I think Sinaloa is the biggest producer. Campeche, Veracruz and Yucatan grow a lot.
I was always partial to El Toreador on West Portal for sit-down Mexican. They have great enchiladas and a good beer selection (mmm…Xingu). Rice and beans are their standard side dishes, however.
And no, you’re not allowed to call it that.
Nopales as a side dish? The only time I’ve ever had nopales is when my mom would scramble them up with eggs and make tacos. Frankly, I never found them all that appealing. Especially after all the work of driving around the country all day, picking the nopales, and being forced to sit outside and cut off all the thorns. Nope, I definitely don’t like nopales.
Growing up in a mexican household, I can tell you that beans and rice are served with dishes because they are cheap and plentiful. A little bit goes a long way. We had refried beans with every meal, including breakfast. Mom would make other side dishes like spicy fried potatoes (Mmm!) or fideo (vermicelli), but beans and rice were definitely served more often.
I’ve been to a few restaurants that served other dishes. Abuelos serves a spicy mashed potatoes with melted cheese on top and some type of corn salad. I think they also have some jicama. The problem with jicama is sometimes it’s nice and sweet and other times it’s rather bland and tastes like a raw potato or water chestnut.
Dang it! Now I’m hungry. What I wouldn’t give for a big bowl of menudo, some diced onions, a couple of lemon slices, and a stack of corn tortillas. drool
Menudo? I didn’t know those guys were still around or that they still had fans.
:d&r:
yeah, that sounds right…I forget about central Amer. as being part of Mexico. Got used to seeing the country north of Mexico city. Damn, I forgot what a huge and diverse country ol’ Mexico is. Must be getting time for a visit, it’s been awhile!..too long…
Is there a native rice to Mexico or what? Gotta be another reason for the rice in the menu’s besides simply $$. I’ve eaten at a lot of folk’s homes in Northern Mexico and there’s not a lot of rice served…I don’t know about Southern Mexico.
Chili Pepper, on Main Street at Chapman in Orange, CA, is one of our favourite places for lunch. Sure, they have the usual combination platters; but you can get refried beans or charro beans. And then there’s the rice. I haven’t paid that much attention, but I’ve seen three varieties on the same plate. They have the regular Spanish rice, Spanish rice with green food colouring and jalapenos, garlic Spanish rice… they seem to have different varieties. Another of Chili Pepper’s side dishes is pasta in several varieties. A typical lunch special is grilled fish (I like the salmon), fish tacos, or some sort of enchillada or burrito, with two or three of the following: pasta with garlic and tomato, black refried beans, Spanish rice, and garlic mashed potatoes in a red, green or yellow bell pepper ring. And soup. The soup usually seems to be some variation of corn chowder, coloured and seasoned with jalapenos, tomato, or whatever. Or tomato soup, chicken soup, albondegas (sp.?), or something else.
They’re really big on fish. One lunch special had four different kinds of fish, each served in a thick bell pepper ring (different colours) plus pasta and refried frijoles refritos. For a while, all of their six or eight lunch specials were fish. But of course they also serve deadcow (good carne asada), deadfowl (chicken any number of ways) and deadpig (yummy carnitas).
All this, and I usually get out of there for $7-$11 including tax and tip.
On the downside, they no longer put pine nuts on their salads. They replaced them with tortilla bits, but they no longer do that either. They did increase the price of a side salad to two dollars though. Also, their two-dollar sodas only get one refill. (Unless they changed again – good thing I prefer to drink water!)
But in any case, their side dishes are more than just rice and beans! 
Grace: Mmmmm! Menudo! I actually like the menudo out of the can. It’s not as good as going to a restaurant, but I still think it’s tasty. And not as much trouble. Just pour it into a bowl, put it in the microwave oven, chop some cilantro and onions…
Not being Hispanic though, I’m not sure about eating it with tortillas. I’ve seen people roll the tortillas and dip them in the soup, but I like the spoon just fine.
Menudo out of a can!?! Oh no! The horror! The horror! If you’re ever in Austin, Texas just drop by the Garcia home and I’ll give you a taste of real menudo.
Grace,
we’ll have to get together some time over a bowl of Menudo.
I only eat it when my mom makes it. I would make some here, but it’s one of those dishes you can’t make a little of.
what strikes me as odd is the corn tortillas. i think that is a southern mexican thing. In Northern Mexico, menudo is always served with Bolios (a crusty bread which seems to not exist in the metroplex).
and lemon slices? what a white girl! everyone knows it should be lime! 
Do you dash yours with oregano? mmmmm!
As for side dishes, Grace has it pretty spot on with the cost issue.
I have a few cook books from my Grandma. they have plenty of different side dishes.
There’s a whole world of Mexican food ot there that most people have no idea about. a shame, really… it’s not all tacos and enchiladas.
But you know what I am craving the most right now:
albondigas, a Mexican meatball soup.
and chico’s tacos.
Cuate, I hate you for being so close to nirvana!
My Mom is in Juarez as we speak, so maybe she’ll bring some back!
The last time I ate there, I only came close to reincarnation.
Ironically, Taco Bell franchises have done well in Mexico City, even though home-grown taquerias, serving much tastier food, are on every corner.
convenience and inexpensive…that’s the ticket!
I mean really, who here can’t make a better hamburger than most any fast food joint?
Yay! Sounds good to me. You’re right about not being able to make just a little menudo. Same with tamales. My family always made enough to invite my relatives over for menudo.
Limes! Bleeeech! I’m not all that fond of limes. I’m not all that fond of lemons either, but I always have to have a little squeezed into my menudo.
My sister lives in Mexico. I’m not sure where she lives really. I only know that it’s in the mountains somewhere. But man oh man, can that woman cook! I love it when she’s in town. That’s about the only time I get authentic Mexican food. She’s definitely the best cook in the family.
“Arroz is arroz is arroz.”
-Gertrude Stein on the monotony of Mexican side dishes