Chasing the Big Enchilada
El Mexicano
10413 Baltimore Ave
Beltsville, MD 20705
301-572-4000
El Mexicano @chefmoz.org
Cost: $$
Paul Says:
Service: **
Atmosphere: *
Food: *
Margaritas: N/A
Overall: *
Amy Says:
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El Paso Mexican Restaurant
5732 Buckeystown Pike
Frederick, MD 21704
301-698-0629
El Paso @mytravelguide.com
Cost: $$
Paul Says:
Service: ****
Atmosphere: ***
Food: ***
Margaritas: N/A
Overall: ***
Amy Says:
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Corralejo
528 S Bay Rd
Dover, DE 19901
302-734-4575
Corralejo @yahoo!
Cost: $
Paul Says:
Service: *****
Atmosphere: ***
Food: ***
Margaritas: *
Overall: ***
Amy Says:
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Pacifico
98 Smith St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-935-9090
pacifico @citysearch
Cost: $$
Paul Says:
Service: **
Atmosphere: *****
Food: ***
Margaritas: n/a
Overall: ****
Amy Says:
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Mexicana Mama Centro
47 E 12th St
New York, NY 10003
212-253-7594
mexicana mama centro @citysearch
Cost: $$$$
Paul Says:
Service: *****
Atmosphere: *****
Food: ****
Margaritas: **
Overall: ****
[draft] great service. nicely decorated. interesting, but not very good and expensive margaritas. food is excellent.
Amy Says:
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Tampico Grill
42 Washington Blvd S
Laurel, MD 20707
301-490-5200
http://www.tampicogrill.org
Paul Says:
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The food is pretty standard Tex-Mex fare, however the menu is bit different than you’ll find at other places. The beef burrito and enchiladas were very good. The pepper sauce (choice of 5 different sauces) was a tasty topping. The rice and beans were bland. The service was excellent and the margaritas are some of the stiffest I have had.
Amy Says:
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El Charro Mexican Salvadoran
933 Fairlawn Ave
Laurel, MD 20707
301-490-8740
Taco Fiesta
618 S. Exeter St.
Baltimore, MD
410-234-3782
http://www.tacofiesta.com
Restaurante Serrano
2129 Forest Drive
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
410-573-9200
http://www.restauranteserrano.com
Arcos Restaurante
129 S Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21231
410-522-4777
http://www.restaurantearcos.com/
Zapata’s
5485 Harpers Farm Rd
Columbia, MD 21044
410-715-6929
http://www.zapatasonline.com
La Tolteca
300 Baltimore Pike
Bel Air, MD 21014
410-588-5975
http://www.lastoltecas.com
our reviews
Visited: October 27, 2006, 11:45 AM
“On a recent visit to the Bel Air, MD area, I stopped in La Tolteca for lunch. I had recently are at the La Tolteca in Newark, DE and loved it, but I’m not sure if they are affiliated. The outside of the place is nothing to write home about and the parking lot is small, inside it is small, but very nicely decorated. After I was seated I was not only given the standard bowl of chips and salsa, but also a bowl of a white substance. At first I was very excited, thinking “wow they give out queso dip here!”. But alas it was not. It took me a few tasted to determine what it was, and if I liked it. Was it a sour cream dip? a mayonnaise based dip? I asked the waiter and he said it was a ranch/milk/jalapeno dip. After a little research I found this recipe, and it seems like this is basically what I had. Apparently a dip like this is famous at a restaurant called Chuy’s in Texas.
Chuy’s Creamy Jalapeno Dip
3/4 cup mayonnaise (can use low fat)
3/4 cup milk
1 (1 ounce) packet hidden valley ranch dressing mix
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies
3/4 cup pickled jalapeno peppers, chips
3 tablespoons cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon lime juiceAfter an extensive taste testing, I concluded it was a bit to mayo-ranchy to use a chip dip, but I found it worked very well on my leftover lettuce/beans/tomatoes. I ordered the beef chimichanga for lunch. It was fried to perfection and it was a very nice portion. It was filled with basically chunks of pot roast, which isn’t my cup of tea, I’d prefer flank steak or something of that nature, but anything is better than ground beef. Overall though I really liked this place and reccomend it to anyone looking for a place to eat in the Bel Air area”
Paul
La Tolteca
230 E Main St
Newark, DE 19711
302-737-8220
http://www.lastoltecas.com
Austin Grill
Silver Spring, MD & Baltimore, MD
http://www.austingrill.com
Diegos
499 Ritchie Hwy
Severna Park, MD 21146
410-431-5005
http://www.eatatdiegos.com
Lauriol Plaza
1835 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-387-0035
http://www.lauriolplaza.com
La Antigua
11260 Georgia Ave
Wheaton, MD 20902
301-949-9838
our reviews
Visited: September 7, 2006, 8:00 PM
“This is a very authentic place, which usually isn’t good for those of us who aren’t big meat eaters. I liked it because the waitress kept breaking into Spanish and I got to use my skillz. They specialize in Mexican, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran food. The guacamole is delicious, although beware that if you order chips and guac, you only get nine chips. Another glitch of authenticism. I had chicken fajitas… the chicken was a little tough for my taste, but the novio liked it. I got two thick corn tortillas, some scary looking beans and rice, and one teeny scoop each of sour cream, guac, and tomatoes. Moral of the story: we aren’t at Don Pablo’s anymore. And really, thank god for that. Oh and I give the margaritas an A+, even though she used salt.”
