113770 Tue Sep 23 19:53:47 -0700 2003 27 7 Chicago Area 0 618633 Will be eating at the Frontera Grill for the first time tomorrow night (am planning to arrive early). Anything I shouldn't miss? or does the menu change too often to really recommend anything? Tue Sep 23 19:53:47 -0700 2003 0 Boatman 1 618634 I love the lamb stew. It's frequently on the menu. Don't get the regular margarita. Go for the Topolo margarita. It's too small, too expensive, but too good. Tue Sep 23 20:14:32 -0700 2003 618633 0 Jim Taggert 1 618636 It has been awhile since I have been there but you can't go wrong with any of the moles. Also, Frontera is known for its chile rellenos, if they are available (they often sell out) you should order a plate. Tue Sep 23 20:17:57 -0700 2003 618633 0 Rick 2 618642 I was at Fronterra tonight. We arrived at 5:30 PM and were ordering our dinners just before 6PM. I ordered the Chille Rellenos, and was promptly told that they were out of them already. Incredulous, I reminded our server that it was only 6PM, the place had been open just 30 minutes, and the dining room wasn't close to full. She then told us that they "only make 5 orders per night". I couldn't believe this. Why even put them on the menu, if on most nights they will disappoint far more diners who try to order them, then those who actually get to eat them. And what is with a multi-million dollar restaurant like that that can only do 5 orders per night of something? I was very unhappy with them. Tue Sep 23 22:26:18 -0700 2003 618636 0 Chapped 3 618644 Taqueria La Oaxacena, way off the tourist path, on N. Milwaukee, makes some really special Oaxacan style chile rellano's, using dried ancho chili's instead of poblano chili's. I have a little crow eating to do, however, with TLO. I vehemently stood up for its menu, only to find from LA, that is was lacking a whole host of Oaxacan classics like clayudas (rather like a big pizza), memelo (like a wider sope), and Oaxacan style un-sealed empanadas amongst other dishes. LA has a large population from Oaxaca, the way that Chicago has a large population from Guerrero, and Oaxacan restaurants are more frequent there. I still like the food much at TLO. Now, I just wish it was a bit more Oaxacan. Rob Tue Sep 23 22:37:22 -0700 2003 618642 0 Vital Information 4 618645 I think we were probably wrong to conclude that it was trying to be Oaxacan, just from the name. It's like expecting corned beef and cabbage, or worse yet blood pudding, at every bar with an Irish name. Tue Sep 23 22:41:09 -0700 2003 618644 0 Mike G 5 618647 I am not saying that Taqueria La Oaxacena is not Oaxacan, just not thoroughly Oaxacan. It's like the Irish bar with black pudding but also fried calamari and meatball subs and satay. Tue Sep 23 22:56:04 -0700 2003 618645 0 Vital Information 4 618649 Yet virtually on the very same day you and the missus were at Guelaguetza, Cathy, her moms, ReneG, Sue and I were enjoying Restaurante Oaxaca's intense mole (arguably the finest single mole in any style in the city), memelas topped with pork cracking hand-crushed on a molcajete, chile en nogada to celebrate the Mexican national holiday and other delicacies. And certainly, I have posted on clayudas/tlayudas, chapulines and other things available at Restaurante Oaxaca. It's not that we don't have these things here. It's simply that we REFUSE to see them or to acknowledge them and keep preferring confected, expedient, crowd-pleasing forms. I was at Chinatown Mall tonight at around 7 and thought I would have a heart attack when I saw the horrific Joy Yee packed with clueless teenage second-generation Asian-Americans and their gringo friends. And I mean packed-not one single seat available-while the rest of the mall was gathering moss. On a mall that hosts restaurants of authority such as Lao Sze Chuan, Shui Wah, Spring World and so on, this was almost unbearable to see. I wasn't surprised to see the glass window of this restaurant plastered with endless idiotic accolades from Chicago Magazine (Best Bubble Tea of 2002, Best Chinese of XXXX etc) etc. I thought I was going to throw up. Tue Sep 23 23:13:49 -0700 2003 618644 0 RST 5 2320046 Indeed-I heard about Joy Yee in the media (it was pretty darn hard to miss) and agree on the quality. The surprize to me is how many people on this board gave it thumbs up. Fortunately they mentioned Lao Sze Chuan and Moon Palace which I frequented years