Author Archives: tacotourist

In the Iowan Outback.

Since this blog is read by millions of people, in all corners of the globe, I figure some people may not know what Taco John’s is.

And to those people, I feel sorry for you. Not because Taco John’s is the greatest place on Earth. It’s not. But because you have lived such a sheltered life. Not to know this fast food chain, Mexican food wannabe with a West-Mex mix, headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming is a tragedy. You people don’t even know Potato Oles are!!??!! Well, they are a pile of nickel-sized hashbrown type disks. They are synonymous with the name Taco John’s. Clearly a staple for anyone who truly knows Mexican food.

So, on a recent trip, my princess and I stopped at a Taco John’s in Maquoketa, Iowa, which, next to Oaxaca, Mexico, is my Latin food Mecca.

I tried 3 tacos on this stop, which leaves 3 that I didn’t try…plus the taco burger.

First, I had a softshell chicken taco. I appreciate the chunks of chicken they put in the taco. Normally, chicken is shredded on tacos and is dry, but not here. I also like the doughiness of the tortilla. The downside, however, is the lack of any flavor or spice. It tasted very clean, but very plain. Not bad, but not great.

My next taco was the crispy shell beef taco. This too has nice texture, both in shell and meat. It’s crunch, and the meat is too greasy. It fell victim, though, to the same bland flavor as the chicken taco.

Not to sound like a broken record, but I also feel the Taco Bravo is a little flavor-less. Much like the Double Decker Taco (think outside bun), it is a hardshell taco with a softshell tortilla glued to it with refried beans. It looks good, but the iceberg lettuce sitting on top has as much flavor as the meat (I hope that’s not a slap in the face to all the Icebergers out there….).

Since John clearly hasn’t invested in spices, I suggest smothering your tacos in plenty of salsa. They have a nice selection of salsas from which to choose at least.

Although the tacos at Taco John’s seem a little healthier than the options at other fast food taco chains, I think I prefer the less healthy, more flavored varieties.

Maybe I should have tried one of their other 425 locations…..or maybe I should just stick to traditional, non whiteboy

The Great Plains…

tacos.

• Location:  1306 43rd St., Maquoketa, IA (Maquoketa Caves)
  
• Tourists:  Josh, Julia
• Tacos sampled:  softshell chicken, crispy beef, shredded beef taco bravo (also have softshell beef, crispy shredded beef, stuffed grilled taco and a taco burger)
  
• Toppings:  lettuce, cheese
  
• Salsa:  pico de gallo (mild), salsa roja (mild), salsa roja (medium), salsa roja (hot), salsa verde (very hot), sliced jalpenos.
  
• Extras:  none
  
• Tortillas:  crispy corn, soft flour, stuffed (flour)
  
• Atmosphere:  fast food, lonely, clean, safe, white white
  
• Price:  $1.19-$2.59/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING:  6.0
  

My photo, not unlike my brain, is a little fuzzy…

So, you’re in Vegas with a group of party animals. You’ve been tearing up the clubs, harvesting cash from the tables, and being treated like a rock star by your casino tycoon friend. Your endorphins are going crazy when you realize you haven’t eaten and need some food. What do you do to nourish yourself without sacrificing your rush?

That’s right, you hit up a high-end Mexican restaurant that doubles as a discoteca…we decided on El Segundo Sol, located right thar on the Strip. So, we put on our fancy pants and got a table for the entourage.

After receiving the menu, the first thing I noticed was that it seemed pretty expensive for tacos. They run between $13 and $20 per order. BUT, how many tacos are in an order? Well, it depends. Each order is served with the meat in a nice little cast iron skillet boat thingy. It also comes with a stack of freshly pressed tortillas, rice, beans and pico de gallo. So, you basically make a bunch of tacos out of what you’ve got. I’d say, there are about 5 tacos per order. So, when you break it down, it’s really not that much per taco.