Amy
“I had the Nachos and Guatemalan Taquitos. Both safe choices, considering the other menu options, but both were very tasty as well. Atmosphere isn’t the greatest, but they do have a large plasma TV on the wall. If you’re lucky you’ll get to catch a Kung Fu movie on your visit. Service and margaritas were excellent.”
Paul
Moe’s Southwest Grill
Various Locations
http://www.moes.com
Blockheads Mexican Diner
499 Second Ave
New York, NY 10016-9107
website
Mexico Restaurant
3810 Ventnor Ave
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
website
California Tortilla
Various Locations - MD/DC/VA/DE/WV
http://www.californiatortilla.com
Fajita Coast
10110 Colesville Rd
Silver Spring, MD 20901
fajitacoastrestaurant.com
Gina’s Cantina
722 Generals Hwy
Millersville, MD 21108
410-923-8226
Lista’s Southwestern Grill
2412 Mountain Rd
Pasadena, MD 21122
website
6938 Aviation Blvd
Glen Burnie, MD 21061
(410) 766-9800
website
our reviews
i love taco flavored kisses
-paul m.
mmm, chicken taco salad es muy bueno!
-amy l.
Mi Rancho
8701 Ramsey Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-588-4744
http://www.miranchorestaurant.com
Nacho Mama’s
2911 Odonnell St
Baltimore, MD 21224
410-675-0898
http://www.nachomamascanton.com
Pachanga Grill
8395 Piney Orchard Pkwy
Odenton, MD 21113
410-551-9318
Samantha’s
631 University Blvd. E.
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-445-7300
website
reviews
“Very nice atmosphere, good margiritas, and the food is a little pricey, but worth it. A good place for a nice meal, or to take out-of-towners”
-Paul
“They lose half a star for not carding my brother’s girlfriend. That’s just rude. Delicious spinach enchis though!”
-Amy
Santa Fe Grille
75 Visitors Center Dr
McHenry, MD 21541
(301) 387-2182
http://www.deepcreektimes.com/santafe
Tijuana Mexican Cafe
8221 Georgia Ave
Silver Spring, MD 22910
301-562-9336
Cactus Cantina
3300 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016
202-686-7222
http://www.cactuscantina.com
reviews
Visited: August 3, 2006, 9:00 PM.
“Two words… ok one word and one definite article… EL MACHINO. I would live in it if I could. The freshly made flour tortillas are so good, they even use them in some of their enchiladas (which, for you true gringos out there, are usually made with corn tortillas). Sadly, they do NOT use them with chicken enchiladas, which I learned the hard way on my last visit. This place is owned by the same people who brought us Lauriol Plaza, so you know it’s good even if it isn’t all that special. The salsa here is much better than at Lauriol, where frankly it tastes like bacon grease with a dash of hickory-smoked fish oil thrown in for good measure.The margaritas are good, and there is a bigger bar than Lauriol’s to hang out in if you have to wait for your table. However, the CatCan (I’m sure they won’t mind if I call it that) is one of the few family-friendly restaurants in DC, which is a major downside as most DC children are obnoxious, Izod-wearing, private-schooled twits. Anyway the food is decent, albeit about as overpriced as every other restaurant in DC. While it probably won’t be an unforgettable experience, the food is good, and I’d say it’s definitely worth the visit for the fresh tortillas, which are hard to come by in these parts.”
Amy
La Frontera Cantina
1633 17th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-232-0437
Tortilla Coast
400 1st St Se
Washington, DC 20003
202-546-6768
http://www.tortillacoast.com
El Charro Mexican Restaurant
1570 E Market St
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
540-564-0386
Armadillo Grill
439 Glenwood Ave
Raleigh, NC 27603
919-546-0555
http://www.armadillogrill.com
El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant
2404 Wake Forest Rd
Raleigh, NC 27608
919-833-1460
http://triangle.citysearch.com/profile/6185114
reviews
“I ordered the Carne Asada. The steak was bland. The rice was bland. The beans were bland. However, the chips and salsa were excellent, I liked the atmosphere and prices, and by the looks of the menu and what Amy got, Id be willing to give El Rodeo another chance if I happened to be in the area”
Paul
Habaneros Mexican Cantina
11151 Ocean Highway
Pawleys Island, SC 29585
843-235-9595
Baja Burrito
722 Thompson LN
Nashville, TN 37204
615-383-2252
http://www.bluecoastburrito.com
La Hacienda
2615 Nolensville Pike
Nashville, TN 37211
615-256-6142
reviews
“The best chilaquiles I’ve ever had. Excellent [and huge] margaritas. Prices are excellent as well”
Paul
San Antonio Taco Co.
416 21st Ave S
Nashville, TN 37203
615-327-4322
9 Amigos
Minute Maid Park
333 Crawford St
Houston, TX 77002
281-497-3649
rate it!
our reviews
“The food wasn’t all that great, and the prices were outrageous, but where else can you sit and eat a burrito while watching a baseball game”
Paul
Polvos Mexicanos
2004 S 1st St
Austin, TX 78704
512-441-5446
http://polvos.citysearch.com
rate it!
Paul (el Guapo) and Amy (la Loca) travel the world (ok, the east coast) to find the best Mexican food this side of the Rio Grande. Read all about their findings here.
