Despite the vast Latin American community in the DC area, I’ve had a difficult time finding really satisfying Mexican food. Back home in Texas, cheap but delicious Mexican (or the Tex-Mex version we get here in the US) food is ubiquitous as Starbucks. In DC, you typically have the uber-chef destroying the beauty of this food by using fusion foolishness or just too much cilantro.
I generally follow a simple, three prong test to determine whether a new-to-me restaurant is going to be a hit or a bust before the food ever arrives:
Number One: great margaritas. It’s just a great cosmic truth that a person who can not make a great margarita can not make a great enchilada. If the joint doesn’t make their own lime mixer, run because there is probably rat meat in the tacos. A great marg doesn’t need top shelf liquor, just lots of it mixed with the right blend of lime juice and sugar. In fact, the fancier the marg, the less authentic the drink … they ain’t serving Patron in Guadalahara.
El Tam’s margs are just the way I like ‘em. Tart, salty, and high-octane. And they are only $4.50, which is a real bargain since most people will only be able to handle one. They also have the appropriate selection of Mexican beers including my favorite, Mondo Negro.
Number Two: great chips and “hot sauce”. (Texans use “hot sauce” to mean salsa or the runny stuff from Louisiana, so if you order “coke and hot sauce” you could get a Sprite and green salsa.) Tortilla chips are actually a very Tex-mex creation. In Mexico, you get red hot sauce and saltines on the table if you get anything at all. Nevertheless, a good Mexican restaurant serves hot tortilla chips that are still glistening from the fryer. And the hot sauce has got to be good, though to be good it could be runny or thick, green or red … just about anything as long as it tastes great. Anything except corn, cilantro, or mango.
El Tam’s yellow corn tortilla chips are not the best I’ve tasted … they may even be made offsite, but they are served hot and taste pretty good. The salsa is very authentic, and thus unusual. It’s big chunks of tomato, white onion and peppers in a runny hot sauce base. It takes a little more dexterity to get it to your mouth, but the flavor makes the extra effort worth it.
Number Three: Mexicans actually eat there. I knew I was in the right place when I sat down next to four tables of Mexicans, who by the chatting with the staff, must have been regulars. If a Mexican restaurant is full of white customers, turn around and walk the other way.
Well, El Tam passed all three of my preliminary tests, and when the food appeared, I wasn't disappointed. I've been back four times in the past month and have yet to leave unhappy.
The menu is vast and includes a mix of Mexican and El Salvadorean selections. The green enchilandas are outstanding, mainly due to the massive amounts of shredded beef filling and tangy white cheese underneath the green tomatillo sauce. The fajitas are better than average, but are made with brisket instead of flank steak. Seafood is fresh and well-prepared.
I've heard people say that the place is dirty, but I don't know what they're talking about. It's run-down, to be sure, but the tables and floors have always been clean on my frequent visits, and I've never seen a dirty fork or glass. I'm afraid that Lauriol Plaza may have everyone expecting glimmering modern space when they eat their burritoes.
Prices aren't as low as back home, but they do have Adams Morgan rent to pay, so I'm willing to pay $10 for a plato bueno of food.
I'm thrilled to have found El Tamarindo, and very happy that it's within walking distance of my house.