One side note: you can’t mix and match tacos, which is why I travel in a large posse. That way, I can make everyone else order tacos and try theirs. Ok. On to the tacos.

I tried four different tacos, and I was very impressed with each.

I was going to order the baja shrimp tacos, but one of my compadres ordered them, so I strategically changed my order. I ordered the braised pork, which is basically a stewed al pastor. It comes with grilled pineapple, just like al pastor, but doesn’t have onion. The meat is tender and covered in a slightly spicy adobo sauce. It’s a very comfort food-ish. Me gusta.

The mahi mahi is also a very tasty taco. The fish comes as a large filet and is cooked perfectly. There isn’t any breading that dominates the taco, so you can really taste the fish. It is served with a chipotle cream, which adds a nice bite, along with an avacado and tomatillo salsa. Me gusta, tambien.

Now for that shrimp taco. But first, let me tell you that my opinion on a shrimp dish may be jaded. I love shrimp: shrimp cocktail, shrimp po’ boys, jumbo shrimp, shrimpy shrimp, whatever. As long as you remove the poop chute running down its back, I’m down to eat it. So, it may come as no surprise that I love the baja shrimp tacos. I love the crunch of the shrimp, combined with the smooth texture and acidity of the avacado and tomatillo salsa. While there’s nothing here that is earth-shattering or trail-blazing, I think this is a very fine taco. Me encanta.

The last taco I tried was the good ole carne asada. This is the most simple taco on the menu, and, in my opinion, the best. The meat is marinated to a point where you can taste the spices. Yet, it isn’t overdone, so you can enjoy the flavor of the prized skirt steak. The meat itself could be sold and loved by itself, but making it into a bunch of tacos just makes it that much better. I’m a traditionalist, of sorts, but I think this is the crown jewel of El Segundo Sol.

This is definitely a different scene than I’m used to in Logan Square in Chicago, but I’d welcome this any day. At least the tacos.

Ok. Back to the club.

No, my friend Molly was not with us.

• Location:  3200 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV (Across from The Wynne, on the Las Vegas Strip)
  
• Tourists:  Josh, Julia, Alejandro, Dawn #1, Hunter, Tyler, Dawn #2, Jeff, Colleen
• Tacos sampled:  braised pork, mahi mahi, baja shrimp and carne asada (also have chicken, braised beef, vegetarian, roasted salmon, baja fish and crispy tacos with either tinga chicken or braised beef)
  
• Toppings:  cilantro, rice, black beans, pico de gallo and sour cream (all on the side)
  
• Salsa:  salsa roja, salsa verde and pico de gallo
  
• Extras:  chips
  
• Tortillas:  freshly pressed and griddled/flour; thick
  
• Atmosphere:  swanky, Miami Vice, dark, taco club, Gringo
  
• Price:  $13.25-$19.95/platter
  
• OVERALL RATING:  8.5
  

Not very fresco.

There are a lot of taco combinations in the world that work very well together: Taco Bell-KFC, taco pizza and Choco-tacos, just to name a few. So, have you ever wanted to go to a place that’s a taco joint and a hot dog hut in one? Me neither. But, after fulfilling my civic duties on jury duty, I decided to meet my little princess downtown at Taco Fresco. Taco Fresco shares its small space with Millenium Dogs in the Loop.

So, how are the tacos?…Well, let’s just say that the colorful interior and their collection of hot sauces on the wall are the most exciting things inside.

I’m going to make this simple and plain, just like the tacos. They serve the meat inside two overly thick, bland corn tortillas. The wall of tortilla masks any flavor that the tacos should have. Fortunately, there isn’t any flavor, so the tortillas aren’t hiding anything.

The steak is very blase and a little dry. No me gusta. The chicken is at least cut into chunks, but is still dry and flavorless. No me gusta. The shrimp is ok in terms of how it’s cooked, but it, too, lacks any spice or flavor. No me gusta. There are more options, but I’m pretty sure I’d run into the same problems with any choice.

