Author Archives: tacotourist

Assassins.

Here’s the scene. You’re at a festival. A burger festival, with 14 chuck slingin’ vendors, in an extremely white part of Chicago. You build up a giant hunger from fighting through all the stroller moms, slamming room temperature watered down beer, and babysitting your girlfriend’s brother (who’s 26 and began the day by shotgunning Straw-ber-ritas). What do you do?

You leave the festival and go to the nearest taco joint! Duh.

We decided on Tony’s Burrito Mex, mostly because it’s only about 25 steps outside of the festival, but also because it used to be a late night go-to of mine back in the day. I wanted to know if I liked it because it was bar-closing time and I “needed” a late night, convenient, after party snack. Or, if it’s actually good.

The first thing I remembered when we walked in, was how it feels like a diner. The inside is all painted white and there are some bar stools up at the counter. You order at the counter and wait for for yours to be called. Listen closely, these m’f’ers talk super hypo fast. There are no servers, no chips, just time. And some gumball/sticker/candy dispensers.

I ordered three tacos. The carne asada, the al pastor and the chorizo.

I must admit, I liked all three a lot, and didn’t have very high expectations going in. Apparently, my liquor-pickled palate is still quite a reliable one….

I wish they put onions and cilantro on their tacos, along with a little lime, but I’ll live. Instead they put lettuce, tomato, sour cream and cheese (a white cheese, to match the walls, the toppings and the neighborhood, I think).

The asada is a good taco. There’s nothing extraordinary about it, but it has nice flavor and texture. The tortillas are soft (and would you believe it? white!), allowing you to taste the meat properly.

The al pastor is also a very good taco. Again, they don’t do anything crazy, and I don’t think they have spit, but they do it right. The pork has a nice adobo marinade that is sweet and spicy and the meat is perfectly juicy (I try to steer clear of the word moist on this blog). I didn’t taste any pineapple or onions, which most al pastor tacos come with, but I was still very pleased.

The star, here, though, is the chorizo taco. The chorizo is made in house and is spicy. Not white boy spicy. Spicy. You can see the flecks of chile in the sausage. It has a nice amount of paprika and is a little sweet. ¡Me encanta!

There are a few things I’d change about this place, and the tacos. But, overall I think it, and they, are very good and are worth

dodging baby stroller torpedoes in order to get.

So white.

Until we meet again:

• Location:  1957 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL (Roscoe Village)
• Tourists:  Josh, Julia, Lisa, Bingo, Thomas, Johnny, Adam
• Tacos sampled:   carne asada, al pastor, chorizo (also have pollo, picadillo, lengua, chile relleno and vegetarian)
• Toppings:  lettuce, tomato, hot sauce, sour cream and cheese
• Salsa:  salsa roja and salsa verde
  
• Extras:  nada
• Tortillas:  corn
• Atmosphere:  diner, strollers, quiet, white walls, whiter neighborhood
  
• Price: $1.85-$2.99/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING: 8.0
  

Suburbs. Ew.

You know how everybody was born for a reason? You have a destiny in life. A talent. A path.

My friend Glen and I are both English teachers. “Oh, how nice. You have chosen your path to be to help the youth of America? What great people!.”

Well, that’s not what I’m talking about. We are both here as two of the best Playstation 3 NCAA Football game players in history. Look it up.

This has made us extremely competitive with each other on and off the Playstation field. So, the other day, we decided to golf against each other for a little money. We decided on $5,000. This may seem like a big deal to some of you, but the real pride existed in our side bet.

Each tee shot on a par 3 would be for a taco, closest to the pin (there were three in all). The only stipulation was that the ball must be on the green to qualify. Otherwise it carries over the next part 3 hole. Get it? Got it? Good.

So, on the final green, and Glen in the clubhouse with a 47, I was within 18 feet of the pin and sitting on 46 shots. I was hungry (I’ll get to the side bet in a minute). I wiped the sweat from my eyes, took a deep breath, closed my eyes and struck the ball…..wham!…right in the clown’s mouth. We tied. No money exchanged hands.

So, the side bet.

Third hole. We both miss. Carry over for two tacos. Fifth hole. We both miss. We try a second round. We both miss. Carry over for three tacos. Eighth hole. We both miss. We both miss again. Then, on the 11th try of the afternoon, feeling like the real-life Tin Cup (yeah, I know, I know), I put one on. Glen, of course, missed, and I won ALL THREE TACOS!!! Boom! Eat a bag of wieners LeBron.