before chowhound recs. I was so sad to hear that the rest of the mall was dead. Maybe we can venture in from the burbs once the feeder and other ramps are up and unconstructed. Let's hope all the dog show people that will be flooding the area this weekend read chowhound and go to the good spots! (Sorry for the horrible pun) Thu Feb 22 16:27:51 -0800 2007 618649 11708 fryrose 1 618643 I really like the ceviche, especially with a drop or three of the Yucateco green bottled sauce. The tacos al carbon are pretty mundane in one sense, but pretty delicious in another. The meats are all interesting, especially the duck and the tortillas are nearly as good as La Quebrada*. It is always hard to pick just one filling and the portions are also too small. The desserts are ALL good. *For those keeping score on the LA Mexican vs. Chicago Mexican debate, in our recent trip to LA, we had outstanding Mexican food, including the never seen here, yet great idea, fried calamari taco's, but in my limited experience, I never had a tortilla as good there as La Quebrada, even when handmade. Tue Sep 23 22:30:17 -0700 2003 618633 0 Vital Information 2 618648 Another great taco de carne asada al carbon could be found at Fiesta Magica which I mentioned on the post from about two weeks ago on La Guerrerense. Went to have my goatee trimmed today by my Puerto-Rican barber on Armitage and stopped for a quick lunch here. Hand-made tortillas from nixtamal masa, carne asada moist from the overnight marinade, perfectly cooked on a charcoal grill and costing all of $1.40 (!!!) each. Also had a taco de (guisado de) puerco en chile verde, a taco de lomo (Guerrero-style, as at La Quebrada), and a perfect quesadilla de flor de calabaza. There's a long menu of regional specialites that remain to be explored. There are other businesses on this strip that I failed to note on that previous post: a couple of bakeries (La Central and Guadalajara) and I think a couple more Mexican groceries, plus a Puerto-Rican restaurant next to Poncitlan #2. Kris and Charley's was open today but there wasn't a single person in there at noon. The menu looks very interesting and seems like an attempt to do a Riques-kind of slightly-more-upscale, multi-regional look at Mexican cuisine. The owners are from D.F. They have been open 3 or so months. Hope they make it. Yet, of the dozens and dozens of places in town that hand-make their tortillas from fresh nixtamal masa, the pinnacle is still the tortilla from the Monica's/Rubi's stand at Maxwell Street Market. Fried calamari taco? Oh, another interesting California invention. How quaint! Those people amuse me no end. Fiesta Magica 4124 W. Armitage (773) 772-5303 Tue Sep 23 22:59:56 -0700 2003 618643 0 RST 3 618685 per RST's tip, went down armitage to fiesta magica this evening. they kindly stayed open a few extra minutes for me. the name sure does fit -- floor-to-ceiling mirrors and neon indian heads ... too bad there's no alcohol. RST: did the carne asada you describe come in little chunks or in a 1" x 4" strip? I had both types. the former was nothing special, but the latter was truly magical -- tender, tangy, and smoky. reminded me of how a drunkenly snarfed la pasadita carne asada taco cured me of my vegetarianism a few winters ago. also ordered chicharon. despite fancying myself a daring eater, I couldn't manage to chomp into a wad of glistening, jiggling pork skin. didn't try any of the 'regional specialties,' but, as I live about a mile away, I'll be back. Thu Sep 25 00:19:28 -0700 2003 618648 0 dj4j 4 618695 If you want to give chicharron a whirl (and you really should), not too far from you is Carnitas Paisa. Before your meal, you will be presented with a big basket of crisp and delicious chiharron and a very good, very hot, hot sauce. It is surely easier to dip into the chicharron waters when it is crisp and dry, with this sauce, then the stewed version, that can seem a bit yucky in texture. All of the stuff at Carnitas Paisa (at least everything I have tried) is great. See link below for a report of the signature carnitas. Link also includes the address. Go to this link for some info on their non-carnitas fare: http://www.chowhound.com/midwest/boards/chicago3/messages/18175.html Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/111629#604791 Thu Sep 25 10:07:14 -0700 2003 618685 0 Vital Information 4 618698 FYI, as someone from the South with several