Over the weekend I discovered we have a Spanish TV station in Columbus.  I was channel flipping over the weekend and found a commercial for my favorite Mexican restauarant, La Hacienda Real on Sinclair Rd.  The commercial was in Spanish...

Now during commercials I am channel flipping to channel 48 and brushing up on my Spanish. 

According to the Columbus Dispatch about WCPX... it's been on the air since November 1, 2007.  About the TV station:

"Azteca America, a broadcasting network based in Los Angeles, will begin broadcasting Nov. 1 on its new local affiliate, WCPX-TV (Channel 48). Azteca America is a subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V. in Mexico."

Here's an interesting number... from the Dispatch article:  

"The Latino population in Franklin County was 35,526 in 2005, up about 11,200 from five years earlier, according to U.S. census data."

The Columbus Dispatch article written by  Tracy Turner and Stephanie Czekalinski says channel 48  will have soap operas, talk shows, soccer, news, movies, reality shows..

Wikipedia about WCPSX

So for those who say we don't have Mexican food in Columbus... or that we don't have authentic Mexican food you just aren't looking hard enough... Sorry it always comes back to Mexican food for me... More about Mexican Restaurants in Central Ohio on Discover Columbus... Cuidado they are not all authentic...

Jan. 15, 2008 - Chipotle Lovers

Jan. 13, 2008 - "Best Mexican Restaurant in Ohio"

Sep. 4, 2006 - Columbus Best Mexican Restaurants

Nov. 1, 2006 - Best Columbus Mexican Food Poll

Nov. 1, 2006 - Best Columbus Mexican Food Poll Results

Ohio vs. SoCal 

A list of 22 things.  lists, lists, lists, list.  Tony Green the author of the Ohio vs. SoCal list says on his blog:  "I currently find myself and my family in the thriving metropolis of Columbus, OH... although I was born in Lincoln, NE, and grew up in Southern California."

Numero uno on Tony's list of 22 things different in Ohio from Southern California:

1) The Mexican food here SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS. Awful.

Wow! Where has Tony been eating in Columbus?  There are some great Mexican restaurants in town now.  There have been a number of great Mexican Restaurants that have come and go in the past eight or so years because of the fierce competition.  I still grieve for La Costa on Worthington Woods Blvd. great food, location sucked... oops I mean location was not optimal, stuck between Crosswoods and Polaris, the building's been a couple of Italian Restaurants that went belly up before La Costa opened.   

In a second blog entry,  Me, Mario the Airport Bus Driver, and the Taco Bell drive-thru lady  a few days later..the blog entry that actually caught my eye the other day  Tony says Columbus has a "lack of Mexican food."

Let me first welcome Tony to Columbus and assure him there is a lot of good Mexican food in Central Ohio.  I bet he'll find it in whatever part of town he's living and working in.  The list below are my ten favorites, not necessarily the ten best Mexican Restauarants in Columbus...I had to name it ten best to get you to read it....  not the ten best Mexican Restaurants in Columbus?  What is the best Mexican Restuarant? Not all on my list are authentic (Don Pablo's isn't an authentic Madre y Padre restaurante but most of the restaurants on my list are owned and operated by Hispanic Central Ohioans.  

 
10. El Acapulco, Worthington area, Crosswoods, 7475 Vantage Dr, Columbus, 43235 
 9. Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchen - Northside, 1777 E Dublin Granville Rd, Columbus, 43229
 8. El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant, Polaris area, 8715 Sancus Blvd, Columbus  43240 
 7. Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchen Northwest, 3740 W Dublin Granville Rd, Columbus 43235 (at Sawmill Rd)
 6. El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant, Northwest Columbus 3230 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, 43202 elvaquerorestaurants.com
 5. El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant, Northwest Columbus 2195 Riverside Dr Columbus, OH 43221
elvaquerorestaurants.com
 4. Chile Verde Cafe, Northwest, Carriage Place Shopping Center, 4852 Sawmill Rd
Columbus, OH 43235
 3. La Casita, Northwest Columbus, 1355 Bethel Rd, Columbus, OH 43235
 2. Baja Fresh,  3 Northwest Columbus locations, I lumped them together,  771 Bethel Rd, Columbus, 43214, 6510 Sawmill Rd, Columbus, 43235,1557 W Lane Ave, Columbus, 43221 
 1. La Hacienda Real,  Northland area, 4855 Sinclair Rd Columbus, OH 43229

The list above is in a particular order....#1 is my favorite. Very authentic.  Wonderful people, wonderful food... The karaoke may be hazardous to your health. 

