Mexican "Bistros"

Recently, I've noticed that there are new Mexican restaurants popping up all over the place. These little "bistros" are really exciting for me, because it seems that REAL Mexican food is making its presence known in the New England area. I used to travel to Arizona for work and got the pleasure of frequenting many Southwestern restaurants in the area. Real Mexican food is very different than what you might find at Taco Bell, thank goodness.

from Flickr - by D'Contreras

What I find most enjoyable about good Mexican food is that it doesn't weigh you down the way the greasy, Americanized fast-food varieties usually do. In the past, I wrote a review for a new place down the street from my office, Papagayo. That's a great example of fresh, delicious Mexican cuisine.

Tonight, we stopped by another new bistro in the Arlington area, an adorable little storefront called La Posada. We found the menu on the iPhone Safari browser and called in an order. The menu was quite extensive, and it was difficult to pick just one thing. I didn't get pictures of the things we ordered, but I'll assure you that everything looked, smelled and tasted delicious!

from Flickr - by planetoftheweb

The point of this post, however, is not that we found another delicious little Mexican restaurant to frequent. I wanted to touch on my excitement at a cuisine that hasn't yet made its presence fully known in this area. There's a sushi place on every corner, a Chinese restaurant at each turn, and Thai food abounds, but what about the tableside guacamole carts, and the make your own fajitas? It's about time they make an appearance in our neighborhoods, and our menu drawers. I'm happy to see more quality Mexican food in personable, family-run bistros, with the option of takeout! Gone are the days of giant combo platters of tacos, enchiladas, beans, rice, etc...Goodbye greasy dishes with too much cheese! Welcome to the real Mexican cuisine, and a whole new set of spices and flavors.