Day 30: Maria's Taco Xpress on South Lamar

So this is it y'all, 30 days of Tex-Mex have come and gone. First off I've gotta say that this adventure has backfired on me. The whole reason to eat Tex-Mex everyday was to be sick and tired of it by the time we got to Massachusetts so we would be happy stuffing ourselves with clam chowder and Boston cream pie, but that is not at all what happened. We discovered so many wonderful new restaurants and dishes and we nommed down on our favorites from all over town. This only made us love, and inevitably miss, Tex-Mex even more. 

So I think it's even more fitting, in that context, that day 30 is Maria's Taco Xpress because we will miss Austin even more than we miss it's cuisine, and the story of Maria's is the story of Austin. 

Maria's started small, in a little trailer, making $17 a day, but then it got some good press and the masses started to flock there to see what the fuss was about. It moved to a building a bit haphazardly, with whatever janky supplies it could muster. Customers thought it was charming and weird; the junkyard decorations and the mismatched paint just made it feel authentic. 

But then Walgreens ruined everything. 

I was living in Barton Hills just across from Maria's while the Walgreens shenanigans was going down. It was seriously a big deal in South Austin. For a while we thought Maria's would be gone forever, that Walgreen's would just knock everything down while customers were still waiting in line for tacos. But the neighborhood and Maria's must have put up a good enough fight because, even though the old building was destroyed, a new and much bigger Maria's popped up right next door.

But something just wasn't the same. All the jankiness was gone and in it's place there were fabricated, perfectly selected and placed knick knacks, and coordinated mismatched paint that smacked of brand new jeans with holes already worn into the knees. 

This is why I thought that Maria's was fit for day 30. Austin is confused about what it wants to be. We started out small, but then we got noticed because we're the state capitol, we have the best university in the state, and we're just so dang cool. Hippies and punk rockers took refuge in Austin from the rest of the state and they made our little town authentically janky. But then things started to change. We got to be too cool for our own good and we began to grow. Big companies and yuppies showed up and pushed over the little guy. In some ways the growth is good because it means there is greater opportunity for Austinites to work and experience the finer things in life, but it also sometimes takes away from the authentic weirdness we all want Austin to be and creates an income gap, a housing crisis, and racial and economic segregation.  

Austin is struggling to figure out what weirdness is still acceptable and what we want to knock down and put concrete over. We can't decide if we want to be a city of high rises, tech companies, and posh restaurants or a city that gleefully waves at the dude wearing only a thong and riding a bike while he's running for mayor. Personally I don't think these things are incompatible and I think Austin is the city to prove it. However, the one change that we have to get used to is that Austin isn't going to be a city that just happens anymore. We must actively ensure that we make room for the nerds in suits, the grandmas in East Austin, and the pot smoking, topless hippies to keep Austin authentically weird.

P.S. For my last Tex-Mex meal (for now) I ate migas with a side of beans and potatoes. The migas didn't have tortilla chips or any bread products in them, which is mind boggling, but they were still delish. 

Paul had egg, cheese, and chorizo tacos (like usual) and they were fully satisfying. 

Goodbye Austin. We will miss all your fabulous weirdness and your Tex-Mex, all your foodie restaurants, your Lady Bird Lake, your white squirrels, and your festivals of all types. We will even sorta miss the hippies and the silly UT students wearing nothing but short shorts and massive t-shirts that makes it look like they're walking around without pants on. 

Austin we love you!

www.tacoxpress.com

Maria's Taco Xpress - 2529 South Lamar Blvd

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Day 29: Matt's El Rancho on South Lamar

According to the marquis out front, Matt's El Rancho has been around for 61 years. I'm sure there have been a lot of changes along the way, but based on our experience there, I would guess that delicious, fun, made from scratch food has been the constant over the years. 

First off these chips are massive. Seriously, look at that. It's like half a tortilla. Paul's hand is huge, so it's a bit hard to tell just how big it is. I wouldn't say they were the freshest chips I've ever had, but they were crispy, flavorful, and again, ginormous!

Next, we ordered a Mexican Martini. It was limey, refreshing, and served with a couple delicious green olives. 

Dinner for me was the quacamole enchiladas. I've never seen those anywhere else before, so I had to order them. The enchiladas are stuffed with tasty shredded chicken and topped with a verde sauce, cheese, and an ice cream scoop of guacamole.You also get some scrumptious rice and beans and a pool of queso. I'm not sure what I was supposed to do with the queso other than swirl rice and forkfuls of enchiladas in it, but that's just fine with me! These enchiladas sit right on the boundary between cheesy (no pun intended) Tex-Mex and foodie Tex-Mex. Everything seems to be handmade but then it's slathered in velveeta. Definitely a bit of a tasty paradox.

To take it a step further, Paul got brisket tacos. The brisket was just mediocre, but Paul was fully satisfied by the idea of scarfing down BBQ in tortillas and topped with pico de gallo. 

And to top things off we had a dessert of sopapillas made in house. Sopapillas are fluffy, doughy, hollow-inside, fried pastry pockets. These were drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. As soon as our knives dug in, the pocket released some steam and deflated. Then we could cut off bits of pastry and use it to soak up even more honey. Yes please!

