Saturday, April 25, 2009

Teresa Gubbins found a taqueria in Arlington

By Teresa Gubbins

ARLINGTON — Perhaps you've heard that I don't eat tacos. Well, I guess you can't always believe what you hear. I was on my way to grab one at Fuzzy's Taco Shop on Abram in Arlington, the newest branch of the gringo-friendly taqueria chain, when another one on Collins caught my eye: Taqueria Mexicana.

Something about it seemed authentic; maybe it was the fact that it had "Mexicana" right there in the name? I parked my car in the lot, thanking my lucky stars I wasn't in one of your dicier areas where you have to worry about getting your car broken into, and hustled inside.

I pointed to what I wanted on the menu and made grunting noises, but it turned out that the entire staff spoke English. I ordered two soft tacos: "asada" -- beef ($1.49), and "pastor" -- marinated pork ($1.35), both topped with slivers of grilled onion and fresh chopped cilantro. The beef had a nice, firm chew. The pork was tender, with occasional remnants of fat; its rust-tinted marinade was pert and citrusy, and warm on the lips.

But the best thing was the corn tortillas, small, slightly thick rounds which appeared to have been made on the spot, and which were used also to make the chips. Two different, unrelated tables of Mexican laborers were eating those chips with bowls of soup. (There were five soups on the menu, including a seafood version with squid, shrimp, and whitefish; plus a BIG selection of torta sandwiches.)

Spotting a colorful mural on the wall of a Mexican cowboy, I quietly congratulated myself for coming across such a nifty find.

But here's the kicker: This place is located right across the street from a brand new stadium, being built by Jerry Jones for the Cowboys. Guess I don't get out to Arlington too often. Boy, it was something else! The cashier said that Taqueria Mexicana was originally located on the grounds of the stadium but had to move across the street when they started construction.

Anyway, after this experience, I think it's safe to say that Taqueria Mexicana has the best soft tacos in all of Arlington, if not the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. What do you think? Have you been there? What did you have? Did you like it? Would you go again? What's your social security number? Do you have another favorite taco place you like better? Or burgers, how about burgers? That'll get comments, right? Got a favorite burger?

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• Food and Drink > Dining / Restaurants

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