varieties of latino relatives, I am surprised to say that the best chicharons I have had come from Thai Grocery. Great flavor, not like the over-processed commercial stuff, but not as funky as what you often get at carnecerias around town. If you don't like these, you probably don't like pork skin. Thu Sep 25 10:37:36 -0700 2003 618685 0 JeffB 5 618708 I think that dj4j is referring to "stewed" chicharron which is a common taco (and gordita) filling throughout central Mexico and in Chicago. (There's a "red" and a "green" version.) Superior versions of such a taco can be found at various stands on Maxwell Street market (try the two stands owned by folks from San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato for instance). And yes, it's extremely rich, and the gelatinous texture can put some people off, but given a well-made version, I consider it one of my favorite kinds of tacos. Thu Sep 25 12:33:10 -0700 2003 618698 0 RST 6 618710 Right you are. It's one of my favorites too, esp. in the salsa verde. I was really following up on the response that suggested the deep-fried rinds as a baby step toward the unctuous bliss of the tacos. By the way, a Mexican friend makes her green sauce chicharon tacos by soaking the deep-fried rinds in a tomatillo salsa. Do you know what the common preparation entails? I assume that there may not be any reason to start with deep fried skin when it is destined to be stewed. Thu Sep 25 13:05:09 -0700 2003 618708 0 JeffB 7 618719 I think that they are different things. Chicharron en salsa definitely has to be chicharron (not just skin) not just for the special chicharron flavor but also for the "exploded" internal structure of the rind, which gives it that unique texture. Diane Kennedy (Mex Reg Cooking) has a recipe for pickled chicharron (chicharron en escabeche) and I am sure that one of her other books has a recipe for the "stewed" version we're talking about. I don't have my other Kennedys handy but will look it up later. In the meantime, here's her introduction to the recipe on p14 of the book: "Chicharron or crisp-fried pork skin, is without a doubt the great antojito of all Mexico. Great, golden-brown sheets of it are to be found in practically every marketplace throughout the Republic. When a pig is killed, the skin is put to dry in the sun for twelve hours. It is then plunged into a cauldron of boiling lard and fried until it is just beginning to crisp and brown. It is taken out and immediately put into another cauldron, into lard that has been heated to an even higher temperature, where it puffs up and acquires its typical honeycomb effect. Small carts parading up and down on a Sunday sell it in enormous quantities, and it is a common sight to see whole families wandering along, munching on huge pieces of chicharron liberally sprinkled with hot chili powder and lime juice. Chicharron can be served as a main dish, cooked and softened in green sauce, or ground fine and stuffed into little maize cakes called tortas. It is perhaps more often served, broken into little pieces, with a bowl of guacamole and some hot tortillas as a hearty forerunner to a large "comida", the day's main meal. *** When I cooked this recently in California I found that the chicharron tended to be much harder-it had been fried rather a long time, but no doubt for "shelf life" or whatever the horrible expression is. It took at least 10 minutes before it softened and absorbed about 1 1/2 cups vinegar. (she's referring to the escabeche recipe which follows)" P14-15 Mexican Regional Cooking, Diane Kennedy Notes: The maroon van has a little "taco de canasta" ("tacos-from-a-basket") stuffed with just such ground chicharron as DK describes above. Re: carnitas Chicago is a GREAT carnitas town. Because of our size, it may not be such a stretch to claim that there are just as many carnitas-makers here as there are in Morelia (a fairly large city//capital of the state of Michoacan). There are countless carnitas-makers around, not just specialists like the ones on 18th, on 18th/Ashland or Carnitas Paisa. There are countless supermercados that prepare their own carnitas, not fried in a pan over the stovetop as they do in all those other cities (I cringe when I hear mention of carnitas in other US cities), but done the right way i.e. long-cooked in a huge vat and involving a large variety of pig parts so that one could have one's choice of flavor