What is Tex-Mex? How do you know if that Mexican food you're eating is Authentic?

What is Tex-Mex?

My friend Nicole M. posted an interesting article on FB - here's a snippet:

I have been thinking a lot about this recently as I make food for friends, or folks I don't really know in the south. The food I cook and grew up with is not "tex-mex". My family has no connection with Texas, but there is no other way to describe what I make. My family is from California, Colorado & Utah. My mother made tortillas out of sour dough or Navajo tacos out of sour dough starter. But what do I call a simple red sauce no one in the south has ever heard of? Chicana cuisine? Karl said that was not a good phrase, so I revert back to tex-mex, which is not right either. Authenticity is perspective

And this is the article - published by the Phoenix New Times:

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/the-authenticity-trap-of-mexican-food-in-america-7538626

 The article focuses on the tortilla but of course I would like to take the conversation into a broader context. It's basically this: How can a tortilla and the way it's made represent the food of any country, much less the whole of Mexico? There's this level of conceit that I find offensive, and to tell the truth until recently I too was guilty.

My level of enlightenment came while visiting India. We've all had Indian food in one restaurant or another so it's easy to presume that all food from this country was similar - I don't know how many times I've had friends refuse to meet at an Indian restaurant because "I don't like Indian food" - which really is a very stupid statement. I understood how stupid the last time I visited India. While there I got to sample food from several locales - I visited Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore and Talakad - all cities in the South of India but in different regions so the typical cuisine was very different depending on where I ate - even labels applied to the same dish varied from place to place (we went on a hunt for "Butter Chicken" and you would be surprised at how that label was applied from restaurant to restaurant, even in the same city).

What I realized while in India was that applying a label to the food of a whole country was just plain stupid. For instance, the label Chinese food really could be translated into "Food brought to the US by Cantonese immigrants, adapted to ingredients found in the Americas and adjusted to the bland US palate" - with a country as large as China or India every different town, city, state or region has its own cuisine, adapted from what was available as ingredients regionally and adjusted for the people that live there. There is no "one flavor" that represents an entire country - and back on the subject of Tex-Mex, depending on where in Texas you are what we think of as Tex-Mex has incredible variation.

I recently did a review of Chuy's and in doing so I talked a bit about New Mexico Tex-Mex - featuring the Hatch green chile. The flavors from the Hatch are incredible, smokey, "meaty" and amazing. When stewed with pasole you get a soup that's out-of-this-world and a favorite of people in Albuquerque and elsewhere in the state. While this may seem like Tex-Mex, I can assure you that you won't find that distinctive flavor in many Atlanta restaurants. See how this ties-back to Nicole's post above? It's all about perspective.

So stop thinking about it so much and just enjoy what you find, which means you need to search out those flavors that you prefer. Sure it's fun to eat at your typical Tex-Mex - there are several in Atlanta that I enjoy, especially with a Margarita or two, but take my advice and explore those little hole-in-the-wall restaurants filled with true Latino immigrants. You'll be quite surprised at how good they can be. You just need to open your eyes, your mouths and your hearts to get the full effect.

-- John

Erawan Organic Thai Restaurant - Sandy Springs Georgia at Towbridge and Roswell Rds

You can find Erawan Organic Thai Restaurant at 7537 Roswell Rd, Atlanta, GA 30350 in the Towbridge Crossing shopping center anchored by Publix on Roswell Rd, about 3 blocks North of the Abernathy Rd intersection.

I've always thought there was an unusual lack of decent Thai restaurants in the Perimeter Mall area - sure there's Singha Thai in Dunwoody, Little Thai Cuisine on Sandy Springs Cir and Simply Thai on N Shallowford Rd, but while they are all decent restaurants (the standout is Singha Thai) they are a bit on the Americanized side of Thai with dumbed-down spice levels and rather indistinctive flavors. Even the very popular and now defunct Thai Star (the building was replaced by a development) near the Concourse was, to me a bit pricy and not quite there. And forget completely about the Thai items available at Chin Chin across from the Concourse - it's complete crap. In any case, from my work location at Northpark all the Thai restaurants were so far away that it was more pain than it was worth to visit them, so I was very happy to discover Erawan.

As the name implies, Erawan is an organic restaurant and the food is quite good. It still suffers from a bit of "dummying down" of the distinctive flavors but I can understand that as the typical American palate isn't very sophisticated. That being said, all of the constituent parts of the items I tired were very good and fresh. You can taste the individual spices in the curries and the sauces will get you sopping up every drop.

The meal started with Spring Rolls which I thought good but nothing special. We also ordered an Erawan roll from the sushi menu which was surprisingly good - it usually scares me a bit to order sushi at a non-sushi restaurant as I haven't had very good luck with that, but fortunately Erawan did a good job, at least with this roll (Avocado and Eel). 

I usually order a curry, Panang (also spelled Penang or Pa-Nang) is my favorite and usually what I use to gauge the quality of a Thai restaurant, but today I went for the Basil Chicken as most of our table of four ordered either Panang or Masaman curries. The chicken was perfect, juicy with crisp wok-sauteed veggies and just the right amount of basil and sauce. I love the brown rice mix they have here - most restaurants can't seem to get brown rice right - it's either over or under cooked. I believe this was a mix of brown and Asian short-grain white rice and the consistency and flavor was very good and perfectly cooked (it's tougher to do this than you might think - try it at home some time).

