Mexican Restaurants in Pittsburgh? (Liberty, Oakland: dinner, venue, high quality)

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by _Buster

oh I get it, cause a food stand is like creating a car company or big box national chain. perfectly reasonable. seems to me it is the Can't Do attitude that is the problem.

I guess I should just get boot strappy and invest thousands because I want a taco once in awhile. Makes so much sense!

One time I was really thirsty so I bought an entire Mountain Dew vending machine on a whim. I'm a real Can-Dew type of fella.

[Buckeye Burgher]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Build your own car if you don't like Dodge!

Create your own ISP if you don't like Comcast!

If that were so easy to do there would be at least 36 million ISPs in this country.

And my father-in-law built Dodges for a living. What was HE supposed to do?

[ForYourLungsOnly]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

I agree that they won't find it here. However, some people like to imply or state that the reason you won't find it is because of Pittsburghers and their unrefined palate. The reason Pittsbughers are used to, and eagerly eat, this slop that is not real Mexican is because no one sells the real stuff.

When it's as close as you can get, you tend to settle for your only option.

I don't recall anyone saying Pittsburghers have unrefined palates, or blamed Pittsburghers themselves for the lack of good Mexican in Pittsburgh. All the "well this or that city has bad stuffed cabbage!" was based on nothing, and appears quite defensive.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by TheYO

By taking authentic Mexican food and adding mounds of processed cheese and tasteless iceberg lettuce, you're dumbing down the dish, not elevating it in any way. Authentic Mexican cuisine is amazing with it's mix of simple and complex dishes and bold flavors. It also varies greatly between different regions in Mexico.

Unfortunately, we don't have too many truly authentic or a wide variety of regional options here in Pittsburgh. We just have too much of the dumbed down stuff. I only eat tacos with meat, onions, cilantro, lime juice, and maybe a little salsa. If that makes me a snob, I'm ok with that.

I spent a summer traveling throughout Mexico and Central America. I've been to Mexico on shorter trips as well. I lived in a Latino (primarily Mexicans from Michoacan and Central Americans) neighborhood for over 20 years. I've become a bit of a "snob" when it comes to Mexican street food. I've found nothing close to what I'm used to here in Pittsburgh. I haven't yet tried some of the places that people have recommended on this forum so I still have hope that I might find something close to authentic.

Chicken Latino in the Strip District has decent Peruvian food. I don't know of any good Central American places. I could really go for some good pupusas right now. Can you tell I haven't had lunch yet?

I keep hoping that immigration from Latin America will increase here which hopefully will increase the number of good restaurants to choose from.

That said, there is such a thing as tasty American style "Mexican" food. I don't happen to like it, but like anything else, it can vary in tastiness and quality.

[UKyank]

I don't know why everyone is getting all worked up; even authentic Mexican food is pretty low on the totem pole when it comes to culinary delights from around the world.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by sskink

I hope that explanation offers more insight to why I take issue with this subject.

We understand that you are more serious about food than most people. I don't care if food is authentic or not. I just want to eat good tasting food, and I'm having a difficult time finding it anywhere. It's pretty sad when my own cooking is the best I can get. I don't get to enjoy it like my family does because I'm bored with it by the time it hits the table after looking at it while cooking. My family and our friends get to enjoy it.

I never considered myself a good cook until I had teenage boys in my kitchen asking me to teach them how to cook food the way I do. It turns out that wasn't much of an indication of my abilities because my children have since told me their friends parents were terrible cooks. LOL

I've given up my search for good food, and I'll just be happy when I stumble upon it by accident. That seems to happen in the most unexpected places----like the gas station in the middle of nowhere on the Nevada/California state line or the food truck with 8 feet of snow plowed around it in the middle of nowhere in Vermont in subzero temps. I need to figure out how to recreate those recipes so my family and friends can try them too.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

I always get a laugh out of how Pittsburghers, and Pittsburgh in general, are to blame that no one has opened up a certain type of restaurant.

Well there's gotta be a way for people to keep the "Pittsburghers are uncultured hicks" mantra going despite the rapidly dwindling evidence thereof. Once those people can buy candied goat anus on a stick from a food truck in East Liberty, they'll start focusing on something even more petty to prove what they consider their point.

[ProFiction]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

candied goat anus on a stick from a food truck in East Liberty

Ah, you're thinking of Totes McGoats. Best food truck in the city.

[Hopes]

I'm moving to West Virginia the moment candied goat anus on a stick becomes all the rage in Pittsburgh!

[pman]

Originally Posted by UKyank

I don't know why everyone is getting all worked up; even authentic Mexican food is pretty low on the totem pole when it comes to culinary delights from around the world.

tacos are one of the world's great street foods but like hot dogs, quality can vary.