The tacos are topped with chihuahua cheese, lettuce and pico de gallo. The toppings provide the only moisture your mouth will sense. They also have a small variety of salsas to choose from. I suggest loading up on the salsa so your tongue knows you’re actually eating something and not chewing on a shoe box…

In conclusion, this place is boring and not worth going to. Try the hot dogs. Or, better yet, don’t look for tacos

I know there’s some flavor hiding somewhere under there…

downtown. Stick to the neighborhoods.

In the immortal words of my late homie Nate Dogg, hope you’re ready for the next episode…

• Location:  180 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL (The Loop)
  
• Tourists:  Josh, Julia
• Tacos sampled:  steak, chicken, shrimp (also have beef, grilled vegetable, yellow fin tuna, black bean, refried bean, or guacamole)
  
• Toppings:  chihuahua cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo
  
• Salsa:  tomatillo (mild), roja (medium), que mada (hot), jalapeno (very hot)
  
• Extras:  none
  
• Tortillas:  corn
  
• Atmosphere:  quiet, wall of hot sauce, loopy, plain, 1/2 taco joint-1/2 hot dog joint?
  
• Price:  $2.15-$2.95/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING:  5.5
  

My dad is so happy to see a taco joint, he’s crying.

For my entire tenure on Earth, 36 years, I have loved sports. In those years, I have only lived in Illinois (32 years) and Iowa (4 years). All of my favorite sports teams come from those two states….with the exception of one. I am a Bengals fan. I admit it. No, not the Bangles, the 80’s girly band led by the red-hot Susanna Hoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals. The football team. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve suffered through some horrific seasons.

With that said, I’ve been on an island with my team. My parents, sisters and some friends in Cincinnati are Bengals fans, but most of the time I root on my terrible team, it’s by myself. If I ever see somebody in public wearing a Bengals hat or shirt, I always talk to them, or give ‘em a “Who Dey!”. Of course they think I’m a weirdo, but it’s just so rare to see for me.

I try to go to at least one game in Cincinnati each year. When I get there, it seems very odd to me that there are so many people wearing Bengals stuff, talking about the Bengals, seeing Bengals gear in stores and having the Bengals be a focal point on the news. It’s almost like I’m lost, or over-stimulated, when I’m surrounded by Bengals fans.

So, on my most recent trip to see the Bengals play in Cincinnati, what did I do to make myself feel more at home? That’s right, I found a taco spot.

Right between Paul Brown Stadium and The Great American Ballpark, lies a touristy brand spankin’ new strip called The Banks. Jefferson Social is one of those brand spankin’ new types of taco joints. So, my dad, sister and brother-in-law decided to give it a try.

I think the build-up, sorta like my intro, was a little much, though. Don’t get me wrong, Jefferson Social is a very good taco spot. It’s just not, THE taco spot. It’s the kind of place you go with your family when you’re in town for the game. It’s not the type of place many of the local Queen City inhabitants frequent…or Covington weirdos for that matter.

I had the chicken, barbacoa and fish tacos. They all are topped with fancy-pants ingredients, and look really exotic, so they can charge you a little bit more. Plus, you’re from out of town. You’ll pay it.

The chicken taco is a really tasty taco. It is made with chicken thighs, which is a great idea because they are cheaper and juicier. It is topped with black bean and corn salsa, along with cojita cheese. Nope, not queso. Cheese. It’s also the prettiest taco. The toppings are fine, but the thighs are what do it for me (insert inappropriate joke here).

The barbacoa is good too, but the meat isn’t quite as juicy, even thought the taco is runny. Crazy, I know. It is topped with pico de gallo and cojita cheese. I think the meat is stewed too quickly, because it isn’t’t as tender as I think it should be. Still, a good taco.

