Mixtec — A Bit Mixed Up

2009-02-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine who is the chef/manager of an Adams Morgan area Mexican restaurant told me the story of when he first met the owners of Mixtec. On the restaurant’s opening day about 2 years ago, the Mixtec owners came in and introduced themselves to my chef friend. The chatted some typical friendly banter in a rapid-fire Spanish dialect (which my friend re-enacted) and then the conversation turned to menu items. My chef friend was explaining their focus on molè and the addition of fish tacos on the menu. The Mixtec owner said something like “Fish tacos?!?!? Well, good luck.” The conversation ended with what my friend took to be the sign of an impending friendly rivalry of local Mexican eateries. This, I said, could only work out to the benefit of diners. My friend then pointed out that Mixtec has since introduced both molè and fish tacos on their menu. A hand-written sign proudly displays the availability of fish tacos in Mixtec’s windows.

I ate at Mixtec for the first time several weeks before this conversation. I went in to get some take-out and was immediately thrilled with what I saw. Formica tables with wobbly metal legs, un-upholstered banquet chairs, laminated pictures of Mexican delicacies (which they may or may not actually serve) and tourist destinations plastered across the wall, and a refrigerator full of Jamaica (hibiscus leaf) drink and Mexican orange soda. Home!!! This is the affordable take-out Mexican food restaurant layout that litters the Southern California landscape. And then a hostess/waitress came up and asked if I wanted to be seated… Ok, this is not the typical SoCal Mexican joint. I was sort of startled at the offer, and stared blankly at the kind hostess wondering to myself why I would need help seating myself, or subsequently being served for that matter, when squeeze bottles of green and red hot sauce and a napkin dispenser are already on the table. No thanks, just take out, I finally replied after getting my bearings. She pointed me to a take-out menu posted high on the wall.

The menu looked legit — both in choice and price. I then noticed a stack of bound menus on the front counter and had a look. This is the dine-in menu, the hostess told me after noticing I had picked one up. Again, somewhat startled that what at first appeared to be a take-out eatery requires two different menus, I perused the dine-in menu. The items spanned various regional styles of Mexico, and it is kind enough to point out which regions of Mexico from where each of the dishes comes. A smart move, I thought, to educate your consumers and display an element of knowledge and verify authenticity. But also risky. It is my general experience that restaurants that try to do too much — ie, cover too many regional specialties of Mexico — fail at doing most things on the menu. Almost every restaurant does it to some extent, but those that can focus on a few things that they can do really really well tends to be more successful. Which reminds me I will write a post about the 80/20 principle as it applies to restaurants. But I digress. Back at Mixtec, I also notice that the dine-in menu is substantially more expensive than the take-out menu. $14.95 for a plate of those newly discovered fish tacos. So back to the take-out menu, I order three tacos al pastor with a side of guacamole and my friend orders a carne asada burrito.

Carne asada — roasted meat — is available at probably every Mexican place in the country, even Taco Bell (I think), but al pastor is not. It is much more rare. And to me, it is the gold standard of Mexican pork related dishes. Typically it is a the loin roasted in a spicy adobo (tomato-based) sauce. It far surpasses your standard shredded carnitas pork-shoulder in both flavor and texture. And whenever I see it on the menu, I order it above all else.

Mixtec’s version is spot-on. Slightly salty and spicy tender chunks of pork wrapped in two steamed white corn tortillas and topped with diced red onion and cilantro. With my own additions of extra hot sauce and guacamole, I was deep into al pastor ecstasy. My friend did not comment on the burrito until after it had disappeared. Excelente! She finally proclaimed. Both dishes proved worthy of a repeat effort.

So we went back about a week later, this time to test out their dine-in offerings. I accepted the hostess/waitress’ gracious offer of a seat, which happened to be directly next to where I was standing at the time. The menu is a formidable mix of offerings from all over Mexico, thus (see above) it’s hard to factor in authenticity into this review. Especially with gringo creations like nachos and burritos on the menu. For comparison purposes, I ordered the burrito al pastor this time, even though it is $13 instead of $6.50 for take-out. My friend ordered a combo with a tamale, enchilada, and arrachera (grilled flank steak). The twice-the-price burrito was about the same massive size of my friend’s previously ordered carne asada burrito, but this time it comes covered with a mild sauce and a side of salsa, sour cream, and shredded lettuce — not $6 worth. The burrito was full of brown-ish rice and pinto beans and far too short on the pork product. My friend seemed to enjoy her combo-plate. I tasted her cheese enchilada and found it soggy and bland. A two-top sat at the table next to us and ordered chips and salsa to start, despite their complaints of having to pay $5. The chips appeared to be of the same quality one might find in nachos at a baseball game — certainly a Costco purchase. Or maybe Sam’s Club. We also ordered a pitcher of margaritas. I am generally not a fan, only to say I was sufficiently buzzed when I left the restaurant. So at least they didn’t skimp on the tequila, although I didn’t see a liquor license posted anywhere, and chose not to press the issue with our server.

Ranking:
Take-out – 7.5
Dine-in – 4

Next up — Taqueria D.F.

Raison D'Etre

2009-02-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

The taco is authentic Mexican food — meaning that it can actually be found in Mexico (unlike the taco's cousin del norte, the burrito) and as far as I know, originated there.

OR

The taco is, in fact, a product of gringo creation reintroduced to Mexico through globalizing forces and neo-colonization.

Truth be told, I don't know which is the correct story. I don't know where the taco originated, and Wikipedia doesn't have much to say on the topic. Needless to say, the many forms of taco's found in the United States show every thing that is great and everything that sucks about gastronomic bastardization. So even though this blog is about Mexican food in DC in general, it is dedicated to that symbol of America's cultural and culinary deluge — The Taco.

A bit about where this blog is coming from. Mexican food is a very important part of my life. Or, I should say, it was. I am not Mexican. But I did grow up in Southern California where I consumed more Mexican food than that of any other ethnic cuisine. Thus, I have developed a standard. It's not cut and dry. Amazing Mexican food can come from the least likely of restaurants (Roberto's chain in San Diego) and cities (Chicago, Raleigh). But suffice it to say it is based off of two main influences: 1) Mexican Food in Southern California, in its many varieties, and 2) My travels through Baja California and the Central Mexican coastal states of Guererro and Michoacan. No need to spell out every qualification of good Mexican food here, as I will articulate this standard through out my blogging. All the normal indicators — quality, taste, freshness, authenticity, originality, price — will be explored here.

I have found that much as the regions of Mexico produce distinct and far-ranging types of food, so do the regions of the United States produce different types of Mexican food. The Mexican food you find in San Diego is not the same as what you would find in Los Angeles, let alone Texas or the East Coast.

So here is to finding out if DC has a Mexican food identity of its own...And if anyone in the city can produce a taco worthy of the name.

First stop, Mixtec.

The DC Taco

Mixtec — A Bit Mixed Up

Raison D'Etre