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Short list of pretty good Mexican?

Short list of pretty good Mexican?
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  • Short list of pretty good Mexican?

    Post #1 - May 27th, 2004, 8:34 am
    Post #1 - May 27th, 2004, 8:34 am Post #1 - May 27th, 2004, 8:34 am
    Someone at one of my kids' classes, who's watched the Maxwell Street video, asked me for a list of good Mexican places for when a sibling comes to visit who likes authentic Mex. Well, once I put down a few I frequent, I realized I was on kind of thin ice informationally in terms of knowing what places were really good at.

    So I thought it might be a good idea to make a list of everybody's ideas of some of their favorite places. It's not a 10 best or definitive, just a list of places you'd happily suggest to an out-of-towner as particularly good at something, and not a totally scary atmosphere (though neighborhood taqueria is fine). This is also a way to sort of rebuild some of the database of info that we left behind at whatever that other board was called.

    So anyway, here are my suggestions for this short list (sorry, Rob, it mostly overlaps this post of yours http://vitalinformation.blogspot.com/2003_12_14_vitalinformation_archive.html so you'll have to come up with new ones):

    Maxwell Street Market, Sundays only 7-3, Canal street near Roosevelt
    Stands offering every imaginable choice mixed in among the junk. Until Dave H. reposts his guide, your best guide is: http://www.michaelgebert.com/gorilla

    Ixcapuzalco, 2919 N. Milwaukee
    Upscalish but family friendly and reasonably priced gourmet Mexican from a protege of Frontera Grill (who also has the fancier Chilpancingo downtown).

    Taqueria la Oaxaquena, 3382 N. Milwaukee
    Outstanding moles, some regional specialties like rabbit adobado and snapper Vera Cruz; a little nicer than "taqueria" suggests.

    Tortas USA, 3057 N. Ashland
    Burrito and torta (sandwich) joint with more healthy options than the average but still plenty of flavor and authenticity.

    Taqueria El Milagro, 3050 W. 26th, also 1500ish on Belmont, others
    W. 26th location is an actual tortilla factory and is recommended for hot off the grill tortillas, but all the guisados (stews) are worth trying.

    Las Alambres, 3053 N. California
    Cheerful storefront best at small things like gorditas cooked on freshly griddled masa.

    Rudy's Taste, 1024 N. Ashland
    Nice, fairly ambitious Guatemalan restaurant offering S. American-style grilled meats as well as Mexican and other Caribbean dishes.
  • Post #2 - May 27th, 2004, 9:12 am
    Post #2 - May 27th, 2004, 9:12 am Post #2 - May 27th, 2004, 9:12 am
    Hey Mike,

    Just so you know, I haven't forgotten about posting the Maxwell Street Guide. What's holding me back are two things: 1) it contains Chowhound quotes and associated links which, somehow, feels wrong (even though many of the posts are from VI, you, me, RST, etc.), and 2) it is in some ways outdated.

    What I'd like to do, and am planning on doing, is to create another guide, perhaps using some quotes from Gorilla Gourmet, but also ideally some new comments from people on the LTH Forum. (Strangely, although I've fulfilled probably 75 requests for the guide from Chowhounds, only two or three ever posted about their experiences on Maxwell Street).

    David
  • Post #3 - May 27th, 2004, 9:16 am
    Post #3 - May 27th, 2004, 9:16 am Post #3 - May 27th, 2004, 9:16 am
    Well, you certainly have permission to use whatever of mine is in there. But maybe you could post it in skeletal form, and expand it as people post stuff (isn't that Edit button cool?)? It seems unlikely that there will be a flood of catchy Maxwell posts right away, unless you start it.
  • Post #4 - May 27th, 2004, 9:18 am
    Post #4 - May 27th, 2004, 9:18 am Post #4 - May 27th, 2004, 9:18 am
    Mike G wrote:Taqueria la Oaxaquena, 3382 N. Milwaukee
    Outstanding moles, some regional specialties like rabbit adobado and snapper Vera Cruz; a little nicer than "taqueria" suggests.