Wait, is this a diary, or a taco blog?

Right.

So, Glen and I went to Zacatacos in Bridgeview on our way back to the city so I could collect my booty. This location, out of the four, looks the most like it’s a big stupid chain out in the suburbs. The others, I’ve been told, look mas authentico. I had to put that in the back of my mind, and just concentrate on the tacos, though. I’ve been told this is a great place and don’t want my prejudiced attitude to cloud my judgement.

Maybe the reason I typed for so long and didn’t talk about the tacos is because I’m kinda torn on them. I ordered the asada, chorizo and the al pastor. The meats on all of them are excellent. The asada is juicy, salty and has great flavor. The chorizo is home made, has a ton of spice, and isn’t too greasy. The al pastor balances the spicy with the sweet very well. You can taste the grilled char on the exterior. I loved all of the meat.

All of these tacos are very, very good…..with one major problem. The tortilla tastes like leather AND they are doubled up for each taco. I can’t believe the contrast between the near perfection of the meat and the disaster of the tortilla(s). It takes a lot of the flavor, most of the texture and all of the moisture from the meat.

Yes, I realize that I could’ve taken one of the tortillas away. But, I eat the tacos as they are served to me. I figure how they are served to me is how they should be eaten. Also, one of these tortillas is still bad enough to ruin the meat.

I’d be curious to try the other spots, and I’m sure I will.

Alotta masa, man.

P.S. – The salsas are both good and the red one is muy caliente.

Toots:

• Location:  8460 S. Harlem Ave., Bridgeview, IL (Southwest Suburb)
• Tourists:  Josh, Glen
• Tacos sampled:   asada, chorizo, al pastor (also have pollo, lengua, picadillo, vegetarian, papa, and chile relleno)
• Toppings:  onions and cilantro; or lettuce, tomato and cheese
• Salsa:  salsa verde and salsa roja
  
• Extras:  chips
• Tortillas:  corn, doubled up
• Atmosphere:  suburban, sportscenter, sterile, friendly, salsa roja es muy caliente
  
• Price:  $1.75-$2.50/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING:  8.25
  

More like Stinkin’ Park.

As a rule, I basically try to stay as far away from Lincoln Park as possible. It sucks. From the haves to the have mores, I generally don’t think I have a lot in common with the people who hang there…other than our pasty exterior.

One reason to put on your big girl panties and go, though, is Taco Joint. Taco Joint isn’t just another one of these fancy pants, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink taco places that are popping up. Well, it is, but they have a few intricacies, a nice tequila selection and some perty darned good tacos to help differentiate themselves.

Taco Joint has an array of tacos on the regular menu. They also have a special taco each day of the week, and most of them sound delicious (listed below). They have a drink special every day as well, although the margaritas on Mondays aren’t very good. That is, unless you prefer no tequila in yours and for it to taste like a bitter lime peel. In that case, dive right in.

One other cool thing, is they have a lady who hand makes their tortillas. They are made with the normal masa used in traditional tortillas, and then they add a twist, which changes from time to time. The day I went they had black bean tortillas. They are warm and soft and delicate. Kinda makes me want to be the tortilla tourist. Ok, maybe not. But they are very good.

The first taco I tried was the barbacoa. It’s a braised brisket topped with onion, cilantro and a roasted red jalapeno salsa. Sounds good, huh? Well, it is. It’s very juicy and tastes like a home cooked pot roast. The onion provides some crunch and the salsa adds a nice smoky kick. Me like.

The camaron taco comes with an avocado salsa and some flash fried spinach. The shrimp themselves are quite tasty, but as a taco, this one doesn’t quite work. The spinach clashed with the shrimp and I found it a little awkward tasting. I think if they replace the spinach with some cilantro, it would work nicely. Easily said while typing from my living room in my underpants, I know.

Next I had the papa con chorizo. This is on the sope menu, but they let you order it as a taco as well. It’s pretty simple, (chorizo, potatoes, guacamole and salsa) yet very good. The mixture creates a spicy, creamy potato that is worth coming back for.

My final taco was the Monday specialty taco, the crab cake. Like it sounds, it’s a crab cake in a tortilla. They don’t shape it any special way, so it eats a little awkwardly, but it’s still very good. It is topped with pickled red onions, watercress, and a jalapeno tartar sauce. I’ll admit that this one didn’t feel too much like a taco, but my liberal side is letting it slide (am I a rapper?).

