Despite its legendary status as a benchmark in fine interior Mexican cuisine, Austin American Stateman food critic Mike Sutter was clearly NOT impressed with his recent visit.  He is certainly was aware of over 3 decades of untarnished praise bestowed upon FSM by food writers, much of it from the Stateman itself…but just maybe things have slipped with the newest head chef Alma Alcocer-Thomas.

We weren’t prepared for the room-temperature preparation of the relleno (neither the menu nor the waiter mentioned it). I was disappointed by the chopped tuna filling, which reminded me of canned fish. Even with olives and capers, two Anaheim peppers and a side of heirloom beans, the dish was a washout of soft textures and even softer flavors.

Sutter goes onto to DISS the award winning interior design art collection as “tacky and carnivalesque” and their famous Sunday brunch as “like eating in a storage room”…And don’t get him started on the Angels on Horseback, “a trainwreck of stiff textures and a sour-sea aroma…”

Of course, its not ALL BAD – he does say like 2 nice things, but i think its just to be diplomatic…read for yourself

OK – I will admit that my last visit for Sunday Brunch was not quite as amazing as previous euphoric experiences…and with great new spots like Garrido’s and La Condesa popping up to challenge the throne of Interior Mex – I’d say Fonda better keep their game tight – but that’s as far as i would go – Fonda is still the king to me…until further notice.

cabeza

Band: Metallica
Album: Death Magnetic
Producer: Rick Rubin!

Believe it- The Four Horsemen have risen from the ashes of peer-to-peer purgatory (see: Lars makes peace with Pirates) and late-career mediocrity (see: the last 4 albums) now fully embracing the unbridled, epic, head-banging Pre Bob Rock (PBR?) era that cemented them as the undisputed Kings of Metal.  Perhaps the recent chainsaw noises of Austin’s The Sword or the ever-heavy Mastodon have awoken this sleeping giant.  Clearly the results ROAR for themselves: Death Magnetic is 80 minutes of relentless, triumphant, punishing, whiskey-chuggin RAWWK!

Lars Ulrich puts all haters six feet deep with his most ferocious performance in 2 decades.  James Hetfield is angry yet melodic, Trujillo breaks necks and steals bikes, and Kirk Hammett drops the bullshit – preferring to trample on graves before masterbating on them.  All i can say is Thank God (or Satan)…I wanna break somethin.

Listen to “All Nightmare Long” from Death Magnetic

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Listen to “My Apocalypse” from Death Magnetic

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Rating:
I dribble the Source onto my balls while air-drumming to this
- Cabeza

More info:
Metacritic | iTunes | Official Site

UPDATE: We made a return visit today.  the tortillas are amazing…worth the price of admission alone.  Also, get the mango/cucumber pico at all costs…really refreshing and tasty.  I recommend the pork and fajita beef tacos.  Would NOT recommend the fish- low quality me thinks. And the Dublin sodas seal the deal – Cabo Bob’s is a winner.   –Cabeza

Cabo Bob’s just opened in Austin.. its locally owned and this is the first location.. Its laid out kinda like a Chipotle or a Freebirds! where you build your own tacos,burritos, or bowls as you are sent through a cafeteria line.

The kicker that sets Cabo Bob’s apart from its competition is that they make their own tortillas right before your eyes.. there are four varieties- flour buttermilk, ancho chile, cheddar, and cilatro/tomatillo – and they are all tasty.. You can choose from 4 different meats – shredded pork, chicken , fajita beef, cripsy fried fish.. also mixed grilled veggies..

The fountain drink station also features old school Dublin Dr. Pepper and some other interesting soft drink varieties with real cane sugar (if you’re into that). Overall, it was a nice experience and I will return for sure..info after the jump

Read the rest of this entry »

just 1 night down at SXSW, but here’s 2 very good bands we stumbled onto:

Afenginn : Copenhagen, Denmark
We caught them by chance while grabbing dinner at Rio Grande – the brisket taco’s were bland, but these bad ass gypsy pickers brought the Danish Sabør – very melodic and inventive klezmer jams. And their bass player is disgusting/

…

AND

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The Aggrolites : Los Angeles, CA
It was nearing 1AM, and the Black Keys showcase had an absurb line outside, so we took a chance on the Flamingo Cantina – IMHO the most reliable venue on 6th street. The Aggrolites dropped our jaws immediately with their air-tight Ska/Reggae/Funk stew- like The Specials meets James Brown in East LA. They had this vato on the B3 just rippin it up…really impressive live band/

-cabeza

Mila’s Taqueria Mexico [map]
3240 Fondren Rd
Houston, TX 77063
(713) 334-8999
Rating:

I’d been to original Taqueria Mexico (6219 Bellaire Blvd) and its the straight BOMB. We tried the lengua tacos, carne asada tacos, and the al pastor – they’re all on the money- and the chandelier of salsas and various pickled peppers n shit- made the wait for the food bearable to say the least. Scott & the Cabeza even shared a round of Patron to really get the party going. it was Authentic Mex done right- served with a smile and it filled the belly on the cheap. What more can you ask for?

So when La Femme Nataco spied another TaqMex location today, we were prepared for another killer meal. This location is actually called Mila’s Taqueria Mexico- Maybe a sister or daughter of the restaurant family…i dunno but it looks newer and more contemporary than its predecessor. In Taco Town that is not a good sign, but the badass mural of an Aztec warrior smoking out his nubile princess more than made up more the modern touches. As far as the food- it was a meal filled with ups and downs.

I’m just gonna name off the stuff we got – good stuff first:

Queso Fundido con Chorizo $4.75
DAMN! This lil boat of heaven was the highlight of the meal for me. melted white cheese concealing a bead of the dopeness- tangy, red, hot, meaty chorizo- just the way Cabeza takes it. Whedder jew sopped it up with a home-made flour tortilla or spoon-did up into your taco of choice, Fundido iz for real! A good change from the standard chile con queso. Read the rest of this entry »

Houston is BIG.  And Cabeza has but one stomach.  I was happy to find out some other Houston blogs have joined the taco review party.  Shit, the more the merrier.  The Houstonist Bites gives a berry favorable review to this unassuming Heights joint.

Chilosos has six varieties of breakfast tacos, all of which are $1.35 (add $0.30 for additional toppings). As we walked up to the counter to place our order, we were greeted with a smile and could see the fresh tacos being prepared in the background. We opted for one bacon, egg, and cheese (for comparison purposes) and one chorizo, egg, cheese and guacamole. Although there were no chips and salsa to munch on while we waited, we did enjoy the checking out the house’s decor…Full Review>

Another blog called Food In Houston skews their review of Chilosos to the lunch fare with equal enthusiasm. they say:

The breakfast tacos are good, but my favorites are two lunch tacos: carne guisada and puerco en salsa verde. Carne guisada is a stew of beef tips in gravy. Chilosos’ version does not have quite as much cumin as my favorite carne guisada recipes, but it is far above average. Even better is the puerco en salsa verde, chunks of pork in a mild green salsa. This thick, yummy salsa is not as spicy as I might expect, but it is full of flavor. Chilosos also makes a good chicken fajita taco, which is greatly improved by a liberal dousing of the salsa verde. Although the default tortillas are flour, I prefer the corn tortillas which are thick and taste homemade…Full Review>

Chilosos Taco House
701 E 20th St
713.868.2273
Mon.-Sat. 7am – 4pm