Need a Good Mexican Restaurant for Son's Birthday

[daoyai]

Would love to have some proper Mexican food. Not any Tex-mex or Cal Mex but proper Mexican.People who suggest Miguels etc have never tasted proper Mexican.

Always laugh a bit (or cringe) when somebody uses the word "proper" and here it is 3 times in one sentence ! ... what the hell is proper ? menudo? , iguana tamales? corn fungus? (yum) pumpkin seed mole?.... sure a "fonda" type resto would be nice, wonder if this town could support it. proper

[62strat]

Traveled to and stayed in Mexico a few times, but don't recall much that was proper. Come to think of it neither was I.

[Ulysses G.]

Yes Miguels is ..ok... & better than nothing.. but I think folks who really like it are more use to Taco Bell US type Mex

rather than really good Mexican Food

Can't say I have found any really good mex food in CM

Miguel's is California-style Mexican and - IMO - darn good for the middle of South East Asia. It is nothing like Taco Bell which is a fast food franchise only loosely based on Mexican food of any type . As I've said many times, if I walked into a place in San Francisco serving the same type of Mexican food as Miguel's, I would not be very enthusiastic about it, but I would not be angry either. That is pretty good for Mexican food in Thailand. Miguel's is the only Mexican place in Chiang Mai I can say that about, other than perhaps The Mexican Grill over by the canal road. I've only eaten there once, but it seemed pretty authentic to me. I have one customer who ran a Mexican restaurant in Mexico, who raves about how much he likes Miguel's food, but he does complain about the uncomfortable seats and I understand that.

There are a few places like Salsa Kitchen and El Diablos that have tasty food that is inspired by Mexican food, but not the real thing at all. They are good for what they are though and I am glad they are around.

Edited June 15, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[slipperylobster]

Go to Rose's Cantina and get some Mexican Curry, with Tom yam Goong Fritatas.

[junglechef]

I've had excellent proper authentic Mexican food at three different places here in Chiang Mai, the three homes of Mexican friends of mine! Yes they return with ingredients every time they go back and make fresh tortillas with their tortilla maker etc but best of all is when the kitchen is full of all the women making MOLE!! Of course this is not really revelant as your not invited (sorry, but not really ) but perhaps more so then the post above. I make Mexican at home and with the supplies you can get here now I can do pretty good stuff.

[cardinalblue]

As a native California, clearly Miguel's is the best Mexican food in CM and probably the best outdoor venue for a gathering/party of any type..

CB

Edited June 15, 2015 by cardinalblue

[mania]

Miguel's is California-style Mexican and - IMO - darn good for the middle of South East Asia. It is nothing like Taco Bell which is a fast food franchise only loosely based on Mexican food

As I said Miguel's is..ok

While not a fan of Taco Bell for obvious reasons... the reason I did compare Miguels & Taco Bell is

both have Spanish/Mexican Rice & Refried Beans that are so far from "Mexican Food" that they basically are just bland mush products

These two things are pretty instrumental to most Mex plates

But also

Same for Miguels drippy enchiladas...taste just barely ok but nothing much different than Taco Bell type fake Mex

Miguels soft Tacos are quite ok

Dont get me wrong of the Mex places in CM Miguels is the best

But that is not to say they are good Mex

But I stop in every 6 months or so anyway

But food is like that right?

Folks will often not agree on what is "good"

It all depends on where they are from & what they base "good" on

Edited June 16, 2015 by mania

[Ulysses G.]

Miguel's is genuine California-style Mexican food. Although far from great, it could probably survive in certain places in USA. Taco Bell is just American fast food with a Mexican influence. They take "Mexican" concepts such as the taco and the burrito, and thrown in,a corporate twist. It does not taste much like the real thing, but it must taste good to somebody..

Edited June 16, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[junglechef]

Taco Bell is a Mexican based fast food just like McDonald's sells a hamburger based item. Sure they are or they call them tacos and hamburgers, as they are their versions of them and unfortunately it's a free world

If you ever had a freshly ground beef burger made with quality cut and blended with a good meat/fat ratio properly cooked and served it wouldn't really be fair to compare it to a Big Mac.

If I ever went to a Hamburger place in America and my choices were only pork or chicken, like what happened to me here last weekend, it wouldn't fly!

[Ulysses G.]

One of my buddies always told me, it is not a hamburger, it is a Big Mac. To me, that says it perfectly and - being American - a Big Mac actually hits the spot every once in a while.

[Chicog]

The menu was very difficult to read as it had more words then necessary making it quite confusing. Read the picture of just one menu item I attached below and imagine how hard it would be ordering from the whole menu. Even the restaurant's name doesn't really flow off your tongue, I've seen the signs a few times and still not sure what it is.

I don't get this.