Then, I tried the fish taco. This is my favorite. It is stuffed with two giant chunks of beer-battered cod. I normally don’t like too much batter on my fish taco, but these pieces are so big, you still get plenty of fish with your crunchy crust. I like that you can really taste the fish. It isn’t  just the thought of eating fish, like on a lot of other fish tacos. It is topped with cabbage and, in my opinion, too much remoulade on top. Oh, well, nothing can be perfect.

One side note: I’m pretty sure the cheese they use is cotija cheese, but it said cojita cheese three times on the menu, so I just went with their spelling.

Clockwise from 11:00: carnitas (not sampled by me), the fish and the chicken.

Ok, I’ll stop rambling….on to the next stop!

Who Dey!?!

• Location:  101 E. Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH (The Banks)
• Tourists:  Josh, Dave, Heather, Darin
• Tacos sampled:  chicken, barbacoa, fish (also have carnitas, roasted vegetable, and social supreme)
  
• Toppings:  varies per taco
  
• Salsa: mango habenero and salsa verde
  
• Extras:  none
  
• Tortillas:  flour (except the social supreme; hard corn)
  
• Atmosphere:  touristy, white, river, tourists, not Mexican
  
• Price:  $3.50-$4.00/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING:  7.5
  

“Open B______” – you fill in the blank…leave your answer as a comment…

Takito Kitchen. Oh, Takito Kitchen.

Let me just start by saying Takito Kitchen has delicious food, great drinks and an impressive, well-thought out theme. Each taco is mouthwateringly good. The margaritas are dangerously easy to take down. The people who work there are extremely nice. AND it is a cool, hip joint where you can impress your friends.

So, why does it seem like I’m leading up to one big but (not the Sir Mix-a-Lot kind)? Let’s just talk about the tacos first…

The first taco I ate was the crispy redfish. It is served on a hibiscus tortilla with carrot-jalapeno slaw, coconut custard and basil. Sounds great, right? Well, it is. The fish is cooked perfectly and isn’t over breaded. It has a little crunch and zing from the slaw and some moisture and freshness from the custard and basil. Overall, a very good fish taco.

Next, I tried the beef barbacoa. This guy comes on a corn tortilla with queso fresco, tamarind, chayote, peanuts and cilantro. That sounds like a lot, and it is, but it’s basically just a beef pot roast taco with a few ingredients on top. The toppings aren’t very noticeable, but it doesn’t matter. The beef steals the show. It is very tender and juicy. It’s a little sweet, and doesn’t really seem like a taco, but it’s still delicious.

Last, I had the lamb chorizo. This is my favorite. The chorizo itself (who cares about the rest?) is good enough to put on a plate and eat alone. It’s gamy, smoky, spicy, and it’s sausage. It’s perfect. The taco sits atop a corn tortilla and is topped with Brunkow cheese, tomatillo salsa, and jicama. Did I mention that the chorizo is good?

Now, for that butt.

This place is too expensive, especially considering the portions. Most of the tacos are $11 for 3 and they are all tiny. I ate four and a half tacos, plus some appetizers. I don’t even eat four and a half tacos at an all you can eat taco bar. Also, you can’t order tacos a la carte. You have to get them in 3’s. That’s just stupid.

In addition, the salsas are either $3 each, or $6 for three. They are good, but they are very small. They don’t come with chips either. They come with masa and rice crackers. Good try on the ingenuity, but just stick with the chips. They’re good with salsa. I Promise.

As for the drinks….they’re very tasty, but they’ll set you back. Margaritas start at $10. An Old Fashioned costs $15 and a Manhattan is $18!!! They don’t even come with a girl. Arg.

