My death-row meal is the cheese enchilada platter at
Andy’s
Tex-Mex Cafe in my hometown of Houston. When I fly in for the holidays,
it’s my first stop; I consume up to three platters in one sitting,
gleefully, until I feel the need to barf (which I don’t do, by the
way). My loved ones know that if they want to see me my first night in
town, they must come to Andy’s. It’s just the way it is.
This particular combination—cheese enchiladas, refried beans,
and Mexican rice—is how I gauge the worth of any Mexican
restaurant. It’s always the first thing I order, and often the only
thing, because it’s my favorite thing. Seattle isn’t blessed with any
joint that exactly replicates the greasy, Velveeta-y, taco spiciness of
classic Tex-Mex (sorry, Austin Cantina—you do many things
well, but your menu is too fancy), but it does have its share of
good-bad Mexican food. By “good-bad,” I mean sloppy. Simple. Perhaps
containing lard. Never significantly departing from the basics.
(Speaking of which, Peso’s—putting the “tort” in
tortilla—is suing the Matador, alleging it ripped off
Peso’s upscale-Mexi look, feel, and menu. Litigation over wrought iron
and chipotle peppers is pretty much the opposite of sloppy, simple
good-badness.)
Many establishments that get it wrong in the Pacific Northwest have
a particular slant on Mexican cuisine, and I’m here to say loudly and
clearly that tater tots dusted with cayenne pepper does not Mexican
food make. Burritos with ranch dressing and sunflower seeds wrapped in
a whole-wheat tortilla: also not Mexican food. One Belltown institution
that holds these truths to be self-evident and has good-bad Mexican
down to a science is Mama’s Mexican Kitchen (2234 Second Ave,
728-6262). Mama’s claims to be Seattle’s oldest Mexican restaurant, and
I claim that Mama’s has the most optimally greasy, gloppy cheese
enchiladas in the city. Everyone’s been to Mama’s. And for good reason:
The service is prompt and attentive, the margaritas are strong and
generously poured, and the table salsa is soupy and heavy on the
cilantro and onions, just the way good-bad table salsa should be.
Structurally, the cheese enchilada has three main components: the
tortilla, the delicious cheese guts, and—most
importantly—the sauce. You screw up the sauce and the whole thing
goes to shit. The sauce is the glue that holds the enchilada world
together, the spicy ocean in which the tortillas with their bellyfuls
of cheese swim. Mama’s plain-Jane cheese-and-onion Mexican plate
($8.50) has basic enchilada sauce nailed, and if’n you’re a hotness
monster, its cheese screamer enchilada platter ($9) is bathed in a
pepper sauce that’ll make your nose run. Also, the beef tamale ($5.50)
is perfect: The cornmealy dough is as one with its meaty inner
treasures, and the whole affair is never dry, always hot-
orange
greasy.
Phinney Ridge’s ever-amazing El Chupacabra (6711 Greenwood
Ave N, 706-4889) comes in second for the best cheese enchilada platter
($7.12). The viscosity of the cheese, the tenderness of the tortillas,
and the fluffiness of the rice never, ever wavers or disappoints.
Furthermore, El Chupacabra comes in first for its green sauce, a
concoction that goes above and beyond your run-of-the-mill
tomatillo/jalapeño blend to offer up a powerful heat and zesty,
limey tang. The sauce sits upon each table in a squirt bottle along
with a fine selection of other hottening agents. YOU CAN HAVE AS MUCH
OF IT AS YOU WANT—like, you can squirt a perfect dollop on every
bite of chip. It’s your party.
An honorable mention for the most quintessentially good-bad
chicken-mole-and-cheese enchiladas goes to El Gallito on Madison
Street (1700 20th Ave, 329-8088). It tastes like someone put in too
much cinnamon and not enough of something else in the Little Cock’s
mole sauce; the results, while not exactly traditional and slightly odd
at first, are damn fine ($8.99). The room-temperature, garlicky
guacamole ($1.59/$3.59/$5.59) is always spot-on and generously
scooped—one of the most satisfying bad-good avocado-related
experiences in town. And the strawberry margaritas ($6.25) can’t be
beat—except by those at Bimbo’s ($5.75; 1013 E Pike St,
322-9950), which also offers the legendary chinchilla cocktail, a
devastatingly sweet, creamy riff on the piña colada ($7.50).
