Attention all New Wave music kids from the 1980s: Mexican Radio is playing in Oklahoma City’s Plaza District.
It’s not the 1982 hit by the band Wall of Voodoo, but a new joint from A Good Egg Dining Group. Keeping with its New Wave philosophy, Mexican Radio puts a delicious, creative, global spin on street tacos.
“Mexican Radio is not a traditional Tex-Mex restaurant by any means,” general manager Melissa Skaggs says, “and we’re not a traditional taqueria either. We’re mostly tacos, but Mexican Radio likes to think outside the box.”
Barrios, a true Tex-Mex restaurant, is also part of the Good Egg family, so Mexican Radio plays with different, vibrant tastes wrapped in tortillas.
“Yeah, if Barrios had a black sheep step-sister, Mexican Radio would be her,” chef Amie Gehlert says with a laugh.
Black sheep or not, “Mex-Rad” has a decor featuring world globes of every size in the bar to convey the broad range of cultural flavors that Skaggs and Gehlert want customers to experience. When it comes to the menu, Gehlert lets the creative juices flow.
For instance, Good Egg founders Keith and Heather Paul had some ideas, such as a fried chicken taco, so Gehlert played around with some notions going back to her family roots.
“What’s better than fried chicken, white bread, onions and pickles?” she asks. “I turned it around in our fried chicken taco: white flour tortilla loaded with fried chicken, sliced dill pickle and onion, then finished with a hearty drizzle of honey sauce.”
The Jack crosses Jack-In-The-Box-style tacos with Jimboy’s Tacos (from California) into a gently fried corn tortilla filled with Mexican Radio’s carne molida (ground beef), cheese and toppings. The kicker is a Parmesan dusting, which adds crunch and flavor.
Side dishes are just as dynamic. The cauliflower elote, a twist on Mexican street corn, is sublime – creamy, tangy and topped with batter-fried onions and jalapeños. Crispy green rice, a must-eat, features crispy, yet soft, Arborio rice prepared in a paella pan. Its color comes from Gehlert’s concoction of spinach, lime and green onion. Everything is tossed with green peas and finished with sour cream and fresh pea shoots.
From the bar come numerous cold beers, many of which are local. House cocktails include the Dole Whip, a soft, frozen combination of pineapple juice, banana liqueur, coconut cream and tequila, finished with a Fruity Pebbles salt rim. For something refreshing and not too sweet, a favorite is Oklahoma Ranch Water, a blend of Guthrie’s Prairie Wolf vodka, lime and Topo-Chico sparkling water – perfect with any dish during any season.
