José R. Ralat 🌶️

Read this insightful story by Paula.

Tex-Mex restaurants were iced out of Michelin bib(s?) gourmand at the 2025 Texas ceremony. But New Tejano made a respectable showing for a young regional Texas cuisine. I’m looking at you Papalo & Mezquite.

Tex-Mexplainer: Pan de Muerto Is a Cross-cultural Taste of History Ancient, colonial, and contemporary traditions are woven together in Dia de Los Muertos—and baked into the holiday's signature bread.

Dia de Muertos is upon us, and with it pan de muerto. From my @texasmonthly.bsky.social archives. www.texasmonthly.com/food/tex-mex...

This New Tijuana-Style Taqueria Is Already One of the Best Taco Joints in the Houston Area Tacos Santos nails Tijuana’s food and its famous aesthetic.

Orinification, the concept of taqueria owners championing high design over the food on the menu, is a roblem. Most restaurants that try it serve bad tacos, especially Taqueria Orinico. Not Tacos Santos. Read why and how in my latest for @texasmonthly.bsky.social. www.texasmonthly.com/food/tacos-s...

People Are Dying to Eat at Our Insufferable Pop-Up Restaurant Hooray, you’re on the list. Take this buzzer, stand across the street in that puddle, and wait for a little shock. The estimated wait time is six h...

“But mostly we serve tacos. Tacos from every nation. Ugandan tacos. Burmese tacos. Yugoslav tacos. What’s inside the tacos? Chef’s choice. Just don’t expect rice and beans. If you want Mexican, order the crepe.” www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/peo...

Inside Dallas’ Disastrous El Califa De León Michelin Taco Pop-Up - D Magazine Nobody came out of the pop-up looking good: not the restaurant, its host, its customers, Dallas food media, or the Michelin Guide.

@reinhart.bsky.social Nailed it. Nailed Dallas diners! Nailed Michelin! Nailed El Califa de León! Nailed influencers! www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2...

Four New Taquerías Every Dallas Taco Lover Should Try Instead of ridiculous viral stunts with two-hour lines, why not visit fun new restaurants that are here to stay?

Instead of ridiculous viral stunts with two-hour lines, why not visit fun new restaurants that are here to stay?

The Combo Plate That Changed Tex-Mex Food as We Know It The carne asada a la Tampiqueña crossed the border and changed how Texans eat.

All hail the tampiqueña plate, a Tex-Mex and a Mexican combo platter for the ages. www.texasmonthly.com/food/tampiqu...

On a Secluded Five-Acre Plot in South Austin, a Taco Truck and an Ice House Join Forces Mission X Tacos got noticed for its al pastor, but this bite-size Mexican dish makes it worth the long drive.

Sopes FTW.

These Tacos Are the Best Thing I’ve Ever Eaten at the State Fair of Texas Yes, they’re deep-fried. But that’s not the most important part.

Best State Fair of Texas tacos—ever. They also have a surprising history behind them. Read my latest for @texasmonthly.bsky.social.

There’s a Simple Trick to Eating This Messy Tostada The tostada Siberia comes with a handy tool: an extra tostada.

Do you know how to eat a tostada siberia? Permit me to help if you don’t. My latest for @texasmonthly.bsky.social

First @lataco.bsky.social is surprised that NYC got a beef trompo before they did. Texas has had them for nearly ten years. Now they're annoyed we have an automated taco machine before them. I'm over here scratching my head over the fact that my LA Taco member login isn't working.

A Rule Change Threatened an Old Texas Tech Tradition, but the Tortilla Toss Persisted Red Raiders fans said regulations be damned.

For my latest @texasmonthly.bsky.social story, I fulfilled a years-old wish of attending a @texastech.bsky.social home game to witness the legendary & nuanced tradition of the tortilla toss & all the nuances involved. Have you seen or partaken in the tortilla toss? texasmonthly.com/food/texas-t...

Staying up so late for the Canelo fight was not worth the loss sleep. What a boring match!

Tex-Mexplainer: The History Behind Mexico's Most Patriotic Meal, Chile en Nogada Plus, our recipe for the celebratory dish.

Mexican Independence Day is next week. Find your chile en nogada, arguably the most patrotic Mexican dish. I haven't had one this season, so I best get me some too. www.texasmonthly.com/food/tex-mex...