The Renaissance man of good-bad Mexican food in town, Tacos
Guaymas, gets the all-around award for doing taco salads,
enchiladas, tostadas, tacos, and everything in between in the most
perfectly haphazard, basic, delectable way possible. The Fremont
location (100 N 36th St, 547-5110) is far and away the best due to the
patio, with the original West Seattle restaurant (4719 California Ave
SW, 935-8970) coming in a close second. Sadly, for some reason the
Capitol Hill branch (1415 Broadway, 860-3871) has always been woefully
subpar, even at times committing the cardinal sin of serving enchiladas
with partially unmelted cheese. It also frequently runs out of the
Guaymas signature very-much-above-par creamy green avocado sauce;
perhaps this happens because others like me make a beeline for the
ramekins and fill up five or six of them with the stuff. It’s smooth,
sodium-rich, and addictive as all get-out. If I could, I would eat it
with a spoon straight out of the salsa bar.
Like the best things in life, the cheese enchilada combo is perfect
in its simplicity. Rudimentary ingredients, flavor from uncomplicated
spice, richness from grease: Good-bad Mexican, done right, can’t be
beat with a stick. Fortunately, Seattle’s in luck, if only in a few
choice places. 
First a review of places serving chicken-fried steak, now this piece on cheese enchiladas. What’s next – teriyaki joints or cheap pizza places? I’m all for reviewing inexpensive restaurants, but how about something interesting.
amen!
I loved both the chicken fried steak and the enchilada articles. Hearing about new restaurants is cool but I’m far more likely to be asking myself “where can I go that has good _____?” at any given time.
Bring on the cheese. We’re all headed for the poor house. It’s the simple things that count.
serious-not-to be mean-but this just seems like a review from someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about-
No mention of the Mexico-city street vendor styles enchiladas at “El Quetzal”-or even the trendy “Carta Oaxaca” small plate of spicy enchiladas? Or even “Taqueria Tequila’s” truly authentic enchiladas in greenwood…dude..
What the hell. I want to know where I can get GOOD mexican food in this city. You can swing a dead cat and get bad Mexican food.
Also: how can you fuck up a plate of melted cheese? you CANT.
This article is not relevant to my interests.
Joan is a great writer; too bad she chose main stream restaurants. We want to know about the underground!
I moved to Seattle from West Texas two years ago, and I miss exactly two things: stars and tex-mex. (Neither was much of a price to pay to get out of a red state.) You’re absolutely right on the “good-bad” quality, and I’m craving mesquite-grilled fajitas something fierce after reading all this! Thanks for the tips; I’ll delight in checking them all out.
ah, you CAN fuck up a plate of melted cheese. ever been to azteca in ballard? or azteca anywhere for that matter? seriously. bad.
i love this article. being from phoenix and i also miss good old fashioned “good-bad mexican”. unapologetically bad for you and basic and goooooooood. the kind that you can’t stop eating and that makes you want to go take a long nap in the sun afterwards.
good job, dude!
ps: swinging a dead cat would be mean and weird.
As a fellow transplanted Houstonian, I understand the need for cheese (and molten-lava refried beans) when it comes to Tex-Mex. It’s comfort food!
Thanks for the review – now if only we Southwesterners could find the perfect swirl margarita…
We call it truck-stop Mexican food, but the comfort food quality is the same. Greasy, cheesy goodness. I grew up in Skagit County which with the migrant population has some amazing tex-mex style along with truck-stop. Gotta say in Seattle the best was definitely Mamas.
So many fucktard comments, so little said. I did not grow up in Texas. I grew up with Estrallita’s family restaraunt in Los Altos, with a french mother who was ok with asking about and recreating recipes worthy of eating. That the Stranger finally acknowledged the Best Mexican restaraunt in Seattle, My home town- is a revelation.
