LTHForum.com

Relying on Wikipedia as a source of culinary information is a mistake.

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

I'm not suggesting Wikepedia is the ultimate source-o -meat info,
Chef Hanz is more informed than Wikepedia on meat.

Skirt Steak has been a staple in Old School Jewish families for eons.
When I was a kid- my Grandmother would shop on Devon (before it was Little Mumbai, or as my cousins disaffectionately referred to it- "Sari City")for really thick juicy cuts of Skirt Steak (inner) and then proceed to cook the shit outta them- rendering what had been a perfectly decent piece of cow- into a chewy, less than savory, meal.

My point in mentioning this- is that skirt steak history and use, goes beyond many borders and frontiers. I believe, a good Carne Asada Taco, involves not only the proper selection/cut of meat- but also must be cooked properly as well.

I grew up in Bucktown, in the late 70's, there used to be a great taco place on Ashland, just south of North Ave.. It was aptly called "Tacos"...lol. It served fantastic stuff. It was across the street from that greasy spoon, the Hollywood whatever, which used to be called the Huddle House. That was a very different neighborhood back then. But Ashland still has great taco stands.

While I personally never braise skirt, it is a commonly enough braised cut. I find that skirt and flank are fairly interchangeable, with flank being leaner and (in my opinion) less flavorful. I don't braise flank, either.

I'm not sure if this is an appropriate topic for this thread, but I'll ask anyway. Does anyone know exactly what the taquerias around town use to season/marinate the beef in? I have tried a few recipes that I've found online, but they never come out tasting like the carne asada I get at places like La Pasadita, Las Asadas, El Asadero, Guanajuato, etc. They all have the same distinct flavor but I can't seem to figure out what it is.

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Tony
Great Lakes, Better Food
http://greatlakesbetterfood.blogspot.com/

Pasadita will always be good in my heart b/c its where I discovered the true beauty of what a steak taco should be...Char grilled skirt steak that tastes like clean meat, chopped nicely and topped with fresh onions and cilantro on a warm corn tortilla with salsa verde with an actual kick on the side.

I had a friend in HS who lived right by taqueria el asadero in Lincoln Square and we would always eat there when we were running around wreaking havoc on the neighborhood. Back then they had what I thought were the best tamales ever, and I really loved tamals, they were large and very soft. Last night I decided to give an old favorite of mine a try. I hadnt been in 10 years so I went in and saw the article where Chicago Magazine names them the best steak tacos in the city but I didnt see my beloved tamales on the menu.

I am very skeptical of anything Chicago mag claims in the word of food but I had heard before about the tacos here so I ordered 2 steak and tacos and asked about the tamales. To my delight they had them, they just arent on the menu.

Unlike other spots, they take two thin strips of skirt steak and cook it and chop it to order so it takes about 10 minutes...well well worth it. These might be the best I have had, the meat was so tender, the toppings fresh and the salsa verde was amazing. Now in my top two along with the above mentioned tianguis, pushing pasadita further down in the standings, they are slipping like the Brewers.


tamales are the same as they ever were, big and soft with a fair amount of pork in the middle...not the best in the city but very good


these are really good.

taqueria el asadero
2213 W Montrose Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 583-5563

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Smokin' Chokin' and Chowing

I wholeheartedly concur with this statement. La P is NOT the best in my book, but it's almost at "institution status."

Oh how I wish Taqueria Las Americas was still open (with original owners.) It was up on Belmont a few blocks W of Southport on the N side of the street. I'm a fan of La P, a fan of El Asadero, a fan of Las Asada's.

Taqueria Las Americas blew them all away by a mile, and a GOOD mile at that.

Also, thanks for the info on Asadero's tamales. Good to know!!

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We cannot be friends if you do not know the difference between Mayo and Miracle Whip.

Yep. Remember the huge stump in Las Americas they used to chop up the carne asada, to order, for tacos? When I ate there as a poor student, I knew it was great, but I had no context to understand how special it was. They also were constantly making and frying up chiles rellenos and other stuff. It was a bit like Maxwell St. in Lakeview.

