The Pozole and I moved to Arlington, Texas from Austin at the beginning of August 2016. After eighteen years in Austin, we’d more or less become experts in the Mexican food and taquerías of that town. But de’d only been to three Mexican restaurants in Arlington—once back in April, when we came for a visit, and the second and third time shortly after we moved here.
So far, I haven’t been thrilled. I honestly can’t remember much about the first one, since we were getting a quick breakfast on the run before driving back to Austin. The only thing I remember was getting a plastic engagement ring out of a plastic bubble from the red toy-vending machine. (Was the universe trying to tell us something?)
The second place was more restaurant-y than taquería-like, decorated with an over-abundance of wooden lattice, and the experience boiled down to watery salsa, overpriced flautas, and a brief existentialist crisis about the next chapter in our relationship. But I will give that one a second chance, to be fair—it was our first day in Arlington, after living in Austin for eighteen years, and I was disoriented.
The third place smelled a like we were downwind from a port-a-potty, and they were out of pretty much everything The Pozole wanted to eat, so we decided to share what I ordered: a flor de calabaza quesadilla that was large enough to feed four people. For The Pozole, whose comfort foods are barbacoa and lengua, eating a meal that was fifty percent made of squash blossoms was a leap of faith, I’ll give that place a second chance, too. The owners had just opened up the little restaurant—it seemed that perhaps the funny smell was from some water leaking issues. And they were very friendly and humbled that we visited their restaurant.
So, onto the next taquería adventures in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex! As we live in Arlington, most of my menudo and taco coverage will be focused in this area, but if you have any suggestions for places in Dallas or Fort Worth that I should review, please contact me.
Until the next time, please enjoy The Pozole’s homage to Mexican food.
P.S. Since the publishing of this blog post, Undercover Mexican Girl and El Pozole have since discovered that Mexican food in Arlington may very well beat the pants off Austin.