I have also enjoyed the enchiladas. Like thats all there is to Mexican food. Really? How about all the wet burritos, the quesadillas, the churros, flan, and GREAT service?
Seattle is, no offense intended, as I too would be a target- a fucking white town. We ought to respect the restaraunt that is because of Suzy’s gentrificaton drive, being shut down for a year, throwing the employees of this institution out of work for a fucking YEAR. Locals are already stocking up on drugs to try to live with this ugly reality.
Well, thank you, newbie Joan Hiller, for your utterly condescending article. OK, you are from Texas, same as GW is. You are clearly better than all of us combined. As he is. Tch.
At least you finally revealed the MexiMagic in Seattle, foodwise.
Tacos Guaymas- You rock so hard, I love you forever. Please stay employed after the eviction, and god damn it, come back when the builders of the bubbles are done with their futile attempt to get richer. Fuck you, white wealthy entitled assholes.
Leave us our treasured restaraunts.
El Chupacabre is the ONLY restaurant I’ve walked out of because the food was so bad. That was almost 3 years ago and I still tell people it’s the one place to avoid. I love messy good-bad food. This was just BAD-bad.
AHHHH, inexpensive comfort food. I’ve had the wonderful Columbian enchiladas at Andy’s in Houston (cheese enchiladas with a fried egg on top)and great chicken fried steak at the House of Pies in Houston too.
In Seattle, gotta love the yummy cheap seafood in Pike Place, like Jack’s and Emmett Watson’s. Both towns seem to have such great inexpensive delicious food!!
swinging a live cat would be mean.
this article is by erica barnett, isn’t it? you need a better pseudonym.
Thanks for the article…you definitely got the attention of any Texans currently slumming around these parts. Unfortunately, I’d say you’ve been here too long…Mama’s & Guymas are at best OK (I’ve not been to Chupa). The closest thing I’ve found to a Texas-style taqueria is Taqueria Tequila in Greenwood (great huevos con chorizo!), probably followed by the assorted taco trucks.
Can I put in a request for Reuben sandwich reviews, if they fall within your expertise?
Hey, dudes! I am psyched for everyone to share secret seattle Mexicanness; the more tips everyone has, the better. This article originally had mention of Oaxaca, Taco Gringos, and a few other places, but for space, we had to limit it. AND YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT THE MELTED CHEESE! HOW COULD SOMEONE NOT MELT THE CHEESE ALL THE WAY!?!? It is a travesty when that happens. Hurts my heart. Thanky to all of you for reading!
Anyone .raised w/ Mexican food as a staple should check out La Palma. It’s a regular old family owned Mexican resteraunt w/ kick ass food(interbay area on 15th)
Taco Guaymas???! Are you joking? I too love good-bad mexican food and Taco Guaymas is one floor-bolted table away from the mcburrito. Yes the guac sauce is good but so is the mild sauce from Taco Bell, doesnt mean I’d recommend eating there.
Many thanks to Grumpy for listing some places that have good food and not just condiments.
I too am from the Republic of TX. The center for Mexican food in the US. I read some of these comments and was reminded just how little people in this city know about food in general, especially Tex-Mex. This author hit it right on the nose!! The very best way to judge a Mexican food restaurant is by tasting their simple dishes. Anyone with a few years of culinary experience can make something more complicated than it needs to be in order to up the price and cover up the fact that they don’t know what they are doing, as is typical of the food I eat in Seattle. It takes and artist to perfect simplicity and good pallet to detect it. Thank you Joan! You might have saved me from withering away in a state of Tex-Mex withdrawal.
i laud your efforts at finding good cheap feel good food! i personally could use some help finding good sandwich joints in seattle – anyone seen a poboy, hoagie, or just plain old fashioned deli around here? sandwiches in seattle are seriously lacking – and i’ve waited for an hour for a sandwich at Mario-Batali’s-dad’s-place already – and they were assholes.
what about El Gorditos in greenwood? you have to give them a shout!