We may not do reviews at MenuPages, but our legions of users are all over that. Here are three of interest from the past week
Everybody has their favorite Mexican restaurant, but oftentimes, it’s not because the food is particularly good. Instead, it’s a combination of price, proximity, and margarita strength. Fortunately, in Chicago, it is quite easy to step out of this dreary paradigm into a world of faithful and delicious Mexican cuisine, as several of our users have in the past week:
On July 1st (halfway through the year!), “Vex” wrote in about El Taco Loco, with the review title “Comida Autentica pero No De Rick Bayless”:
I like the food because it is authentic and I know the place is not your regular type 5star restaurant but there food is geat! especially if you are in the mood for Original Mexican food!
This is funny, because later that day, “Luis” left a review for none other than Frontera Grill itself:
worth checking out. it is a bit pricey for mexican food but amazing nontheless. the food was very flavorful. there was quite a wait because of the chef’s popularity but a must restaurant for anyone who is into the chicago culinary scene. the restaurant and the bar were very lively, colorful and inviting.
Both of these restaurants can be considered authentic, to the extent that that appellation is meaningful or desirable. If one is more typical of the village and the other is more typical of the city, so be it. The point is that both restaurants focus on the food, and that’s more important than culinary verisimilitude. This sentiment (that what matters is the restaurant cares about making good food) was echoed the following day in a review that “vespahulb” left for Los Nopales:
Forget your local taqueria slinging up greasy burritos, tacos, and nacho dinners. Los Nopales goes above and beyond what you normally find on every other corner of Chicago. They’re cuisine is fresh, delicious, and a fantastic value. Sure, you can get burritos and tacos…but they are prepared beautifuly, often coming with several colorful sauces, whipped up in the kitchen that day. Otherwise, try some of the traditional dishes like the Skirt Steak special, pork tamales, or Pan fried tilapia in Garlic sauce. The staff is outlandishly friendly and genuine and the restaurant is charming and clean. A total gem.
When a restaurant goes beyond the perfunctory and puts out a great product at a reasonable price, that’s when an angel gets its wings.
El Taco Loco [MenuPages]
Frontera Grill [MenuPages]
Frontera Grill [Official Site]
Los Nopales [MenuPages]