    I think the restaurant's name is simply "La Oaxaquena" these days. That's what they have in the yellow pages and what I got from 411 recently. "Taqueria's" absence from the listing (and the spelling of the Mexican state) led to an excruciatingly long 411 call. The sign says it's a restaurante and taqueria, all things to all people.

    My names's JeffB, and I forgot to log in.
  • Post #5 - May 27th, 2004, 10:09 am
    Post #5 - May 27th, 2004, 10:09 am Post #5 - May 27th, 2004, 10:09 am
    May not be in a class with the places you list, Mike, but I'd offer El Gallo #2, on Milwaukee a few doors north of Lawrence, which we found on the Mil-Walk-athon. Haven't been able to get back there yet, but I really enjoyed the stuff I sampled.
  • Post #6 - May 27th, 2004, 11:19 am
    Post #6 - May 27th, 2004, 11:19 am Post #6 - May 27th, 2004, 11:19 am
    (Strangely, although I've fulfilled probably 75 requests for the guide from Chowhounds, only two or three ever posted about their experiences on Maxwell Street).




    We're working on it! So many places to go, so little time . . . And now so many boards to visit :wink:
  • Post #7 - May 27th, 2004, 11:27 am
    Post #7 - May 27th, 2004, 11:27 am Post #7 - May 27th, 2004, 11:27 am
    I would include cemita-central Taqueria Puebla, as well as Dona Lolis, although I haven't been there in a while.
  • Post #8 - May 27th, 2004, 11:31 am
    Post #8 - May 27th, 2004, 11:31 am Post #8 - May 27th, 2004, 11:31 am
    Well, I would add a couple of places I can wholeheartedly support:

    - Chilpancingo for more fancy Mexican
    - ByBys in West Chicago which fulfills the need both for a far west suburban option, as well as a source for some more regional or unusual items such as Tlayuda (here called tortilla oaxaquena) flor de calabaza, and huitlacoche, among others.
    - La Quebrada for Mexican grilled meats in many forms.

    Beyond that, though, you get into all the places that have one unique specialty worth exploring, like carne en su jugo. A single list of Mexican recs is a great idea, though.
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #9 - May 27th, 2004, 12:00 pm
    Post #9 - May 27th, 2004, 12:00 pm Post #9 - May 27th, 2004, 12:00 pm
    I'd add in El Chimbombo - 6725 Cermak, Berwyn... really like the quesadilla con flor de calabaza and huitlacoche, cochinita pibil and al pastor

    MC
  • Post #10 - May 30th, 2004, 8:34 pm
    Post #10 - May 30th, 2004, 8:34 pm Post #10 - May 30th, 2004, 8:34 pm
    Suburban Mexican, though, seems much sadder. There's chains such as Lalo's (Glenview), Tacos El Norte (Niles) and Los Comales (also Niles) which are OK, 'classic' Mex-Am like La Chicanita which are heavy and dull, but serviceable, and a few tacquerias that I can enjoy, but don't thrill me.

    Is there any decent mexican I can get without a trip requiring paying for parking?
  • Post #11 - May 30th, 2004, 10:27 pm
    Post #11 - May 30th, 2004, 10:27 pm Post #11 - May 30th, 2004, 10:27 pm
    JoelF wrote:Suburban Mexican, though, seems much sadder. There's chains such as Lalo's (Glenview), Tacos El Norte (Niles) and Los Comales (also Niles) which are OK, 'classic' Mex-Am like La Chicanita which are heavy and dull, but serviceable, and a few tacquerias that I can enjoy, but don't thrill me.

    Is there any decent mexican I can get without a trip requiring paying for parking?


    I've always been fond of El Tipico. Nice atmosphere. Well-made standards. Open late. There are two locations:

