Some like it picante.(Cover Story)

ONCE UPON A TIME, WE WERE PART of Mexico, and if you look at what we like to eat, you would think we still are: Breakfast tacos get us going in the morning, fajitas sustain us at lunch, and truck-stop enchiladas restore us after a night on the town. Six months ago our SWAT team of food writers fanned out across the state to find the spiciest salsa, freshest guacamole, deepest, darkest mole poblano, and much more. Along the way, we stumbled upon great recipes, learned a few tricks of the trade, and discovered the answers to some burning questions (what's the deal with menudo, anyway?). Turn the page for the last guide to Mexican food in Texas that you'll ever need.

(SOME LIKE IT PICANTE)

Los Mejores

Where to find the best ...

Enchiladas

[AUSTIN] Star billing for enchiladas in Austin goes to Las Manitas; with some half a dozen regional sauces that honor Zacatecas (a smooth green poblano), Michoacan (cascabel chile plus tomato-jalapeno on top), and more, the humble downtown care has been reeling in office workers, musicians, and politicians for 23 years. If you like a no-fooling-around, interior-style sauce, try the ancho-chile enchiladas rojas at either Manuel's sleek but comfy black-and-white Congress Avenue digs or its colorful north location; in fact, all of Manuel's enchilada sauces, from tomatillo to sour cream (especially on the lump-crabmeat enchiladas), rock. The kitchen at cheerful little Garibaldi's turns out a trio of excellent salsas for its enchiladas: chipotle, with an almost fluffy tomato base; tart tomatillo with a zap of jalapeno; and a dark-red guajillo chile. With achiote, a touch of vinegar, and pickled onions, the chicken-fajita enchiladas at Polvo's evoke Michoacan's distinctive cuisine; come summer, the restaurant's scruffy but wildly popular deck will be in full swing. For classic yellow-cheese enchiladas topped with chile con carne, look no farther than Maudie's, with its idiosyncratic Elvis memorabilia, where hordes of Austinites converge for their weekly--if not daily--Tex-Mex fix.

[DALLAS] There's a tie for the best enchiladas in Dallas. Those who favor the ones found at Avila's tout their pure, uncomplicated flavors. Chicken enchiladas arrive under a blanket of pale, tangy tomatillo sauce sprinkled with Jack cheese; the spinach-poblano enchiladas are coddled in a smooth, wonderfully indulgent sour cream sauce; and the ancho-sauced blackbean enchiladas mix beans with Monterey Jack and cheddar to excellent effect. Understated and quietly fashionable, this place is the city's best-kept secret. People who prefer the enchiladas at Pepe's & Mito's, in Deep Ellum, cite the variety of the restaurant's sauces and excellent fillings, which will pull your attention away from the pinata-colored interior. The chicken enchiladas are excellent in both the swoonworthy mole poblano and the elegant chipotle-wine; if you call a day ahead, the cooks will prepare their robust new roasted-tomatillo sauce for your chicken enchiladas (see recipe, page 154). Don't overlook the brilliant balance of tart and spicy in the sour cream-tomatillo sauce on chicken enchiladas at Primo's, a loud but happy hangout favored by Big D's chefs. Taco Diner wows its chic crowds with crispy, griddled enchiladas verdes, stuffed with finely shredded chicken and awash in a tomatillo sauce crowned with crumbled queso fresco. At comforting, colorful Gloria's, in Oak Cliff, homey chicken enchiladas are slathered with a dark-red ancho chile sauce and decorated with cheddar and queso fresco.