If you thought tacos al pastor are the extent of Levantine influence on Mexican food, I suggest sitting down for this. www.texasmonthly.com/food/lebanes...

Lebanese Tacos Are a Trend 500 Years in the Making

A few Texas taquerias are taking the historic fusion cuisine to new heights with za’atar-dusted tortillas and Aleppo-pepper-infused hot sauce.

texasmonthly.com

Every Wednesday at 5pm, I plop down on my living room couch, a $10 bill neatly folded in my shirt pocket. Then I wait for the song that heralds the arrival of my local panadero. He roams my neighborhood, driving a white Scion xB. www.texasmonthly.com/food/mobile-...

Mobile Panaderias Bring the Conchas to You

Mexican bakers are taking to the streets—likely in retrofitted Scion xBs—to deliver delicious pan dulce all over the state.

texasmonthly.com

It's a bittersweet day. Today I woke ecstatic after last night's @texasmonthly.bsky.social Taco Fest. Now I sit with a heavy heart at the passing of my one of great teachers, Mary de Rachewiltz, daughter of Ezra Pound. The world has lost an incredible soul, one I am fortunate to have known.

Food safety is something I think a lot about. So when I read news about the cyclosporiasis outbreak, I rethought my work life, home life, and personal life. www.texasmonthly.com/food/texas-t...

What’s a Cyclosporiasis-Conscious Taco Lover to Do Without Cilantro, Onions, and Salsa?

While diners might be more wary of fresh produce during this disease outbreak, Texas taquerias are faring just fine.

texasmonthly.com

While a truly well-made nixtamalized corn tortilla is worth the effort and price, it just isn’t feasible for a majority of taquerias. A great taco doesn’t hinge on one specific tortilla-making technique. If it did, my biennial lists would be very, very short. www.texasmonthly.com/food/homemad...

The Myth of Handmade Tortillas

Some think corn tortillas must be made using the ancient process of nixtamalization. They’re wrong.

texasmonthly.com

“They taste like childhood. They taste like walking down the streets of my hometown.” www.texasmonthly.com/food/empalme/

This Is What You Get When You Cross a Quesadilla and a Sandwich

Empalme, the Mexican snack from Monterrey, is searing-hot and making its way into Texas restaurants.

texasmonthly.com

Words someone told me recently: "I have the luxury of being quasi-illegal."

This was fun. Thank you, Mark! Give it a listen, y'all.

Mark Simon (he/him)@marksimon.bsky.social · last mo.

This one is for everyone. Know a journalist who covers tacos? I talked to one! @tacotrail.bsky.social This one runs the gamut ... some serious stuff, some lighter topics. I think you'll like it (or at least find it fascinating that someone covers tacos!) podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/j...

Austin’s best mexican restaurant is closing. www.texasmonthly.com/food/el-nara...

Austin's Best Mexican Restaurant Is Closing

A James Beard Award and pioneering techniques couldn’t save this fourteen-year-old spot that stole my heart.

texasmonthly.com

My Latino Lyft driver’s maps app voice is set to Spanish in a bad American accent. It’s brilliant and hilarious and I love it.

Texas Monthly has the two undisputed greatest jobs in journalism, Taco Editor and Barbecue Editor

José R. Ralat 🌶️@tacotrail.bsky.social · 3mo ago

And now for the honorable mentions! www.texasmonthly.com/food/ten-up-...

And now for the honorable mentions! www.texasmonthly.com/food/ten-up-...

I Visited Nearly 200 Taquerias in the Last Two Years. These Are the Ten I’m Keeping My Eye On.

After visiting more than 200 taquerias on my search for the 25 best new (or improved!) ones, a few greats were left on the cutting room floor.

texasmonthly.com

It's here. The 25 Best New & Improved Taquerias midterm report is live and ready as your new checklist. www.texasmonthly.com/food/25-best...

The 25 Best New(ish) Texas Taquerias

Launching a taco joint or Mexican restaurant these days takes more than fiery salsas, fresh tortillas, and innovative recipes. You need bravado.

texasmonthly.com

Imagine complaining that are supposed to be cheap but paying $15 for a ribeye taco without consideration. It's happening. www.texasmonthly.com/food/rise-of...

The Rise of the Ribeye Taco

Beef is more expensive than ever, but that doesn’t seem to discourage diners from paying $15 a pop for ribeye tacos at Texas taquerias.

texasmonthly.com

“Ralat, who is also @texasmonthly.bsky.social’s taco editor, has been known to work El Paso food and history into his reporting.” Because you can’t know Texas without knowing El Paso. www.elpasoinc.com/columns/whis...

Whispers: It’s happening, job update & find your mission

The letters that spell out Wells Fargo are starting to come off what used to be the Wells Fargo Tower in Downtown El Paso.

elpasoinc.com

True.