    El Tipico

    3341 W. Dempster St., Skokie
    847/676-4070

    1836 W. Foster Ave, Chicago
    773/878-0839
  • Post #12 - May 30th, 2004, 11:25 pm
    Post #12 - May 30th, 2004, 11:25 pm Post #12 - May 30th, 2004, 11:25 pm
    Ate there many, many times during my 20 years working in Skokie -- a regular for office birthdays. Can't say I was impressed much -- it's old standards, but nothing that makes me rush back. Salsa's pretty darn good, but many other things are kinda gluey. I'd put it at a solid B average. I'd put it in the same category as La Chicanita in Arlington Heights: very typical mexican-american food, nothing to go wow about. El Taxco on Oakton is probably a notch below, but only because of a smaller menu, and spotty lunch service.
  • Post #13 - May 31st, 2004, 11:19 pm
    Post #13 - May 31st, 2004, 11:19 pm Post #13 - May 31st, 2004, 11:19 pm
    Having eaten at both El Tipico and La Chicanita lately, I agree with your assessment of the latter, but I would definitely say El Tipico is a rank above La Chic, and much higher than Lalo's and Tacos el Norte, both of which I have also visited recently. (Lalo's was pretty awful.)

    Have you been to Wholly Frijoles in Lincolnwood? The food there is fresher, lighter and often more innovative, but some people don't like it because it's also less traditional. (It is also -- despite a recent expansion -- small and apt to be crowded.)

    Not suburban, but almost, there's Don Juan's in Edison Park, where the menu contains both Mexican-American standards and Patrick Concannon's Latin-influenced innovations, many of which have a "wow" factor for me.

    At the other end of the scale, I'm a fan of the huge burritos, especially the al pastor, and excellent guacamole at El Famous, which has many suburban locations (and based on my experience, the suburban sites are better than the Rogers Park location).

    What sort of places in the city make you go "wow"?

    El Tipico
    3341 W. Dempster St., Skokie
    847/676-4070

    La Chicanita Mexican Restaurant
    847/255-7075
    202 N. Dunton, Arlington Heights

    Lalo's Restaurant
    847/ 832-1388
    1434 Waukegan Road, Glenview
    (also many other locations)

    Tacos el Norte
    847/635-5282
    9626 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles
    (several other locations)

    Wholly Frijoles Mexican Grill
    847/329-9810
    3908 W. Touhy Ave., Lincolnwood

    Don Juan's for Mexican Food Lovers
    773/775-6438
    6730 N. Northwest Highway, Chicago

    El Famous Burrito
    847/808-8014
    236 McHenry Road, Wheeling
    (many other locations)
  • Post #14 - May 31st, 2004, 11:42 pm
    Post #14 - May 31st, 2004, 11:42 pm Post #14 - May 31st, 2004, 11:42 pm
    Geez -- how could I forget this one, especially after the writeup in the Trib.

    San Gabriel Cafe at 43 (Waukegan) and 22 (Half Day) in Bannockburn. I've eaten there twice (once carry-out), and the food has been terrific.

    Value on appetizers is variable (duck taquitos give you much more food than the black bean empanada), flavor on everything is big and bold.
    They're aiming higher than standard Mex, although they do have 'standards' on the menu. I'd put them in the same type of restaurant as Don Juan's in Edison Park.

    On other notes, El Famous is highly variable: the one at Mt Prospect Plaza is vastly inferior to the one at Mannheim in Des Plaines, but I can't put my finger on anything specific.


    One other place is Boca Del Rio on Wolf Road and Camp MacDonald in Prospect Heights (or is it still Mt Prospect there?) -- I was there once a year or two ago, and it was Ok, but a very strange (most likely regional) menu. I have to give it another tasking before I'm willing to give it a rating. Shrimp soup was spicy with big head-on prawns, is all I remember.
  • Post #15 - June 1st, 2004, 10:34 am
    Post #15 - June 1st, 2004, 10:34 am Post #15 - June 1st, 2004, 10:34 am
    For Suburban Mexican, Dudley Nieto (of Chapulin, Chapultepec and other places) is back in the area at San Gabriel Mexican Cafe at Bannocburn, in a mall at the southeast corner, intersection of Half Day Road and Waukegan Road. Chapulin was, while it lasted, a favorite of ours in Chicago. This is more elaborate, and somewhat pricier, than most suburban Mexican restaurants, but is in an altogether different league.
  • Post #16 - June 2nd, 2004, 11:44 am
    Post #16 - June 2nd, 2004, 11:44 am Post #16 - June 2nd, 2004, 11:44 am
    Based on Mike's list, we checked this place out for lunch. The gorditas and tortas were quite nice. We then continued east on Belmont for some Scooters, and then finished off this "health kick" with a stop at Bittersweet. Thanks for the most helpful list.
  • Post #17 - June 2nd, 2004, 5:10 pm
    Post #17 - June 2nd, 2004, 5:10 pm Post #17 - June 2nd, 2004, 5:10 pm
    Laz said:
    At the other end of the scale, I'm a fan of the huge burritos, especially the al pastor, and excellent guacamole at El Famous, which has many suburban locations (and based on my experience, the suburban sites are better than the Rogers Park location).


