taqueria perejil

Who’s ever heard of parsley on tacos?

I’m quickly realizing that the 3000’s blocks of West Fullerton are a hot bed for taco dining. I’ve gone to a few excellent places already, and noticed there are dozens yet to try. Tacos are sold everywhere around there. The groceria. The carniceria. The fruteria. The panaderia. The lavanderia. Ok, maybe not the lavanderia, but there is taco slingin’ going on all over that strip of Logan Square.

My friend Graham told me about Perejil. I trust his taco opinion. I mean, he is the man who introduced me to the adobado taco at Taqueria Moran. Graham’s moving to Colorado soon (sniff, sniff), so I figured what better way to revisit the glory years than over a few tacos? And off, like dirty shirts (love ya, Dad), we were to Taqueria Perejil (parsley taco en the ole Espanol).

We walked in and were greeted with a room full of empty tables. We chose one, sat down, ate chips and salsa and talked about the days when we had hair. The salsa verde here is a an avocado salsa, something my friend David tells me is a big San Francisco thing (he would know, he’s a huge Full House fan), but something you don’t see too much of in Chicago. It’s very tasty.

The first taco I had was the carne asada. Very good. You won’t taste any grill flavor or caramelization on the meat, but it is still nice and juicy (like a Starburst, right Daniel Tosh?), and seasoned enough for my liking. They double up on the tortillas here, but they are thin enough that it doesn’t interfere with the taste of the meat.

The tinga taco, Graham’s favorite, is something I hadn’t eaten before. Tinga is a meat, usually chicken, pork or beef, that’s marinaded in adobo sauce. Then it is stewed and pulled. Perejil’s tinga is pulled chicken. Normally pulled chicken on tacos is very dry. This, on the other mano, is not. It’s very moist, spicy and smoky. Me gusta!

The last taco I ordered is the chorizo con papas. It’s not on the menu, but they’ll make it for you. I was very happy I decided to order off the menu. The chorizo is excellent. No grease. No blood orange mess. Just spicy, paprika flavored sausagy goodness. The potato adds a nice texture to the taco. I like it! (that sounds so stupid in English).

P.S. – I never did find out why they named this place parsley. I didn’t ask. Bad reporting leads to even worse blogging….

Oh, and if you ever see taco lavanderias popping up, you heard about ’em here first!

Until the next stop:

• Location:  3835 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL (Logan Square)
• Tourists:  Josh, Graham
• Tacos sampled:   carne asada, tinga and chorizo con papas (also have picadillo, al pastor, pollo, chicharron, lengua, cecina, chuleta, chile relleno and pescado)
• Toppings:  lettuce and tomato or onions and cilantro; lime
• Salsa:  salsa verde (de aguacate) and salsa roja
  
• Extras:  chips
  
• Tortillas:  corn
  
• Atmosphere:  small, ingles es asi asi, quiet, orange and brown, pay at the counter, parsley-less
  
• Price:  $2.20-$2.99/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING:  8.25