They have the title, a florid description and then they list the options available.

Doesn't seem too difficult to read to me.

Just skip the waffly bit and pick one (or more) of the five options.

I wish I hadn't read though, bloody drooling now!

[zeichen]

"I don't get this. They have the title, a florid description and then they list the options available. Doesn't seem too difficult to read to me. Just skip the waffly bit and pick one (or more) of the five options.
I wish I hadn't read though, bloody drooling now!"

They have a very lengthy and pointless description that has many options just jumbled together. A menu should be elegant but simple. With so many options for one dish, how can any team of cooks get it right every single time.

If I am going to order from a menu, I don't want to sit for 3 hours just to figure out what is in each dish.

But for me, if nachos, refried beans, or rice with ketchup are on the menu, it isn't mexican and I don't eat there.

Jungle chef as for the burrito. There are different ways to roll them. I like you, tend to want mine tightly wrapped. When I worked with Mexican immigrants in my youth, we would carry them in the fields and didn't want a loose mess all over the place.

I personally hate the watered down salsa at Miguels. Their enchiladas are close and a few other things are adequate. I still wouldn't eat there again. I went about 3 times over the years and really can wait. Candadian's running a Mexican kitchen cooked by Thais isn't my idea of a good fusion. I actually ate at a fantastic Mexican rest. in South Korea, but all of the cooks were from Mexico. They offered a lot of the Americanized stuff too but with a little more kick.

Why do Californians think themselves as the only authority on food?

[daoyai]

Yo Zeichen Dude, Nachos? (tortilla chips) frijoles? not Mex. ? ok agree about ketchup rice but then again never seen that, red rice is colored with annato (achuete or achote)....

Californians are generally exposed to a vast selection of cooking from around the world with chefs having the best produce from one of the best and most varried farming regions on the planet, a rather affluent population to support fine dining as well as immigrant communities from all every continent adding to the mix.... we know food.

[zeichen]

you are right us New Yorkers are ignorant mono cultural people. Nachos definitely are not mexican. Neither are refried beans. Real spanish rice isn't what is served at Mexican rest. here in thailand. It is nasty tasteless garbage.

The only thing Californians are exposed to is their own egos and an over inflated idea of self.

[Ulysses G.]

Yo Zeichen Dude, Nachos? (tortilla chips) frijoles? not Mex. ? ok agree about ketchup rice but then again never seen that, red rice is colored with annato (achuete or achote)....

Californians are generally exposed to a vast selection of cooking from around the world with chefs having the best produce from one of the best and most varried farming regions on the planet, a rather affluent population to support fine dining as well as immigrant communities from all every continent adding to the mix.... we know food.

California has great food, lots of Mexicans and San Francisco has the Mission Burrito. There are hundreds of taquerias in the Mission and Bay Area and Mission Burritos were originally developed for Mexicans and Mexican Americans. The type that you can pick up is called a dry burrito. Wet burritos are covered with sauce.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_burrito

Refried beans (Spanish: frijoles refritos) is a dish of cooked and mashed beans and is a traditional staple of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, although each cuisine has a different approach when making the dish. Refried beans are also popular in many other Latin countries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refried_beans

Nachos is a Tex-Mex[1][2] dish from northern Mexico.[1] The dish is composed of tortilla chips (totopos) covered with cheese or cheese-based sauce, and is often served as a snack. More elaborate versions add more ingredients and can be served as a main dish. First created circa 1943 by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, the original nachos consisted of fried corn tortillas covered with melted cheddar cheese and sliced jalapeño peppers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachos

Edited June 16, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[daoyai]

you are right us New Yorkers are ignorant mono cultural people. Nachos definitely are not mexican. Neither are refried beans. Real spanish rice isn't what is served at Mexican rest. here in thailand. It is nasty tasteless garbage.

The only thing Californians are exposed to is their own egos and an over inflated idea of self.

Wow Hermano, I never mentioned New Yawkas or anyone else, duh, any big metro zone in the U.S, has diversity and NY has great eats but you are wrong about nachos and beans so...? ..nachos is a pretty common slang term in Northern Mexico for the plain chips served befor the meal or with guacamole or salsa, the Cali and Tex versions get all the fancy toppings..... and smashed beans everywhere ... I see from your sweeping generalization about Cali peeps you got some jealousy issues goin on.... I get it.

Edited June 16, 2015 by daoyai

[quidnunc]

you are right us New Yorkers are ignorant mono cultural people. Nachos definitely are not mexican. Neither are refried beans. Real spanish rice isn't what is served at Mexican rest. here in thailand. It is nasty tasteless garbage.

The only thing Californians are exposed to is their own egos and an over inflated idea of self.

