
5

"Right next to Ix is Taqueria El Patron, the first of the sisters’ restaurants (opened two years before Ix) that describes itself as a Mexican grill and specializes in Mexican-American fare that diners can wash down with strong cocktails in the style of places sometimes disparagingly called margarita mills — though the food is better than that term suggests. A portrait of Frida Kahlo hangs inside, and a fusty barroom parallels a capacious dining room, creating a humongous amount of space when outdoor seating is added. The menu offers combination plates of taco and enchilada, many fajita variations, and dozens of oversized burritos: “el gigante” requires two flour tortillas, and the El Patron burrito ($16) arrives like some sort of flying dough creature (with tortilla-chip “wings”) stuffed with beefsteak, black beans, and other fillings, topped with pork gravy and oodles of melted cheese. I also liked the taco supreme ($5), which, with its ground beef filling and name, seemed to channel Taco Bell but in a more opulent key." - Robert Sietsema