José R. Ralat 🌶️
@tacotrail.bsky.social
Family man. Taco editor, Texas Monthly. Author, American Tacos. 2x James Beard Award winner. Taco Chronicles 3. Panzón. Highly opinionated. Opinions mine.
Pinned
José R. Ralat 🌶️
@tacotrail.bsky.social
· Oct 25
The 50 Best Tacos in Texas
We traversed the state from the Rio Grande Valley to the Panhandle to find the most superb tacos and taquerias. Along the way we found a new movement. Welcome to New Tejano.
www.texasmonthly.com
The weekend is almost here & so is your tacoing itinerary.
Comida casera isn't what you think. www.texasmonthly.com/food/how-mom...
Your Mom Was Too Tired to Make Everything From Scratch. But Her Food Was Just as Good.
Mexican Americans often have a nostalgia for the foods their matriarchs prepared. Those homey dishes have redefined comida casera.
www.texasmonthly.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Comida casera isn't what you think. www.texasmonthly.com/food/how-mom...
From the compa @jherrerx.bsky.social for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: "In the year since Trump has taken back the White House, border crossings have not stopped. What’s changed are the types of border crossings the Border Patrol is seeing."
Who Is Still Crossing the Border?
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has boasted that border crossings have dropped to zero. That’s not true.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:14 PM
From the compa @jherrerx.bsky.social for @texasmonthly.bsky.social: "In the year since Trump has taken back the White House, border crossings have not stopped. What’s changed are the types of border crossings the Border Patrol is seeing."
I don't believe in destiny. I don't believe hard work is rewarded. We don't live in a meritocracy. But I believe in inevitability as the result of a series of variables of which one has no control. Being pulled over by ICE is example of chilling inevitability.
What It Feels Like Getting Stopped by ICE
My work for Texas Monthly demands hundreds of hours on the road each year. Being pulled over by immigration enforcement officers has felt like an inevitability for months.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 27, 2026 at 3:05 PM
I don't believe in destiny. I don't believe hard work is rewarded. We don't live in a meritocracy. But I believe in inevitability as the result of a series of variables of which one has no control. Being pulled over by ICE is example of chilling inevitability.
A playlist of post-rock and Grateful Dead is getting me through the day.
January 24, 2026 at 6:05 PM
A playlist of post-rock and Grateful Dead is getting me through the day.
It's cafecito time. May I propose you a brief part of your midafternoon break reading a @texasmonthly.bsky.social story about Mexican coffee's greatness from a coffee farmer's grandson?
Why Mexican Coffee Is Becoming More Popular in Texas
I took a trip to the heart of the country’s coffee-growing scene to learn more about the beans that turn into an easy-drinking brew.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:52 PM
It's cafecito time. May I propose you a brief part of your midafternoon break reading a @texasmonthly.bsky.social story about Mexican coffee's greatness from a coffee farmer's grandson?
"By the time I realized what had happened, I was on my back. My right leg was angled behind me, and my right foot was floppy. I couldn’t feel it, except for the swelling around my ankle."
Trips to Mexico are never boring. Sometimes a hospital is involved.
Trips to Mexico are never boring. Sometimes a hospital is involved.
By the time I realized what had happened, I was on my back. My right leg was angled behind me, and my right foot was floppy. I couldn’t feel it, except for the swelling around my ankle. The ancient, uneven volcanic-stone paving I had just slipped on was wet, full of patches of weeds and grass. Rain obscured my eyeglasses and slowly soaked my clothes.
link.texasmonthly.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:23 PM
"By the time I realized what had happened, I was on my back. My right leg was angled behind me, and my right foot was floppy. I couldn’t feel it, except for the swelling around my ankle."
Trips to Mexico are never boring. Sometimes a hospital is involved.
Trips to Mexico are never boring. Sometimes a hospital is involved.
Was it tough to compile more than ten? Whatcha got?
