Dallas Tortilla and Tamale Factory and Grand Prairie's Hidden Taqueria Scene

1702 Small St.

Grand Prairie, TX

Just off Main

Growing up in Arlington, I never had much occasion to make the few miles drive east down Division street towards Grand Prairie. The farthest I normally traveled that direction was to the Six Flags Mall. My grandmother had worked at LTV in Grand Prairie, but other than work, she didn't go there for anything. As a young adult, I was required to take a class that was held in that area. As I drove through, it appeared to be a city in terrible decline. From that day forward, I nicknamed Grand Prairie "The Armpit of the Metroplex". 

Flash forward 20 years. I'll be honest, the city obviously suffers from a poverty problem. However, the main drag kind of had a different vibe going on. Some highway and road improvements definitely made it more visually appealing and lots of new businesses had popped up along the corridors to I-30. But noteably, it had become predominantly Hispanic. Almost a "Little Mexico" if you will but with more countries and nationalities mixed in.

As we cruised down Main St, headed to a nearby field for a drone racing event, I noticed some taquerias and got excited. But the Eureka moment came when I pulled up my GPS to see what kind of food was nearby. This place is a taco lovers Mecca! There were no fewer than ten places to buy tacos in the short drive down Main St from Beltline Rd to 25th. I was on a mission, "A mission from God!" as the Blues Brothers would say. I must try some.

I decided on the Dallas Tortilla and Tamale Factory. This place sits just off Main on Small St where the two converge. The parking lot was packed and the place was very busy. I approached the counter to order and decided on a beef fajita taco plate and a dozen beef tamales to go. If it's got tamale in the name, you best get some tamales.

The people eating in the restaurant were given a number to place on their table, but I was told my to go order did not need one. I cozied up to a table and hunkered down for the wait. I was paranoid about not seeing when my order was ready, so I kept obsessively glancing toward the counter. I did notice that all the tables were decorated with lotteria cards.

I was right to keep an eye on the counter. When my order was ready, the cashier simply shot me a quick glance from across the room. The drive back to the event with the food in my car was difficult. I almost pulled over to devour it immediately, but the good angel on my right shoulder won the argument.

My tacos were served with onions, cilantro, and a lime wedge. The first thing I noticed was the overly greased corn tortillas. They tasted oily. The beef was juicy and seasoned with black pepper. This was a pretty good taco that I'd eat again. The homemade beans had great flavor and the traditional rice was fantastic. I would definitely recommend this place to others.

On a side note, the tamales were good too. Not the best, but good. I loved that they came wrapped in a Freebirds bag. Recycling at its finest.

Tortas La Hechizera

My husbands new hobby has brought me to a part of the Metroplex I rarely have ventured to. It's  been about 20 years since the last time I had a reason to  go to Grand Prairie, TX. Today, I tried a place at 1610 E. Main called Tortas La Hechizera. Honestly, my sole reason for picking this place was the fact that it had a new looking building that most likely would have clean bathrooms. I really needed to pee so this was of the upmost importance. Normally, I would steer toward a more "authentic" looking establishment that probably has numerous violations with the code inspector.

When I walked in, the place was clean and pleasant. I scanned the large dining area and noticed the absence of any gringos. This was a good sign. I walked up to the counter and grabbed a menu. It was in Spanish on one side and English on the other.

Surprise number one...They do not serve beans and rice. Surprise number two...This place had a Cuban/Reggaeton thing going on. Some of the dishes had pineapple and they served Cuban sandwiches. There was Reggaeton music in Spanish playing throughout the place.

The cashier began speaking to me in Spanish but then quickly switched to English when I opened my mouth. I ordered three tacos:fajita beef, marinated beef, and chicken on corn tortillas. I also ordered a bottled Mexican Coke. When your order is ready, they call the number on your receipt. At least know your numbers in Spanish. I waited for numero diez to be called. And waited.

This is not the place if you're in a big hurry or on a quick lunch break. When I picked up my order I was offered salsa that was grabbed from the fridge behind the counter. It was a red sauce of some sort.

My order came with onions, cilantro and lime on the side. The corn tortillas were fantastic. They were soft and pliable. The meat though was...um...Cuban-ie. 

Let me take you back to 1998 when I visited Florida and was tricked into eating Cuban food. I was told it was a Mexican food place but those people were liars or retarded because it was definitely Cuban. Anyhow, I ordered the chicken enchiladas. Now, here in Texas, that would consist of some shredded chicken that most likely was boiled with some variance of chicken stock, onions, tomatoes, and maybe some jalapeño in there somewhere. It would be rolled into a corn tortilla and topped with either sour cream sauce or a  green chili verde sauce. Mmmm.

However, what I received on that terrible day in'98 was nothing of the sort. The chicken was boiled with just plain water, chunked into large pieces, and included the pimply chicken skin. That alone was enough to gag me. They tossed this culinary masterpiece into a corn tortilla and tossed it on a plate. No sauce. No nothing. Just crap on a plate. The most flavorless meal of my life.

Now let's skip ahead to today. My chicken taco was just like that without the chicken skin. It was gross and I couldn't eat all of it. The beef fajita meat was super dry and over cooked. I ate it but felt guilty afterword. The marinated beef, had slightly more flavor but was kind of fatty. I ended up dumping out the meat and piling on the cilantro and onions.

In addition, I thought it was pricey. 

I don't think I'll revisit La Hechizera again

P.S.

The bathroom was fantastic.