    I have had a decent meal or two at an El Famous in Downers Grove.

    As to suburban Mexican (though my suburbs are, quite apparently, not yours):

    ByBys (West Chicago - see other thread), La Quebrada (Cicero and Aurora), and a number of places in Aurora I need to re-check. Taqueria El Gallo in Melrose Park (??? - Hammond and VI - do I have this right?) makes damn good, but not great Carne en su Jugo.

    And Amanacer Tapatio in Joliet is fabulous. Daily specials are often amazing. They make the tortillas by hand more or less before your eyes and make whatever looks best in the market that day. I have had numerous blissful meals there. Don't know how I could forget that place earlier in the thread - time to go back.
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #18 - September 7th, 2004, 10:12 am
    Post #18 - September 7th, 2004, 10:12 am Post #18 - September 7th, 2004, 10:12 am
    Seth Zurer wrote:I would include cemita-central Taqueria Puebla, as well as Dona Lolis, although I haven't been there in a while.


    Amata, Lucantonius and I went to Taqueria Puebla yesterday for lunch. Amata got a taco oriental and an orchata, I got a taco arabe and a Mexican Coke and we split a cemita con carne enchilada. Lucantonius had a chicken taco and a lemonade.

    My arabe was delicious, as was the cemita. Precisely how the meat for the arabe is seasoned I do not know but I believe there was a hint of allspice or cinnamon, which would make sense, given the name of the dish (though clearly, as I believe JeffB suggested, the 'tortilla' is of flour and thick and thus pita-like).

    Concerning the cemita we had, the meat that was chilified was pork and the cut was thin and a little tough but very tasty. What is great about the cemitas is the way in which the various flavours work together. In this case, the chilified meat was rounded out with the flavours of oaxaqueño cheese, chipotle, avocado and, of course, papalo.

    Amata had also wanted to try the chileatole but the friendly owner, who came to our table to tell us why his taqueria is so special in the Chicago Mexican food landscape, indicated that that dish is only available in the colder months.

    Amata has reminded me that the Emperor Garius Vivio* has published in another venue pictures of TP's most famous offerings, which at the time (mid May, '04) drove a number of people mad with ganas, who then descended in great numbers upon this noble, though humble, little restaurant.

    You can find Su Amigo Zurita and his cemitas and tacos arabes and moronga etc. at:

    Taqueria PUEBLA
    3625 West North Avenue
    Chicago
    773-772-8435

    This establishment is recommended highly by Lucantonius, in good measure for the decor deportivo.

    Antonius

    * A consonant stem noun, with genitive Viviotis.
    Alle Nerven exzitiert von dem gewürzten Wein -- Anwandlung von Todesahndungen -- Doppeltgänger --
    - aus dem Tagebuch E.T.A. Hoffmanns, 6. Januar 1804.
    ________
    Na sir is na seachain an cath.
  • Post #19 - September 7th, 2004, 5:31 pm
    Post #19 - September 7th, 2004, 5:31 pm Post #19 - September 7th, 2004, 5:31 pm
    rgl201 wrote:For Suburban Mexican, Dudley Nieto (of Chapulin, Chapultepec and other places) is back in the area at San Gabriel Mexican Cafe at Bannocburn, in a mall at the southeast corner, intersection of Half Day Road and Waukegan Road. Chapulin was, while it lasted, a favorite of ours in Chicago. This is more elaborate, and somewhat pricier, than most suburban Mexican restaurants, but is in an altogether different league.

    The peripatetic Nieto is apparently now chef de cuisine at the new Adobo Grill in Wicker Park. He was briefly at Adobo Grill Old Town before he went to New York.

