The high-pitched strumming of a requinto guitar, played by a trío romántico, might feel like an appropriate soundtrack to a night on the town in El Paso. But at Paco Wong’s, the amorous ballads weave through a brightly colored dining room decorated with Chinese dragons and an imposing battalion of terracotta warriors. What might seem like a peculiar juxtaposition—at least to the uninitiated—has become a beloved part of the cultural makeup of the city.
A West Side staple now for 20 years, the restaurant captures that particular East-West dichotomy in its culinary DNA. Hints of Mexican influence appear in traditional Cantonese recipes, like a lo mein served with cilantro and jalapeño. There’s also owner Paco Wong’s famous Fish a la Pekin, in which deep-fried Alaskan pollock bathes in a fermented soybean sauce with bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and bacon.
Paco Wong’s…