I hope I’m not back in Lincoln Park for a while, but if I am, I’ll have to stop by this place again. I just hope it’s not on a Monday so I can try another specialty taco and drink deal. I’m also wanting to see what the other tortillas may be like.

Until the next stop:

• Location:  1969 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL (Lincoln Park)
• Tourists:  Josh, Glen
• Tacos sampled:  barbacoa, camaron, papa con chorizo, crab cake (also have cochinita, ceviche, al pastor, fajita, estile baja, rajas, tinga and vegetariano – plus a special taco every day including: quesa, arabe, chile relleno, carnitas, pancita and pozole verde)
• Toppings:  varies with each taco
• Salsa:  no salsa
  
• Extras:  none
• Tortillas:  they have different rotating tortillas, all made with corn masa – they served a black bean variety the day I was there
• Atmosphere:  bar, white, friendly, knowledgeable staff, tequila
  
• Price:  $2.50-$3.50/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING:   8.75

According to his nephew, that’s “Big Josh” and I’m “Little Josh”…

Monday, August 22, 1983. Geneseo, IL. Small town America.

I walk into my kindergarten classroom, new to the town, wide-eyed and without a friend in the world…or at least the classroom. But, I notice a boy in my class that is named Josh as well. “Whoa. I should get to know this kid.”

Fast forward 30 years and I’ve been friends with that kid every moment since. His name is still Josh, but we’ve found that we have a lot more in common over the past (phew!) four decades. One of those things, just happens to be our love for Mexican fare.

Josh now resides in Southern California, but when he visits, we dine Mexican. On a recent visit, we decided to go to Picante, a place I’ve wanted to try for a while.

Picante is very small and has no indoor seating. They do have a nice outdoor patio, though. With its location in Wicker Park, there’s enough going on keep you entertained. Josh and I provided our own entertainment, though, by talking about how bald we’ve gotten and how fat everyone from our high school has become.

I tried four tacos, and was very pleased with each. There wasn’t any one taco that stood out as a top-tier taco, but they were all delicious.

The steak taco has a very nice grill flavor and is not skimpy on meat or toppings. It’s juicy and has a little kick, just as it should. Very niiice (Borat accent).

The chorizo is a home-made sausage. It definitely isn’t one of those tube, grease thingys from the grocery store. It has good spice and enough paprika to balance the heat. It’s definitely not a taco to be overlooked.

The fish taco has a lot of meat in it as well. It isn’t over breaded, which allows you to actually taste the fish. A lot of places hide their terrible fish with a lot of breading and mayonnaise. Not here. Nice to see…er taste.

The last taco I tried was the white boy. I applaud Picante’s mockery of the white man’s taco. It’s a hard shell taco, with ground beef cooked just the way 99% of the white population grew up eating tacos at home. It’s topped with lettuce, tomato, onion and cilantro, just like the other tacos. The white boy, though, has one extra blanco-friendly ingredient: cheddar cheese. Nothing says white boy taco like cheddar cheese…

Needless to say, we enjoyed our visit.

One of these kids is doing his own thing…

Oh…who’s Chip? He’s a badass tattoo artist from Long Beach. Check him out here.

All the beautiful details:

• Location:  1216 W. Division St., Chicago, IL (Wicker Park)
• Tourists:  Josh, Josh, Chip
• Tacos sampled:   steak, chorizo, fish, white boy (also have ground beef, chicken, al pastor and veggie; plus taco salads)
• Toppings:  lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro
• Salsa:  salsa verde
  
• Extras:  none
• Tortillas:  corn (hard shell on the white boy)
• Atmosphere:  small, no indoor seating, outdoor seating/people watching, quick, do they sell much in winter?
  
• Price:  $2.50-$3.00/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING:   8.5
  

This is going to be short and, well, short.

Taqueria Teloloapan is on Fullerton Ave. in west Logan Square. There are a million taco joints within a couple blocks of here. Justin and I thought about going to one, and then changed our mind and went to Teloloapan.

This place sucks.

Two hungry, growing, strong men (Justin and I) walked in there and ordered six tacos. They left with about two and a half tacos still on their plates. Not a good sign.

The asada is plain and boring. It has a weird taste to it, like they used a seasoning that clashes with the steak. It doesn’t work and offends me.

The chorizo is…..well….have you ever seen people do the cinnamon challenge? Eating their chorizo is like taking the paprika challenge. Not cool.

The one silver lining in this place is the camaron taco. Somehow it’s actually pretty good. If you’re ever at gunpoint and forced to come here, try one of those….or maybe just skip the taco menu altogether (blaspheme!).