The 22 Best Taco Spots in Austin
Specialized taquerias and modernist Mexican restaurants offer more choices than ever before.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 7, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Was it tough to compile more than ten? Whatcha got?
Many of you have been asking how I shattered my ankled during a walk in Veracruz. Well, you can read the story in this week's @texasmonthly.bsky.social On the Road newsletter: link.texasmonthly.com/public/43174...
December 22, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Many of you have been asking how I shattered my ankled during a walk in Veracruz. Well, you can read the story in this week's @texasmonthly.bsky.social On the Road newsletter: link.texasmonthly.com/public/43174...
It's time for tamales!
With 350 Varieties, Tamales Are as Diverse as They Are Delectable
The iconic dish takes myriad forms, including a sixteen-foot giant (available across Texas) and a tamale sandwich.
www.texasmonthly.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:33 PM
It's time for tamales!
Here's how Dragon Casa continues the legacy of centuries-old Chinese-Mexican food. Give it a look-see and share.
Chinese-Mexican Food Has Been Around for Centuries. A New Restaurant Is Introducing It to Texas.
Birria soup dumplings and orange-chicken burritos are just some of the fusion foods you can expect at Dallas’s Dragon Casa.
www.texasmonthly.com
December 16, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Here's how Dragon Casa continues the legacy of centuries-old Chinese-Mexican food. Give it a look-see and share.
Commit this handy-dandy guide to memory.
12 Types of Taquerias and How to Spot Them
The vibes these restaurants cultivate, from the “South Texas diner” to the “Tex-Mex palace,” say as much about them as the food does.
www.texasmonthly.com
December 11, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Commit this handy-dandy guide to memory.
Get thee to the RGV. You deserve the best.
The 22 Best Taco Spots in the Rio Grande Valley
Where to find the best examples of the region’s specialties, from mammoth breakfast tacos to old-school barbacoa.
www.texasmonthly.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Get thee to the RGV. You deserve the best.
I think about Russian sound poetry a lot.
December 8, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I think about Russian sound poetry a lot.
"In Mexico and Central America, new mothers are given the drink, which is traditionally believed to help stimulate breast milk production. After a death, it’s often served to mourners during the nine days of praying the rosary."
There’s No Better Pairing for Holiday Tamales than This Cozy Mexican Drink
Atole is often enjoyed hot during the holidays, but cooler variations make it a year-round treat.
www.texasmonthly.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:37 PM
"In Mexico and Central America, new mothers are given the drink, which is traditionally believed to help stimulate breast milk production. After a death, it’s often served to mourners during the nine days of praying the rosary."
Perfect weather.
There’s No Better Pairing for Holiday Tamales than This Cozy Mexican Drink
Atole is often enjoyed hot during the holidays, but cooler variations make it a year-round treat.
www.texasmonthly.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Perfect weather.
Y'all! @emmabalter.bsky.social helmed a fantastic package for her first project at @texasmonthly.bsky.social. You should read it.
The Best Things in Texas
Our favorite books, movies, TV shows, songs, animals, parks, food, and moments from 2025 that made us proud to be Texans.
www.texasmonthly.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Y'all! @emmabalter.bsky.social helmed a fantastic package for her first project at @texasmonthly.bsky.social. You should read it.
There is one dish by which any Tex-Mex restaurant should be judged: the cheese enchilada.It should taste like honesty and hard work and immediately make you want another. There must also be respect! My latest for @texasmonthly.bsky.social.
All Tex-Mex Restaurants Should Be Judged by This Dish. A New Wimberley Taqueria Nails It.
Nada Mucho Tex Mex Heaven perfectly captures the comfort and nostalgia of the cuisine with a simple enchilada—but that's not all.
www.texasmonthly.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:14 PM
There is one dish by which any Tex-Mex restaurant should be judged: the cheese enchilada.It should taste like honesty and hard work and immediately make you want another. There must also be respect! My latest for @texasmonthly.bsky.social.