or texture/crispy or tender cuts/meat or offal etc. When I drift through some of the Mexican neighborhoods (say, bet Damen/Western/18th/22nd or Back-of-theYards) during weekends on summer months, I occasionally see whole families out on the front or back yard festively making carnitas in tubs in make-shift gas burners (radio blaring, all the children running around, neighbors coming to visit and chitchat etc). I have a post somewhere on the board on proper Michoacano carnitas. And of course, we having been talking for almost a year now about doing a carnitas crawl on 18th. Should we get going on this? L Cid-Pfeiffer is doing a talk on diff traditions/forms of Day of the Dead breads at her bakery in Pilsen on Oct 12 I think (?). It's open to the public and costs $12. I wonder if we could convince her to do a special separate lecture if we can get a large-enough group from this board together. We could start with a carnitas crawl, perhaps visit the Mexican Museum again (which the board did last year-an event planned by Joan, with a private tour of the museum's Day-of-the-Dead exhibit arranged by DougK-I miss him), then a stop at BomBon for the tour, perhaps end with drinks at Decima Musa. Sunday would be a good day for this. But we would have to start early (as early as 8) if we want to watch the pig parts being thrown to boil in the vats. Richard Thu Sep 25 14:03:56 -0700 2003 618710 0 RST 1 618655 I agree with Jim Taggert to go with the Topolo Margarita. It's the best you'll have ever tasted. I think it's a good idea to order the appetizer sampler. You'll get a taste of all the best appetizers including ceviche, taquitos, guacamole, and sopes. You can't go wrong with any entree-just depends on your taste for meat, fish, or fowl. They are all good. For dessert, the chocolate pecan pie is to die for, as are the crepes con cajeta(goat milk caramel). Tue Sep 23 23:57:35 -0700 2003 618633 0 RevrendAndy 1 618678 Yesterday, my New York brother was in town, requesting Mexican. Tried to go to Ixcapuzalco, only to discover it is closed on Tuesdays, so I still have not gone. So I gave him and my bride the choice between La Quebrada and Islas Marias (por su vitamines), and he said go to the best one. La Quebrada of course. Barbacoa de Chivo (tender, aromatic and mild, nicely matched with the fresh cilantro, chopped onion and guacamole), Huaraches with carne con chile de arbol were particularly good, nice bite and rich flavor, Costillas con chile pasilla (where hungarian and mexican food meet in my palate), Filete con mojo de ajo, and their excellent guacamole. Overfed, and high from the food. Another great meal - even the agua frescas seemed particularly good that night. d Wed Sep 24 23:17:30 -0700 2003 618633 0 dickson d 2 618696 Dickson sez, "go to the best, La Quebrada, of course"-- between it and Islas Maria. I do not necessarily know if I would call Quebrada better than Islas Maria. Rather, it would be what I was in the mood for. If you want meat, well you have only option, La Quebrada, but if you want yummy langostino's, coated in the mysteriously delicious sarenado spices, then Islas Maria is for you. Even though Quebrada does a very good whole fish, a really tasty calamari in a chile de arbol sauce (a frequent order of Ms. VI) and even ceviche, I would generally rather have seafood at Islas Maria. I could easily eat lunch at Islas Maria and dinner at La Quebrada. Monica Eng gave Islas Marias two forks yesterday. While I am glad she gave this place some publicity, I find it *at least* a 3 fork place! Rob Thu Sep 25 10:22:03 -0700 2003 618678 0 Vital Information 3 618712 Based solely on reading postings here, as I have not yet tried Las Islas Marias, La Quebrada certainly gets more consistently positive reviews (in fact, it may get the most consistently positive posts of any place - I cannot remember one post that was less than glowing). Comments on Islas has been a little more inconsistent as I recall. I realize that one features grilled meats with some seafood, and the other is a seafood place. Just clarifying and maybe my memory is colored. Having said that, I will make a point to try Islas soon. It seems to be a place I drive by on my way elsewhere with increasing regularity, so it should not be too hard to find a chance to stop and chow. d Thu Sep 25 13:15:35 -0700 2003 618696 0 dickson d 4 618730 dickson d wrote: "... La Quebrada certainly gets