Texas Monthly

Miscellany

The magazine bids adieu to two beloved colleagues.

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to the April 2016 special issue on guns in Texas.

The Checklist

What to read, watch, and listen to this month to achieve maximum Texas cultural literacy.

Meanwhile, in Texas . . .

Some crazy stuff went down in Texas in the past thirty days. Here are some of the headlines you may have missed.

In Their Own Words

Five Texans on their relationships with guns.

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to the March 2016 issue.

The Checklist

What to watch, read, and listen to this month to achieve maximum Texas cultural literacy.

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to the February 2016 issue.

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to our annual Bum Steer Awards.

The Checklist

What to watch, read, and listen to this month to achieve maximum Texas cultural literacy.

The Checklist

What to watch, read, listen to, and look at this month to achieve maximum Texas cultural literacy.

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to the December 2015 issue.

Which Texas City Has The Best Tacos?

Vote for your favorite!

The 120 Tacos You Must Eat Before You Die

Roar of the Crowd

So Texans, it turns out, really like barbecue. Last month’s article on “The Top 25 New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas” drew a lot of attention—and a fair amount of, ahem, heat. On Facebook the story quickly tallied more than one thousand likes, shares, and comments,

Corn or Flour?

Eight well-known and proud Texans answer this simple, age-old question.

Best Tacos: Houston

Chilorio, PicosType: Classic MexicanRating: 5Price: $10Chef Arnaldo Richards recently moved his popular self-styled “Mex-Mex” restaurant from the southwest side to a more central location on Kirby Drive and gave it a new slogan: “Seven Regions of Mexican Cuisine.” One of those regions is Sinaloa,a coastal state in northwestern Mexico

Best Tacos: Dallas and Surroundings

Chicken Tinga, El Taco del Rincon de VillaType: Classic MexicanRating: 4.25Price: $1.99Chicken tacos generally inspire monumental indifference. But you won’t be able to get enough of these corn masa pockets filled with juicy, chipotle-smoky shredded fowl. For an extra kick, add the orange-tinted chile de árbol salsa. 6867 Greenville

Best Tacos: Corpus Christi

Carne Guisada, Southside BarbacoaType: Classic MexicanRating: 4Price: $2.49On Saturdays, the carne guisada tacos, filled with cubed beef in a rich and spicy chile gravy, come with a sound track: music from the Southside Farmers’ Market band, a homespun ensemble that includes harp, banjo, accordion, and violin and plays just steps

The Checklist

A look at what to read, hear, and watch this month in order to achieve maximum Texas cultural literacy.

Best Tacos: El Paso

Potato and Egg, H&H Car Wash and Coffee ShopType: BreakfastRating: 5Price: $4.99/platePut aside the fact that H&H is a half-century-old restaurant/car wash whose co-owner, Maynard Haddad, is a supreme grouch (if one with a soft heart). Ignore the time-scuffed Formica tabletops and the aging counter stools. Then strip

Best Tacos: Bryan–College Station

Carne Guisada, Jesse’s Taqueria and BakeryType: Classic MexicanRating: 4Price: $4.25Burrito-size tortillas stay hot in a large Tupperware container as they wait to be filled with tender, well-seasoned carne guisada. The finished taco, tightly rolled in shiny foil, resembles a missile. Be careful unwrapping it later, lest the soupy contents

Best Tacos: Austin

Lengua, La PosadaType: Classic MexicanRating: 4.75Price: $2.80La Posada is hidden between a liquor store and an insurance agency—blink and you’ll miss it. But don’t: this taco is a real find. Braised with onions, peppers, and tomatoes to stewlike consistency, the sliced beef tongue is cradled into a thick, lightly griddled

Best Tacos: Lubbock

Carne Asada, CancúnType: Classic MexicanRating: 4Price: $8.59/plateSomehow mini-tacos make you feel as if you haven’t blown your diet. Cradled in double corn tortillas, the grilled beef has a pleasant kick, no salsa needed, but you’ll definitely want to pile on the side of grilled onions. 7905 University Ave, 806-687-9048. Sun–Thur

Best Tacos: Rio Grande Valley

Barbacoa, Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-QueType: Classic MexicanRating: 5Price: $3 for 1/4 pound (makes 3 to 4 tacos)Fans from far and near know that humble Vera’s is the only place in the state, maybe the country, that still does traditional “barbacoa en pozo con leña de mezquite,” or cow’s head

Best Tacos: Fort Worth

Brisket, Mi Cocula Mexican GrillType: Modern AmericanRating: 4.5Price: $12/plateAt this hidden shopping-center gem, tender shreds of smoked beef mingle with grilled onion inside miniature corn tortillas, glistening with melted jack cheese (add a dab of the salsa de chile pasilla). The tacos al pastor, pork tips loaded with grilled pineapple

