Mexican Restaurant Recipes: More Than Beans and Tortillas Now

Have you realized that Mexican restaurants are branching in their menu offerings? I've.

I remember a newspaper cartoon from in years past in which the main character ruminates, somewhat forlornly, about the fact that Mexican restaurants had tons of dishes, however they were all just variations on beans and tortillas.

Today that isn't the case. Oh, sure, you are able to count on finding your standard offerings of enchiladas, burritos and tamales at any Mexican restaurant you drop into any place in the country. I've had an enchilada in Alaska which was indistinguishable from one I would get in Texas, Florida or New york.

But lately I've noticed some unusual dishes creeping to the menus of my local Mexican restaurants: Chicken baked in banana leaves, a specialty in the Yucatan peninsula. Hearty beef stews containing nary just one bean (whilst they do often include strips of tortilla floating inside them). Even cactus, cooked or chopped for salads.

I think what's happening is three things. One, Americans have become more cosmopolitan within their food tastes and therefore are more willing now to test new and exotic dishes. Two, the explosion within the sheer number of restaurants implies that these businesses must constantly tempt us with new food experiences to keep our business. Three, the influx of individuals from Mexico into many regions of the U.S. implies that restaurants possess a ready-made clientele for additional traditional dishes that heretofore were absent from menus geared strictly to American tastes.

As a Mexican food aficiando, I welcome this trend. This means more new dishes to sample in addition to to try to duplicate in your own home. Yum!

Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for that Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever thought about being able to exactly duplicate a popular dish from the favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah's article where she reveals her source which are more mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in the usa: solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html