Regardless of what Corona commercials from the ‘80s might have said, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. It actually celebrates the victory of a smaller Mexican army over a superior French force in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Here’s a little bit of history of the holiday, followed by some great places to celebrate the day!

History first. (If you make it through, you can have a margarita…)

After a civil war that lasted from 1858 to 1860, Mexican president Benito Juárez had to suspend interest payments on foreign loans. While Spain, France, and the United Kingdom formed an alliance to force Mexico to restructure its debts, Napolean III of France really wanted to set up a puppet regime in Mexico to reestablish a strong French foothold in North America.

Battle of Puebla

On May 5, 1862, the highly skilled, battle-hardened French army attacked the two forts in the city of Puebla instead of continuing their march to Mexico City. The Mexican army, a bunch of ragtag patriots, managed to hold off three assaults before the French army retreated.

While France eventually won the war, establishing the Second Empire of Mexico with the Austrian Hapsburg Emperor Maximillian at its head, the Battle of Puebla served as a patriotic boost to the Mexican peoples. Now Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in America than in Mexico.

Whew! You made it through the history!

There are a multitude of places to get margaritas here in Cowtown. Pretty much any place you go has one. But there are some places that are better than others! Here’s a list of some of our favorites:

• ¡Guelaguetza! from Maria’s Mexican Kitchen – Montelobos Mezcal, orange, lime, jalapeño
• Tres Amigos from Tinie’s – Jalapeño-Fresno-serrano infused tequila, pineapple, lime
• Tamarindo from ToroToro – El Jimado reposado, tamarind, lime, agave nectar, Tajin
• Ali Dee from Sidesaddle Saloon – El Jimador, Liqueur 43, Ancho Reyes Verde, jalapeño, pineapple agave syrup, lime
• La Perfección from Mesero – Double Barrel Herradura, Cointreau, citrus, lava salt, gold (yes, GOLD!)
• And of course, the Tino Special from Joe T’s – Cazadores Blanco, Cointreau, agave nectar, lime

So get out there and celebrate the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla over the perfidious French!

¡Salud!

The post Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Some of Fort Worth’s Best Margaritas first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

EAT FAJITAS will centralize its focus of fajita platters and sides, custom margarita packs and desserts including Lancarte’s legendary churros and custom paletas made by MELT Ice Creams. The delivery radius is wide enough to cover nearly all neighborhoods in Fort Worth.

Keeping the menu simple was important to Lancarte to ensure quality, consistent and quick service to homes and offices that don’t have time to wait around.

“The spices of Tex-Mex have always run through my veins. For many years Tex-Mex got a bad rap as the step-child to Mexican cuisine, but I believe the time has come to wave the Tex-Mex flag with pride as one of the very few regional cuisines our young country has,” Lanny Lancarte, owner of EatFajitas.com said. “We believe focusing on one excellent menu item can showcase our mastery of the most fun and user friendly, shareable dish Tex-Mex has. Paired with a fresh margarita, we can deliver a house fiesta right to our customers doorstep.”

Customers will be able to order directly from the website, www.eatfajitas.com, or through the EAT FAJITAS app, available through the Apple App Store or Google Play store.

The passing of legislation on alcohol delivery in the State of Texas last year, coupled with additional changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, make this an ideal time to launch the delivery only service of EAT FAJITAS and the Margarita Packs.

“We’ve actually had the margarita concept in the works for a while; the pandemic gave us an opportunity to test launch out of the Righteous Foods kitchen,” Lancarte said. “The concept is perfect for our moment in time, delicious food delivered to your home for small groups of people that won’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning.”

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has forced many restaurants to rethink their models but has also presented opportunities for them to adapt and evolve. The app and delivery system ensure EAT FAJITAS can bring high-quality food and margaritas to customers for reasonable prices.

The ghost kitchen concept is new for Fort Worth and provides a different delivery experience by using a dedicated professional and highly trained staff, instead of relying on a third-party-app. Growing concerns over the privacy and fees for customers, along with maintaining brand consistency, was the main reason Lancarte decided to create his own delivery service.

Five years ago, Lancarte launched a health-conscious concept, Righteous Foods, ahead of its time to meet a new wave of customers desiring clean eating.  Opening Righteous came after closing his nationally acclaimed Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana which helped revolutionize the fine dining scene in Fort Worth introducing the market to tasting menus, wine pairings and a constantly evolving progressive menu.

The post Lanny Lancarte Launches EAT FAJITAS first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

People are confined at their homes, while large gathering anywhere is still restricted due to the COVID-19 crisis.

In these dire days, a new effort demanding permanent access to to-go liquor sales throughout Texas has tantalized consumers.

Rusty Taco, a restaurant chain originally founded in North Texas, is taking its plea for to-go margaritas to the regulators.

In March, all dine-in restaurants and bars in Texas were prohibited to open. The temporary changes impelled the foodservice industry to experiment and offer ways to make to-go and delivery services easier. Specially-outlined waivers even allowed restaurants and bars to sell alcohol to-go or through delivery, which was prohibited before the pandemic.

On April 28, Gov. Greg Abbott hinted at making to-go alcohol sales legal permanently.

“Alcohol-to-go sales can continue after May 1,” Abbott said in a tweet. Texas lifted restrictions on May 1, allowing restaurants to reopen for dine-in, although in a limited capacity.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said alcohol to-go sales can continue even after the governor’s executive order ended on May 1.

