Okay, Portland.  What is the deal?  Really.  Where can an Oklahoman girl go to find some good Tex Mex around this bitch?  We have asked and asked (and still have quite a few places to try, thank you 52 Ltd. for your recent recommendations!), but I am truly experiencing my first pangs of homesickness.  We’d even settle for - gasp! - El Chico!  In Norman, the smallish town in Oklahoma from where we came, there are five, count them, FIVE incredible Mexican restaurants (in alphabetical order because we fought over priority otherwise): Border Crossing (though did I hear correctly this place is no more?!), Chelino’s, La Luna, Los Dos Amigos, Pepe Delgado’s, and Tarahumara’s.  And that’s just the five good ones!  There are plenty of other options, down to, but not entirely ruling out, Taco Bueno.

I got truly, truly excited when Brian, a nice guy I occasionally work with, told me about a good “Tex Mex” place really near our home: Esparza’s.  We anxiously thought about this place for almost four days before finally having a good opportunity to go.  We excitedly (hungrily) got to the place, walked in the door, sat down, opened our menus…and….What? in? the? hell?  (Sorry, Brian, if you’re reading this.  I do appreciate the recommendation!)

We so had expected to see the menu entice us with scalding hot platters of bean mush covered in cheese, rice, and greasy, cheesy, sour-creamy enchilada goodness.. like this.  Instead we saw listed, as plain as day, on the menu: Lamb enchiladas with a side of mashed potatoes? BBQ Brisket Tamales? Hominy Soup?  Thursday Chicken Fried Steak Special?!  I put question marks because I still really question if it could really be so.

Somebody start the twitter chain now:  Portland thinks Tex Mex is a combo of southern comfort food with Mexican classics.  Oh, oh, noooo.  I keep thinking this must be some terrible joke!

Let it be noted:  The side salad (yep) had French dressing, there was no queso in sight, and the guacamole was a pasty, mushy, green mess.  Oh, and we had to ask for sour cream.

So, beware vidoop crew (WELCOME to Portland, but yeah, sorry.  Be warned!)  You will long for the good Tex Mex we took for granted in Oklahoma.  Your mouth will salivate for the real deal, and you will have to satiate it with fresh, produce-filled organic soft tacos with some fusion weirdness like calamari or tofu buffalo steak or something.

Mission still unaccomplished. Sigh.