neighborhood.)

lab rat, I've noticed that Baltimoreans tend to use "Mexican" to mean "Latin American."

Maybe I'll start calling all white people "English."

Tex Mex is limp

Maybe I'll start calling all white people "English."

Then we would think you were Amish

Is there something in the atmosphere that's causing a sudden outbreak of surliness on this normally blithe blog? I almost hesitate to recommend a Tex-Mex restaurant my wife and I enjoy. What the heck, I'll take my chances. Plaza Garibaldi in Glen Burnie dishes up some exceptionally tasty -- and relatively inexpensive -- tostadas, enchilladas and burritos. Their scrambled eggs with Chorizo, a personal favorite, always struck me as a Mexican cousin of lox, onions and eggs.

What is the difference between Tex Mex and what I grew up eating in California? (I never heard anyone say Cal Mex, by the way ...)

I'll second MAG on the eggs with chorizo at Plaza Garibaldi.

Eve, no one has ever mistaken me for Amish.

Tex Mex is what it is, food that most five year olds could make with a little guidance and a microwave and a frying pan. Still tasty. The tostada is the greatest invention ever.

Don't forget the Blue Agave in Federal Hill, which has authentic Mexican food and great margaritas.

Perhaps all of the Tex Mex disdain could be due to our lack of solid options in the Baltimore area - yesno? I'm personally hoping that the new place, Federales, in Federal Hill will swoop in and fill the void.
My fav top 2 Tex Mex spots are Lauriol Plaza and Uncle Julio's Rio Grande (Beth. and Rock.)

RE: Blue Agave - I would not eat there. I'd drink from their extensive tequila collection though!

Chi Chi's!

Chili's!

Taco Bell!

I have always assumed that Tex-Mex involved hard shell tacos, enchiladas which are filled and rolled, small burritos, chimichangas and, starting 25 years ago, fajitas. All of the above were served with a side of rice and a side of beans. Chi Chi's was my standard, for Tex-Mex, and my son is more than capable of consuming an entire 64 oz. (=4 lbs!) container of their medium Salsa in a week. There are times when I crave Tex-Mex enchiladas, and I know enough just to deal with it rather than get cranky with family and friends. Gotta have the beans too, but I don't much care for the rice (since I so love the paella it descended from).

I love the fact that there is now a string of places across the territory of Maryland that I used to travel that had better than average Tex-Mex for gringos like me plus a long list of more "authentic" Mexican or Central American dishes -- chalupas ("Mexican Boats" at LaPaz in Frederick!), pupusas, interestingly marinated and grilled or stewed meats and the like.

From East to West they include La Tolteca (Churchville and Bel Air), La Fiesta (Bel Air), El Salto (Carney), Los Amigos (Hamilton/Baltimore), Mari Luna (Pikesville), El Paso (one in Frederick, two in Hagerstown) and El Canelo (Frostburg and Oakland). There are undoubtedly others -- these are the ones I used detour to around lunch time.

The label Tex-Mex bothers me a little. I swear people just like the way it sounds. It seems like a generic catch-all for crappy gringo-friendly bar food. A few years ago Rob Kasper wrote something about food in Tucson, which borders the Sonora area of Mexico. The food in that area is distinctive and much much better than ghetto Tex-Mex. He started calling it Az-Mex and I sent him a polite but stern letter asking him to stop doing that. LQTM. I hate goofy nicknames. Mexican food varies widely from area to area , even between the areas of northern Mexico that border Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.

If you are ever in Tucson, they have some amazing Mexican/Sonoran food. It will ruin you, because everything else, especially Tex-Mex will seem sad and lame.

Chimichanga!

Another sign you're in a pretty decent Tex-Mex place (though not a guarantee) is if there are flautas on the entree menu. (Appetizers don't count, as they are standard SYSCO fare and are acutally just taquitos in disguise.)

Traditional entree flautas are served with guacamole and sour cream on top, and are made with full-sized fried flour tortillas that are typically filled with seasoned chicken or steak. They are rolled tighter than a burrito or enchilada, but less so than a taquito.

I should add about the flautas that even though they are fried, they are never greasy or even taste or appear fried. It's a dry fry, if that is possible.

This is so subjective. I feel that Sonoran Mexican food has soul and Tex-Mex, well, runs to the border.

This is a little random. The ad that I saw at the top of this page for for Alizee and it said "Top Ten Soft Crabs – Elizabeth Large, Dining@Large"

Log rolling at it's best.