more consistently positive reviews (in fact, it may get the most consistently positive posts of any place -I cannot remember one post that was less than glowing)." OK, I'll throw in a comment that certainly won't tip the scales and is not intended to, with a preface first: I love love love La Quebrada. When I first found out about this place a couple of months ago and its proximity to my daily commute (thanks to all the glowing reviews here), I ate there five times within 10 days, and have made another half dozen or so stops there since. I love everything about La Quebrada, EXCEPT...the chips. Consistently stale, zero 'crispness', from sitting out in a shallow tray under a heat lamp all day (maybe they're better first thing in the AM?). Several times I've watched as tables are cleared after a group has finished dining, and seen the leftover chips from the baskets on those tables dumped back into the tray to be served again. And more than once I've had chips that are not only stale, but bad, with slightly moldy flavor, either from sitting out for so long or from being made with corn meal that's gone bad. I've eaten food cooked at street carts in Mexico, but I can't stomach La Quebrada's chips. Everything else I've tried there has been so consistently excellent that I'm more than happy to overlook the consistently bad and relatively inconsequential chips. But bad is bad. Scott Thu Sep 25 19:31:29 -0700 2003 618712 0 Scott 3 618714 I passed by a place by the same name on Milwaukee Ave. at about 2000 north...does anyone know if they are related? Monica did mention another location but not on Milwaukee. Thu Sep 25 13:36:22 -0700 2003 618696 0 Bacchus 4 618716 I am not sure why Monica did not mention the Logan Sq. Islas Marias, but on my one visit, I found it no way comparable. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/112859#613334 Thu Sep 25 13:41:11 -0700 2003 618714 0 Vital Information 5 618717 Thanks VI for saving me the trip I was contemplating. I've been to the Grand and Cicero location with my son per a rec on this board. We both loved it. Great atmosphere, too! I read Monica Eng's review that mentions a crayfish dish...do they always have them? Being from N.O., it has always been my impression that they are very seasonal. Thu Sep 25 13:56:28 -0700 2003 618716 0 Bacchus 1 618760 The menu changes every week or every two weeks. Just make sure you order something with a sauce (someone suggested the moles, but there are other simpler, simmered sauces as well. This is where Rick Bayless really shines. I suggest you order a side of plantains con crema. They are so delicious. And don't miss the Topolo margaritas, the chocolate pecan pie... Fri Sep 26 12:57:17 -0700 2003 618633 0 Toni 2 618762 Thanks all. Ended up having to postpone (my date got sick) but will file all this away and try again soon. Fri Sep 26 13:02:49 -0700 2003 618760 0 Boatmen 1 2319933 This thread needs updating, I went to Frontera Grill today for lunch with my wife, and baby. I got my wife & baby seated, and went to the bar to check out the tequila selection, impressive. I took a seat at the bar, and ordered the reposado tequila flight, all very good. I went back to the table after finding out i could continue my tequila tasting at the table. I ordered the mezcal flight, and a Corona Light. On to the food, I ordered the tacos al carbon with the skirt steak, and my wife ordered the taquitos de pollo. As we were waiting for our entree we see Chef Bayless walking in the front of the restaurant, going downstairs where I would guess Topolbampo is, a nice treat to see him since I have admired his cooking on t.v. for a long time, and new the kitchen would be on their best behavior with the "boss" in house. My steak tacos came, the skirt steak was tender and perfectly cooked, the tortillas were excellent as well. The guacamole was one of the best I have ever eaten. My wifes dish was pretty good as well, but I am glad I ordered what I did. My wife and I agreed the food was great, but the portions could have been a little larger. I finished off the meal with another Corona Light, and a flight of the blanco tequilas. Overall the mezcal flight was my favorite. Overall for 2 people the tab came to $72 including the tequila, not bad. I will definately return, and would like to try Topolobampo. I can see why most folks like this place. Thu Feb 22 15:57:39 -0800 2007 618633 26725 swsidejim