Mexican food again :)

That's good to know. Thanks.
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My husband and I went to Cafe Pacifico in Covent Garden yesterday and I give it a big thumbs up!   The refried beans were spot on.  They tasted exactly like what I would get at home.  I got the Chimichanga which was quite good.   The rice just needed a bit of salt.  The guacamole was average.  I can make much better myself.

The only negative about it was the margaritas were way expensive and could have been a little sweeter.

All in all, I had fun.  This was precisely the kind of place I was wanting to find.  Too bad it's in London though.

We went to Aldi today (albeit very briefly) and they had a lot of Mexican stuff. It's only about the third time I've been to an Aldi, so I don't know if their El Toro brand is any good or not, but there seemed to be a lot of it! Lots of sauces as well as fajita and taco kits. As I said, we were only there briefly, so I didn't scope it all out too carefully, but it might be worth checking out if anyone's interested.

Don't buy the El Toro spices that are meant to be stirred into creme fraiche or sour cream to make a dip!
It's really bad... has that curry taste that so many 'mexican' things have.

... has that curry taste that so many 'mexican' things have.

You know I've bought chili powder here before - I think it was Sainsburys brand - that seemed like it had more curry seasonings in it.  However, the Schwartz brand does not - it has:  Chilli Pepper, Cumin, Salt, Oregano, Garlic & Cayenne Pepper -- pretty much the stuff I'd put in chili anyway, plus the Anti-caking Agent (Silicon Dioxide).  Both hot and mild have the same basic ingredients, just different 'heat' of chillies.

My husband and I went to Cafe Pacifico in Covent Garden yesterday and I give it a big thumbs up!  

Really? Maybe they've changed recently (ooh I hope so!) but every time I've been there I've been disappointed. Closer to "Tex-Mex" (lots of meat and lots of fried) than Mexican as far as I was concerned. But I'd also lump in the Texas Embassy, La Perla and Chiquito into that same "tex-mex" category...

Not to piss on your chips, understand! To each his own!

The Texas Embassy sux a big one!!!

I am making enchiladas tonight..I am using the new chuncky Swartz spices that are out. I started by making their chili and using that to make my fillings for the tortillas..will let you know how they taste...

The Texas Embassy sux a big one!!!

We have a good friend (British) who loves Texas Embassy for some reason. He always asks if we want to go there, since he assumes I'll like it since I'm American. We always have to come up with excuses of why we can't go. I've never even tried it, but have seen enough bad reviews here to stay far, far away.

We have a good friend (British) who loves Texas Embassy for some reason. He always asks if we want to go there, since he assumes I'll like it since I'm American. We always have to come up with excuses of why we can't go. I've never even tried it, but have seen enough bad reviews here to stay far, far away.

Smart call Bat Man! 

Well, I guess what I was truly wanting is Tex-mex.  When I think of going to a Mexican restaurant, I think Don Pablos or On the Border, or some of the fabulous restuarants on the San Antonio Riverwalk.  I grew up in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas so it's no surprise I'm quite hooked on Tex-mex.  Though the Tex-mex I'm familiar with does not have a lot of fried foods.  Only flautas, tequitos, chimichangas, and sopapillas are fried.  Numerous sorts of enchiladas, tacos, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, chicken, and steak are not.

I though the Texas Embassy was alright, but not something I'd want to go back to unless I was desperate.  But now that I've found something better, I have no reason to go back to it.

I'm always beyond skeptical about Mexican food here, but for anyone feeling brave in Buckinghamshire or maybe the eastern bit of Oxfordshire or Berkshire, there's a big sign on a building in High Wycombe that says "authentic Mexican food" coming soon - Sombreros I think the name is.... 

I'd love to believe it'll be great though - it's just across from my office!

I may just have come up with an acceptable excuse to revisit Gerrards Cross...

http://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/ has the lovely Joe-E chilies (just like the New Mexico Hatch chilis) right now.  I've just finished roasting up 30 of the biggest, tastiest ones and I had one on my burger tonight.  Got another order on the way, so I'll be roasting this week-end and stockpiling for the winter.

I'm glad to see another plug for them.  They are great people, really friendly and a good local business so keep buying from them! 

We have a good friend (British) who loves Texas Embassy for some reason. He always asks if we want to go there, since he assumes I'll like it since I'm American. We always have to come up with excuses of why we can't go. I've never even tried it, but have seen enough bad reviews here to stay far, far away.

I've always liked the TE (as my former workmates called it). I used to work near it and used to go there for a lot of lunches and after work drinks. The owners are from Texas and they really look after their regulars there.  The food is a bit hit and miss. I'd stay away from the tacos, for example. I usually used to have a chalupa or the quesdillas and  the chilis rellenos were awesome, although I think they made them with cheddar, so not too authentic.  They have a great atmosphere there though. We went there for Cinco de Mayo one year and they even had a mariachi band.  Oh and they give you free refills on all soft drinks, including ICED TEA!!!!!!!!!! ) And free corn chips and salsas. But it is definitely Tex Mex and does not pretend to be anything else. 

http://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/ has the lovely Joe-E chilies (just like the New Mexico Hatch chilis) right now.  I've just finished roasting up 30 of the biggest, tastiest ones and I had one on my burger tonight.  Got another order on the way, so I'll be roasting this week-end and stockpiling for the winter.

YAY!!! Thanks for the heads-up!