We're discussing the level of satisfaction we can get from a good plate of Mexican food vs the tariff that plate's going to levy, as we ride through the Violet Crown neighborhood of Austin. It's supper time and my companion is peppering me with queries about where we can go and what she can expect once we get there.

I trot out all the normal metrics of eating within a 2 mile radius: Arandas on Burnet, Dart Bowl on Grover, Fonda San Miguel on Hancock, El Caribe on Lamar etc. til we finally get it narrowed down to Jorge's vs Fonda San Miguel.

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Is the best Tex Mex chef in Austin a white guy from Brownsville Texas? After a plate of roasted chicken enchiladas at Jack Allen's Kitchen last week we're inclined to think so.

Chef Jack Gilmore is an alumna of the Z' Tejas family but we're not holding that against him. After all a man's got to feed his family.

We've watched a multitude of businesses come and go in the uber modern structure in Oak Hill that Jack Allen's Kitchen calls home.

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When I worked in Spicewood, Texas almost a decade ago, I used to love to stop in to Rosie's Tamale House and grab a pair of crispy tacos and a bowl of lard-y refried beans.

This is classic, yellow cheese-Tex Mex done right.

The current ride out Highway 71 towards Spicewood is so depressing I avoid it as much as possible.

The Hill Country that used to be so enticing has been bulldozed to the ground in favor of huge, impervious parking lots catering to people who like to eat at Applebee's and Chili's Grill and Bar.

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They were friendly about it but when they said it was time to go they meant it.

The list of bars and restaurants I've been kicked out of is a short one but El Azteca is on it.

It's been a good long while and the particulars are hazy but they involve a few shots of tequila, a stormy tempered Cuban spitfire and an impromptu dance party in one of the dining rooms at the Tex Mex landmark established in 1963.

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While my heart will never be wrested from La Reyna, every now and then I have to free myself from the embrace of the Queen and sample her competition.

The Tex Mex restaurants that dot the landscape of South First street range from the sublime [ Habanero Mexican Cafe ] to the pitiful [ Polvo's ] with most places falling somewhere in between.

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