So, in summary, this place has awesome food and is great for people who don’t like their money…

Somebody has a fancy phone with a fancy app…

The rundown:

• Location:  2013 W. Division St., Chicago, IL (Ukranian Village)
• Tourists:  Josh, Julia, Summer, Kelly
• Tacos sampled:   crispy redfish, beef barbacoa and lamb chorizo (also have pork belly, chicken pepian and brunkow cheese)
• Toppings:  varies per taco
• Salsa:  tomatillo pistachio, hibiscus and ghost pepper, and corn puree ($3 ea. or $6.5 for all 3); served with masa and rice crackers
  
• Extras:  nada
  
• Tortillas:  corn, hibiscus and sesame (depending on the taco)
• Atmosphere:  farm to table, new-wave, meticulous, “price check on lane 2 please!”, tasty, chipless
  
• Price:  $10-$11/3 tacos
  
• OVERALL RATING: 7.5

Great picture, I know.

12:55 a.m.

Hungry.

Been at Lollapalooza all weekend.

Free drinks. Free.

Julia, Paul, Glen and I decide to make a stop at Tecalitlan Restaurant. It’s Mexican. It’s open until 2:00 a.m. Let’s do this!

We sit down, looking around.

“Our kitchen is closing. If you guys order now, we can put it in, otherwise the kitchen will be closed,” explained our server, politely.

Paul was immediately out. He knew they were going to spit in our food or rub our tortillas on their undesirables. But, after a little coaxing, he agreed to stay and order. We all felt a little nervous, knowing some of the horrific things some of our friends have done in their days working in a kitchen.

It was a little weird that they were packing up an hour before they closed. But, when they said that we couldn’t get chips because they were packed up for the night, we knew it was a little weird. What kind of impenetrable storage containers are they using to hold these chips overnight?

They did bring out a bottle of salsa verde that the server said they were “able to squeeze out”. We didn’t ask. We assumed the worst and hoped for the best.

I quickly orderd a carne asada, a chorizo and an al pastor taco.

The carne asada taco is alright. It’s nice and charred, but a little dry. They double up the tortillas here, so a dry meat isn’t exactly desirable, but at least the flavor is good.

The chorizo is very similar. It’s house made and has good intentions, but comes up a little dry. Too bad because the spices and paprika are flavorful in the sausage.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before….The al pastor taco has some nice flavor. It is sweet, smoky and spicy – all important in the al pastor world. BUT, it is a bit dry.

Needless to say, this place is a little dry. Maybe a nice loogie in my tacos would have moistened them up a bit…

NOW, I will take about 5% of the responsibility for this trip because we came in late at night, but I still think they should

Looks good, donut?

have been a little more prepared for us (please remember, I am a taco diva…).

Herearethedetails:

• Location:  1814 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL (Ukranian Village)
• Tourists:  Josh, Julia, Paul, Glen
• Tacos sampled:  carne asada, chorizo and al pastor (also have picadillo, aguacate, pollo, pierna del puerco, vegetariano, pescado, chile relleno and lengua)
• Toppings:  onions and cilantro; tomato and lettuce
• Salsa: salsa verde
  
• Extras: chips (although, they were “packed up” when we were there)
• Tortillas: corn
• Atmosphere:  empty, liars, probably spit in our food, ready to go home, late
  
• Price:  $2.25-$2.65/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING:  6.5
  

I know it blends in with the other buildings, but it’s the bright pink building in the center of the picture…

I’ve long heard/read about El Milagro and have wanted to get down to Pilsen to check it out. I’ll start with the ending and then fill in the details of how we got there: uh, it’s a good taco place that’s very memorable.

Ok. What does that mean?

First, let’s start with the appearance:  look at the picture to the left. Yeah. I know. I enjoy the color scheme. I’m just assuming, but I think a six year old girl won a contest to become the color coordinator. Looks great!

The inside? Not as bright as the outside, but a grand variety of art going on. I think a five year old boy won this contest. It’s like a smorgasbord of Mexican artwork: bullfighting, religion, Mexican princesses, a pueblo blanket next to a pueblo painting, a random throne and a cherub fountain all fighting one another for your attention. A real orgy of artwork if you ask me.

