The guacamole was better than at any other Mexican restaurant I’ve been to in town, though it could use a little pizzazz.

The tres leches…um, the tres leches at Rumba is really good y’all (and about twice as expensive).

What is the problem with Mexican in Nashville? If it weren’t for the brilliant company, lunch would have been a loss. (But that hot sauce — it was worth the whole trip.)

Well, me and the Mister have been to Los Arcos several times and really enjoyed it. They have great fish dishes. But I was stunned to learn that they don’t have fish tacos. When I asked, the server looked at me as if I’d asked for fried squirrel enchiladas or something.

Fish tacos should be a staple. But anyway, we like Los Arcos just fine.

fish taco’s are my life.
i love love love em

los arco’s, while not bad - was just kinda eh, imho. the seafood dishes on the dinner menu looked kind of “odd” to me.

Ya know, it’s true that the Mexican cuisine in Nashville is not the world’s best. But compared to the garbage they call Mexican food in NYC and the northeast generally, it’s pretty good here. It just makes me laugh that folks here always complain about the Mexican food but will eat what passes for Chinese food without complaint.

I like the fish tacos at Baja Burrito! And the ones at Moe’s Southwest Grill are pretty good, too, IMHO. Cheesecake Factory, surprisingly enough, makes a good fish taco. But I really wish we had a Cabo Fish Taco here! Yum!!

mexican in nyc can be quite good depending where you go. nashville mexican pales in comparison. at least to me…

chinese in nashville is untouchable.

malia - i love mine grilled not fried… one of my fave foods and i make it for dinner on occasion and have even blogged about it. i think i’m past due…

It’s interesting: nobody’s figured out a way to Americanise Korean food yet. I have this pipe dream of starting a Korean/Southern food called “Pahl Gahn Sak Mohk”, which is roughly translated from the Korean as “Red Neck”.

After all, what is a large part of Korean cuisine but BBQ? Sure it’s a different kind of BBQ, but BBQ nonetheless. And, could all of those seafood dishes be donw with catfish? I don’t know.

Maybe one day…

I like the fish tacos at Baja Burrito! And the ones at Moe’s Southwest Grill are pretty good, too, IMHO.

Yes, I like the ones at Baja Burrito too, but Baja has a fast-food vibe that I don’t always want. And also, their fish is battered and fried. I’d prefer grilled.

I don’t know of Moe’s. Maybe I’ll check it out.

There’s supposed to be an authentic Mexican fish place on Nolensville somewhere … if anyone knows about it, let me know.

chinese in nashville is untouchable.

Amen to that. What is wrong with Chinese in Nashville? Why can’t we have a Chinese restaurant where the food isn’t swimming in grease, or so bland that all you taste is salt and sugar (yes, P.F. Chang’s I’m talking about you).

The only places we can barely tolerate is Fulin’s in Brentwood or the weekend buffet at Golden Dragon. After eating Chinese at San Francisco’s Chinatown last fall, there’s just no comparison.

Claudia, what are some good Mexican places in NYC? In 20 years there, I never found one that was the least bit authentic.

rosa mexicano is pretty freakin’ great…

There is plenty of good Mexican food being offered around nashville. Mexican food is not, by and large, complicated. Fish tacos? Not really a Mexican dish. Most Mexicans cook beans, rice, fideo, and a little meat of some sort, mostly pork. The key is the sauces. Getting your red or green chile sauce right takes practice, and access to good chiles. I have yet to meet a better Mexican cook than my mother, and i doubt she had more than 4 spices at her disposal.

Most authentic mexican dishes do not contain, cheese, btw. We do that for you Gringos.

Mack, what would YOU know about authentic Mexican?

Maybe we could have a mother exchange program? I’d give anything to try some of your mother’s cooking. And my mother could cook you the best fried chicken and homemade rolls you have EVER tasted.

I’m hungry.

mack, with all due respect to your wonderful heritage, the general consensus is that the mexican in this town is mediocre at best. and on the baja peninsula, fish taco’s are a street food sold everywhere. ensenada claims to be the birthplace of the fish taco… and as for spices? what does that mean? i just recently made a perfectly authentic oaxaqucan mole that had about 30 ingredients but maybe 5 would be considered ’spices’. i think as with most cuisines, regionality plays a big part.

oaxaquan - excuse my crappy spelling

Yes, of course, in towns near water, fish tacos can found, but even the word taco can mean many thigs. If you can wrap a tortilla around it, it is a taco.

My point is that Mexican food is not complicated, except for maybe getting he texture right, like with maza.

Slarti, my Mom is long gone, but if you bring me chicken, I’ll whip up something fairly close to what my Mom used to cook. Seems fair.

Mack can cook, peeps. Mack cook good.

Well, what food IS complicated? Food isn’t supposed to be complicated, it’s a joy.

I love to cook and I love to eat, and I happen to think that most of my own cooking is a damn sight better than what you can find in most restaurants here, and that includes *my* homemade tacos.

Now y’all will be expecting a dinner invitation!

french food can be complicated… and a lot of folks love cooking it and find it a huge joy…
my cooking as a rule is very uncomplicated

soutern beale - this is why i began blogging. i felt i was doing better than the restaurants here in town. my pad thai kicks ass - but there’s a fair amount of prep involved and a bunch of ingredients that i mail order.

all that being said - there really are a few good places here in town - most of them are on the high end, though. tayst, ombi, city house - are 3 really good ones with a lot of integrity. but the lower - mid range ethnic places are just not to the level. mexican, chinese, greek, indian, pizza… i’m just not a fan overall.

sobea - i know our friends and family definitely benefit from our cooking!!! and this is something that i kinda get a kick out of…