Reposted by José R. Ralat 🌶️
FUN FACT: Turns out other people have done the research and the five-second rule for food has connections to both Genghis Khan and Julia Child.
www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the...
www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the...
November 8, 2025 at 6:46 PM
FUN FACT: Turns out other people have done the research and the five-second rule for food has connections to both Genghis Khan and Julia Child.
www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the...
www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the...
TIL that San Antonioans don’t eat enchiladas, whether of the Mexican or Tex-Mex variety, according to one of their own. They eat soft tacos. That’s right, folks. Someone who thinks he knows better than you says, food such as the one pictured below, is actually a taco. 🤣
November 8, 2025 at 7:25 PM
TIL that San Antonioans don’t eat enchiladas, whether of the Mexican or Tex-Mex variety, according to one of their own. They eat soft tacos. That’s right, folks. Someone who thinks he knows better than you says, food such as the one pictured below, is actually a taco. 🤣
Tune in this weekend for the next Texas Monthly Presents on PBS episode. I’ll be diving into ascendant New Tejano cuisine with chefs, taqueros & Texans.
Join our taco editor José R. Ralat along the taco trail to discover the dishes that define the New Tejano culinary movement.
Watch the trailer for episode fifteen of 'Texas Monthly Presents' here: https://www.texasmonthly.com/texas-monthly-presents/episode-115/
Watch the trailer for episode fifteen of 'Texas Monthly Presents' here: https://www.texasmonthly.com/texas-monthly-presents/episode-115/
New Tejano: About Episode 115 of 'Texas Monthly Presents,' on PBS
Join José R. Ralat along the taco trail to discover the dishes that define the New Tejano culinary movement.
www.texasmonthly.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Tune in this weekend for the next Texas Monthly Presents on PBS episode. I’ll be diving into ascendant New Tejano cuisine with chefs, taqueros & Texans.
Headline from @texasmonthly.bsky.social November letters to the editor: "Kolache Editor Wanted: Apply Inside." www.texasmonthly.com/the-stand-up...
Roar of the Crowd: November 2025
Reader feedback published in Texas Monthly’s November 2025 issue.
www.texasmonthly.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Headline from @texasmonthly.bsky.social November letters to the editor: "Kolache Editor Wanted: Apply Inside." www.texasmonthly.com/the-stand-up...
Visit Las Cuatros Milpas before the pilgrimage-worthy restaurant closed permanently. I've been thrice & think of my meals there often, sometimes in my sleep. sandiegomagazine.com/food-drink/l...
Las Cuatro Milpas: SD's Oldest Taco Shop Prepares to Close
The closing of Las Cuatro Milpas is the end of an era, not only for the family but for San Diego's entire culinary landscape.
sandiegomagazine.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Visit Las Cuatros Milpas before the pilgrimage-worthy restaurant closed permanently. I've been thrice & think of my meals there often, sometimes in my sleep. sandiegomagazine.com/food-drink/l...
Reposted by José R. Ralat 🌶️
In San Antonio, so trying one of @tacotrail.bsky.social’s recommendations from this year’s top 50 list - Con Huevos Tacos. Because a breakfast taco for lunch is an amazing thing. ❤️❤️🌮🌮
November 3, 2025 at 7:31 PM
In San Antonio, so trying one of @tacotrail.bsky.social’s recommendations from this year’s top 50 list - Con Huevos Tacos. Because a breakfast taco for lunch is an amazing thing. ❤️❤️🌮🌮
Read this insightful story by Paula.
October 29, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Read this insightful story by Paula.
Tex-Mex restaurants were iced out of Michelin bib(s?) gourmand at the 2025 Texas ceremony. But New Tejano made a respectable showing for a young regional Texas cuisine. I’m looking at you Papalo & Mezquite.
October 29, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Tex-Mex restaurants were iced out of Michelin bib(s?) gourmand at the 2025 Texas ceremony. But New Tejano made a respectable showing for a young regional Texas cuisine. I’m looking at you Papalo & Mezquite.