Wow Hermano, I never mentioned New Yawkas or anyone else, duh, any big metro zone in the U.S, has diversity and NY has great eats but you are wrong about nachos and beans so...? ..nachos is a pretty common slang term in Northern Mexico for the plain chips served befor the meal or with guacamole or salsa, the Cali and Tex versions get all the fancy toppings..... and smashed beans everywhere ... I see from your sweeping generalization about Cali peeps you got some jealousy issues goin on.... I get it.

You have to understand that he "worked with Mexican immigrants in [his] youth". And not just any Mexican immigrants, but immigrants from every part of Mexico so he is intimately familiar with the fantastically varied cuisine of that nation." So just because some of us may actually have been to Mexico, that means nothing compared to the knowledge traipsing through those fields equipped him with.

[junglechef]

"Just skip the waffly bits", seems to me that you'd have to read all the bits to know what which were they were and more importantly which described what your ordering and paying for.

All I suggested was leaving out the "waffly bits" unless of course you are this place

[zeichen]

"You have to understand that he "worked with Mexican immigrants in [his] youth". And not just any Mexican immigrants, but immigrants from every part of Mexico so he is intimately familiar with the fantastically varied cuisine of that nation." So just because some of us may actually have been to Mexico, that means nothing compared to the knowledge traipsing through those fields equipped him with."

Do you keep a journal of everything that I write to stalk me later in life. You really are creepy.

I have actually lived in 3 different areas of Mexico for over 4 years. I also lived with mexican families and learned to cook for my friend's grandmothers. I am no where near as good ad them, but I have eaten some of the best meals of my life there. Nothing has ever come close to what I eat in the US. I have lived in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico and all of those places have large Mexican population as well. Tex mex is pretty good stuff and I like it a lot when it is cooked by chefs and not tinners. The Nachos that are served at "Mexican" rest. here are not even related. As far as refried beans, the same thing applies. Eating real frijoles prepared correctly is a lot different than the canned crap that these local places pour on a plate.

As for the Nachos. yes if you have fresh tortillas that are grilled up nice and crispy with salsa cheese that is one thing but packaged dried nacho chips with some canned beans, canned salsa, mozzarella cheese, and some canned jalapenos aren't Nachos. If you are having a super bowl party with your other white friends, that might pass but really you cannot say that you have been to mexico and eaten real Nachos, if you think what is served at Miguels are Nachos.

But if you think that packaged tortillas, canned beans, and rice with some chopped tomatoes and ketchup is "Mexican Food" , who am I to argue with you. I personally don't think a single place I have eaten at in CM would be in business more than a week back in the US.

[Ulysses G.]

Nachos definitely are not mexican. Neither are refried beans.

Natchos were invented in Mexico by a Mexican in 1943. They are Mexican. Refried beans are Mexican too.

[zeichen]

"Natchos were invented in Mexico by a Mexican in 1943."

For white tourist in a border town. They are not a typical mexican dish and are quite rare to find outside of tourist spots in mexico. There is a more traditional crispy tortilla dish that has been around for 100's of years that the "Nachos" derivative was taken from. If you travel around Mexico and Central American you will find crispy fried tortillas with some similarities but they are not nasty prebagged chips with american toppings.

Refried beans are Mexican too."

No, frijoles with lots of grease and flavor are but the crap that is served at rest. in the US that comes from a can are not.

Perhaps you too should read the article that you quoted from. Not just the first paragraph. They are not "refried beans" That is a mistranslation into English. RE fried implies that they are cooked 2times that is not the case. So yes, I will stand by the statement that Refried beans are not mexican. it is an American term and also they type of beans used and the way they are prepared are definitely different in Mexico especially the mountain regions.

But I don't know why you keep arguing because you keep talking about tex mex and california mex. Which isn't mexican. They are fusions. they are good when done right and prepared from scratch but definitely not traditional. I know that you are friends with the owners of Miguels that is why you defend them all the time, but take your bias out of it. No Mexican is going to eat that garbage and think of his mom's cooking.

[quidnunc]

Actually, Chiang Mai should be a great refried beans center. It has in plenty the one essential ingredient, apart from the beans to make great refried beans: brown lard. There are even avocado leaves her to turn into powder to add to the mix. Unfortunately, there are 2 main lines of avocados: one from Guatemala and the other from Mexico. Apparently the Guatemelan leaves can be toxic in large doses. Occasionally a goat gets poisoned from over-indulging. Since only a pinch is added to a batch of beans, it probably wouldn't be a problem. But still.. If anybody has access to the a Mexican variety avocado, that would be great. And if you don't want to splurge on pinto beans, there are locally grown dried black beans available for cheap. Epazote, an herb that tastes something like diesel fuel smells,but in a good way, isn't currently available here but that's a deficiency that's easily remedied. In fact, now that the quality of avocados here is improving, I don't see why Chiang Mai won't someday be known as La Rosa Mexicana of Asia, if not the world. That includes you, Mexico!!!