    Adobo Grill
    1610 N. Wells, Chicago, 312/266-7999
    2005 W. Division, 773/752-9990
    http://www.adobogrill.com
  • Post #20 - September 17th, 2004, 3:30 am
    Post #20 - September 17th, 2004, 3:30 am Post #20 - September 17th, 2004, 3:30 am
    I'll definitely have more later on my blog, but I thought I'd go ahead and add to this thread while I'm being lazy.

    I ate at several Mexican places on my last trip. See my pics and a blog entry to come. I've eaten at several before, including Frontera and Topolo. The upper end stuff is decent and certainly gives some options that might be hard to find elsewhere, but even as someone who is willing to spend dough on expensive food, I'd stick with the several very good lower end places:

    Taqueria Puebla: Not to be confused, as I did at first, with Restaurant Puebla on Milwaukie (although that place isn't *bad*). Get the pipians or the mole. I recommended they think about doing chiles en nogada, a dish from Puebla, and tinga poblano. Please tell me if they ever serve those.

    Asi Es Guerrero: Three types of pozole served with chicharrones and avocado.

    La Oaxaquena: I think the quail is actually chicken, but get it with the mole anyway.

    Nuevo Leon: They do a nice job of norteno food. Get the comida corrida with the puerco en rojo.

    Carnitas Uruapan: Uh, like, get the carnitas, dude.

    Aguascalientes: The hand-patted gorditas are pretty tasty. Choose your own filling.

    That's a pretty good mix of styles. I'm sure there are others. And none of these are really nice places to go. But money no object, I will still choose the mole at Taqueria Puebla over the moles I had at Chilpancingo.
  • Post #21 - September 17th, 2004, 7:43 am
    Post #21 - September 17th, 2004, 7:43 am Post #21 - September 17th, 2004, 7:43 am
    I've never had the mole at Taqueria Puebla, although I guess I should. I have had it at high end places like Frontera and also at say Taqueria Oaxecana. I have to say, that I agree with your basic sentiment that the not Frontera mole is ultimately more satisfying in some way. Taqueria Oaxecana uses mole brought back on a regular basis from Mexico. Like the folks at Taqueria Puebla, the folks at TO make frequent shopping trips a la NAFTA. The mole at TO is heavy and oily and just soulful in a way that Frontera's is not, and for my tastes, I just like that better. Perhaps if refinement was more of a goal you would not like such a version with its clear layer including one of spice infused oil.

    Your pictures are great, although am I the only one who gets a bit bogged down in navigating the levels? You sussed out some interesting things at Maxwell Street. I'm going Sunday and I am gonna use your pics as a guide to try some new things.

    Have you seen the recent issue of Chicago Magazine? The main critic, Dennis Wheaton covers Chicago Mexican too. It's good but, in my mind, horribly flawed. In your short post above you give a good summation of the incredible variety of "real" Mexican food in Chicago. Wheaton's story over several pages hardly expresses that.

    Rob
  • Post #22 - September 17th, 2004, 8:56 am
    Post #22 - September 17th, 2004, 8:56 am Post #22 - September 17th, 2004, 8:56 am
    Vital Information wrote:Have you seen the recent issue of Chicago Magazine? The main critic, Dennis Wheaton covers Chicago Mexican too. It's good but, in my mind, horribly flawed. In your short post above you give a good summation of the incredible variety of "real" Mexican food in Chicago. Wheaton's story over several pages hardly expresses that.


    I'm not sure Wheaton's goal was to outline the variety of "real" Mexican food, as much as it was to paint a broad brush stroke of the breadth of choices and styles that have evolved in Chicago over the years.

    I think part of his motivation was to combat the "Chipotle-fication" of the average Mexican-food consumer in Chicago by introducing other ideas to people: explore Pilsen, try Topo. and/or some offshoots, or venture into a taqueria that's off the beaten path.

    I think that for people who like Mexican food, but don't know where to go, Wheaton's article is a good guide. It'll definitely broaden some horizons. When/if they've graduated from his recommendations and really want to get deeply authentic, then they should stop by this forum.

    FYI. The article is in the Sept. issue, which I believe is no longer on the stands.

