The next good sign was the large bowl of Salsa Picosa that came out when I asked for something spicier than the bowl of salsa that had been placed on the table. This was truly hot and truly good. Like the salsas served in the better Mexican restaurants it seemed freshly made, and certainly did not come from a can or a bottle.

The food became more understandable when I learned the owners were from Zacatecas and had brought many recipes with them. While the majority of customers probably want and expect the items to which they are accustomed in other restaurants, Margarita's offers items not found in most other establishments, and is more representative of the type of food that would be served in Mexico.

Combination plate with tamal, chile relleno, fajita enchilada, rice, and beans

The Chile Relleno is a pretty typical Mexican dish found in most restaurants in OKC. The ones I have tried at Margarita's used a mild chile with flavorful Mexican style cheese, and was overall a good item--in fact probably one of the better rellenos in Oklahoma. Some authentic rellenos can be quite greasy but this was not so--just cheesy and delicious. In this case it may be a good thing for the chile relleno to be a little less authentic than it could be (some of the greasiest rellenos I have eaten have been in Mexico).

Tamales here are fresher and have a richer flavor than the typical ones served in Tex-Mex restaurants. The one I tried here was permeated with red chile, and was worthy of a Christmas or New Year's celebration at which the tamal is a requisite.

Enchiladas seemed totally Tex-Mex, and bore little resemblance to ones I have seen south of the border. The Fajita Enchilada was not really an enchilada at all. With no chile on top it did not fit the definition of to "en-chile-ar" or to top it off with some type of chile. Instead it was more like a burrito with sour cream and cheese on top. The Beef Fajita meat inside, though, was so good it did not matter whether the dish was authentic or not. Of course, I do not think fajitas are at all authentic, seeming to be popular almost exclusively north of the border. This whole thing was a blow for Margarita's status of trying to serve authentic Mexican food, but it was a treat for the taste buds.

Chicken mole Zacatecas style

The Chicken Mole was listed under the "Specialties," and I think this is where some of the more authentic dishes can be found (all seemed to be meat dishes). Using a mild red chile sauce it tasted much like mole I have had in Queretaro style restaurants (another state in central Mexico), except not as spicy.

I should mention that the Flour Tortillas that came with the meal were quite good, and are almost a requirement to successfully eat a plate of mole.

Carne asada tacos

Tacos de Carne Asada had a lightly spiced good quality meat (as opposed to the more heavily spiced fajita meat) and were excellent in their simplicity of the meat, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. They came with flour tortillas that were better than average, but I thought they were better with corn tortillas (these will be brought to the table at no charge). Carne asada is found in a wide area of Mexico, but I am sure the owner has a special way of cooking it that makes it better than average.

Tortilla soup