I also tried the other curry dishes and have this to say about them:

The Masaman Chicken was good but I think this curry needed a bit of punch (but that just may be me, as I typically don't order it as I prefer the flavors in the Panang).

The Panang Curry Chicken was very good - I'll probably order this next time. The Penang Curry Tofu didn't taste like much of anything to me but that may be more the type of tofu used - it was the stiff tofu and I like the soft better (however the soft is much harder to stir-fry and keep in tact). I still don't know how the Chinese are able to use the soft without it crumbling into Mapatofu chunks.

The interior was spacious with high ceilings but a bit noisy - it was also very busy - I think we got there just a few minutes before noon and it was nearly full. I liked the decorations, sparse but tasteful. The restaurant as also spotless and very clean. I didn't spot any exterior seating and am doubtful that it exists (with it being in the 90s daily I'd prefer to sit inside anyway).

Parking is right in front - the restaurant faces Roswell Rd with the rest of the shopping center curling around to the right where you'll find the Publix. 

I thought the service initially very good but the staff seemed a little overwhelmed and it took some time to get a water glass refill and our check. I'm still rating this 4 stars for the quality of the food. Prices range just north of $10 and up.

-- John

(shorter version also posted to Yelp)

Chuy's Tex-Mex near Perimeter Mall Dunwoody Georgia

You can find Chuy's at 118 Perimeter Center W., Atlanta, GA 30346 in the same shopping center anchored by Barnes and Noble Books - it's a standalone building that formerly was a Brazilian steakhouse called Fires of Brazil. This is near the back-side of Perimeter Mall and can be walked to from the parking lot behind Von Maur. Parking is anywhere around the restaurant with overflow stretching to the right side behind the building. Alternatively you can park in the large lot in front of the B&N Books.

I've been meaning to update my review for some time as I've been coming to this location consistently several times a month since it opened. Initially I had given it a rather poor review but I've felt for some time that my initial take needed to be updated. This is that time.

 

Chuy's is a chain that comes out of Austin Texas and as such qualifies well as Tex-Mex, however I find the flavors more like those I found while visiting New Mexico - mostly in the use of Hatch Chiles (sometimes called New Mexico Chiles) - these are really special chiles that deliver more of a back-heat punch and have a smokey flavor you don't typically find in green chiles like jalapenos (you do get a hint of what I'm talking about in a chipotle). The very special flavors these impart provide a not-so-subtle difference that you will enjoy immensely, if you like Mexican food. While in Albuquerque I especially liked the Hatch Chile and Posole soups (especially the red) - make sure you try one if you're ever out that way. Chuy's has several uses of the Hatch Green Chile - my favorite is the Steak Buritto. I'm also a big fan of their salsa - it's a handmade salsa cruda or salsa fresca that, along with the hand rolled tortillas places Chuy's way above the curve, in my opinion, transforming the common into the special.

The fantastic Dog-themed bar...

The exterior of Chuy's makes great use of the former Fires of Brazil, but adds stucco, a pastel Mexican color scheme and a lanai-like patio covered in natural palm-leaf fronds. The patio is a bit hot during the summer but is very enjoyable in the Spring/Fall months and even in winter through the use of tall propane heaters. The interior is very eclectic, starting with a really chopped up space that Chuy's has taken to a new level by covering every surface in some interesting thematic and kitchie artifacts. Each room has some special focal point based on an aspect of, supposedly Austin or Tex-Mex life. There's a car room covered in hubcaps, a room full of mysterious Mexican art by a surrealist painting his dreams, accompanied by Nelson bubble lamps. There's even a tribute to Elvis in one area and really, there's no lack of stuff to capture your (buzzed) attention.

Party time...

I've now eaten at this location dozens (yes you've read that right) times, have held two holiday parties here (they are great for this as they have several rooms that can be used), hosted several lunches for ProductCamp Atlanta and have catered many, many times from Chuy's. It's located across the street from my old office location so it's been a great spot to hit after work. They have an awesome happy hour that includes discounted drink prices and a free nacho bar. Of course now that my office has moved to Northpark, I'm not visiting quite so often, but still manage to come in a couple of times a month.

ProductCamp Atlanta Lunch:

 

Happy Hour Nacho Bar:

 Drinks after work...

 

For food, these are my favorites:

Grilled Chicken Salad - get the jalapeno parmesan dressing. For when I feel like I need a few less calories.

Fajita Chicken or Fajita Beef Burrito - this one has the red sauce applied

Tacos Al Carbon with beef or chicken - these are delicious with huge portions.

Baja Tacos with Grilled Fish  (looks like the above only with fish or shrimp)

Steak Burrito with hatch green chile sauce - this is my favorite item on the menu.

Chicka-chicka Boom Boom - chicken and green chile encheladas  - love this - it's my second favorite after the Steak Burrito.

Chicken or Steak Fajitas - these are a bit basic but offer something familiar for that picky eater in your life.


Elvis Presley Memorial Combo - only get this if you're extremely hungry or willing to split it  It's huge with lots of fried stuff (not the photo below)

When you get your chips and salsa, they'll generally bring a side of the jalapeno parmesan dressing as a dip - if they don't make sure you ask for it. It's good on everything!

Service here can be hit-or-miss sometimes, especially when they're busy. Generally it's very good but it keeps me from giving them a 5/5 rating. They have good deals on margarita pitchers and they've got plenty of icy 420's in the cooler. Prices can be less than $10 without tip but generally is more.

Buen Apetito!

-- John

(shorter review also posted to Yelp)