    Best,
    EC
  • Post #23 - September 17th, 2004, 10:15 am
    Post #23 - September 17th, 2004, 10:15 am Post #23 - September 17th, 2004, 10:15 am
    Never saw the issue. Probably would have picked it up if I had.

    I do think upscale Mexican chefs have a tendency to refine away the "soul" of dishes. Honestly, I've found that to be more of a problem in Chicago's upscale Mexican than that of other cities. I do wonder, a bit, if it's a Midwest palate thing. In the Southwest and West, we may be a little more willing to accept bolder flavors in gringo restaurants. Although, I've experienced the problem at upscale Mexican in Mexico, too. What's weird to me is that Bayless's recipes in his books come across as better than what he does in his restaurants (though I've been to each only once, but I have three of his books).

    I just looked and I have over 2700 images on my site. Unfortunately, that makes all the levels necessary. I think nearly 1,000 of those are chicago, btw.
  • Post #24 - September 17th, 2004, 10:39 am
    Post #24 - September 17th, 2004, 10:39 am Post #24 - September 17th, 2004, 10:39 am
    Extra, more thought provoking stuff. Thanks.

    Sometimes I don't think its a Midwest palate thing so much as a case-by-case thing. My wife's last name is Gomez. When she set up a big meal at Chilpancingo for a not-particularly-latino group, I perceived that the flavors and heat levels were ratcheted up in our favor compared with other visits. This, of course, happens all the time in SE Asian places as well, where one might need to make small talk or become a regular to get past the Gringo Barrier.

    At more upscale places, there's little doubt that some concessions are made to appeal to a broader common denominator. At a place like Chilpancingo, the owner, the dishwasher and all the cooks are from Mexico, so any dumbing down must be for some perceived audience.

    (As a side note, I was just at a Cajun/Creole place, Blue Bayou, which was great when it opened but marginal now. When it opened the place had an extesive menu with only-in-New Orleans things like debris sandwiches and great, labor-intensive stuff like pan-fried chicken and spectacular collards. They even had someone custom bake french bread as you get it in NO. Now, the menu is all burgers and wings with a few toss-off creole things. Sandwiches come on stale Gonnella rolls. The old chef was a guy from NO; the current is your basic Ecuadoran line cook. I told the management of my disappointment, and that removing the greens was my last straw. I was told that the first 6 months was a well-planed study: start with a big menu and a creative chef, then whittle it down to a streamlined, profit-maximizing menu to be handled by whomever's in the kitchen. I wasn't surprised by information so much as by the matter-of-fact delivery.)

    The Midwest might like its food bland, but Chicago very particularly does not, in my experience as a resident oursider. The indigenous, ethnicity-blind love of hot giardiniera and sport peppers stands out.

    Interestingly, and I guess converse to your observation about upascale Mexican in Chicago is the common complaint that Cal Mex, especially the notoriously unimpressive (to me) mission-style and baja-syle anything, is so much less soulful than what one gets on Maxwell Street or in the corner taqueria.
  • Post #25 - September 17th, 2004, 11:19 am
    Post #25 - September 17th, 2004, 11:19 am Post #25 - September 17th, 2004, 11:19 am
    I've never been a fan of mission style burritos, which we surely have plenty of out here in the West. Though, in the Mission of SF you'll find much more than just those burritos. And across the bay in Oakland, you'll find some fabulous Mexican at the taquerias in the Fruitvale area. It really wouldn't be a fair comparison to put the Mexican-American in California up against the taqueria Mexican in Chicago. Given all the taqueria Mexican in California, you can certainly make an apples to apples critique. See here for my most recent trip.

    I've eaten a decent amount of upscale regional Mexican outside of Chicago, and I think it is just a little less bold. That doesn't just mean heat.

    Chicago is certainly a great city for Mexican, though. Even if there is some concentration, there are nice pockets of miscellaneous regional Mexican that tastes good. Plus, just to have several high-quality, high-end Mexican...

    On the issue of two menus: that seems to be a common one in Chicago, more common than I've found elsewhere. And it seems to be both a literal and figurative "two menus". I'm not a fan and even though I benefitted from the secret menus, I do question whether it's fair to judge those restaurants based on them. Especially if I have to "earn" good food. That does me no good as a traveller. I'd rather at least be able to ask for a secret menu and then get the quality and options a native would get.

