Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Margarita Ranch - Dallas, TX

Let's get right to it.

Best beef fajitas in Dallas.

Seriously.

Dallas, Texas is the birthplace of Tex-Mex, but the best fajitas in town aren't found at one of the numerous hole in the wall institutions around town.  Instead they are found at this trendy looking, never crowded, often overlooked Mexican restaurant in Mockingbird Station.


I'm really not sure how this place survives in what has got to be a high rent spot.  I got the picture off the web, but it's pretty indicative of their lunch crowd, including Thursday afternoon when we hit it up.


I've never been for dinner, but assume that, plus its advertised happy hours keeps the lights on.

We hit this up often whenever we're craving fajitas in Dallas, and we prefer to sit at the bar, in either one of the spacious booths or at the bar, which is separated from the rest of the restaurant by a half wall, which is enough to make it a more intimate setting than the modern and somewhat cavernous main dining room.  Not a bad place to hit with a date, or by yourself, particularly if in addition to craving fajitas, there is a game on the tube.

Standard starters come with your waiter, chips and salsa.  The salsa is an excellent red salsa, served warm, with mild heat, but a great smoky flavor.  Much more complex and tasty than the typical fresh red salsas around town, which are great in their own right, but this is a nice change of pace, and is indicative of the flavors of the food to come.


On to the fajitas.


Yep, that's butter.  Beautiful.  Fatty.  Melted.  Butter.

And though the fajitas are excellent as is, I think it's the butter that puts them solidly in the lead as Dallas's finest.

The beef has a a great char-grilled flavor and come out very tender, still sizzling on the plate, and is served with grilled onions and a whole grilled fresh jalapeno, also both with the same great char flavor.  Tortillas are slightly thicker and doughier than your typical store bought variety and are clearly made in house, and served piping hot.  Standard sides of beans and rice hit the mark, but I don't get to them until I've finished the main.

Summary

Atmosphere:  trendy, nice bar, good for a date, good place to watch a game, decent spot to fly solo to, good people watching when they're there

Food:  Tex-Mex

Dog Friendly:  no

When to Go:  lunch, happy hour, dinner

Crowd:  I've yet to see one

What to Order for the First Timer:  beef fajitas

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