Aiizee - "boutique bistro" ... ewwwww. I feel like I want to wash the Hugh Grant off of me.

Bam! I'm back! I can't wait for Fungasmic Thursday. I can't even remember what I wrote for this week before I went to rehab, I mean, vacation.

Canon-of-many-locations brings up a good point. Even good Mexican places often have to have the "usual" Tex-Mex stuff on the menu, or the gringos won't come. Chinese restaurants have the same problem.

El Salto, for example, has a bunch of pedestrian but cheap stuff on the lunch specials part of the menu (and perhaps dinner specials...I've only been there for lunch), but if you order from the more expensive regular part of the menu, you can get things like the wonderful Tacos El Salto, with yummy chorizo and a Chile D'Arbol salsa that was so good I had to spend awhile questioning a not-very-good-English-speaker to find out what it was made from.

i understand there are several Tex-Mex dishes, but really it mostly means fajitas.

Hal, your Chinese restaurant analogy is perfect. It's all about how stupid we are and insist on inauthentic crap. Tex-Mex is to 1970s Chinese, as Christmas tree is to Easy Bake Oven

What is your deal, OMG? you didn't bash tex mex enough in all of your other posts above before you reassumed your name? Enough. We get that you think it's inferior.

And somehow the Mexicans who live in Texas and opened their own places and developed a regional cuisine there are somehow less "authentic" than those who did the same in the oh so superior sonoran region?

A regional cuisine that develops from immigrants is not any less "authentic" than a cuisine only found within a certain country. They are just different.

If you want to reduce all tex-mex to chili's or taco bell, go ahead if it makes you feel superior, but it's not fair or accurate. It's a classic straw man attack.

A regional cuisine that develops from immigrants is not any less "authentic" than a cuisine only found within a certain country. They are just different.

Immigrants adapting their cuisine to the available ingredients (and even the climate) or their new home is one thing. But when they go to open restaurants and try to sell their cuisine to the already established locals, they often have to change the cuisine to adapt to the established taste of the locals. I think this is largely inevitable, but I also think that it is unfortunate.

Mari Luna on Reisterstown Road. The smaller one, not the newer one a mile north. They get my vote as best in the area.

I lived in TX too and had a lot of tex-mex over the years. Good tex-mex is something most people on this blog would appreciate if they had it.

It's sad people who never had the real thing feel the need to denigrate the whole genre. It's like someone having pizza hut's "lasagne" saying all Italian food is bad.

Well put, Bourbon Girl. I guess it's human nature to try to put down what you don't know or what scares you. As a youngster, I saw a possum in my back yard growing up and was instantly driven to smite it with a log from the wood pile nearby. I didn't even think about it - it was an inate reaction that I wish hadn't happened (but damn that thing looked like a scary little monster!). Those that write it off wholesale will never know the beauty of tender, mesquite smoked fajitas wrapped in a freshly made tortilla.

As a side note, I bet that many of us order Tex Mex stuff off the menu at Mexican spots and don't even realize it. That spicy dish - probably Tex Mex. Authentic Mexican is more of a savory beast with less daring spice levels.

Right on Bourbon Girl! I have had some seriously great food in my travels to the Lone Star State, and just because an authentic Tex-Mex establishment doesn't exist in the area does not mean you should run the whole concept through the mud. That being said, if my only experience with Blue Crabs were the boiled monstrosities of the Low Country (SC/GA)... I would probably think the steamed beauties of this area to be equally gross.

Years ago there was a Chi Chi's in Timonium. I remember seeing the sign that advertised the specials reading " Come feel a little mexican". I never did take them up on their offer.

Oh RayRay - So many comments come to mind...

Bob UU--I thought you were going to tell us how delicious possum is with salsa.

Salsa? Seltzer? Salsa? Seltzer?

I don't hate tex-mex and I definitely don't fear it. I just think it's a bit of a wooden nickel.

My problem wasn't with good text-mex food in Texas. I don't live there. I don't particularly like Texas and hope to avoid it forever. I also don't like Arizona, but the food is good. I guess my ire comes from the knowledge that I may never have good Sonoran food again and I blame local tex-mex in part.

Here's my thinking: Gresham's Law, i.e., bad money drives out good money. The ubiquitous low quality tex-mex here muscles out better quality Mexican, including Sonoran, and good Tex-Mex (I'll your word that such a thing exists.) Hal is right, there are market forces at work here, with consumers demanding the lesser cliche gringo-pleasing dishes.