Best Tacos: Galveston

Baja Fish, The Original Mexican CaféType: Modern AmericanRating: 4.25Price: $10.25/plateFounded in 1916, in a rambling two-story building downtown, this place claims to be the oldest Galveston restaurant still in its original location. It has the gusto of a margarita-happy-hour haunt, but the food is a draw too, especially the

Best Tacos: San Antonio & Surroundings

Chicken Cilantro, Chela’s TacosType: Classic MexicanRating: 5Price: $3.50You can barely count on consistency in anything these days—gas prices, the weather, Cowboys wins—but you’ll certainly find it in the fire engine–red taco truck that’s usually stationed at the food-trailer park and beer garden known as the Block. This little

Best Tacos: Midland-Odessa

Al Pastor, Taqueria GuadalajaraType: Classic MexicanRating: 4.25Price: $2At this American Graffiti–meets–Mexico joint, the baskets of cinnamon-and-achiote-spiked tacos al pastor are even better with a dash of chile de árbol salsa. (Your order is delivered carside but not on roller skates, alas.) 1301 S. Crane Ave, Odessa, 432-335-8808. Sun–Thur 6–11, Fri

Best Tacos: Amarillo

Al Pastor, El TejavanType: Classic MexicanRating: 4.75Price: $8.99/platterHere in cattle country, it’s beef—not pork—that’s cooked al pastor. The well-marinated steak is elevated by simple cilantro, onions, and freshly made corn tortillas; there’s also chunky guacamole, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa served on the side for you to create your own

Best Tacos: Laredo

Pastor a la Vegetariana, El Quinto SolType: SpecialtyRating: 4Price: $6.99/plateMexican restaurants do not usually cater to vegetarians and vegans; El Quinto Sol is a happy exception. Corn tortillas enfold wheat-gluten “meat” spiked with a spicy adobo, pineapple, and gooey mozzarella, topped with the classic onion, cilantro, and lime. Even carnivores

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to the October 2015 issue.

The Checklist

A look at what to hear, read, watch, and see this month in order to achieve maximum Texas cultural literacy.

Drink Like a Texan

Texans are a thirsty bunch, and our drinks package has everything you need to imbibe like Sam Houston's watching.

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to the September 2015 issue.

10 Writers to Watch (and Read)

Move over, J. Frank Dobie and Larry McMurtry. Texas has entered a new golden age of literature—and these are a few of its standout voices.

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to the August 2015 issue.

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to our July 2015 Issue.

2015: The Best and Worst Legislators

New guv, new lite guv, new attorney general, new committee chairs: the Eighty-fourth Legislature had a lot to prove. So how well did its members do?

Welcome to Texas!

Every day more than a thousand people move to the Lone Star State. Lucky enough to be a new arrival? This crash course will get you thinking, eating, and talking like a native in no time. (Lucky enough to already be a native? You’ll be reminded of all the reasons

Where to Go First

Few things make Texans happier than a full tank of gas and an open highway. You’ve got a lot of ground to cover, but I propose you start with these four trips, each originating at Brady, the geographic center of Texas. You’ll be saying “y’all” and offering the hi sign

How to Talk Like a Texan

You can spend your whole life trying, but this will do in a pinch.

They Weren’t Born Here

But they did get to Texas as fast as they could (which is to say, within the past five years). Meet eighteen recent transplants to the state’s three fastest-growing cities.

Cover to Cover

If you’re new to the state, there’s a good chance that you snickeringly regard the phrase “Texas literature” as a contradiction in terms. Well, wise up, wise guy: Texans have been writing memorable books about their state for a long time. So if you have some questions about the city you’ve

The Playlist

Oh, the endless arguments about Texas music. But don’t feel the need to master it—no one really can. Instead, here are ten songs to help you hold your own at almost any party. 

Eat Well Wherever You Are

One thing is for sure—a Texan knows what’s for dinner and where to get it. But if you’re new to the state, check out these iconic restaurants.   

Where to Be a Tourist

A word about these four destinations: most native Texans visited them on their elementary school field trips. They are essential, so if you haven’t seen them yet, you’d better get cracking. Just remember, this is only the start.

The Media Guide

To gain pop culture literacy, you could spend a long weekend taking in works produced for the big screen (Giant, Dazed and Confused) and the small box (Lonesome Dove, Friday Night Lights). But the quicker route would be an afternoon surfing YouTube. Search for the terms below, but don’t blame us if you end up falling down a

Where to Become an Art Patron

A guide to three great Texas museums. 

Don’t Move to Texas

It rhymes with “sexist” and “Lexus.”