Originally Posted by
mctrees02
I agree that you really can't find very good Tex-Mex in Dallas. Having grown up in West Texas and Corpus Christi and travelled extensively throughout the state, I would have to say that San Antonio is my first choice for Tex-Mex followed closely by Austin. Dallas does have a lot of excellent steak options but they're mediocore in the other food catagories. Houston...ehh it's a nice place to go for seafood but otherwise you won't find "a place to write home to mom about" that you can't find elsewhere. And yes...El Fenix is an absolute joke. Joe T's in Ft Worth is turning into the same thing. They're both tourist traps and their concern with packing in as many people as possible and rushing out the food within 5 minutes of you ordering has really killed 1) the quality of their product and 2) the atmosphere and experience one has when dining there. For Tex-Mex...I'll stick to my now sporadic trips Austin and San Antonio for quality food. In the mean time, I can go to Mi Cocina and/or Luna de Noche for a good meal that's not over the top. Oh...and even though they don't have a location in the city, I still love going to Abuelo's for a chimichanga when I have the opportunity!

I am not sure Houston's biggest lure is seafood. There is a ton of good Mexican (not just Tex-Mex) food and amazing Chinese food (Mingh's off of Montrose and Westheimer).
When I was in the Dallas area the place for good Mexican was Mercado Juarez (there are a few spread throughout town). They have some of the best carnitas I have ever tasted.
Mama's Daughters was also a favorite for great home cooking. Cornbread, country fried steak, and all the fixin's. mmmm