Sunday was a good day for food exploring. Gasoline was down to $3.45 a gallon and I decided to venture down 290 between 610 and Beltway 8. I passed the Crazy Cajun restaurant but didn’t stop (maybe some other time) and that got me to thinking about how comfortable these descendants of Acadia are with their stereotyping. Can you imagine the backlash if someone named a restaurant The Raging African-American, The Crazy Chinese Guy or the Raving Mexican? Yep, gotta love those Cajuns.

At any rate, I ended up at a little Mexican place called Perico’s Mexican Restaurant (2701 Mangum 713-688-3104). It’s often a good sign if you see a rack outside with copies of La Subasta (or am I stereotyping?). And there were a lot of Hispanic families dining inside. The walls were decorated with vintage kitchenware (and a remarkable pig) that helped give the restaurant a nice, lived-in feel.

The menu warned that the "fish and chicken may contain small thorn or bones. Beans may be small stones."

Although I saw some guys chowing down on monstrous and tasty-looking burritos, it looked like fajitas were the way to go here, as there were numerous choices on the menu. I asked my waitress which fajita selection had the most heat and she directed me toward the Fajitas Mexicanas ($8.55), which are served with grilled chiles and onions, rice, beans and tortillas. Hotsy totsy, my mouth was on fire and I was one Happy Gringo.

Bonus: $2 margaritas during happy hour (Monday to Friday, 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.). – Jay Francis