Ethnic City - Ethnic.City: A Texican shame spiral

A couple weeks ago, I got a craving for Mexican food. Not the kind of Mexican food someone who grew up with an abuela who’d spend three days making massive batches of mole should crave. I wanted Texican, if you will. I figured the craving was fleeting — something I could snuff out with a little queso dip, maybe some nachos. Nope. Instead it turned into a four-day, ITP shame spiral.

I’ve always managed to avoid Taqueria del Sol (2165 Cheshire Bridge Road, 404-321-1118) because we live so close to Buford Highway. This time, my craving and proximity conspired against me. We happened upon the restaurant during one of its lulls, although a line of 20 quickly formed behind us. I get what owner Eddie Hernandez has done by muting Mexican flavors, adding booze and up-charging the hell out of the menu. While I think the salsas are excellent, the taco fillings were so intensely overseasoned (read: salty) that I couldn’t get past two bites. The cheese enchilada wrapped in a corn tortilla and smothered in pork chili verde, however, was an excellent pile of gooey, sinful goodness.

The next night, we found ourselves at Big Tex Cantina (308 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, 404-377-3939) late in the evening. Despite the fact that it opened so recently (or, perhaps, because it opened so recently) the wait at Big Tex — even at 8:45 — was around 30 minutes. Not much to review, but the menu and vibe are dramatically different from the owners’ other restaurant, Fox Brothers Bar-B-Q. Look for a Texas-inspired poutine dish using the brothers’ stepmom’s red chili sauce recipe, a fully vegetarian version of stacked enchiladas topped with a fried egg, and flour (or corn) tortilla based tacos made with brisket from Fox Brothers.

I used to go to Taxco (4500 Roswell Road, 404-255-9933) at least once a week when I was in high school. Each visit was my excuse to eat nachos compuestos, which are still my favorite pile-on-everything-you-can nachos in Atlanta. Having heard it had reopened after a less than positive health score and subsequent remodel in February (its score is now 100), I had it on my short list. I got the nachos, but also ordered — at the waitress’ suggestion — the chicken chilaquiles for the table to share. Chilaquiles are a way Mexicans use stale tortillas by frying them up and smothering them with salsa. Taxco’s was lacking an abundance of tortillas, but the sauce was spicy, creamy, and the kind of thing you just can’t stop eating once you start (even if you know you have more food coming). I would go back for that dish alone.

I thought I’d killed the craving, but it reared its ugly head when a friend recommended Bone Garden Cantina (1425 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd., 404-418-9072) for Sunday brunch. While Bone Garden isn’t the first place I’d go in this area for tacos and such (I’m still a fan of Nuevo Laredo), the extensive brunch menu beckoned to me because it’s hard to find Mexican/Texican places with a variety of breakfast items. There are Bloody Marys or Marias, egg dishes galore, some seriously addictive yucca fries sprinkled with chili pepper and served with spicy queso dip, and a large bowl of pleasantly greasy red pozole. I went for the thing I always order around breakfast or brunch time: the chilaquiles. Bone Garden’s are made with chicken, a good earthy red sauce, and served in a more-than-generous mound topped with sliced avocado. I could barely finish a large portion. I’d happily eat it again any sunny Sunday, especially with an icy margarita on the rocks.