Texas Monthly@texasmonthly.bsky.social · 3mo ago

"Cinco de Mayo. . . reminds us that Texas remains a former Mexican province called Tejas, that braided histories of our state and Mexico, of Texans and Mexicans, cannot be undone," writes @tacotrail.bsky.social. Read more on the history of the holiday here:

The old missions of TX were complex spaces. The Spanish soldiers weren't likely European but probably criollo or mestizo. Some Indigenous families were forcibly relocated. Others voluntarily found shelter there. Some commanders were lascivious. And so much more. www.texasmonthly.com/travel/forgo...

How to Uncover the Forgotten Missions of Texas

These relics tell us who we are as Texans, even when there’s not much left to see.

texasmonthly.com

Can a comedy club be a speakeasy? That accurately describes Crabs & Laughs at a family-owned marisqueria. www.texasmonthly.com/food/crabs-a...

This Mexican Seafood Restaurant Has a Hidden Comedy Club

Where else can you eat seafood tostadas while enjoying a night of live comedy but Grand Prairie’s Crabs & Laughs?

texasmonthly.com

It’s common for Mexican dishes to inspire laughter or sometimes traumatic memories. A gordita is a little fat girl; a trompo is a spinning top; a cachetada is a slap, but also a stunner of a taco & the subject of my latest @texasmonthly.bsky.social Tex-Mexplainer www.texasmonthly.com/food/cacheta...

A Mexican Taqueria Created the “Slap” Taco in 2020. Now It’s All Over Texas.

For Spanish speakers, seeing “cachetadas” on a menu might elicit some surprise. But expect to see lots more of these beefy, cheesy tacos.

texasmonthly.com

“I believe that a person should always, always, always—no matter what avenue you’re going to go down—pay that homage, that respect to the people that have done it before you, to the abuelitas, to all the tíos.”

You Won’t Miss Pork at These Texas Taquerias

These four spots offer halal meat for both traditional Mexican options, such as carne asada tacos, and fusion dishes like birria-style nihari.

texasmonthly.com

It's real & only available as a gift with a $180 purchase. Uff. www.lego.com/en-us/produc...

Restaurants of the World: Mexico 40907 | Other | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop US

Taste creativity with a LEGO® collectible restaurant set

lego.com

It's time the jalapeño exit stage left & make room for the serrano. The jalapeño is shallow. The serrano has personality. It's an evening walk with your media naranja followed by quality time away from the kids. The serrano is just better. www.texasmonthly.com/food/case-fo...

Hot Take: The Jalapeño Is Dead. Long Live the Serrano.

Over the last several decades, scientist-bred mild jalapeños have taken over the market. What’s a spice lover to do?

texasmonthly.com

“I was literally in my kitchen wearing goggles, a hairnet, a mask, gloves, and a scientist apron...trying to figure out how to make this idea come to life." www.texasmonthly.com/food/birria-...

Meet the “Birria Queen” Who Caught H-E-B’s Attention

Donelle Mendoza brought the birria craze to a whole new level with her spice "bombs" for home cooks, earning her $25,000 from the grocery giant.

texasmonthly.com

How can I not grow a plant named chisme? www.npsot.org/posts/native...

If you've been following me for a while you know that I love the Kansas City taco, which, it so happens, is older than the taco al pastor, and its sad decline. Kansas City magazine has a hopeful report. Many thanks to their food editor for mentioning my work. kansascitymag.com/the-kc-taco-...

The KC Taco Is Dying…But Maybe There’s Hope.

In 2019, José R. Ralat declared in a national Eater article that our city’s own taco, the so-called KC taco, was on the verge of extinction.

kansascitymag.com

The link is broken on José's post but this one should be working. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...

She Spent Nearly 23 Years in Prison for a Crime She Didn’t Commit. Now She May Be Deported.

On Monday, Carmen Mejia was officially exonerated in the 2003 scalding death of an infant.

texasmonthly.com

José R. Ralat 🌶️@tacotrail.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Read this tragic & important story by my colleague @mikehalltexas.bsky.social.

Read this tragic & important story by my colleague @mikehalltexas.bsky.social.

Election coverage continues but hunger is forever. Take a break. Perhaps by reading this @texasmonthly.bsky.social story of a one-of-a-kind taqueria. www.texasmonthly.com/food/ki-mexi...

East Texas Has Never Seen a Taco Joint Quite Like This

Inside a wine-and-beer bar in Longview, Ki’ Mexico ETX dishes up tacos filled with New York strip steak and shrimp marinated in chipotle sauce.

texasmonthly.com

Thirty minutes ago as I was leaving my hotel in Amarillo and when the automatic doors opened I was greeted by the familiar aroma of my abuelo’s mountain farm: cow dung. The front desk clerk said the smell is from a ranch an hour away. I forgot how flat the Panhandle really is.

.@texasmonthly.bsky.social's best new restaurants list is out. @paulaforbes.bsky.social nailed the finer details and overarching themes. And Restaurant of the Year! Huzzah. Go forth to read and eat, mi gente. www.texasmonthly.com/food/best-ne...