Mexican Restaurant

What's your pleasure: enchiladas, arroz con pollo, or chiles rellenos? Of course, we can do amazing things with tortillas, peppers, cheese sauces, beans, and salsa, but to make your taste buds really sing, a Mexican meal must include a side order of music — in fact, it's a cornerstone of the authentic south-of-the-border experience. Take a sip of the Champs' celebratory "Tequila" or eat to the beat of Santana's sinewy "Oye Como Va." And Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan has the trumpets, violins, and traditional vihuela to put you squarely in a corner café in "Guadalajara." Dig in — the feast is on us.

Our Next Steps section delivers even more Latin delicacies to your table (and ear buds), as spicy as you'd like.

The entrées here include multi-national performers, all of them hotter than a mouthful of jalapeños (Colombian Shakira's tasty, beat-heavy "Ciega, Sordomuda"; Puerto Rico's Ricky Martin with the romantic "Te Recuerdo"; the breathlessly sexy "Amor a la Mexicana" from Mexico's own salsa queen Thalia). From Los Angeles' Mexican-American neighborhoods comes Los Lobos and "I Got Loaded"; and Elvis Crespo, born in New York but raised in Puerto Rico, delivers a white-hot plate of merengue with "Suavemente."

Take a bite of Deep Cuts and sample the most authentically Mexican musical meal you'll find anywhere.

Stuffed? Sorry, señors y señoritas, but we haven't even begun. Since 1978 brothers Gustavo and Adolfo Angel have fronted Mexico's Los Temerarios, who here give us the dreamy, pop-flavored "Te Quiero." From Chihuahua, Conjunto Primavera is one of the most popular norteño bands in Mexico: featuring romantic vocals by Tony Melendez, "Algo de Mi" is the title track to the group's 33rd album. And "Fue Mentira," with its happy, waltz-time accordions, is classic norteño from Los Huracanes del Norte — another long-lived Mexican band, its six members all coming from the same family.

From homegrown mariachis to the full fiestas of norteño bands to the hot Latin rhythms of today's young singers and contemporary twists on hip-hop, there's a full five-star menu of music to accompany any Mexican meal, with intoxicating, intermingling aromas and sounds to tease and delight your senses. Deeply satisfying on so many levels, the music is like the food — the more you have, the more you want. And with so many delectable entrées, you might find it hard to decide which ones to choose. So why not sample them all? Buen provecho!