Comadre Panadería’s Riding the Wave of Popularity, One Concha at a Time Mariela Camacho’s experimental Mexican pastries—like her candy corn conchas—inspire long lines, but keeping up with the ebb and flow of demand is a constant learning experience.

Felicidades to New Tejano baker Mariela Camacho, owner of Comadre Panaderia, in Austin, for being named @foodandwine.com Best New Chef 2025. While I've quoted her for several stories over the hears, I finally wrote a profile last year. She is awesome! www.texasmonthly.com/food/comadre...

It’s Time for the *Dallas Morning News* to Review Restaurants Again One of the largest newspapers in the country has not employed a restaurant critic, even freelance, in more than three years. Under new ownership, the Morning News should reconsider.

Beautiful! @reinhart.bsky.social nails this: www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2...

The Best Restaurants of 2025: Mezcaleria Alma Here are the 50 best places in America right now.

I wasn't able to get a reservation in June. Now I'll never get one. 😂https://www.nytimes.com/shared/v2/interactive/2025/dining/best-restaurants-america/mezcaleria-alma.html?smid=url-share&rsrc=deeplink

Read my latest for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: Taqueria El Novillo is the definition of comida casera (homestyle cooking). Some customers aren't even given menus. The staff just knows. Babies are kissed! How's that for abuelita love?
www.texasmonthly.com/food/taqueri...

Guacamole is personal. In the town of Comonfort, for example, in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, guacamole is commonly punctuated with fruit, such as grapes, peaches, or pomegranates. So go nuts w/ your game-day guacamole. www.texasmonthly.com/food/all-abo...

A Midland Restaurant Honors Ancient Mexican Corn Lore Hijos del Maiz puts something different on the table.

The 1980s saw the rise & cementing of Big Ag, transgenic corn & anxiety behind it in the U.S. It's visible in the horror flick Children of the Corn. At Hijos del Maiz in Midland, corn & its link to humanity is embraced. It's also so much better than the movie. www.texasmonthly.com/food/hijos-d...

In El Paso, an Unlikely Cheese Reigns Supreme Originating in medieval Alsace, this semisoft, orange-rind cheese is commonly used in Mexican dishes in the modern border region.

(in my completely unbiased and unnarcissistic point of view) there's nothing better than the places where texas and wisconsin overlap. thanks for writing about this one @tacotrail.bsky.social!

One of my earliest memories as a kid growing up in EP is my grandmother taking slices off a giant block of Muenster to make me quesadillas. I left the borderland over 30 years ago, and I STILL buy Muenster for snacking.

In El Paso, an Unlikely Cheese Reigns Supreme Originating in medieval Alsace, this semisoft, orange-rind cheese is commonly used in Mexican dishes in the modern border region.

Muenster is Mexican. Read how and why that came to be in my latest for @texasmonthly.bsky.social www.texasmonthly.com/food/muenste...

A Dallas-Area Taco Joint Wants to Make Carnitas the Next Big Thing in Texas Señor Oink, in Farmers Branch, gives its menu of carnitas tacos a tropical edge with fruity salsas, beachy drinks, and colorful decor.

“Cooking Mexican food in Texas is a great responsibility that must blend tradition with fresh takes…” www.texasmonthly.com/food/senor-o...

Jobs and Internships Since 1973, Texas Monthly has chronicled life in contemporary Texas, reporting on vital issues such as politics, criminal justice, the environment,

psssttt…..a reminder that the application deadline for @texasmonthly.bsky.social’s research chief role is AUGUST 25, aka MONDAY! www.texasmonthly.com/about/jobs-a...

My son is at his first quince. I laughed when he told me he’d be back by 10pm. That was at 6pm. The clock’s ticking & the window for curfew is closing. The stories I expect to hear when he gets home around midnight!

One Of The Top Ten Taco Spots In Texas And El Paso Is Closing Taqueria El Tiger, famous for its acclaimed tripa y tembloroso tacos, has officially closed its food truck in Socorro, leaving a lasting impact on El Paso's culinary landscape.

I shared the news of El Tiger’s closing on IG yesterday, but this report hits the mark for locals. “For a lot of us, that first bite felt like a turning point, proof that our city could not just hang with the state’s best, but lead the way.”

“To truly honor tacos means honoring the people behind them,” and your favorite taqueria is suffering right now. www.texasmonthly.com/food/texas-t...