DALLAS — If you ask a Texan about the variety of authentic taco or Tex-Mex restaurants across the state, they’d likely say there’s no shortage in the immediate area. Netflix would probably agree, as the streaming giant located several to feature in the third season of its “Taco Chronicles: Cross the Border” in Dallas.
“In this season, we were looking for cities with a story to tell,” said Taco Chronicles executive producer Hallie Davison in an interview with Inside Hook. “Naturally, you can’t have a show about tacos in the U.S. without spending time in our state. Major cities and border towns alike are dotted with simple taco stands, Tex-Mex joints, authentic Mexican restaurants and more opportunities to score a quick snack or a sit-down meal.”
The season opens with a trip to Chicago, but viewers will notice that Dallas isn’t the only city in Texas the show highlights to trace Mexican routes. San Antonio’s Naco Mexican Eatery, the Original Donut Shop, Con Huevos Tacos, 2M Smokehouse and El Pastor Es Mi Senor are featured in an episode dedicated to the South Texas city.
“Taco culture is strong in Dallas and San Antonio,” said Davison, who grew up in Texas. “Wherever you go in Texas, there’s an appreciation for a good tortilla, a well-seasoned pot of frijoles, meat cooked to perfection and salsa with a real kick. It’s so deeply ingrained in our culture, and it has been for centuries. Good taco culture will never thrive unless there are discerning taco consumers, and Texas has more and more of them.”
Known for his spin on tacos, Revolver Taco Lounge’s chef Regino Rojas takes his creativity to new heights with his octopus carnitas — dubbed a fan favorite by residents and out-of-towners alike. The episode shows him preparing the popular dish by soaking the wild animal in al pastor marinade prior to cooking it at his Deep Ellum location.
“People here are very welcoming,” Rojas said. “I’ve felt very accepted here in the city of Dallas. It lets me do whatever s—t comes to mind and they’ll come and try it and give me a chance, you know. They give me a chance to try, so it really has to be good.”
For Rojas, he describes his octopus carnitas taco as “perseverance.”
“It’s insisting that my culture is above falsehood and the business,” he said. “And now that I see other taqueros, even in Mexico City and other places in Europe doing something similar, well, that came from Michoacán, a—hole and that’s a source of pride.”
For Anastacia Quinones-Pittman, chef of Jose, it’s important to keep the legacy of her ancestors going. Nestled in Dallas, Jose offers guests dishes like coconut ceviche, salmon al pastor and roasted chicken with green mole amongst a host of other Mexican cuisine.
“I started to fall in love with food just growing up watching my mom in the kitchen,” she said. “We used to go to the markets a lot, and I’d watch my mom get the ripest tomatoes and the best jalapenos. And that’s what really reminds me of cooking in my house. We just always had fresh fruits and vegetables around.”
While Mexican food can often be characterized as “street food” that’s cheap and affordable, Quinones-Pittman wants to offer a different experience with her staple dishes — fine dining.
“I don’t think I could ever create a menu without a taco on it, because you can’t define Mexican cuisine without it,” she said.
In Oak Cliff, Maskara’s Mexican Grill propietario Rodolfo Jimenez wants to get away from typical Mexican stereotypes and focus solely on providing customers with good food. Lucha Libre wrestlers cover the walls of the grill as Jimenez holds at least 40 years’ worth of collectibles from the art of Mexican wrestling. But it’s his tacos that keep locals coming back to the quaint space in southern Dallas County.
“We’re very proud to bring the traditional food of Guadalajara, Jalisco, to the city of Dallas,” Jimenez said.
From quesadillas to birria tacos, Jimenez and his wife infuse their roots into each item on their menu.
“We make the birria the way that it is traditionally done in Guadalajara,” he said.
Jimenez admitted that, when he first opened the grill, finding customers did not come easy. Many expected an American taco, but looked at the menu and saw “drowned taco” or “meat in sauce” and turned around. However, like most things, people’s mindsets about a drowned taco changed over time, and they expanded their pallets outside of the traditional Tex-Mex.
“I believe that food from Jalisco is one of the best foods that exists, not only in Mexico, but I think in the world,” said Zulma Vanessa Hernandez Gomez, Roldofo’s wife and Maskara’s Mexican Grill propietaria.
Outside of Dallas in Grand Prairie, Joe Zavala gives barbecue a new meaning at Zavala’s Barbecue.
“We don’t make Texas barbecue, but our barbecue what we grew up with,” Zavala, also the pit master, said.
Combining both of his cultures into one to make brisket tacos, Zavala’s found a new way to connect with people of all backgrounds.
“It doesn’t matter what background you come from, everybody knows barbecue,” he said. “Our family has been here, but I’m not going to say we’re not Mexicans, because we are — that’s part of our culture. That’s part of the salsas, tortillas, but it’s also part of the Texan that we are of that brisket… it’s just something that we bring together.”
“I think more so than anything else with tacos is what brings people together.”