Now I am not the Grump or Lisa the Restaurant Widow or any of the other Columbus Foodie bloggers /writeers but I know what I like in Mexican food. I have eaten Mexican food in Southern California.  I've eaten Mexican food in Mexico at restauarant's aimed at the tourists and restaurants favored by the locals.   

Other El Vaquero locations Is there one missing?  Dublin Village Center?  I used to eat lunch there every Wednesday for a couple of years.... word of caution, the Dublin Rd. (Shawnee Hills)  location enter with caution during soccer season .. the soccer mom's, dad's and soccer young'uns love the place.

More Don Pablo's:

Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchen Reynoldsburg area, 1200 Noe Bixby Rd, Columbus, 43213
Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchen West of Campus at Lennox Center, 1803 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, 43212

There is Senor Antonios Mexicano Restaurant, Polaris area, 8617 Columbus Pike Lewis Center, OH 43035.

There is a second El Acapulco in the Polaris area, 2127 Polaris Pkwy, Columbus, 43240.  Also one in Delaware.

There's Abuelo's at Easton, and a bit further west, On The Border Morse Rd. 4175 Morse Crossing Columbus, 43219.

There is El Escondido Mexican Restaurant, Campus area, 246 W. 5th Ave. Columbus, OH 43201 and just a bit northwest there's Estrada's, 240 King Ave. Columbus, OH.

I have never been to Las Margaritas but have heard it is great. Las Margaritas Restaurante & Cantina 1836 W. Henderson Road Upper Arlington, OH.

I want to go to La Michoacana  Restaurant & Grocer on Morse Rd. in the Northland area and try their tamales. 

I am not a big Casa Fiesta fan anymore... (the El Acapulco restaurants were Casa Fiesta at first.) There are still Casa Fiesta on the northside, at 901 E Dublin Granville Rd, Columbus, 43229 and the Casa Fiesta at 2261 Stringtown Rd, Grove City, 43123.  There may be others.

There have to be Mexican restaurants in Reynosdsburg, Pickerington, Hilliard, Whitehall etc. I see them in shopping plazas all over town when I am working... I know I missed some, Talita's on High Street. ..At Festival Latino we ate at a stand with a hand made sign, that said 'Taco George.'  I don't know if there is a restaurant somewhere but the tacos and tamales were wonderful, I have tried to locate it since...then there's always all the Chipoltes (don't tell anyone but I really don't like Chipolte... everyone eles does)...

and of course there is always Taco Bell after 11:00 P.M. 
 

Experience Columbus

"9th Annual Goodguys Nationals
Ohio Expo Center
717 E. 17th Ave.,  Columbus

Hours: Friday-Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Contact Phone: 925-838-9876
Admission: Adults $15. Seniors $12. Children (7-12) $6. Parking $5."

Experience Columbus has a link to the Good Guys website!

If you can't make it out to the Ohio Expo Center this weekend to see all the cars just go to one of the motel strips in the evening and walk around.  Or take chairs and just sit and watch them cruise.  

We were on Sinclair last night  at my favorite Mexican Restauarant, (La Hacienda Real... owner is recovering.) We went to the hotel next door and looked at all the cars in their parking lot.  Then we went across the street to the hotel and looked at the cars in their parking lot.

Then we went up to the Crosswoods area and cruised through. Lots of cars, lots of people. My previous favorite Mexican Restauarant is in the Crosswoods area so we knew lots of the  car owners stay in that area. A couple of years ago we met an out of town couple .. we were waiting for a table... they were waiting for a table.  We talked about Mexican food, their car, where they were from...I can't remember where they were from or what kind of car they had.   He had a "ZZ Top"  beard so is indelibly in my memory.  Colorful people. Colorful cars.  

My blog bud Bonnie blogged about a similar event in St. Paul MN last month.  

Back to the 50's 

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Copyright 2006 Columbus Best Blog and Maureen McCabe