Milas Taqueria Mexico

The second and final stop on the Great Houston Taco Experiment 2009 was Milas Taqueria Mexico. The tacos al pastor are excellent here and I would say they rival actual Mexico City tacos. We would have liked to have tried more Houston taco locations but with so much great Asian cusine in Houston, we thought it wise to sample more of the healthier Vietnamese, Chinese, and Middle Eastern restaurants, than lard cooked (but delicious!) tacos.

Tacos El Mapache

The first stop on the Great Houston Taco Experiment 2009, to find the best tacos al pastor in the city. We hit up a few places that were rumored to have great tacos al pastor and Tacos El Mapache was on the list. I would describe these as having more of a roasted, rustic flavor than you find in other places. Definitely good, but not my absolute favorite. Gets a 10 out of 10 for ambiance though...a taco truck in a gas station parking lot with no seating. How great is that?! You eat your tacos standing, which provides the perfect opportunity to converse with other patrons.

Homemade Pozole/Posole

Pozole (or posole) is a Mexican stew made with pork chunks simmered till tender, with hominy and onion. Right before eating it is garnished with ingredients such as cabbage, lettuce, radishes, cilantro, and crispy tortillas. The radishes when added, briefly simmer in the liquid, just long enough to remove the bitterness but not so long as to cook them, so they are still crisp. Lime is also squirted it in, before eating, giving the stew a fresh and zesty flavor.



All the ingredients for my homemade pozole were purchased at the local carniceria (Mexican butcher shop/grocery). The grocer told me that pozole is usually eaten on special occasions rather than as an every day meal.



I don't have my own recipe for pozole but instead used a hybrid of several that I found on the net, on various recipe sites. Next time I think I need to add some heat in the form of chipotle in adobo. It could have used that little something extra.

Tacos 101

Mexican taquerias seem to be springing up everywhere. I have seen them in even the smallest of towns right here in Tennessee. Taquerias offer an opportunity to try an authentic taco that is more flavorful than the Taco Bell knock-offs that most people are used to.

An authentic taco is typically served open faced with fresh cilantro and onions on top. No cheese, no lettuce. There is a wedge of lime for squeezing and maybe some radish slices on the side. Red or green salsa may also be provided.

You will be asked if you want flour (“harina” in Spanish) or corn (maiz) tortillas. Authentic tacos tend to be smaller than the Taco Bell version so you may want to order a few more than you normally would. Typically people will order a few at a time, and then a couple more if desired. Filling options include chicken (pollo), carne asada (grilled beef), chorizo (sausage), barbecue (which may be chicken or pork), carnitas (chunks of pork), or al pastor (flavorful pork cooked on a rotisserie skewer). Tacos al pastor are the ultimate taco and an art form in and of themselves. They deserve a post of their own and I shall oblige this in the future. You may also see ingredients such as lengua which is cow tongue, or tripa which is cow intestine. On the streets of Mexico City, you will see vendors selling tacos of eyes, brains, and a variety of other cow parts.

(above) A taco vender in Mexico City prepares cow head meat for tacos.

I have discovered at a few different taquerias around the Tennessee area that there may be two menus available—one in English with the typical Americanized Mexican food options such as fajitas and crunchy tacos; and one for Latin Americans with authentic tacos, tortas, and aguas frescas (juice drinks). I think that the taqueria owners assume that most gringos will not be interested in the authentic food and just want the Tex Mex version they are used to. I would encourage them to give us gringos a shot because by offering the authentic tacos, I think sales would increase.

Often at taquerias, the bill is not brought to your table but you must instead go up to the counter to pay. So, if you have been sitting, waiting patiently at your table for quite a long time after most other customers have come and gone, trying to send subliminal messages to the waiter, hoping that the check will arrive, this may be why.

I met the ultimate taco aficionados on vacation in Puerto Vallarta recently. A nice couple that seemed to know of all taco selling locations in the city and in their home city of Houston. Mention a taco location in either city and they would immediately be able to provide a full review and list of other locations with better tacos. True adventure dinners these two were, who even dropped off their suitcases at the airport and then ran across the street for one last taco fix, arriving back at the airport just in time to board the plane. They declared the taco stand across from the Puerto Vallarta airport to be the ultimate, and given their passion for all things taco, I would believe this opinion.

Taco Roc: The New Black

Taco Roc is the new La Altena of Chattanooga and I mean that in a "Is the new black sort of way." It's trendy and lots of business types in suite and/or high-heels/ties, go there as do actual authentic, non-English speaking taco aficionados. This is probably due to the owners advertising on both NPR and Spanish language radio. I see this as an excellent business move and feel that it shows a strong awareness of potential customer bases. As for the food, they offer the best tacos in Chattanooga. If I said that any other taqueria offers the best tacos in Chattanooga, I have changed my mind.

I found the pollo tinga tacos to be very flavorful and not dry, like chicken tends to be at other Mexican restaurants. The tacos al pastor were almost (sorry) as good as what I get in Houston or Mexico. They also provide a selection of aguas frescas ("waters") such as pineapple, watermelon, tamarind (not my favorite), and horchata (which is described as a rice water but tastes like sweet milk) that are an excellent change from the usual soft drink. You will also have the opportunity to add your own onions, cilantro, and salsa to your food as you like you it.

The seating is ridiculously cramped at lunch due to the current Taco Roc craze in Chattanooga but on the bright side, you may get to share a table with a stranger and end up making a taco lovin' friend. We were seated at the table next to the door, and everytime it opened, we instinctively grabbed our napkins and covered our tacos from the cold gust of air that would blow past. We ate with our coats on. Eavesdropping on conversations (not hard to do since I was practically sitting in the lap of the people at the next table) it seems that everyone expects Taco Roc to expand to a larger location. Excellent idea. Lets just hope they don't trendy themselves towards crappiness.

Dineometer rating 90%

http://www.dineometer.com/write_review.php?id_b=143

La Costa Chattanooga

La Costa
Chattanooga Tennessee

Typical mexican food, served on huge platters, and with a free side of bean dip. The ambience is less than thrilling, with Pepto Bismal pink walls, no music (unless you count the radio in the kitchen), and florescent lighting. The location is at near the foot of Signal Mountain in what was once a successful Italian restaurant (that moved to a larger location and then quickly went out of business). But the service at La Costa was fast and friendly, and the food adequate.


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Candidate for World's Smallest Restaurant

Tacos to Go
Dalton Georgia


Excellent tacos, served in what may be the smallest restaurant anywhere. The name Tacos to Go was probably chosen because there really isn't much room to eat in. Four seats to be exact, lined up at the counter provide an excellent opportunity to watch your food being prepared. I sought this restaurant out after reading other reviews provide enthusiastic support for this place. I would agree. The tacos are great, and probably the best in this area.

Dineometer rating: 80%
http://www.dineometer.com/browse_reviews.php?id_b=44

Adventure Dining: Chattanooga

La Guadalupana, Dayton Blvd., Chattanooga TN

In the back of this Mexican grocery store is a taqueria. It is far from fancy, even by typical taqueria standards, but the tacos and tortas are fairly good. But be forewarned: The lady running the place did not speak much English and there was no menu or signs indicating what foods are available--I basically had to ask what they had. All in all, I would say that you might want to give this a shot if you are in the mood for authentic Mexican tacos and don't feel like driving farther to some of the other local taquerias.

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