What started as a way to feed 11 brothers in Monterrey, Mexico, has become the inspiration for one of Arlington’s newest authentic Mexican restaurants.
Los Molcas Tacos Bar & Grill, a new Mexican restaurant located at 505 E Abram Street, just north of Arlington’s trendy college district. This is no typical Tex-Mex either. In fact, the owner Jose and his wife Elda his Abdo are avid ambassadors of what they call “Monterrey cuisine”.
Yes — the duo grew up in and near Monterrey, Mexico when they were kids. So it was a no-brainer for Elda Abdo to bring some of that tradition to Arlington when it comes to handcrafted chips and salsa.
“We started a catering business a few years ago, serving different types of meals,” says Elda, looking at a huge plate of molcajete, the restaurant’s signature dish. “After a while, most of my clients started realizing that Carne really liked Mexican-inspired dishes like asadas and fajitas.”
It was this realization that set the wheels in motion for Mr. and Mrs. Abdo about the possibility of serving food grown and raised in a restaurant environment. Mind you, it’s been going on for almost two years.
“I know a lot of places around here that do that,” she says. “But nobody really does the authentic Mexican way we serve.”
Evidence of this idea is in the name of the restaurant. Colloquial term for mole-ca-het-te. This is a pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican bowl made of rounded vesicular basalt, usually he formed with three legs. That. You’ve likely seen one of these bowls served with salsa or ground corn at various Mexican-themed restaurants in North Texas.
“The word molcas is a playful way of indicating that the food is authentically Mexican, and in some ways a calling card for other Mexicans who know and enjoy this kind of food,” says Elda. increase.
All menu items are made from scratch daily. This is a skill that both Elda and Jose learned from their catering business and from growing up in Monterrey.
“For us, this kind of food was every weekend,” she says. “I had her 11 siblings and had to cook a lot at home because the gatherings were so big that most of the time we couldn’t afford to go anywhere else.”
The irony of this is that Elda and her husband are now restaurant owners rather than regular customers.
Well, what about the menu?
Let’s start with the molcajete dish we introduced earlier. Containing both beef and chicken fajita strips and smoked pork sausage, this triple meat combo is served with homemade corn tortillas, beans and rice, and chunks of grilled cheese panela. The meat is served on the molka with fresh onions and three hot sauces. This hearty meal can easily feed two or her three patrons and is a great conversation starter. By the time this menu item reached me, the restaurant was buzzing with rubber necks at every table.
Did I mention homemade corn tortillas?
Other menu items include Machacado con Huevo, two scrambled eggs served with Machaca (dried beef) ranchero style, and refried beans. Or there are molcha his tacos, which are arachera steak, bell peppers, and onions in homemade tortillas and topped with melty cheese.
“I moved here from Mexico in 1997. Frankly, I am blessed to have always had work to do and to meet people who have encouraged me. There was non-stop traffic during the hour, and since this property has only been open for two weeks, it has only posted 5 photos on its Facebook account.
“I can’t believe how many people have already come in,” Elda repeats. “We wanted to start small and build a customer base over time, but this place seems busy and has been pretty steady since opening.”
For more information on Los Molcas Tacos Bar & Grill, click here.