Tex Mex Food in New Jersey - (NJ) - Page 5 - City-Data Forum

coboblack · 09-13-2009, 10:00 AM

The only way your going to find TexMex in New Jersey is if you make it yourself...which actually...isn't too hard if you like cooking. I'm one of those guys who can taste most ingredients in foods when I taste them and it wasn't too hard to replicate some of my favorite dishes.

One good quick meal I made...

Ingrediants"

Flour tortilla's
your favorite cooking oil
re-fried beans
Velveeta cheese
Rotel Diced tomatoes
Avacado
Onions
Bell Peppers
tomatoes
garlic powder
onion powder
salt and pepper
Beef or chicken fajita meat (pre-seasoned is fine)

Take the avocado's smash them in a bowl with a fork
add onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper
add diced tomatoes and a small amount of diced onions
stir and put in refrigerator

Take a half block of diced velveeta cheese and place in a pot
Take a can of rotel tomatoes and pour in pot over the cheese
(You can drain the juice for a thicker cheese dip but I don't because it hardens quicker..I personally pour the juice in as well...by the time it cools down a little it is perfect)

Put on medium-high heat and stir till all the cheese is melted
(Make sure you don't let it burn the bottom and stick to the pot)
Once done, turn off heat and stir every now and then

Cook your fajita meat on the grill with sliced onions and bell peppers and it have on a plate ready to go.

(I begin this step while the fajita meat is cooking to take up the in between time)
Take flour tortilla's and cut them in half, then half, then half again..making a lot of little triangles.

Pour a thin layer of cooking oil in a pan and heat around med heat
when it reaches desired temperature....start adding in the flour triangles
(Don't pour them all in...lay them flat and even so they all cook on one side)

You'll have to get your own timing down and flip them all over (I cooked on by itself to time it)
(Starting In the same order you put them in because seconds count with these little things)

After you've cooked both sides to a golden crisp, take the tortilla chips out and place on a plate with a napkin on it. (Help soak out some of the grease)

Warm up the can of re-fried beans
Next, I take cooking shears and chop up some of the fajita in to inch long pieces

Spoon out some beans and place a little on each chip

Next, Put on a few pieces of diced fajita

Pour over the cheese dip

and a spoon of guacamole and BAM..I swear to you..the best Fajita Nacho's you've ever taste.

I always end up using the other half of the fajita to make actual fajitas as well.

Its not the entire Tex-Mex menu but I promise it will remind you of home that night....It did for me

Enjoy!

itznin · 09-14-2009, 03:02 PM

As for Tex-Mex... it's a rarity here... but Mexican here are my choices:

Blue Moon in Englewood - There are other blue moons (same chain but Englewood is best). They have great food/drinks/atmosphere (outdoor seating as well)

There is a place in NYC on 3rd ave between 38th and 37th it actually takes up the WHOLE city block called El Rio Grande. One side is themed Texas the other side is themed Mexico - however they both have the same menu. This place is KNOWN for it's margaritas, there are many different flavors and they are great and VERY STRONG. These are not normal margaritas as I can guarentee that if you drink 3 you are DONE... finished... like you don't even know what hit you.

It has outdoor seating on both sides 38th and 37th st, as well as outdoor standing room only on the 38th street side. KTU broadcast live from here a few times on cinco de mayo...

If you do go, order ANYTHING with the steak. Steak Nachos is the top choice! This is my favorite place to go in all of NYC/NJ.

BergenCountyJohnny · 09-14-2009, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pat1618

I have just moved to central New Jersey from
San Antonio TX and am looking for San Antonio style Tex-Mex food. Can anyone help me?

You are out of luck, I'm afraid, but you can get some decent substitutes till you can get out west for better mexican food...

First of all, I don't think any of the recommendations given were Tex-Mex except for Jose Tejas and maybe Chevy's, which are chains. I like both, but I don't consider either one to be good Mexican food. I've spent enough time in Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Dallas, and Houston to have somewhat of an understanding of what is good tex-mex, and we have nothing like that. Sending you to Chevy's is like sending a New Jerseyan who moved to San Antonio to a Macaroni Grill or Maggiano's Little Italy for good Italian food; it will be OK but not like the great local stuff we have.

I'm more familiar with the Mexican food in L.A. and Arizona, which is not Tex-Mex (although AZ has a few Taco Cabanas which I believe are Tex-Mex?). Anyway, one of my favorite chains which I enjoyed in Cal, Nevada, and Arizona is Baja Fresh, and we are lucky to have one in Rutherford on Rt. 17. (We had another one a few miles up 17 but it closed down, unfortunately.). If you want an authentic Mexican style taco you will find it here. You will even find the only LEGIT fish tacos (that I know of) in NJ here. Fish taco is not Tex-Mex, I realize, but is Southern Californian. But this is to give you an idea that Baja Fresh is as close to WEST coast Mexican as possible, which is far superior to anything local to the east coast.

Moe's is a similar concept to Baja Fresh, and I have found it good, but not great, and not nearly as good as Baja Fresh.

I think you will find Baja Fresh to be the best, food-wise. Also, you won't have to tip there, it's fast food. They have a salsa bar w/ fresh salsas, cilantro, pico, etc., as some other places have these days, but the food is really good. It's the oasis in the desert that is Mexican Food in NJ (or NY, for that matter).

Dammit, now I have to go have some fish tacos!

BTW - I credit San Antonio for getting me hooked on guacamole. I was there for work, and on a day off went to the Alamo and Riverwalk. After visiting the Alamo and going on the boat ride, I was starving, and walked along the riverwalk a few times, trying to pick one of the restaurants. I saw one where they wheeled a cart to someone's table and made guac, tableside. It looked SO good, so fresh. Until then, I never really gave guac a chance, I thought I didn't like it, but it just looked so appetizing prepared that way that I decided to eat there. It was excellent! I'm hooked on Guac ever since. I'm sure the place I ate was "touristy" for San Antonio, but it was good, and that riverwalk setting is really incredibly pleasant. Just beautiful. So thank you, San Antonio!

ReluctantGardenStater · 09-14-2009, 04:56 PM

Jose Tejas is a pretty decent TexMex restaurant in Fairfield (Essex County, in North Jersey). My one complaint is that it can sometimes be loud/rowdy on Friday and Saturday nights.