I moved to Austin from Houston a few years ago, and I was shocked and appalled at the excessively feeble quality of the local Tex-Mex joints. Thus I was glad to find this book so I could find out where I had gone wrong. It turns out that there are dozens of Mexican restaurants here in the Live Music Capital of the World and I had just managed by a sheer fluke to stumble across some of the exceptionally bland ones. With the help of this guide, I have now checked out 15 or so places that were new to me. Some turned out to be pretty good. Some were "meh". But at least it was a learning experience. The book organizes the restaurants (which include Tex-Mex, Mexican interior, and assorted derivations) by geographical district. There are numerous contributors who have tossed in reviews. Chain outlets tend to get hammered, streetside taquerias get high praise. Some of the reviews are about three sentences long, most are a couple of paragraphs, none run more than four or five. Included in the books are about a half-dozen small articles about various points of Mexican cuisine. The key thing to keep in mind is that most of the reviewers still enjoy partying, so their favorite places by their own admission tend to be ones with plenty of booze, or those that open early in the morning to provide hangover food. Each entry also has plenty of helpful information about addresses, hours, payment methods accepted, et cetera. If you like Tex-Mex and you live in Austin, you must have this book. If you like Tex-Mex and you live in Lubbock...write your own book.
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