BY RL REEVES JR
I’m completely spoiled for top flight Mexican grocery stores, tortillarias and panaderias in my hometown of Austin, Texas. Of course being two hundred miles from the Mexican border helps as there is a large and industrious Latino diaspora in central Texas.
But on a recent visit to Lexington I was pleasantly surprised to find a cache of businesses in Cardinal Valley that could open up out here in Austin and make good money.
I had been out to west Lexington in the past to shop at La Favorita and was always happy with the produce and meats that the tiny grocery store put out. But numerous phone calls to the establishment were met with naught. I panicked as I was planning on putting out a couple Mexican feasts while in Kentucky, and needed some serious supplies.
While it’s true that La Favorita has shuttered, a new grocery has moved into the
same building on Alexandria across from Kroger and vends almost exactly the same goods and sundries. Mi Preferida has all the supplies you might need to put out any
sort of Mexican feast that you could dream up. I bought tomatillas, limes, tortillas, Mexican crema, and enough pork butt to feed an army with all the carnitas tacos they would ever need.
Moving to a different strip mall on the other side of Versailles Road, I stocked up on more tortillas [hot off the comal] from Tortilleria y Taqueria Ramirez, a well stocked tiny Mexican lunch counter with a good array of all things masa-based. The aroma of the tiny shop was maddening.
I still wasn’t done. A third business beckoned. The plenitude of Pandaderia Aquascaliente was astounding. All the Mexican baked goods you could dream of were available and being sold out of some gorgeous wooden cabinetry. Craftsmanship of the carpentry stripe as well as high level baking were both in abundance at this small bake shop.
Lexington has got it good when it 
comes to Mexican food sourcing. These three businesses are all well stocked, tidy and the employees could not be more friendly. I felt like I was back home in Texas, no small feat considering how far I was from my beloved Mexico.
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