What I liked about it was how consistently great everything was. Even down to the salsa. The big bowls of verde, roja, and that unbelievable scorching hot pico de gallo had me salivating while waiting in line. Even during slow times, they wouldn't put a steak on the grill until you ordered. I could go on and on, but alas, it's gone.

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We cannot be friends if you do not know the difference between Mayo and Miracle Whip.

Yes, Taqueria Las Americas, RIP, I remember it well too, so you know I'm
no taco newbie. The steak tacos at Tony's Burrito Mex have made a recent return to greatness imo after a spell of being just okay. Loaded w/ tasty steak with crispy browned edges and very good flavor-not char-grilled, so I suppose technically they are not carne asada, but very good none the less. Served w/ cilantro ,onion and lime on a double stack of fresh corn tortillas, it was perfection. Their guacamole has always been fantastic, and the salsa used for their salsa and chips is fiery and fresh. Tony's has made a good business for itself since opening 4 or 5 years ago,and is steady busy with neighborhood folks, but never any lines out the door ..except maybe on Fri/Sat nites -but I wouldnt know anymore

Tony's is located conveniently close to my home, I'm happy to say they'll be seeing more of me now. I'd love to get the opinion of some of the other LTH taco experts.

Tony's Burrito Mex
1957 West Belmont( SE Corner Belmont & Damen)
773-832-4896

Made it back to Pasadita last night for the first time since moving down to Pilsen, and I have yet to find anything down here that compares to either the carne or lomo super burrito at La Pasadita. My search has not been exhaustive and there is so much to choose from its overwhelming. I never expected to have difficulty finding a burrito up to my standards in Pilsen, please help!

I know I've mentioned this more than once, but, personally, my favorite carne asada tacos are from Zacatacos on 59th and Pulaski. Get two of these and two of the deep-fried potato tacos, and I'm in heaven.

Zaca Tacos
5925 S Pulaski Rd
Chicago, IL 60629

Thanks nicinchic!

Today at lunch I stopped by El Paisano on 2429 Division after I ordered online and got the taco combo dinner, which had 3 amazing carne asada steak taco's with some above average rice and beans, very filling, all for 5.25! The tortilla was fluffy and light, and the meat was charred, well marinated and gave just enough bite without being too chewy. I'm not positive but I swear the steak tastes like ribeye, not skirt, and if it is skirt it's very lean and without the overwhelming gristle/all fat bits that find there way too often in a la pas carne asada taco. They also have some great chips and green salsa, I wonder how many people would swear by la pas if they gave El Paisano a try. I think I may have found my favorite steak taco in the city!

http://www.elpaisanotacos.com

El Paisano Taco's
2429 W Division St
Chicago - (773) 292-1002
BYOB

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I'm not picky, I just have more tastebuds than you... ; )

Yay- I'm glad you liked it. I just love the steak there, no fatty gristle, but some people like that, I am really glad to know that you used the internet, I'm always afraid that something will go wrong. I really crave those tacos and the Al Pastor there, green salsa is the way to go.

After reading the post on EL Paisano, I was going to go to Carnecia Leon. But, I wanted a change. I had lunch there today and was disappointed. The steak was overly salty and didn't have any griddle or char flavor or texture. I was excited since the green and red sauce were really good. I guess I will stick to my regular place.

I live a block from there and have been eating those tacos on an all too regular basis for years. I never knew that there was online ordering...bonus.
I know this is as steak taco thread, but I have to mention that el paisano has good greasy cheap breakfast options too!

Also, there is a taco stand type place, where grand crosses chicago, just east of sacramento. I cannot recall for the life of me what it is called, but the steak tacos there are excellent (plus very good chorizo and egg taco)

I have to eat my words, I'm afraid.

When I first came to town, I fell in love with La Pasadita. Last week, I was driving by and stopped on the spur of the moment to grab a carne asada burrito from La Pasadita (East side of Ashland). It was VERY disappointing.

I remember really liking LP's carne asada, though it has been several months since I've had any. This burrito was full of very chewy, tough, underseasoned meat. It was also very skimpy compared to the amazing bargain of the Carniceria Guanajuato (California and Belmont) burritos that I've lately become accustomed to.

An off night, my love?

