BEST AGUAS FRESCAS 2007 | Phoenix Ranch Market | La Vida | Phoenix
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BEST AGUAS FRESCAS

Phoenix Ranch Market

Timur Guseynov
Why is there always a line at the grass-roofed hut next to the open dining area at Phoenix Ranch Market? Because all those hungry shoppers need something thirst-quenching to go with the burritos, tacos, and tortas they're getting at the hot foods counter, and these refreshing, cantina-style drinks (most made with fresh fruit juices) taste good with everything. Not to mention, the aguas frescas bar here has so many craveable flavors, from luscious papaya to tart jamaica (hibiscus) to sweet, milky horchata, which tastes kind of like rice pudding. Nearly a dozen of them are ladled out of big, barrel-shaped glass jars filled with ice, so they're cold enough to revive you from the withering heat outside. We recommend ordering the biggest size they have — you might look goofy holding that huge Styrofoam cup, but it's the only thing that'll last through lunch and a grocery shopping spree.

BEST MEXICAN COFFEE DRINK

La Olla Coffee Company

Hey, have you been to Christown Mall lately? That is one weird mall, dude. You walk inside — and there's a Costco. And a Wal-Mart.

Luckily, in between the two, along with Famous Footwear and Claire's, is La Olla. It's a cubby of a coffee shop, and we would never have found it if a good friend with a taste for all things Latin hadn't mentioned it. The place bills itself as a "Euro Latino Espresso Café," and it was funny to see our lattes and cappuccinos translated into Spanish. We tried the house specialty, La Olla — sweetened espresso smothered in chocolate and accented with cinnamon. Delicious, not quite like any coffee drink we've had. And now we can't wait to go back to Christown.

BEST MOLE

Mini Mercado Oaxaca

Even though mole shows up on a lot of menus around town, it's usually the token Oaxacan entree in a sea of Sonoran specialties. But at Mini Mercado Oaxaca — located in the heart of Sunnyslope, where the burgeoning Oaxacan community has earned the 'hood the nickname "Little Oaxaca" — the mole isn't just a stand-alone regional item. Here, it's joined by excellent sopes, chilaquiles, tlayudas (pizza-sized tortillas with a variety of toppings), and other hard-to-find dishes.

In other words, this stuff is deliciously authentic, and worth seeking out. Whether you're in the mood for rich mole rojo, chock full of red chiles, or a deep, dark mole negro (a spicy, mysterious concoction made with unsweetened chocolate), they both taste great with the roasted chicken, a whole thigh and leg so plump with meat that you'll have a field day scooping up all that mole. And don't worry — even after you've picked every last bit of meat off the bones, you can clean your plate with warm, soft tortillas. Can't let a good mole go to waste!

BEST TORTILLAS

Carolina's

Sarah Whitmire
We've given Carolina's "Best Tortillas" more times than we can count, but don't assume we're being lazy just because we're giving them the honor again. Seriously, we spend all year thinking about tortillas, comparing the offerings at every Mexican place we visit to the hot, homemade beauties we find here.

Indeed, there are lots of tasty tortillas in these parts, but Carolina's are still the gold standard. They're thin and stretchy and almost delicate, but big and firm enough to hold a gut-busting amount of machaca or chorizo and beans without exploding after one bite. Beyond that, they're irresistible on their own. While hundreds of Mexican joints in the Valley look for new ways to dress up their tortillas, Carolina's is doing just fine, thank you, selling them plain. When they're fresh off the griddle, you'll want to eat them by the bagful.

BEST QUESADILLAS

Restaurant Mexico

The first time we ordered a quesadilla at this downtown Tempe eatery, we had to do a double-take when it arrived with our meal — it was unlike any we'd ever seen. Usually, we have some kind of melted cheese-and-tortilla thing in mind.

But at Restaurant Mexico, where the menu focuses on Mexico City-style dishes, the kitchen has a lighter touch with everything. As for the quesadillas, they're made with fresh masa (corn dough) that's deep-fried and filled with spicy chorizo or beef picadillo, a far cry from the typical rendition you see in these parts.

Nowadays, Restaurant Mexico is the only place we can really get our quesadilla fix. Shame to think the place almost went under with all the development going on in Tempe. But earlier this year, it moved into new digs on Mill, its fourth location in more than 30 years of business. We couldn't be happier to see this institution stick around — and from the looks of all the hungry patrons chowing down there at lunchtime, we know we have plenty of company.

