El Alex, otherwise known as Lazara's Cocina, was quite an unexpected find. Not only does it serve some of the best Mexican food in Oklahoma City, it gives a taste of El Paso style food that is almost as good as if you actually went to a restaurant in the Sun City.

The "Ciudad Juarez style hamburger" listed on the menu gives a hint about the origin of the recipes that are prepared here. The style of food served in El Paso is virtually the same as that which is served in its sister city, Ciudad Juarez, and which is found in Lazara's Cocina. The menu items at Lazara's reminded me of restaurants in El Paso/Juarez, as did the cooking style.

The Salsa here was not only quite flavorful, the heat factor would be suitable for most any restaurant along the Rio Grande. With a strong garlic flavor, it may not be my favorite salsa, but it is so far above most that are served in Oklahoma that it would be worth trying. The Chips were disappointing, being too salty and tasting "factory made," but chips are mostly a Tex-Mex creation, and are not served in many restaurants south of the border.

The Red Enchiladas were equal to many of the ones served in El Paso in both the chile and cheese that are used. I was totally satisfied with the enchiladas, and felt that they really had not lost anything by being such a great distance from the "source" (usually it is almost impossible to find good red enchiladas so far from where the chiles are grown).

The Chicken Mole was not as good a representation of the authentic version served in Mexico as the enchilada was, but I actually liked the mole better. It was not too sweet, and I think would be very satisfying to anyone who likes this flavor. The chicken, though, was actually what made the dish really work--I'm glad they did not make it too authentic by using the cheaper grades of chicken that are common throughout Mexico.

The Flour Tortillas were disappointing, tasting store-bought. It is too bad that such good mole could not be served with better tortillas.

The Rice was outstanding, not so much for its flavor, but in the fact that it was not overcooked and that the cooks took as much care in preparing it as they did the main dishes. Like almost everything else I tried, it had a heavy amount of garlic, but this is a good thing when it comes to El Paso style Mexican food.

El Alex offers a few extras that are not found at most restaurants in Oklahoma, including horchata served on weekends. Mexican pop is served all the time, and the menu is quite varied with interesting items.

Once again I credit BigKev with making a great recommendation. This is a small place that I probably would not have found on my own, and in fact even had a hard time finding once I knew about it. The staff was quite helpful, though, and made me feel that it was worth the time I spent seeking it out. Supposedly they are changing the name to "Lazara's Cocina," but as far as I know it is still "El Alex," as indicated by the rather hard-to-see sign in front.