Julia’s Mexican Restaurant

Food Guides — page 6

Guides to Mexican food, drinks and ordering, written from the kitchen at Julia's Mexican Restaurant in Houston. What the dishes are, what the words on a menu mean, and how to order well.

Mexican Dining Guides How to Eat Fajitas: What Arrives and What to Do With It Fajitas arrive as parts, not a plated dish. The build order, why the skillet sizzles, corn or flour, and how many people one order actually feeds.
Mexican Food Guides What Is Barbacoa? The Method, the Meat and How to Order It Barbacoa is a cooking method, not a cut: wrapped, steamed and cooked overnight. What separates it from birria and carnitas, and why it sells out by…
Mexican Dining Guides Vegetarian Options at a Mexican Restaurant: What to Order The mains are easier than you expect and the sides are harder. What to order, why the beans and rice need a question, and the one…
Mexican Food Guides Flan vs Tres Leches: Which Dessert Should You Order? One is a dense baked custard under caramel, the other a sponge cake soaked in three milks. What separates them and which suits the meal you…
Mexican Food Guides Tex-Mex vs Mexican Food: What Is the Difference? Yellow cheese, cumin, beef and flour tortillas mean Tex-Mex; corn, dried chiles and long braises mean Mexican. How to tell them apart on any menu.
Drink Guides What to Drink With Mexican Food Margaritas, beer, wine, sangria and horchata: what each one suits, why acid and cold matter, and what actually helps when a dish turns out hotter than…
Mexican Food Guides What Are Tamales? And How Do You Eat One? A tamal is masa wrapped around a filling and steamed in a corn husk you do not eat. What is inside, how to unwrap one, and…
Drink Guides Frozen vs On-the-Rocks Margaritas: Which Should You Order? Rocks keeps the tequila forward and dilutes as you drink; frozen is colder and carries fruit better. How the two differ and which suits what you…
Mexican Dining Guides How Much Mexican Food to Order for a Group How many starters and mains a group actually needs, why fajitas are the best shared order, and when family packs beat ordering a dish for each…
Mexican Dining Guides Mild Mexican Food: What to Order If You Don’t Like Spicy Most of a Mexican menu is not hot. The chile names that signal real heat, the dishes that are reliably mild, and what to do if…
Mexican Food Guides What Is Birria? The Stew, the Broth and How to Order It Birria is meat braised in a dried-chile broth until it shreds. Where it comes from, what consome is, and why menus say birria style rather than…
Mexican Food Guides Queso vs Queso Fundido: What’s the Difference? Queso is a pourable dip for chips; queso fundido is a pan of melted cheese you fold into tortillas. The difference, the cheeses used, and which…