BEST TAMALES

El Bravo

What makes the green corn tamales at El Bravo so addicting? Is it the moist, sweet masa, or the creamy, tangy green sauce? We're not sure, but we know that every time we visit this cheerful, family-run nook, we can't resist ordering one. The menu's filled with other temptations, too — like burros made with thin, homemade tortillas, and a unique, house-specialty machaca made with dried beef and eggs — but we can always save room for a tamale. And now that El Bravo has a second location in Sky Harbor's Terminal 4, we're psyched that we can stuff our faces before boarding our next flight.

BEST TORTAS

Los Reyes de la Torta

Tirion Boan
Sooner or later, you're going to blow your diet, so you might as well come to Los Reyes de la Torta and enjoy every guilt-inducing bite of their gargantuan Mexican sandwiches. There's hardly anything here for vegetarians, but if you're a meat lover, you'll get a week's worth of protein (not to mention calories) stuffed into one big bun. Can't decide between breaded beef, pork sirloin, ham, or chorizo? Well, let the namesake torta del rey make things easy for you. The thing's layered with all that and more: refried beans, melted cheese, eggs, avocado, jalapeño, tomato, and onion. It sounds like a lot to bite into — and it is — but what's shocking is how easily you can sink your teeth into one. The lightly grilled bread is fluffy and moist, and the thinly sliced meats are remarkably tender. You'll scoff at how big these tortas are, until you find yourself polishing one off, slurping on some pineapple juice, and rubbing your belly like one happy Buddha — or the Latin equivalent.

BEST COMBINATION PLATE

Mi Cocina Mi Pais

Katie Walter
Okay, we know what you're thinking. "How much can a restaurant improve on the time-honored taco, enchilada, and chile relleno platter?" Our answer: When it doesn't include any of the above.

We're used to getting variety at Mexican restaurants, but Mi Cocina Mi Pais has won us over by sheer novelty, with a tasty culinary repertoire that ventures much farther south of the border, to Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. In particular, we're enthralled with La Bandeja Paisa, a combination plate with more variety than anywhere in town, aside from all-you-can-eat buffets. This incredible combo includes marinated steak, chorizo, a fried pork rib chicharron, a pile of patacones (unripened plantain fritters), fried plantains, arepas (fluffy corn cakes), rice, warm pepper relish, red beans, avocado, and a fried egg. No wonder it's unofficially considered the national dish of Colombia — La Bandeja Paisa is the kind of homey, filling meal that could lull an entire country into a sweet, patriotic food coma. We pledge our allegiance to Mi Cocina Mi Pais.

BEST MEXICAN SEAFOOD

San Carlos Bay Seafood Restaurant

Close your eyes, pretend the sound of cars passing by on McDowell is actually waves crashing on the shore of the Sea of Cortez, and let your taste buds take a beach vacation at San Carlos Bay, where you'll find the finest Sonoran-style seafood in town. Perfectly cooked shrimp dishes are plentiful here. No matter what you're craving, the menu has something for every mood, from tangy culichi-style shrimp, to fiery endiablados shrimp, to shrimp sautéed with octopus, onions, celery, and jalapeños in a light garlic sauce, served on a bed of French fries. (It sounds strange, but boy, is it tasty.) For something dramatic, try the snapper Veracruz, a whole fried fish blanketed in a chunky sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and olives. And on a hot day, nothing will cool you down like San Carlos Bay's famous seven seas cocktail, with plump oysters, clams, squid, shrimp, and octopus in a chilled, cilantro-flecked tomato broth. It's the next best thing to seaside dining.

BEST MODERN MEXICANA RESTAURANT

Padre's Modern Mexican Cuisine

A downside of most Mexican restaurants in the Valley is menu fatigue. We love classic Sonoran dishes, but sometimes a break from tradition is just what we're craving. At times like those, we head to Padre's, where Mexican food comes with a twist.

For starters, we're hooked on the lobster thermidor quesadilla, and lately we can't resist the cilantro mousse with chips, which makes an addicting accompaniment to one of Padre's top-notch margaritas. As for entrees, duck breast tacos with tomatillo salsa are a fine alternative to ubiquitous carne asada tacos (of course, they have those, too), and the pollo relleno — chicken breast stuffed with poblanos, goat cheese, caramelized onions and corn, and slathered in poblano cream sauce — is a guilty pleasure. Well, maybe not that guilty — we've ordered it too many times to count.

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