Tuesday, February 26, 2013

BaD Food Friday: The American Version of Mexican Food Ideas Feb 14, 2013 11:55PM PST

(1up was not wanting to cooperate on this one, at all, hence missing pictures)

So, I was going to do this about food in videogames, but thankfully, my dad took us out to Ojeda's yesterday, since it was on his way to wherever he was driving.
I say "thankfully" cause the food in videogames thing has been done before, and if I were to do it, it would just be that recycled joke about eating chicken off the ground, and how unsanitary that would be in real life. Yeah, be glad I had Mexican food yesterday.
And since yesterday was a day for hearts, let's get to some pictures that'll clog your arteries!
Now, Ojeda's is really close to us here in DeSoto, TX, and I'm not sure if it's a chain restaurant or not, but if it is, you should go there. If it's anything like the family owned one near us, the service, timing (your stuff is made by comic book icon Flash, working alongside classic cartoon character Speedy Gonzalez, I've come to think), and food quality are amazing.

This is the EXACT location I eat at, Google Image Search Wins One.
When I was little I used to order their chicken nuggets, and yes, I know, but I was seven, and I don't care what restaurant it was, I was either getting those, corn dogs, a hot dog, cheese sticks, or chicken fried steak no matter what restaurant it was!
Then, I graduated to flautas,

They're at the top of this picture; Kinda wish they had a better, more flauta-centric picture, but this IS what an Ojeda's dinner table looks like, so whatever
then last night I had my usual again: Sour Cream Enchiladas, which, as seen below, come with yellow rice and refired beans on either side.
 
Pictured Above: The Best A Google Image Search Could Do
The shredded chicken, sour cream, whatever that red, spicy stuff is on top (tastes delicious and was abundant yesterday), jalapeno on top, and soft tortilla shell are incredible. I actually like to finish off my yellow rice and refried beans first, dipping the yellow rice in some sour cream. Delicious!
Then we have La Carreta, which is located near my alma mater in Nacogdoches, TX

My alma mater is SFA or SFASU for short, and is sometimes referred to as "sex, fun and alcohol," though it actually stands for Stephen F. Austin (State University).
Not Seen: The Sex and Fun going on; the Alcohol is somewhere,
it has to be, but I think it's hiding
This was the Mexican restaurant go-to for gatherings and birthday parties, and where my parents and I first ate when they dropped me off for Orientation in 2008. It's a pretty good place with some good margaritas (Ojeda's are at least just as good, but I'm biased)

Margarita!! I got nothin'
One time I went with a female co-worker after being burned out by the check-in process (I was an Assitant Hall Director at the time, and at the new Freshman hall that opened Fall 2011, we were all burned out) and we had two each but sent my boss a picture of me with four empty glasses; luckily she had a sense of humor, and just told us she felt the same and had a few drinks herself. Neither of us were underage at the time, which probably helped that sense of humor haha.
Anyway, this is one of those places where I get sour cream chicken enchiladas, but I have to request them not to do it in a hard shelled tortilla. They do the flour/soft version well enough, but it's not the mind-blowing greatness of Ojeda's, which also has a picture of the staff with Bill Clinton on their wall. I'll have to do one of these blogs about my visit to his childhood home when I was in Arkansas with my ex-girlfriend; not for politics, just thought it was an experience I should share some time.
 
Pretty sure this isn't from La Carreta's, but close enough
Then there's Casa Tomas which...



That green dipping sauce is great, everything else looks a lot better than it really is
was conveniently close to my other old place of college work, Lumberjack Village, and it has great drink reviews, and some awesome green sauce (I don't think it's guacamole; if it is, they have a very unique recipe for it), but I went with an ex-girlfriend there and had their three, as opposed to two, enchilada dinnre, and that was a huge mistake.
It felt like a chore to muscle thorugh it, not because of my lack of appetite going in, but because the lack of appetite its flavor gave me. The enchiladas were covered in boith sour cream and a green sauce that did not taste like the dipping sauce cause, y'know, the dipping sauce tastes good.
I'm sure people like it, cause it's still around, but my experience was not pleasant.
And finally, for restaurants we have the absolutely astonishing flavor of Jalapeno Tree, also in Nacogdoches, TX, but a little farther from campus.

Also referred to as  "Jap Tree," for short, by many SFA students
I didn't go to the most P.C. college on earth
I actually didn't go here until my senior year, as I didn't have a car in college, and it was farther up the highway from most places. I remember being told about the amazing take-home ice cream, but I didn't have any when I went. What I did have though, was life changing.
 
This is not the John Wayne.
However, Bear wih me as I had to actually go to their site just to get this.
So obviously that up there is some kind of kabob. Looks delicious too, but it's no John Wayne.
You want to know what John Wayne is? From their menu: "fajita steak, chicken flauta with queso, sour cream, and guacamole, served with Mexican fajita dip." You know what the Mexican fajita dip is? See that buttery looking sauce next to the kabob? That's what you dip your fajita steak in. It is one of the best things I have ever tasted. Bar none. And you need to try it before you die, if you consider yourself any kind of man. It would make John Wayne himself cry with tears of BEAR MAN SATISFACTION.
So, what are your favorite Mexican restaurants?
Oh, and yesterday was the busiest day for restaurants, and given something I saw on facebook yesterday, and having worked in the Take Away section of Outback Steakhouse one Valentine's, and experiencing the hell of working my ass off for a full nine/ten hour day of total in-the-weeds hell, then going home only with a measley $50 cause Outback's Take Away people only get $2.13/hr, plus tips which are split between anyone working Take Away that day, I must remind everyone to tip your servers. Please!!
Speaking of employment, I now work every day next week except Monday, including that 17 hour 7am-12am shift this Tuesday! And because I'm no longer a waiter I don't have to worry about not getting paid for my work. And to be fair, I usually didn't get stiffed as an actual in-house server (only once for ringing up the wrong dessert, so I deserved it), and yes, if someone fucks up royally and/or tampers with your food, you are more than free not to tip, but under normal circumstances, please either respect tipping or send your Congressmen some letters about fair wages for servers.
Oh and if you want, you can also tell me if you prefer Taco Bell or Taco Bueno, but ... honestly, I'm ok with them both, but they're not great. Bueno is better qualty, but Taco Bell is cheaper. Taco Bell is also the "after party" location for them dancin' folk that come from the Nacogdoches dance club The Annex, located in the same parking lot. Whoever did the location on that Taco Bell is a damn genius.

My favorite: Volcano Tacos/Tacos Supreme
Those Doritos Locos Tacos add no flavor, just cheesy fingers
VS.

My favorite: Chicken Quesadillas/Those Cinnamon things that used to come in kid's meals
Though I always forget to ask for sour cream with my quesadillas. Oh well, salsa is healthier.
You decide!
And sorry for posting late, had this up earlier but forgot 1up always has to say too many characters when I write on the living room computer. Had to e-mail myself the text and research for pictures AGAIN. Oy!

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