We're searching out eight great Mexican food restaurants with ambitious dishes that go beyond the usual beans-and-rice platter. From a Peking duck taco to brisket enchiladas, we're finding the best Mexican crowd-pleasers.
Ree Drummond makes black beans the center of her menu. They're fabulous with Mango Guacamole and divine in a Taco Pizza. They also bulk up Grilled Veggie Burritos and make a quick Black Bean Burger.
In Savannah, Ga., Michael Symon finds a food truck serving up two can't-miss creations: cheeseburger tacos with a house-made beer cheese sauce and a Jamaican jerk fried fish taco with mango salsa and cilantro sour cream. In Seattle, he tries an enormous bone-in pork chop brined for six hours and fired on a grill. Finally, in Phoenix, a smoked lamb sandwich with homemade mint sauce is made by a chef who loves her smoker so much that she's even smoking brownies.