Matt's El Rancho is massive, definitely caters to families, and churns out an obscene quantity of food each day, but they still manage to keep the quality up. Matt's is an example of why there isn't any need to cut corners in order appeal to the masses. Good Tex-Mex is always a win.

mattselrancho.com

Matt's El Rancho - 2613 S Lamar

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Day 28: Maudie's Tex-Mex on North Lamar

I had never been to Maudie's before but I had always heard tell. Then I did some searching around online and discovered just how highly rated it is, so I decided I had to go. I was surprised when we pulled up and the Lamar location is set back in a boring strip.

Inside is a different story. It's brightly colored and has a cantina atmosphere. For lunch on a Thursday it was bumpin' too. That's sorta where my impression began to go downhill though... Our waiter was really disinterested in carrying out basic tasks required for her job, such as greeting us, or looking us in the eye, or answering questions about the menu. On top of that the clientele were mostly dudes who seemed to be skipping out on work for a couple margaritas during their lunch break - one dude would not stop staring at my sister and I. Creeper!

The food was good, but not amazing which was surprising since Maudie's is really supposed to be quality. The carnitas in my "burrito" (notice the two tortillas that look a lot more like enchiladas) were dry, kind of cold, tough, and tasted of congealed fat. That was a bummer because the verde sauce was fantastic. It was really bright and citrusy. The flour tortillas were fluffy and fresh. The cheese was quality and the pico and cilantro on top was fresh and delightful. I guess I just got the bottom of the barrel carnitas. 

My sister got some vegetarian tacos with peppers and potatoes which were bland and unimpressive. It's too bad that Maudie's didn't live up to the hype. On Yelp the North Lamar location has the highest ratings of them all, but perhaps I made a mistake by not going to the flagship Maudie's Cafe on 7th St. But even though it wasn't quite as good as expected, Maudie's is certainly contributing to the overall well-being of the vibrant and diverse Tex-Mex scene in Austin. 

www.maudies.com

Maudie's Tex-Mex - 10205 N Lamar

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Day 27: Curra's On Oltorf

Oh I love Curra's. It's one of my faves so I saved it for the last couple days. They really do it right with tons of homemade sauces, fresh, quality ingredients, great drinks, and outdoor seating under brightly colored umbrellas. 

The specialty beverage at Curra's is the avocado margarita. I can't remotely remember how many times I've brought or sent people to Curra's to try it. I love this drink! Admittedly it's not for everyone, especially people who don't like having fun or drinking things that tantalize the taste buds. The avocado margarita is thick, creamy, and almost smoothie-like. It has a lot of lime in it so that cuts the avocado and brings it back from the brink of a smoothie into the realm of mixed drinks. With its flecks of cilantro, tequila, and a salted rim, this decadent, velvety drink is one of my very favorites I've ever had. 

So I wouldn't call myself a regular at Curra's, but I've been frequently nommin down here for 10 years - it may have been the first place I ate Tex-Mex in Austin. The tamales are a super big treat because normally tamales are a Christmas food and they're difficult to find throughout the year. Not at Curra's! They serve tamales year round. My faves are the veggie and sweet tamales. The veggies are nestled inside the fluffy, slightly rich masa which makes the tamale really moist. The sweet tamales are filled with walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, and brown sugar, but they aren't overly sweet. I usually save one for dessert though. Yum!

While I pretty much always get the same thing at Curra's, Paul tries something new every time and this time he hit the jackpot. Inspired by my meal at Chuy's, he ordered a shrimp and cheese chile relleno. The pepper is not breaded but it's still fried and stuffed with gobs of cheese and perfect blackened shrimp. The sauce is something like suiza which is the Mexican/Tex-Mex answer to vodka sauce. It's tomatoey and creamy and luxurious. 

I've been trying to figure out what it is about Curra's that makes me love it so much more than other similar restaurants. Perhaps it's the lack of pretension and the casual atmosphere. Perhaps it feels more authentically Austin to me. And likely it's because I feel nostalgic for my first few wide-eyed and naive years in Austin when I lived at the Metropolis on Riverside and frequented Curra's because the veggie tamales happen to be vegan and my 18-year-old self was strictly vegetables only. Most definitely though, Curra's serves up food that is so good you want to clean your plate and order a second dinner. 

www.currasgrill.com

Curra's Grill - 614 E Oltorf St

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Day 26: Chuy's on North Lamar

Chuy's started in Austin in the 80's (what's with all these Mexican restaurants starting in the 80s?) now they've got a whole bunch of locations in 7 states. I like it when stuff starts in Austin and spreads to other places. It makes me feel sorta like we're building a taco empire... 

Anyway, apparently Chuy's participates in the hatch chile festival so on a Tuesday evening the line was bonkers. Fortunately you can order food at the bar, so that's what we did! I got a frozen lime margarita and it was pretty standard, but delicious. It didn't taste chemical-y so I'm pretty sure it's all real - the website claims they use real lime juice. Good enough for me!