“From what I hear from Texans, we may just let this keep on going forever,” Abbott said in his tweet.

But, for now, when might the alcohol-to-go service will expire is anyone’s guess.

Rusty Taco launched a petition asking governors of six states, including Texas, to make liquor-to-go sales permanent.

The taco restaurant chain, in an open letter, states it has served thousands of to-go margaritas during the emergency waiver period. Customers were enjoying its margaritas just as much in their homes, Rusty Taco said.

“That’s why we’re placing all our chips (and queso!) on the table to ensure they aren’t going anywhere after quarantine,” the letter said.

TABC still does not allow breweries, manufacturers or distillers to deliver off-site to consumers.

Last year, Texas Legislature signed beer-to-go sales for craft breweries into law. Many breweries had previously reported increase in sales following the change in regulation.

The online petition is garnering support from across the country.

“To-go margs should always be an option. With a lid of course!” commented Alix Your, from Dayton, Ohio.

“Will be the best thing ever. Enjoying a margarita in the comfort of my own home,” said another commenter, Shanda Hines, from Houston.

By the Monday before Cinco de Mayo, the petition has amassed more than 1,300 signatures.

Rusty Taco has ten locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including two in Fort Worth.’

This article, written by Neetish Basnet (nbasnet@bizpress.com), originally appeared in the Fort Worth Business Press and is reprinted with permission. 

The post Margaritas To-Go Petition Offers Salty New Possibilities first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Really, is there anything better than a cold margarita with some salty chips and spicy salsa? In response to a Tanglewood Mom’s query about the best margaritas in town, we went through the amazingly long list of responses and tallied the responses. So here, for the record, are

THE TOP TEN MARGARITAS IN FORT WORTH, as voted on by Tanglewood Moms.

Please note: The member of Tanglewood Moms who originally asked the question, Teacy Bernardy, also tallied the responses. Her tally was a little different than ours, and we bow to her obviously superior counting skills. Regardless of the exact order of the winners, you now have a great list of margaritas to try.

In descending order, the top ten margaritas in Fort Worth are

10. Righteous Foods

9. Gloria’s – specially mentioned were the Blush and the Spicy Cucumber)

TIE for 8, 7, 6

Mi Cocina – the Mambo Taxi is a favorite

Mesero – people love the Mr. Trey

The Original – the El Jefe rules at this Fort Worth tradition

5. Esperanza’s – only expect two; they’re strong!

TIE for 4 and 3

Bartaco – the Red Sonja lives up to its namesake

Taco Heads – everyone talks about the cucumber margarita

2. Joe T’s – a Tino’s special on the patio is a Fort Worth essential!

And, the winner is…

[drum roll]

Yucutan Taco Stand! You all love the Magnolia outpost’s margaritas. The Jalapeño Cucumber margarita is a spicy favorite.

So there you have it! Now…

Who’s up for a margarita crawl?

The post Fort Worth’s Top Ten Margaritas, As Determined by the Tanglewood Mom Group first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Austin, Dallas, and Houston have it, and now Fort Worth’s getting in on Cocktail Week. Hosted by the Fort Worth Weekly from Oct 17-21, Fort Worth Cocktail Week is a celebration of our city’s burgeoning mixed drink scene. Participating restaurants and bars will create unique drink menus that emphasize premium ingredients, cutting-edge techniques, and creative flavor blends. The libations will be sold at a discount, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to a local charity. Each night features educational events as well.

This being Texas and all, the week starts off with Texas Spirits Tasting Party (Oct 17 at Mopac Event Center). The evening will feature many of the Lone Star State’s finest liquors as well as live Texas swing music (via Forth Worth favorite Ginny Mac), barbecue, and a chic commemorative tumbler.

Bartenders Without Borders (Oct 18 at Shipping & Receiving’s Tilt Room) will have a Mexican flare. Rare agaves and tequilas from south of the border will be featured, while Margaritas and other Latin cocktails made with small batch spirits will be available. Topping the event off will be lively Spanish guitar and jazz music.
Need a little getaway? The Tiki Party (Oct 19 at The Usual) offers the pleasures of the tropics. Coconut, pineapple, and other fruity adult drinks will be accompanied with food, live music, hula dancers, and a fun luau atmosphere. The Usual is even extending its outdoor patio for the big event.

One of Fort Worth’s trendiest bars will be hosting Bourbon Bash (Oct 20 at Thompson’s Bookstore). The event will showcase, you guessed it, fine whiskey and bourbon. Thompson’s adept bartenders will be premiering new bourbon-based libations, and cajun appetizers will be available.

The grand finale, Gin vs. Vodka (Oct 21 at 2901 Crockett Street ), pits two liquor heavyweights in a fight to the finish. Tickets include two signature cocktails, booze sampling, live music, and the chance to hear a lively debate on the merits of each liquor. The winner will be chosen by the audience, so don’t miss your chance to weigh in at this fun party.

Fort Worth’s cocktail culture is just beginning to grow. What better way to pass an evening or five learning from and enjoying the arts of our local cocktail pioneers? Tickets to the individual events are available here. Don’t wait!

À votre santé! Sláinte! Auf uns! Bottoms up!

The post You’re Invited to Imbibe! first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.