Oh,no, I forgot about the Masa. Still if local corn growers grown enough corn to blacken the skies with the burning of the stalks, they could probably manage to grow enough of the right varieties to make Masa. Still, world domination is farther way than I had hoped.

Edited June 16, 2015 by quidnunc

[Oscar2]

entertaining thread!

i come from California and have NEVER been to a Mexican establishment that serves frijoles out of a can! don't know what kind of places you have dined at in California, zeichen, but it would be as rare as hen's teeth to encounter such a place.

[TheAppletons]

So.....how was the birthday party?

[Ulysses G.]

So yes, I will stand by the statement that Refried beans are not mexican.

Despite the conclusive evidence that you are completely wrong? It is never a good idea to make definitive statements that are easily disproved by a simple Google search.

Nachos definitely are not mexican. Neither are refried beans.

i come from California and have NEVER been to a Mexican establishment that serves frijoles out of a can! don't know what kind of places you have dined at in California, zeichen, but it would be as rare as hen's teeth to encounter such a place.

Of course and I would guess even more so here. Buying imported frijoles out of a can would not help with a restaurant's bottom line.

Edited June 17, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[mudscrubber]

Actually, Chiang Mai should be a great refried beans center. It has in plenty the one essential ingredient, apart from the beans to make great refried beans: brown lard. There are even avocado leaves her to turn into powder to add to the mix. Unfortunately, there are 2 main lines of avocados: one from Guatemala and the other from Mexico. Apparently the Guatemelan leaves can be toxic in large doses. Occasionally a goat gets poisoned from over-indulging. Since only a pinch is added to a batch of beans, it probably wouldn't be a problem. But still.. If anybody has access to the a Mexican variety avocado, that would be great. And if you don't want to splurge on pinto beans, there are locally grown dried black beans available for cheap. Epazote, an herb that tastes something like diesel fuel smells,but in a good way, isn't currently available here but that's a deficiency that's easily remedied. In fact, now that the quality of avocados here is improving, I don't see why Chiang Mai won't someday be known as La Rosa Mexicana of Asia, if not the world. That includes you, Mexico!!!

Oh,no, I forgot about the Masa. Still if local corn growers grown enough corn to blacken the skies with the burning of the stalks, they could probably manage to grow enough of the right varieties to make Masa. Still, world domination is farther way than I had hoped.

I wish somebody would make refried beans from black beans. I used to live in the Yucatan and that's what the local used there except in the restaurant that catered to tourists both foreign and domestic. They would eat them with diced radish, cilantro, and lime. Should be doable here.

[mudscrubber]

So yes, I will stand by the statement that Refried beans are not mexican.

Despite the conclusive evidence that you are completely wrong? It is never a good idea to make definitive statements that are easily disproved by a simple Google search.

Nachos definitely are not mexican. Neither are refried beans.

i come from California and have NEVER been to a Mexican establishment that serves frijoles out of a can! don't know what kind of places you have dined at in California, zeichen, but it would be as rare as hen's teeth to encounter such a place.

Of course and I would guess even more so here. Buying imported frijoles out of a can would not help with a restaurant's bottom line.

True. But they may be using kidney beans instead of pinto beans. Pinto beans cost a lot more here than kidneys which are locally grown.

[Ulysses G.]

I wish somebody would make refried beans from black beans.

Salsa Kitchen, El Diablos and Miguels all have the option of using black beans. I'm not sure if they all refry them though.

To me, kidney beans just don't taste right or maybe it is the texture. When I first came to Thailand, they were the norm. Either pinto beans or black beans taste fine to me, but pinto beans would be my preference as that was the most common in San Francisco when I lived there.

[ramrod45]

Taco Bell is a Mexican based fast food just like McDonald's sells a hamburger based item. Sure they are or they call them tacos and hamburgers, as they are their versions of them and unfortunately it's a free world

If you ever had a freshly ground beef burger made with quality cut and blended with a good meat/fat ratio properly cooked and served it wouldn't really be fair to compare it to a Big Mac.

If I ever went to a Hamburger place in America and my choices were only pork or chicken, like what happened to me here last weekend, it wouldn't fly!

C'mon, you left out those wonderful tacos at Jack in the Box. Who knows what's in them, but I love them! I eat Taco Bell too, and also regular Mexican (SoCal style). They are all different, and I don't mind fast food stuff.

[daoyai]

Ramrod, you brought back a memory from decades ago ! but the Jack in the Box tacos are unforgetable,, actually other than the mystery meat, the prep was "authentic" to make a closed fried taco like that. Some of the taco bell items taste good but the sodium levels are obsurd.