Originally Posted by
Iceblossom
I see (and have had a couple) of the tenderloin sandwiches here. Again, something I never saw before and here they are everywhere! They are, btw, awesome
"Mexican" food changes a lot depending on where you grew up/where the family the food originates from. TexMex is different than CalMex and Hatch Chilis and green sauces are another thing entirely. And then there are the regional differences from Mexico -- obviously if you are coastal it is a very different thing than if you are central.
As I understand, in the Seattle area, the first family to make it big (and just about the same time as I moved from Alaska to Washington) in Mexican restaurants was from Cuaulta, not only their chain but several others are from the same region. It wasn't until later that I was introduced to Oaxacan and other regions. To be honest, I don't know what my favorite local place style was -- only that Iiked it!
I've been to Oaxaca...back in 1981. We went there because we really wanted to get to Puerto Escondido, which is straight out to the coast from there...good surf. We stopped in Oaxaca for a couple of days to check it out. No one was talking about Oaxaca back then, so it was all new to us. I was amazed at the incredible foods in Oaxaca, especially the moles.