The setup at the counter looks like a cross between the mission-style burrito line and a Mexican buffet. Don’t get me wrong. It’s impressive, and entertaining to look at. Each dish looks like a casserole stolen from a grandmother in Oaxaca. These dishes are the ingredients that go into the tacos (and other dishes, but who cares about those?).

So, it’s not the tradish: pollo, carnitas, al pastor, etc. taco place. It’s more of a throw-an-entire-meal-in-a-tortilla spot. Get it? Got it? Good.

Ok, so you get your tacos and what’s the first thing you notice? They are busting out of their tortillas. Imagine that brunette from Two Broke Girls in an A-cup. There is at least three tacos worth of filling in each individual taco. Also, they have rice and beans in the taco. It makes you feel like you’re eating a burrito-taco. Hmmm.

How do the tacos taste? Ah, they’re pretty good.

I had the asada, the lengua de res and the puerco en salsa verde. Each of them are good. There isn’t anything spectacular about any of them, but each is solid. They have huge hunks of meat in them, so if you’re into big, hunky meat, this may be your stop (Glen).

There isn’t any glaring issue either…..except…. I sensed an overall lack of freshness. I thought the tortillas were going to be steamy and right off the press. I mean, they are the same El Milagro that makes tortillas sold at your local grocer. AND, they’re made right next store.

Also, I don’t think letting the food sit in chafing dishes helps. I’m not sure how often they turn over some of the dishes. Hopefully at least once a weak.

Regardless, you owe it to yourself to ahead to Pilsen and check this place out. You’ll have plenty to talk about.

Each taco has beans, rice and cabbage…

Da tails:

• Location:  1923 S. Blue Island Ave., Chicago, IL (Pilsen)
• Tourists:  Josh, Glen
• Tacos sampled:  asada, lengua de res and puerco en salsa verde (also have pollo asada, guisado de res, chicharron en salsa, huevo en salsa, milaneza de res, milaneza de pollo, chile relleno con queso and vegetariano)
• Toppings:  rice, beans, cabbage, hot sauce
• Salsa:  salsa roja (also have sasla verde and salsa roja in some of the dishes)
  
• Extras:  none
• Tortillas:  corn (have flour available on request, Whities)
• Atmosphere:  cafeteria, buffet-ish, burrito tacos, meat hunks, Mexican casseroles, cray eclectic artwork
  
• Price:  $3.09/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING: 7.75
  

Just how I like my women: small, dirty and a little sketchy.

Well, I’m 3-for-3 on grocery store taquerias. With a sample that large, this scientist must conclude that all grocery store taquerias have great tacos. I wonder where they get their ingredients, though?

Anywhoo. I ordered four tacos. Literally (I hate is when people say literally and don’t mean it…i.e., “I could literally eat a horse”….”No, you couldn’t, dummie), they served me two of my tacos within 10 seconds of ordering them. The other two came just a couple minutes later. Needless to say, but I guess I will anyway, they’re quick!

Let’s start with the star of the show, the al pastor. It is cooked on a spit (I think David agreed to come because it’s reminds him of Schwarma), the way it should be. You can taste little bits of smoky, caramelized meat, yet it is still very juicy, spicy and sweet: a perfect combo.

BTW, the tacos here are overflowing with meat. I think more fell out of my first taco than stayed in it.

The asada and chorizo tacos are both good, but don’t compare to the al pastor. I like the texture of the asada, but it could use a little more grill flavor, like its aforementioned counterpart. The chorizo is also good, but I would like it to be a little more spicy. At least it doesn’t ooze grease like a lot of the chorizo fakers out there.

That leads us to the final taco I tried, the namesake of the joint, the Tierra Caliente. The Tierra Caliente is an asada taco with grilled onions and some very hot spices. But, when I bit into it, it tasted EXACTLY like the al pastor. I couldn’t tell the difference and went up to ask at the counter. The guy behind the counter gave me a weird look like he didn’t know the answer, and just said, “Yes, it’s the Caliente”.

