Kiff and I went on a rare date last night and ended up at a local tex-mex eatery. And the food sucked. In fact, every time I find myself at a nominally mexican restaurant, I find the food a brutal disappointment: Wan, soggy tortillas with the swampy taste of hot lettuce.
It made me wonder...how hard can it be to make decent tex-mex food appear on my plate?
You got your cheese. You got your meat. Avocado? check. Tomatoes? Check. Beans? Tortilas? Garlic? Lime? Onion? Parsley? Check.
Ok, so you want to add rice...cool! How much would it cost you to not use Uncle Ben's?
When I am at home, I like to add a little bit of sweet potato, goat cheese, spinach or watercress and tomatillo sauce. That's ok if you don't have those options - you're not a foodie place. But is a little flavour too much to ask?
Get yourself one of those cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Open a jar of cumin powder. Maybe let the meat sit in a little marinade for 20 minutes? Chop some fresh parsley. Maybe some scallions? Call it the spicy special, if you are worried about offending the flavour-phobes.
Then I can enjoy your patio, drink your cold beer, and eat something a bit tasty. How hard can it be?
I guess the problem is that Toronto is short on both Texans and Mexicans. You win, America. For now....