So it's not about hate, but about love, My love of Sonoran food, being replaced by something that's okay, but that I do not love. Passion is a complicated thing. Yes, I know, desire leads to suffering.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I'm nuts. Chimichanga – muy saborosa.

There were no chimichangas in "Mexican" restaurants when I was growing up in California. Or fajitas either, for that matter.
You were pretty much limited to enchiladas, tamales, tacos, tostadas and the odd speciality such as chiles relleno. It all came with a side of refried beans and rice, and sometimes a very vinegary salad. I think dessert was either flan or ice cream, but we never had any room for that after polishing off one of those enormous platters.

I'm sure there is a continuum of food across northern Mexico with plenty of overlap. Chimichangas are my favorite food memory from Tucson when I lived there fron age 12-15. Oooey gooey rich awesomeness. Nobody makes beef like Sonorans. It's so rich and delicious.

I went to a place near me and got a beef burrito and it was filled with rice. Apparently that's acceptable around here., What a disgusting mess. Tortilla, beef, cheese, that;s a burrito or more correctly a burro. Taco Bell ruined the lingo by calling everything a burrito. A large tortilla is a burro, a smaller one is a burrito.

The best chimichanga I ever had was in Tucson and it was loaded with black olives. You will never find that around here.

Owl Meat Guadalajara - You could find olives in your burro @ El Tamarindo in DC, last time I was there. I'm intrigued by this Sonoran steak thing. Whipping out the google, it looks like a country fried steak from south of the border - very interesting!

Dahlink - I've heard some people eat possum out there, but I've never had it. When I was growing up, we'd eat meat. When we did not have meat, we'd eat fowl. When there was no fowl, we'd eat crawdad, when there was no crawdad, we ate sand.

In my opinion, some of the best mexican/tex-mex/gringo food i've ever had was in the mountains of Colorodo. Stoner, ski bums love their gringo food.

...err, Colorado. Sorry Bucky.

Beav, in Centennial, Michener wrote of the large "Mexican" population in Colorado, much of it having been there for many generations. Aside from what Bucky has told us here, that's pretty much all I know about Colorado.

Mari Luna is as close as it gets to Tex Mex/ Mexican. It's more authentic then most.
Blue Agave is okay.
Austin Grill is okay and better than most, but would be awful outside of the Mid Atlantic.

If your looking for "New Mexican/Sonoran" food its not going to happen here in Baltimore. Sorry, but people don't understand chilies(Not www.chilis.com/). The different heats, tastes and methods and preparation. Even as you head West it's hard to find that outside of New Mexico and Arizona.

I've eaten at the Austin Grille and thought the food was dreadful. That definitely colored my attitude toward local tex-mex.

This conversation of Tex Mex has achieved one thing. Owlie has writen more about food and in particular local restaurants than at any time I can remember on this blog.

And I for one say that's enough. Time to go back to non sequitors, wordplay and sarcasim.

Yes, RoCK, you're just miffed because I didn't have any time to meet you for a pink squirrel this week or have you switched back to appletinis?

Yes food was involved but I also accidentally had to delve into some emotional trauma and sturm und drang involving western states, the nature of love and desire and the fact that sometimes a chimichanga is just a chimichanga. BTW, just because I hate Texas and Arizona doesn't mean I hate people from there or who lived there briefly as children. Narcissism is not just a river in Egypt.

This week: all commentary will be in the form of poetry. So, suck it! :-)

Poetry! Awesome! I'll dust off my alliterator.

Sounds like someone could use a pink squirrel right now...to wash down some Xanax nachos and prozac fajitas.

Sounds like someone could use a pink squirrel right now...to wash down some Xanax nachos and prozac fajitas.

I'd nominate that for Comment of the Week, except that I'm afraid to find out just what a "pink squirrel" is.

Hal, I'm pretty sure that pink squirrels have something to do with ketchup.

Pink Squirrel. Ingredients: 1 oz Creme de Noyaux; 1 tblsp white Creme de Cacao; 1 tblsp Light cream.

We intended to go to Carolina's Tex Mex on Gough last night, but apparently it has become a pool hall. So, we went around the corner where we had a yummy dinner at El Trovador which calls itself a Latino-Mexican restaurant. Since I couldn't make up my mind on an entree, I ordered the appetizer assortment, which came with small pieces of pupusa, yucca, corn tamale, taquitos, plantains, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. My husband had a "tipico" platter and we ordered a chiles relleno on the side. So, I don't know what it is called, but we liked it!1