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AgedParmy t1_itikd0q wrote

Reply to comment by ggill1313 in where is the Mexican food by TheGreyVicinity

Out of curiosity, what do you think of Chilangos, assuming you’ve been? How does it compare to Mexican in Texas

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ggill1313 t1_itix7s7 wrote

Chilangos is fine proper Mexican food, but IMO, still lacks a bit of the nuance and depth of the sort I’m familiar with. I wonder why that is, because generally speaking, Mexican food is pretty “simple” overall. I think I should quickly caveat that generally when Texans say ”Mexican food,” we’re actually referring to Tex-Mex. Thing is, Mexican food just isn’t really that common in Texas, even amongst the Mexican diaspora, outside of things like tamales and perhaps tortas. This isn’t to say it doesn’t exist, but OP is almost certainly looking for Tex-Mex and just didn’t articulate the distinction because colloquially, “Mexican food” is an umbrella term in Texas. I just responded in kind with the terminology they used.

The closest thing to what OP is looking for are going to be the enchiladas verdes at Casa Tequila.

I’m pretty “take it or leave it” on most Mexican food, but Tex-Mex kicks it up to 11, where it’s one of my favorite cuisines. I still do find it a bit odd that it’s so lacking - even just one restaurant - up here. Although like I mentioned, I think Indian food rather fills that niche of “flavorful, spicy, deep, nuanced, comfort food featuring strong spices, protein, rice, and soft bread.”

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Amaliatanase t1_itjhw3o wrote

This response makes a lot of sense to me. Back when I lived in Providence I had some friends from Texas and Colorado and they would complain about there being no Mexican food. I also had some Mexican friends who would take us all out to IMO great taquerias and restaurants all over the PVD area and the Texans and Coloradoans would still complain. Fast forward to my first trip to Texas and I get it. There's a very specific type of Tex-Mex restaurant that all have a very similar menu and make up 1/3-1/2 of restaurants out there. Its not Mexican food from Mexico, which does exist in Providence, its a whole other category, and one that is as omnipresent as pizza or grinders in Providence.

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