Better yet, maybe you should just take your chances…..or go to one of the other places down the street.

One last comment. They are very slow and do not refill water, chips or salsa without being asked. I know I’m a diva, but this doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.

Anyway, here are the deets:

• Location:  3641 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL (Logan Square)
  
• Tourists:  Josh, Justin
• Tacos sampled:  asada, chorizo and camaron (also have pastor, pollo, carnitas, chicharron, barbacoa, lengua, chile relleno and pescado)
  
• Toppings:  red onions and cilantro
  
• Salsa:  salsa verde and salsa roja
  
• Extras:  chips
  
• Tortillas:  corn, doubled up
  
• Atmosphere:  musica Lantina, slow, refill phobic, bland, hasta nunca
  
• Price: $2.10-$2.75/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING: 5.0
  

Taco’s? Taco is? Do the tacos own something?

Some dudes and I go fishing every year up to the Northwoods in northern Wisconsin. It’s a mecca for outdoorsmen: hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, RTV’ing, lumber work, lakes, pine trees, bald eagles….yadi yadi yada. None of us, however, quite fit the bill as an outdoorsman. We enjoy ourselves, nonetheless.

Not far from our lake is a small town of 1,500 called Hurley. Ninety-Eight percent of Hurley residents come from one of two ethnic groups: white or white trash…most of them from the latter. Hurley is known for Silver Street, a main street that runs north and south through town. In this small section of Hurley, there are about 25 bars and 6 gentleman’s clubs, along with a casino a few miles down the road. Sounds great, right?

Well, it is and it isn’t.

It’s certainly a spectacle to see. Where else can you find a dancer with a knee brace….or stretch marks….or bruises up and down her legs….or a good ole fashioned muffin top? Good, bad, gross, despicable….they’re all entertaining.

What does this have to do with tacos? Well, EVERYONE in town tells you that you HAVE to eat at the Munch. “Their tacos are the best!” “You have to try their sauce (not salsa, sauce)!” “It’s the best sauce ever!”

So, we went to the Munch, which boasts a sign that says they have served over 1 million tacos. How could 1 million tacos be wrong?

The Munch is basically a bar, that happens to serve tacos. In the Northwoods, though, that’s a taco joint. Their menu, in its entirety, consists of beef tacos. Hard shell or soft shell. That’s it. Kinda like the In-N-Out Burger of tacos.

So, how are they?

They are absolutely terrible. The beef is soooo plain. Those taco packets you can get at Aldi are 1 million times better that the seasoning on the Munch’s tacos. They are topped with lettuce, tomato, and cheese, along with a sour cream packet (remember that white trash part?!?). But, the sauce. What about the sauce?

The sauce tastes Italian and is nothing more than some watered down tomato paste, along with too much sugar. It’s too sweet and has absolutely no spice. It’s almost as if no Hispanic people live within 200 miles of here….oh, wait.

Both kinds.

To sum things up: I would say the Munch’s tacos, along with their coveted sauce, are on par with the entertainment in town.

Ugh:

• Location:  201 Silver St., Hurley, WI (Northwoods)
• Tourists:  Josh, Justin, Gunner, Glen, Travis, Tyler, Paul, Mike
• Tacos sampled:  beef
• Toppings:  lettuce, tomatoes, cheese (sour cream packet on the side)
• Salsa:  red sauce
  
• Extras:  none
• Tortillas:  corn hard shell, flour soft shell
• Atmosphere:  hicks, uglies, dummies, bar, small town
  
• Price:  $1.25/hard shell; $1.50/soft shell
  
• OVERALL RATING:  2.0

Glen and I had a hard time finding the giant, bright purple awning.

For 10 months a year I am a school teacher. If you’d like to hear about how my lunch normally goes at school, click here. But, for two months of the year, I am nothing. I don’t have a time to be up. I don’t have responsibilities. I barely even bathe. BUT, one thing I make sure to do, is test the local taco spots. So, I called fellow teaching professional Glen, and advertising tycoon Justin, to join me for some tacos in Logan Square at Zacatecas…not to be confused with Zacatacos or Zacatecana.

If you ever look up Zacatecas on Yelp (who would ever waste their tie reading taco reviews??), you’ll notice that they get high praise for their brunch, and very mixed reviews on their tacos and traditional Mexican food. I guess I’ll have to be the judge. I ordered the carne asada taco, an al pastor, a chorizo and a lengua.

I can see why they get mixed reviews. I have mixed reviews myself. Let’s go top down this time.