It wasn’t. I know it. These taco taste buds don’t ever fail me. So, I guess I’ll have to go back and try the Caliente, for real this time.

Maybe they should slow down just a bit…

Anyway, except for that small misstep, this place tickled my fancy (where is your fancy, anyway?).

Uh, where you gonna put all that meat?

I can’t wait to try Dominick’s tacos next…

Tootles:

• Location:  1402 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL (Wicker Park)
  
• Tourists:  Josh, David, Jenny
• Tacos sampled:  asada, chorizo, al pastor and tierra caliente (also have barbacoa, carnitas, chiles rellenos, lengua, chicharron and campechano)
  
• Toppings:  onions and cilantro; lime
  
• Salsa:  salsa verde and salsa roja
  
• Extras:  grilled jalapenos
  
• Tortillas:  corn, doubled up
  
• Atmosphere:  grocery store, super fast, un poco unorganized, order at counter, muy rapido
  
• Price:  $2.00-$2.49/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING:  7.75
  

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
  

Yes, I took this picture while on top of the hood of this mini van.

Cemitas Puebla has been on my radar for a while. It continuously shows up on lists of the best taco places in Chicago. So, I got my most superhero esque friend Glen, and headed down to Humboldt Park. In order to look like mortal men and not stick out, we rode our bicycles.

Cemitas Puebla is a small, authentic Mexican joint on a street, and in a neighborhood, with many to choose from. At first glance, it doesn’t separate itself from many of those other spots. The real difference, though, shows itself in due time.

We walked in, placed our order at the counter, and sat down to wait for the food. They don’t have chips of pickled veggies, so we sat and argued about video games, like most people of our stature.

My order was a little different than normal. I still stuck with the carne asada, but also ordered two specialty tacos: the Governor Precioso, and taco arabes.

The asada is just how it should be. It’s seasoned well and the meat is cooked perfectly. The taco is juicy and has a little char on the outside. The only thing it could use  is some smoky grill flavor, but this is still a very good taco nonetheless.

The Governor Precioso (translates to ‘my dear Governor’ – a reference I don’t understand) is a combo of asada and chorizo. It’s the same asada I had previously, so I was obviously happy with that. The chorizo, in addition, is outstanding. It’s made in house and is nice and spicy. You can see flecks of red chile throughout the sausage. My only regret is that I didn’t order a chorizo taco on its own.

My final taco was the taco arabes (translates to Arab taco – again, I don’t get it). This is a spit-roasted pork taco. The meat itself is similar to an al pastor taco, but their seasoning and sauces are different. Here, it is served with onions (no pineapple) and a chipotle salsa (rather than a chipotle marinade). The salsa is fiery hot and is one of the staple ingredients of the restaurant. The taco has incredible grill flavor and maintains a juicy consistency.

One more thing: Their big feature is the cemita. For all intents and purposes, it is similar to a torta, but I think is much better.

The cemita is a sandwich on a sesame seed bun with the meat of your choice. It’s topped with avacado, chipotle peppers, Oaxacan cheese and popalo (a Mexican herb that tastes like a cross between parsley and cilantro). It is truly awesome. They claim to be the only place in Chicago to serve cemitas, so you’ll have to stop by.

My dear Governor, I love your taco!?!

I’m not sure what took me so long to come to Cemitas Puebla, but I can promise you I’ll be back soon.

The deets:

• Location:  3619 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL (Humboldt Park)
• Tourists:  Josh, Glen
• Tacos sampled:  carne asada, Gov. Precioso, taco arabes (also have chorizo, al pastor, orientales, cecina, and pollo)
  
• Toppings:  onions and cilantro, lime
  
• Salsa:  salsa verde, salsa rojo, salsa caliente
  
• Extras:  none
  
• Tortillas:  corn
  
• Atmosphere:  order at counter, cemitas, authentico, quiet, grill in yo’ face
  
• Price:  $2.15-$2.95/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING:  8.5