I was craving a chile relleno to counteract the mushy grease bomb I was served at Taqueria Los Altos, but I also wanted to participate in the hatch chile festival - so I did both! The chile relleno was a big poblano pepper stuffed with cheese and shrimp, breaded with a nice light breading, and fried. The shrimp were small and clearly previously frozen, but when they're covered in cheese, who cares? The relleno was really delicious because the breading was so flavorful and light and it hadn't been fried to death. The pepper was just barely cooked so still crispy and fresh. The beans and rice were standard, but good. The enchilada was definitely a win. It had shredded chicken, crispy corn, and cheese inside. The sauce was packed with hatch chiles and it was much spicier than most enchilada sauces. I love spicy food so that was a nice surprise!

Paul got the Comida Mexicana Combo with 2 cheese enchiladas, 2 chicken flautas, a grilled sirloin crispy taco, a couple chips with queso, guacamole, beans, and rice - a Tex-Mex lover's dream. The cheese inside the enchiladas was pretty basic, but the sauce was a delicious, slightly spicy, and tomatoey red "Tex-Mex" sauce. The chicken inside the flautas was moist and the sirloin in the taco was nicely seasoned. 

Chuy's definitely feels like a chain, but you don't feel like you're in a stuffy, Applebee's-like, cookie cutter restaurant. The food is churned out en masse, but it's served fresh, hot, and delicious. It's not gourmet, but it wont disappoint. This is the kind of upstanding Tex-Mex establishment I will really miss in Massachusetts - a place where you can shamelessly gobble down mass quantities of beans, rice, and cheese all swirled together with a delicious spicy sauce. A place where Tex-Mex is what it should be - bastardized Mexican food that fills the place in your soul yearning for grease, salt, spices, crispy lettuce, and creamy avocado, diced tomatoes, jalapeños, and crunchy chips. 

Day 25: La Fruta Feliz on Manor

Oh yet another little restaurant that is only making me love Tex-Mex and Mexican food more, rather than making me sick of it. La Fruta Feliz describes itself as serving "Autentica Food." Gotta love the Spanglish. 

Inside is a humble little counter with a bunch of modest tables dressed in vinyl checker table cloths. A gentleman cooks his heart out on a flat top grill and two ladies run around serving customers professionally and with pride. It's best if you know at least a bit of Spanish because the waitresses don't speak English. (Thankfully Paul was with me because when I try to speak Spanish, French comes out.) The menu is in English though so if you don't speak Spanish and you're comfortable with pointing at the menu and occasionally feeling confused, then I say go for it.

I had never had a sope so that's what I ordered and it was seriously yum. A sope is like a cross between a chalupa and a gordita. The bread is even thicker than a gordita so it can't be folded up - it has to be served flat, like a chalupa. Be prepared to have messy hands because there are no knives around so you have to pick it up to eat it. My sope had goat meat (barbacoa de chivo). The goat was delicious, but honestly it was overshadowed by the freshness of all the other ingredients. The sope was so doughy and fluffy. The tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado were fresh and the queso fresco was cold and really high quality. Delightful.

Paul got a torta and it was really yummy. It had carnitas on it which is a type of braised pork. The carnitas were tender and covered in a juicy sauce. The bread was hot, crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. The beans and rice were even noteworthy. They weren't revolutionary or anything, but they were really tasty and super fresh which, as we've seen, is not necessarily the norm. 

I was really charmed by this place because clearly the chef at La Fruta Feliz really takes pride in his work. They also serve elotes so you could choose this spot for your elotes challenge! Just be sure to let others know about your experience because this hidden away neighborhood restaurant should attract customers from all over town.

www.yelp.com/biz/la-fruta-feliz-austin

La Fruta Feliz - 3124 Manor Rd

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Day 24: Elotes in a Push-Cart Near You

Elotes is the Spanish word for corn mixed with butter, cheese, mayonaise, and salsa. I know mayonaise in a cup with corn might sound gross, even if you like mayonaise, but it's not. The corn is crispy and warm, covered in butter and creaminess, with crumbly queso fresco, and spicy red salsa. Elotes are terrible for you, but that's what makes them delicious.

We found our elotes in front of the Fiesta on Ross in Dallas - Fiesta is a grocery store that caters predominantly to Mexican and Latin American customers. 

No matter where you find your elotes, they will probably be in a push cart or trailer because in Mexico, elotes are street food - to be eaten while walking from place to place. In Texas you can find elotes all over the place. I hear that in Dallas Taqueria El Si Hay in Oak Cliff has the best Elotes and in Austin Yelp indicates El Maná Taqueria la Fruteria on Westminster or a push cart at our very own Fiesta have great elotes. 

I'd like to issue a challenge to readers. Go try elotes anywhere you can find them and post a review on Yelp. It was really hard to pick a good elotes spot because not many folks are reviewing them on Yelp. Do it! Your mouth and Yelpers will thank you!

Dallas Yelp Search for Elotes

Austin Yelp Search for Elotes

Elotes Cart at the Fiesta on Ross in Dallas - 5334 Ross Ave

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