    Here in Portland, I think the "two menus" phenomenon mostly holds to Chinese restaurants, and mostly to literal menus, with specials on boards or on the wall in Chinese. If you can read them, or if you take the chance and just point, you can get some great off-menu dishes. Interestingly, I've had a guy, eg, from LA who has a Thai wife come up here and I showed him to one of my favorite Thai restaurants. We ordered some of their specialties and he made sure they made it the way they like it and with the spiciness the staff prefers. He thought it was great and very authentic. (I've never been to Thailand and don't know authentic.) I actually didn't find it that spicy.
  • Post #26 - September 17th, 2004, 11:33 am
    Post #26 - September 17th, 2004, 11:33 am Post #26 - September 17th, 2004, 11:33 am
    For the burbs I would like to toos in one more competitor. El Tesoro has done it for me again. After visisting multiple times their Bloomingdale Rd. location has never been disappointing. From the giant burritos to the specials I have always been satisfied. Most recently with their daily special called the Poblano Plate. Chopped carne asada sauteed with fresh poblano chiles and onions then topped with cheese.

    Flip

    El Tesoro
    1995 Bloomingdale Rd
    Glendale Heights
    630-351-1933

    El Tesoro
    129 W. Roosevelt Rd.
    West Chicago
    630-293-0129
    "Beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to be Happy"
    -Ben Franklin-
  • Post #27 - September 17th, 2004, 11:40 am
    Post #27 - September 17th, 2004, 11:40 am Post #27 - September 17th, 2004, 11:40 am
    The two-menu phenomenon is a famous source of debate here in Chicago. I don't see how anyone could be a fan, though there are practical reasons for it. For example, Erik, God bless him, is translating a 200 item Thai menu from what I understand. If most of it's contents would be of no interest to most folks who can't read Thai, then why bother (the restaurant, not Erik), I suppose. On the other hand, the dual menu can backfire. Plenty of folks have been frustrated by Spoon, having read about the exotic delicacies only to find crab rangoon and pad thai on the menu and left to wonder "is this it?"

    One of my old favorites here, Silver Seafood, is a Hong Kong place, so the owners quite obviously can speak and write well in English. Yet they have two menus, both written in Chinese, Vietnamese, and English. The "Chinese" menu is much larger, and has your hot pots, duck web, salted fish, tripe, etc., while the "Gringo" menu (the default given to non-Asians) has your sweet and sour chicken and such.

    SS by the way is currently too inconsistent to get my full support.

    Also, I didn't want to suggest that there is no great Mexican in California. Obviously not. I particularly like the taco trucks in Santa Rosa, pointed out by folks on the SF Chowhound Board, and there's plenty to like in LA.

    Sand Diego, on the other hand, is almost comic in its paucity of good Mexican food. Probably has something to do with TJ being right there.
  • Post #28 - September 17th, 2004, 11:49 am
    Post #28 - September 17th, 2004, 11:49 am Post #28 - September 17th, 2004, 11:49 am
    Yeah, a Texan friend just got back from San Diego and ate Mexican and was very disappointed. Last time I was in SD, I went to TJ to eat.

    I'm sure my fellow whiteys deserve a lot of blame for the two menus phenom. After several patrons sending stuff back because it's too spicy or has dried shrimp or preserved crab or whatever on top, the restaurants would start adjusting. I think there are ways around that, though, eg, specials lists with optional ingredients.

    Erik is doing yeoman's work, it seems to me. Hopefully, someday it will be unnecessary.
  • Post #29 - September 17th, 2004, 7:36 pm
    Post #29 - September 17th, 2004, 7:36 pm Post #29 - September 17th, 2004, 7:36 pm
    I noticed the mention of the three pozoles at Asi es Guerrero on extramsg's post and saw his pictures of the green. Could anyone elaborate on the differences between the three? Which should I try if going for the first time?
  • Post #30 - September 18th, 2004, 4:12 am
    Post #30 - September 18th, 2004, 4:12 am Post #30 - September 18th, 2004, 4:12 am
    The most common is a red. Green is my favorite and when it was also recommended by the lady behind the counter, it was a no brainer. I've never had white, though.

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