The al pastor is probably the best taco I tried. It is nice and juicy, as well as smoky and sweet. I’d like to see a little spice in there, but it is still a very nice taco. The carne asada also holds its own. Again, the meat is moist and has some nice grill flavor. It could use a little salt, though.

The chorizo, on the other hand, is also tasty taco, but has a bit too much salt. I know, I know. Make up your mind, salt or no salt? Well, when you’re a taco diva, it takes a lot to impress you. You have higher standards. You notice the little things. You… you….whatever. I’m picky.

The lengua was recommended to me by our waitress. The texture of the meat is nice on this taco, but that’s about it. It’s pretty bland. There’s no seasoning, and not much in terms on texture besides the soft tongue meat.  Basically, each taco has a positive to work with, but all of them could use a little help.

This place is alright, but since it’s about a block from L’ Patron, I probably won’t be going back….at least for tacos. Maybe I should try the brunch.

A couple side notes: They don’t give you a lime with your tacos. Weird. Also, order extra salsa when you get there. The thimble-sized container of salsa they give you doesn’t seem to last very long.

Ok. I’m out:

• Location:  2934 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago, IL (Logan Square)
• Tourists:  Josh, Justin, Glen
• Tacos sampled:  carne asada, al pastor, chorizo, lengua (also have picadillo, pollo, aguacate, jamon and chicharron)
• Toppings:  onions and cilantro/lettuce and tomato
• Salsa:  salsa roja
  
• Extras:  chips
• Tortillas:  corn
• Atmosphere:  authentic, empty, sportscenter, salsa pequena, musica latina
  
• Price: $1.80-$2.00/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING: 7.5
  

Go Hawkeyes!!

Here’s the deal. I go to Jack & Ginger’s with a group of fellow geniuses (geneia?) every Wednesday for their trivia night. I calculated that in the past 100 Wednesdays, I’ve gone to Jack & Ginger’s 92 times. It’s a sportsy type of bar with decent food, good specials, great service (Katie!) and a nice beer garden.

I’ve eaten about every item on their menu, and yes, tacos are included. I’ve mulled over whether or not to review their tacos because it’s not really a taco place. Not only that, but its patrons are mostly white. Eww. What do they know about tacos?

But, should that stop me from writing about Jack & Ginger’s tacos? Are we not at a place in our nation’s history where we aren’t racist toward white people anymore? What have they ever done? Who have they ever hurt?

Oh, right. Well, I decided to review Jack & Ginger’s tacos anyway…

Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up. The beef taco is extremely average. It lacks any real bite and the seasoning is a little weak. It’s certainly not bad tasting, but it’s just a little basic on flavor. The smoked, dark salsa that comes with the tacos, though is very tasty. It’s chunky and a bit spicy.

The fish tacos are perty darned good. The fish is tasty and deep fried without too much of a batter. The red pepper adds a nice crunch, along with the cabbage and cilantro. The only negative would be the overuse of Cholula ranch. It’s a nice addition, but there’s just too much on the taco. Still an admirable taco, though.

The chicken taco is a very good taco. To me, it’s the star of the taco menu. The meat is marinated in an adobo-style sauce that keeps the chicken very moist. The onions, cilantro and lettuce give it a nice crunch and the goat cheese adds a nice tangy finish. All things considered, no matter where you are, this is a pretty good taco!

Ok, now I promise no more whitey for a while….

Here’s the breakdown:

• Location:  2048 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, IL (Bucktown)
• Tourists:  Josh, Julia, Quinn, Jason, Glen, Nikki, Dan, Melanie, Steve
• Tacos sampled:   beef, chicken, and fish
• Toppings:   onions, cilantro, lettuce, sour cream (and goat cheese on the chicken)
• Salsa:  roasted, dark salsa
  
• Extras:   none
• Tortillas:   corn
• Atmosphere:   bar, sports, trivia, beer garden, caucasian, Hawkeyes
  
• Price: $6.95/3 tacos ($7.95 for the fish)
  
• OVERALL RATING:  7.0
  

Yesterday, my lil’ doggie, Julio, broke his arm. There isn’t any great story to it. I didn’t get mad at him for eating my socks and punt him across the room. I didn’t find him drinking out of the toilet he could never reach and break his arm over my knee. He didn’t save my life fending off an intruder. Nope. He just fell off the bed.

