660312 Sat Oct 17 13:37:32 -0700 2009 16 2 Los Angeles Area 0 5110683 I moved here from Tulsa several years ago, and frequented restaurants in Dallas, Texas. Since moving to LA, I've found many a wonderful new cuisine here, but am deeply missing some of the food from back home, where the style of Mexican is different from here. Maybe it's tex-mex, sonoran, southwestern, etc., but it's similar to what I had on my trips south of the border. Personally, I care not if it's authentic mexican, I just crave it! I've noticed the styles of 'mexican' vary greatly from what you get in Texas, Arizona, and California, and I'm partial to the first two. Presumably, they all inherit their flavors from the areas they are just north of in Mexico. Someone care to enlighten me? Prime examples of what I'm on a mission to find in LA: Uncle Julios (of Dallas): I only ate here once, 7 years ago, and I can't get it out of my mind. Best fajitas, guacamole, and tortillas in my life. The steak wasn't typical LA "whatchamacallit", but top grade. http://www.unclejulios.com/ (I've actually found equally good homemade tortillas here at Paco's Tacos - a very kind little old lady makes them in the corner of the restaurant while you eat, but the rest of the fajita here leaves something to be desired) Marianos: http://www.marianosrestaurant.com/index.htm Maybe the closest thing I've found here is the chain, On the Border Grill, and Cozymel's, both of which are not up to par. Please tell me this exists here? I've seen similar threads that seem to end up with the inevitably aweful suggestions of Tito's Tacos, some Taco stand, El Torito, Del Taco, etc. Pllllleeease. Not even in the same category or quality. Sat Oct 17 13:37:32 -0700 2009 198336 Cybernaut 1 5110780 Marix Tex - Mex. They are in Weho and Santa Monica. Decent fajitas, but not stellar. I like Chili's better. Their steaks that I've had at the SaMo spot are pretty good. Sat Oct 17 14:26:51 -0700 2009 5110683 90755 Phurstluv 1 5110801 I always preface this rec by saying that I haven't eaten here in many years but, when I did, the fajitas and tortillas were outstanding: http://nickstasteoftexas.com/ Sat Oct 17 14:41:15 -0700 2009 5110683 10883 JAB 2 5110884 This looks interesting, but probably too far for us to drive more than rarely. Next time I'm out to the east, I'll have to give it a try. I should have mentioned I'm on the Westside - willing to drive a bit though. Sat Oct 17 15:20:59 -0700 2009 5110801 198336 Cybernaut 2 5119223 Unless things have improved in the last year, it has gone way downhill. The items on the menu were intriguing, but everything we ordered seemed like it part of a frozen dinner they had taken out of its paper tray and put on a plate to try to fool us. We never went back, and I certainly wouldn't drive across the city for it. Wed Oct 21 05:21:06 -0700 2009 5110801 123676 Velvet Elvis 3 5119276 Durn. Wed Oct 21 05:51:04 -0700 2009 5119223 281830 Harry Nile 1 5111480 Don Rogelio in Lennox, CA.Excellent Tex-Mex. Sat Oct 17 20:55:00 -0700 2009 5110683 128722 streetgourmetla 1 5111593 Border Grill, La Cabana (Venice), Lare's (Santa Monica), Ciudad (downtown), Rivera (downtown), Babita (San Gabriel). And check the stalls at Grand Central Market (downtown) for good food and great value. Sat Oct 17 23:06:09 -0700 2009 5110683 10332 mc michael 2 5111743 And if the OP is going to swing by Lares they might as well go a couple of more blocks west and check out Gilbert's El Indio too. Sun Oct 18 05:07:21 -0700 2009 5111593 108169 Servorg 3 5111753 Links (which did not take when I tried to add them the first time around) here: Sun Oct 18 05:16:32 -0700 2009 5111743 108169 Servorg 2 5111752 Babita and some of the others that I know on your list, mc michael, have many claims and charms, but they aren't Tex-Mex in any sense, especially in the sense of Tex-Mex founding cathedral Matt's El Rancho in Austin (and its lesser wholly owned cousins in Dallas). They're not even much like certain favored high-end Mexican or Regional Mexican restaurants in latter-day Texas -- for example: Hugo's in Houston, Javier's in Dallas, La Fogata in San Antonio, Fonda San Miguel in Austin, .... (Straying slightly from the original topic, Babita isn't nearly as good as the last two, IMHO.) Every few months one of these discussions starts up yet again, and we never identify really good Tex-Mex places in Southern California (although I look forward to trying Don Rogelio's on streetgourmetla's recommendation).So when I yearn for Tex-Mex, I have a progressive meal: bean, cheese, and jalapeño nachos at La Cabanita; bean and cheese burritos at Al & Bea's (hold the watery salsa, por favor); chiles en nogada at La Casita (the sophisticated sauce isn't obviously Tex-Mex, but the chiles stuffed with ground beef and pork -- unlike the unappealing guisado stuffing at Babita and La Cabanita -- and dotted with nuts and dried fruit remind me of the special chile relleno at Matt's); and puffy tacos at Arturo's Puffy Taco in Whittier de Nixon. The food can be very good, but, of course, this dinner isn't a completely authentic experience, because our law enforcement does not appreciate Texas culture. As you drive from place to place you won't be able to legally throw empty beer bottles at passersby or shoot at traffic signs with your rifle, activities I helped pioneer in El Paso, Mercedes, and Brownsville, Tex., when I was a young anglo pachuco from California many years ago. Sun Oct 18 05:15:45 -0700 2009 5111593 281830 Harry Nile 3 5112312 I generally agree, however, I think trying to recapture the experience of another area's food here is doomed to fail. Having had many a meal at Austin's Big Four, Spanish Village and others there, I realize we don't have the sort of Tex-Mex you are searching for. (Although El Cholo claims their nachos have Tex-Mex origins.) Rather I think you just have to suck it up and find what we have here that's good. So Grand Central Market Stalls, the increasing array of "taco trucks," Serenata da Garibaldi, Babita, El Tepeyac, King Taco, Loteria Grill, et al. Sun Oct 18 11:08:16 -0700 2009 5111752 10332 mc michael 4 5117056 Cybernaut: As a Texan, I know exactly what you mean ! That said, though not in LA, I wholeheartedly recommend Casa Garcia of Anaheim. Their food is true TexMex & well worth the drive. Will post links or address later. (But they have 2 locations...the closest being approx.1/2 mile East on Lincoln off the 5 Fwy. Tue Oct 20 09:01:54 -0700 2009 5112312 223236 JazzBeau 5 5117858 What about El Torito Grill on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills? Tue Oct 20 13:05:23 -0700 2009 5117056 16747 Bria Silbert 6 5118117 I think you are kidding. I hope so. Tue Oct 20 14:34:02 -0700 2009 5117858 10332 mc michael 7 5118424 It is kind of Tex Mex from what I remember. I haven't been there in a while. Tue Oct 20 16:46:46 -0700 2009 5118117 235517 annapurna7 3 5120395 Arturo's Puffy Taco isn't just a recreation of a Tex-Mex restaurant, it IS a Tex-Mex restaurant, brother to and nearly as venerable as Henry's Puffy Taco in San Antonio. The cooking is kind of specific, but that may be the point. Wed Oct 21 12:23:21 -0700 2009 5111752 10702 condiment