It’s the kind of place where you can order a Michelada served in a pineapple with a whole bottle of Modelo coming out of it. Should the mood arise, you can get nachos and a chimichanga. But that’s not why you should go to Cactus Grill, a colorful family-run restaurant in Manassas. You should venture in for the Oaxacan food.
It was five years ago this month that I headed to southwestern Mexico to learn the ways of mole. In the process, I fell in love with the state of Oaxaca’s varied cuisine that goes far beyond the famous sauce. Unfortunately, it’s exceptionally difficult to find in the United States. Even when I lived in Houston, I only knew of a couple of places that served any Oaxacan dishes.
Imagine my enthusiasm upon finding Cactus Grill’s menu, which includes Oaxacan dishes ranging from molotes and memelitas to mole and tlayudas. Yes, tlayudas, the street snack seen in the photo above. Not familiar with the oversized tortillas yet? You should be.
In Oaxaca, I became enamored with tlayudas while watching women crafting them on the streets of Oaxaca City in the evenings. They spread the tortillas with lard and refried black beans, then evenly distribute it with meat, tangy Oaxaca cheese, and veggies. They toast the whole thing on a grill or comal (the best one I had was over charcoal), leaving it crispy and pockmarked with char. In other words, you will love it.
The version at Cactus Grill is served folded over, (it’s often open-faced), which makes it easier to pick up and eat, but also results in lettuce and radishes that end up making it to a diner’s mouth softened by the heat. It’s a bit of a bummer, but not enough to dim my ardor for the flavorful carne asada (choices also include chorizo and cecina, among others) and stretchy cheese. Hot sauces served on the side are legitimately fiery, a nice contrast to the mouth-coatingly fatty side of charro beans. And yes, I’m sure it tastes extra great with a Cactus Pineapple-chelada.
8099 Sudley Rd., Manassas
Feature image by Alice Levitt
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