After calming Julio (and Julia) down, we dropped him off at the vet and went on a stroll through the West Loop. On our way to find lunch, wouldn’t you know it, a taco place found us. De Cero Taqueria isn’t a normal taco place, like we’re used to in Logan Square. It’s a fancy one with cloth napkins, $6 salsa, and portfolio conversations. So, I grabbed the lasted Wall Street Journal and we headed in.

De Cero has several taco selections, and many of them change from time to time. They are all impressive sounding. They have various toppings to match each taco meat or veggie. I ordered four tacos: the skirt steak, the braised beef, the catfish and the duck confit.

Here’s the deal. In a city with the likes of Big Star and Antique Taco, De Cero really needed to pull through with some bold flavors.  They do a good job, but I don’t think quite stack up to the others.

The braised beef taco is very good. The beef is stewed like a nice roast and is very juicy. You also get a lot of meat on the taco. It has some caramelized seared green beans on top, as well as cilantro, onions and queso fresco.

The duck confit is also very good, but the toppings don’t add much. The corn and cilantro don’t stick out. The duck meat itself is wonderful, but I’m not sure it fits with the other ingredients on the taco.

The catfish sounds and looks really good. It comes with a Mexican slaw and chipotle mayo. The problem is how they cook the fish. It’s fried and comes out mushy. Too much oil gets through the breading and into the fish. Icky.

The skirt steak is pretty bland. I was excited to see it paired with potatoes, but there is a lack of flavor in the taco. Both the skirt

steak and catfish have a chipotle mayo, at least on the menu. I couldn’t taste it on the tacos, though. Weak.

Looks good, donut?

The deets:

• Location:  814 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL (West Loop)
  
• Tourists:  Josh, Julia
• Tacos sampled:  skirt steak, braised beef, catfish, duck confit (also have tres queson, chorizo, grilled chicken, chicken mole, portabella mushroom, carnitas, black bean, avacado, rajas, shrimp and tilapia)
  
• Toppings:  varies
  
• Salsa:  salsa verde, pico de gallo, habanero, picante
  
• Extras:  none
  
• Tortillas:  corn
  
• Atmosphere:  downtown, yuppies, outside seating, nose up, eaves dropping
  
• Price:  $3.50/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING: 7.5

If anyone ever asks you to go to May Fest in Lakeview, kick them in the knee caps and never talk to them again. It’s the worst festival in the city. There are three food vendors and the porta potties take up twenty percent of the grounds. We went on one of the first nice sunny days of the year and nobody was having fun. Everyone seemed depressed. I had to ask the beer vendors if they were even open because nobody was in line or drinking.

So, what do you do when you hit up a bunk festival? That’s right, look for the nearest taco joint.

Maybe this was as blessing in disguise, because we stumbled on Cafe El Tapatio. El Tapatio has some nice outdoor seating, perfect for our beautiful, terrible day. I ordered a margarita and ordered four tacos: a carne asada, an al pastor, a deshebrada and a pollo.

I really like all four. The carne asada is grilled nicely, is juicy and flavorful. I’m not ready to put it up there with L’ Patron or La Pasadita, but it is still a very good taco. The al pastor is similar. You can taste the sweet, spice and smoke in each flavor-packed bite.

The other two tacos are of the pulled-meat (he he) variety. The deshebrada is pulled beef and the pollo is pulled chicken. Both would be easy to dry out. Neither are dry, though. They each have their own adobo-style sauce, which helps keep the meat moist. They are seasoned nicely. Also, with the onions and cilantro, in the case of the deshebradahave, or the lettuce and tomato, in the case of the pollo, they have a nice crunch.

On a couple side notes: I really like the other food on the menu, too. The refried beans and rice are very good, as are the enchiladas. Also, they give you a handful of Chews with your bill. That’s definitely a nice finishing touch in my book.

My only regret is that I didn’t get a chance to try more tacos on the menu. I guess that gives me a reason to go back.

Here are the details:

• Location:  3400 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL (Lakeview)
  
• Tourists:  Josh, Julia, Paul
• Tacos sampled:  carne asada, al pastor, deshebrada, and pollo (also have chorizo, papas con chorizo, carnitas, pollo, picadillo, pescado, camaron, huevos, and bellos)
  
• Toppings:  onions and cilantro/lettuce, tomato and cheese; lime
  
• Salsa:  salsa roja
  
• Extras:  chips and Chews (with your bill)
  
• Tortillas:  corn
  
• Atmosphere: busy, social, gringo-friendly, margaritas, outdoor dining
  
• Price:  $2.75-3.75/taco
  
• OVERALL RATING: 8.0