TEX-MEX SHOWDOWN

JOE T’S

By Angie Bulaich

I’m sure you love you some Mariano’s Elon, but let me tell you how we do it on this side of town. The biggest obstacle the AFC champ will have when staying in Fort Worth isn’t facing their NFC rivals on game day, it’s resisting the temptation to get fat and happy at Joe T. Garcia’s.

Here’s the deal: Joe T’s is a Fort Worth dining institution dating back to the 1930’s. Just North of Downtown and blocks from the historic stockyards, what started as a one room restaurant is now a city block of private dining rooms and a lush garden patio, by far the best outdoor dining in the region. Okay, I’m biased, but I don’t that claim is open for debate.

At Joe T’s you got to prepare yourself for food, and lots of it. No menu, just TexMex served family style. Enchiladas (my choice) or fajitas are served with giant cheese nachos, tacos, the best refried beans on earth, rice and a big platter of guacamole. Yummo.

Thirsty? Order margaritas by the pitcher. The line for a table will snake out the door most nights, but with seating for more than 1,000 it moves quick. And make a stop at the ATM, it’s old school at Joe T’s. No plastic. As a lady who lives for a margarita on a patio on a beautiful day, this one-of-a-kind experience is worth it. Trust me.

MARIANO’S AND THE GREAT INVENTION

By Elon Werner

Angie, love Joe. T. Garcia’s and love Fort Worth, but when in the mood for Tex-Mex, you have to visit Mariano's. Now, Mariano’s food ROCKS. But that’s not the main reason – in my opinion – to love them.

What’s the greatest invention of North Texas? You might say Texas Instruments and the micro-chip, right? Some may claim the day that the mother of Mike Nesmith of the Monkees inadvertently came up with Liquid Paper. Both good answers. But Mariano’s really upped the ante — they invented the frozen margarita.

Here’s the story via press release from the The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History:

“The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History announced today that it has acquired the world’s first frozen margarita machine, invented on May 11, 1971 by Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez. The machine will join hundreds of other innovations in the museum’s collections, including Tupperware wonder bowls and a Krispy Kreme Ring King.

‘The invention of the frozen margarita machine is a classic example of the American entrepreneurial spirit,’ said museum director Brent D. Glass. ‘This story is told through many of our collections, revolutionary or mundane, from the light bulb to the can opener.’

More than 30 years ago, Martinez modified a soft-serve ice cream machine into the first frozen margarita machine, which created a mass-produced and consistent beverage. Prompted by increased customer demand, the young restaurant owner was inspired by a frozen drink machine he saw at a local convenience store. Frozen margaritas have been around since the invention of the blender in the 1930s but bartenders were often overwhelmed when demand was high, and the blenders produced margaritas of varying quality and consistency.

‘Improved consistency, overall better product and ease of use due to the frozen margarita machine, made the drink so popular that it brought bars in Tex-Mex restaurants front and center,’ said Martinez. ‘People came to Mariano’s for that frozen margarita out of the machine.’

Martinez incidentally developed his machine at the forefront of the Tex-Mex food movement.

Tex-Mex is now an American favorite and margaritas are a standard together with salsa and tortilla chips. Martinez continued serving his famous margaritas for the next 34 years, eventually retiring the original machine in favor of the new mass-produced machines.”