A Taco Knockout!

For lunch, on my last day of work with Evy and Roy, we experienced a near food coma, suffered from a blow to the stomach. Yes, our tacos nearly defeated us!

During our lunch break we took a trip, not too far from the job, to El Milagro on Blue Isaland in Pilsen. Looking at the menu, Evy said, while she liked eating at El Milagro, she was always taken by the high priced tacos. She would later change her opinion.

Evy ordered un taco de lengua and a side order of chilaquiles verdes (green). Roy ordered a taco de milanesa de pollo y res (chicken and steak). I ordered one chicken taco and one steak taco. We all ordered our tacos with the works, which includes rice, beans, and lettuce.

Except the lettuce was more of a slaw. One of my favorite parts of this taco was this tangy-refreshing slaw. What a great way to give an alternative to the typical cilantro and onions. But, the rice and beans may have been overkill…

While, I appreciate a hearty taco, especially when I’m paying more than double what I would pay at any other place, eating this taco was an extreme task.  Each taco had a large portion of meat stacked between the rice, beans and slaw.

But, the meat was delicious! The asada and chicken tasted as if it was just taken straight off my grill with a slight squirt of lime. Oh! And the tortillas, one made of flour and the other corn, were hot and cooked just right.

Now, I would like to consider myself an expert taco eater, but these tacos kicked my toosh! The portion size of this taco is not to be taken lightly; only the strong in stomach should have more than one. I guess we could consider Roy a gold metal taco eater, since he had plenty.  We later tested his food tolerance with a healthy round of jumping jacks.  

Evy, definitely attempted to eat her tacos, but she was less than satisfied by the preparation of her lengua, and the tangy taste of her chilaquiles. Neither of us could really finish our tacos.

I definitely enjoyed what I could eat of my tacos. And, I can say that today's El Milagro tortillas were not a disappointment. Any tortilla that can handle large amounts of food layered on top of it, is all right with me. 

On to the next taco! 

Simply a Taco Stand

Real talk…screw ambiance. The several blogs I’ve written, highlight the taco scene, the waiters, the beverages, and all other nonsense. It’s about the tacos! Great flavor in the meat and well-cooked tortillas, create the perfect taco. 

My favorite memories of eating tacos come from walking down the plaza, arriving at a riconcito, close to Mama Marina’s house in Mexico. My grandmother’s house was at the center of great pueblo corner taco stands.

All that was needed was a grill on a stand, two compadres preparing my tacos de al pastor (shaven off the spit), and the tortillas de maize, flavored in the a bit of the meat’s grease. Simple, plain, and delicious.

Recently, I’ve seen more and more taco stands on the South side, with their one solitary light bulb hanging from a wire, illuminating the faces of late night taco wonderers. I haven’t tried any of the stands that set up shop by my house, but I did however try some tacos that transported me back to my Mama Marina’s street corner.

Saul Diaz, the owner of Taquizas “El Taco Mobile,” prepared great tasting al pastor, asada (steak), and lengua (tongue) for my friend, Maria’s graduation family celebration.  Congratulation gurl, all the best in your post-graduate life, and for getting your taco on!

Quite simply some of the best lengua I have ever had, not too salty or fatty, but rather tender. I enjoyed my tacos so much; I may reconsider my unsatisfied opinion about El Milagro tortillas. 

The tortillas were not perfect; I mean I still prefer a slightly charred tortilla with a pinch of seasoning. But, I had an awesome meal that took me back to my roots, humbling my taco expectations.

What I will say is that these taquizas are not cheap! Bringing experienced cooks, and their gear to your house can be a little expensive. The rate for a mobile cart can range from $500 and up. That’s probably why, Cristian decided to stock-up, ranking in 20 consecutive tacos. Yea…

Well if you would like more information, feel free to contact me. “El Taco Mobile” crew is certainly respectful, and provide a nice party service. By the way their taco information is posted on a fake 100 dollar bill, very clever, ehhh? 

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Soy Taco Option on the South side?

About two years ago I explored veganism, to only be interrupted by my visit to Mexico (my meat temptress).  Although, I was an unsuccessful vegan, I tasted plenty of fresh, delicious, meatless and non-dairy food, mostly located on the North side. Satisfying Mexican vegetarian/vegan cuisine can be difficult to locate on the Southwest side of Chicago.

Yet, there are a couple of options, not too far away from my neighborhood, Gage Park. In the neighborhood of West Lawn, Indio serves a variety of vegetarian Mexican antojitos and platillos (entrees).  The menu has a number of tacos, including carne asada, al pastor, and chicken prepared soy. Other soy options on their menu include soy Cubans and burgers.

Last Thursday, Miguel and Carlos, two taco aficionados joined me in trying some of Indio’s soy tacos. I don’t know two other individuals who enjoy tacos more than Miguel and Carlos. Some of the best taco places I’ve been to, prior to my blog, have been with them. One of their favorite places is La Pasadita. Unfortunately, that’s the North side, and this blog only caters to the South side.

Indio is a small, bright and family-friendly restaurant serving decent food. I tried a taco with soy sautéed in an adobo sauce, giving it an al pastor flavor. After tasting the soy al pastor taco, I was left longing for more flavors. The flavor of the adobo was muddled by the amount of citrus on the soy. Once again, my greatest disappointment was the tortillas. The Antotonilco tortillas were undercooked. I was definitely underwhelmed by this taco.

Although, the second taco, a chicken style soy taco with grilled nopales, was better. The nopales definitely saved this taco. The char on the nopales was super tasty, but the tortillas were, also, undercooked.

Miguel and Carlos seemed to disagree with my harsh criticism. They thought I had expected way more than I should have, since it could never taste like a meat taco. I was not expecting the fattiness of an asada taco, but I definitely expected more, since soy could virtually pick up tons of savory and spicy flavors, if prepared well.

Yet, I did appreciate the preparation of vegetables, such as the tomatoes on the al pastor, and the nopales. This was a wonderful alternative to the classic cilantro and onions.


Perhaps, I expected too much of soy?  But, definitely, not too much of a tortilla…nothing beats a seasoned and perfectly comaled (my own word for tortilla prepared on a grill) tortilla. 

What do you all think? How should soy be prepared on a taco?

Please feel free to comment, and learn more about the restaurant,  Indio.

Ah! I forgot to mention their aguas frescas (fresh flavored water). Yes, my agua de melon was the better part of this taco experience, if only this was an agua fresca blog... Every part of the taco experience counts, from the lettuce to the service to the entire atmosphere of restaurant. While, Indio had a friendly atmosphere and refreshing water choices, the tacos were not satisfying. I most likely will not be returning to Indio for quite some time.