So, one thing I enjoy a whole hell of a lot is chilaquiles. Luckily my apartment might be in the most densely chilaquiles-populated portion of the city. I used to joke that I'd some day write the Pilsen guide to chilaquiles because of the volume I consume.
Joke no more, this shall be the first of a series of posts about chilaquiles and pleces to get them, especially in Pilsen. I'll also suggest one other restaurant that I just never see anyone in, but makes delicious food in my neighborhood.
Pilsen, for those of you not from Chicago, or those who have yet to the particular neighborhood, is a nice little community in the southwest side of Chicago. It has a lively population of Mexican immigrants who hold festivals, and have block parties, and have contributed several lovely Murals to the neighborhood. I'll post on that sometime, too. The murals really are awesome.
La Casa Del Pueblo Taqueria
On to the chilaquiles. The first place I think that I should talk about has long been among my favorite spots. The menu is incredibly authentic at this place; several dishes at Casa are top notch. They also have things at least from time to time that I rarely see. Extremely reasonable pricing.
This place has a really nice feel to it and the morning rush is mostly Spanish-speaking, the staff is mostly bilingual, but "Chilaquiles" is the same in English and Spanish anyhow.
The walls have posters of art by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, as well as posters showing different sorts of garlic and chiles or tomatoes.
Their horchata is also not to be missed, and either that or coffee are fantastic next to their wonderful Chilaquiles.
It's hard to judge what makes a good plate of chilaquiles. The dish has very few essential qualities. They generally come as chilaquiles rojos o verdes, that is to say with a red chile sauce or a green tomatillo salsa. Almost always they have eggs, though those are either scrambled or over easy, and sometimes off to the side or else mixed in. They always have either fried stale tortillas or tortilla chips mixed in. They range from mild to very spicy. Like judging a beer, it's important to meet each on its own grounds in a sense.
The chilaquiles at Casa succeed very well at their aims, I think, or at least what I read them to be. Rick Bayless visited a bunch of restaurants in Pilsen a few years back. I know next to nil about famous chefs or if the taste of this one is to be taken into account, but he did describe La Casa Del Pueblo's Taqueria as having more of a home cooked taste. It's not greasy fast food, or fancy gourmet cooking. People go to take large portions to family gatherings.
I prefer the Chilaquiles at Casa in the red tomato chile sauce, which is very mild but also extremely flavorful. Scrambled eggs are mixed in and indistinguishable from the rest of the dish. The totopos (fried tortillas or chips) are crispy and salty. This is a meatless version, which is the case for about half of them in the neighborhood, with a bunch also being made with cecina. It's good if you want flavor, and not spice, and something pleasing at no extreme. Delicious enough that I need to slow myself down every time.
Part 2: DeCOLORES galeria y sabores
Another small restaurant, this time on the very eastern side of Pilsen, at Halsted near 17th street. This place is fairly new, not more than two years I believe, and keeps with the artistic tradition of the neighborhood, and has a small gallery of local art. When I went, oil paintings of mugshots on wood blocks were being displayed.
Also artistic is the food presentation. Just one such instance shown to the left from their appetizer menu: the delectable taquitos de papa. This is among the places that looks like it was done with more flair, and more attention. It feels fancier, but the service is really chill and nice. In the end, it comes down to being thoroughly artistic. The julienned vegetables and such topping the dish to the left, laid carefully then topped with a nice portion of (I think) queso cotija.
The dish itself was also delicious, and filling with the potato stuffed, fried taquitos. My entrée (Camarones Diabolicos, whole shrimp cooked with lime and habanero) was flavorful and had a nice heat to it. The mole (Morgan ordered Enchiladas Mole) was creamy and nutty, with a rich peanut base. You'll spend more here, but I can't for the life of me understand the ridiculously mixed reviews on yelp. This feels lie a place worth supporting.
Joke no more, this shall be the first of a series of posts about chilaquiles and pleces to get them, especially in Pilsen. I'll also suggest one other restaurant that I just never see anyone in, but makes delicious food in my neighborhood.
Pilsen, for those of you not from Chicago, or those who have yet to the particular neighborhood, is a nice little community in the southwest side of Chicago. It has a lively population of Mexican immigrants who hold festivals, and have block parties, and have contributed several lovely Murals to the neighborhood. I'll post on that sometime, too. The murals really are awesome.
La Casa Del Pueblo Taqueria
On to the chilaquiles. The first place I think that I should talk about has long been among my favorite spots. The menu is incredibly authentic at this place; several dishes at Casa are top notch. They also have things at least from time to time that I rarely see. Extremely reasonable pricing.
The walls have posters of art by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, as well as posters showing different sorts of garlic and chiles or tomatoes.
Their horchata is also not to be missed, and either that or coffee are fantastic next to their wonderful Chilaquiles.
It's hard to judge what makes a good plate of chilaquiles. The dish has very few essential qualities. They generally come as chilaquiles rojos o verdes, that is to say with a red chile sauce or a green tomatillo salsa. Almost always they have eggs, though those are either scrambled or over easy, and sometimes off to the side or else mixed in. They always have either fried stale tortillas or tortilla chips mixed in. They range from mild to very spicy. Like judging a beer, it's important to meet each on its own grounds in a sense.
I prefer the Chilaquiles at Casa in the red tomato chile sauce, which is very mild but also extremely flavorful. Scrambled eggs are mixed in and indistinguishable from the rest of the dish. The totopos (fried tortillas or chips) are crispy and salty. This is a meatless version, which is the case for about half of them in the neighborhood, with a bunch also being made with cecina. It's good if you want flavor, and not spice, and something pleasing at no extreme. Delicious enough that I need to slow myself down every time.
Part 2: DeCOLORES galeria y sabores
Another small restaurant, this time on the very eastern side of Pilsen, at Halsted near 17th street. This place is fairly new, not more than two years I believe, and keeps with the artistic tradition of the neighborhood, and has a small gallery of local art. When I went, oil paintings of mugshots on wood blocks were being displayed.
 |
| Taquitos de Papa |
The dish itself was also delicious, and filling with the potato stuffed, fried taquitos. My entrée (Camarones Diabolicos, whole shrimp cooked with lime and habanero) was flavorful and had a nice heat to it. The mole (Morgan ordered Enchiladas Mole) was creamy and nutty, with a rich peanut base. You'll spend more here, but I can't for the life of me understand the ridiculously mixed reviews on yelp. This feels lie a place worth supporting.
No comments:
Post a Comment