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I don't know what you think about dinner, but there must be a relation between the breakfast and the happiness. --Cemal Süreyya

I'm actually digging the west side of Ashland more lately (as long as I get there between about 11 PM and 1 AM, after the late-night preparation refresh and before the really drunk crazies). HUGE portions. My only issues have been a few whiskery onion pieces and gritty cilantro from time to time, which I know sound pretty bad, but you can always knock them off. Steak quality remains tremendous.

Still going Tio Luis for best all around steak tacos (and CESJ, though I know there are many who don't agree on that front).

I really like Tio Luis. That is my usual joint when I am at home since I don't live too far from there. I really like their soup there also. With the cold settling in I will order that more often.

Hi. I googled "Tio Luis" and came up with a few locations. Which do you recommend? Thanks.

As I understand it Tio Luis has only a single location. The one at 5207 S Archer is gone and has been replaced by Los Delfines, the seafood specialist from W 63rd. The one at 4888 S Archer also went out of business and I think it is now another Mexican restaurant. That leaves the 3856 S Archer location. I'm unaware of others.

Tio Luis
3856 S Archer Av
Chicago
773-843-0098

Much obliged Rene -- no better intel than having a man in the field.

I'm not going to claim this is a great place for carne asada. But it's a good place, using good quality meat, and they also have pastor on a real spit



and they're friendly, so if you're reasonably close to Humboldt Park, it's a good close-by choice.

Taqueria Toro Grill
3561 W. Armitage
773-486-8229

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Unless I missed it somewhere in the thread (very likely), no one has pointed out the obvious: Newly-designated GNR, the Maxwell Street Market.

Granted, you have to wait 'til Sunday to get your fix, but a carne asada taco--meat fresh from the charcoal grill, homemade salsa, a toss of onion and cilantro on top--at Lencho's is one of the things that made me decide to love Chicago when I first moved here. Some will dispute it's superiority (mostly b/c they use packaged tortillas, not homemade, as other stands), but that's for you to decide for yourself.

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I have to chime in a note of dissent regarding La Palapita. My one experience there was so gross that I won't be back if it's the last taco joint in Chicago. They used some sort of seasoning on the carne asada that was so over the top that it tasted like I was eating meat preserved with salt. It was the most disgusting carne I've had. Maybe I had a bad experience if this place is owned by the same gang that runs the La Pasaditas and Las Asadas restaurants because I've been to several of those and enjoyed their carne asada offerings considerably. But La Palapita? Never again. Ugh. It didn't help that the service was snippy and slow -- not a good combination. Unforunate too since this is pretty close to my place.

Dover -

While I certainly understand your viewpoint, you might be missing out. I have experienced the same at Las Asadas a few times. More times at the one in Brookfield, but a few on Western, and a few in Des PLaines. That being said, those off experiences are soon forgotten when a better experience happens. I'd go back, and simply order one taco. You might be totally surprised. Although a taqueria would try to strive for some model of consistency,the stars may have been totally aligned against you in your one visit. Especially if the place is close and you like Las Asadas / La Pasadita. In talking with the owner of Las Asadas one day, he told me that their goal is to have the same exact product at ALL of their locations which includes all of the Las Asadas and La Palapita. While I've never been to La Palapita, I can only guess that it was a waay off night. IMO, it would be worth it for you to go back one day, and get a taco. One taco. Test the waters. It may just be that they consistently have horrible stuff. But, the guy told me they strive for consistency, and if you have a Las Asadas (palapita) close by, come on- it's worth a 2.00 trial taco a few more times. Tell you what, next time I run into the owner, I'll mention this to him (I've thought about it before, btw.) It's such a letdown when you're ready to dig in to that char grilled steak, and you get a mouthful of salty meat. It doesn't happen a lot, but when it does, it sucks. Especially since you know they can make it SOOOOOO much better with such little effort. Actually, LESS effort, since they would simply just have to shake the seasoning tin a little less. If I can relay this to him about La Palapita, I'll report back.

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We cannot be friends if you do not know the difference between Mayo and Miracle Whip.

If it were only the meat, I might be with you. But the attitude of the staff didn't help any and neither did the weak horchata. Plus they only had salsa verde there and I prefer the rojas found at the other joints (not sure if they have it at Las Asadas but I know they do at La Pasadita). And additionally, I'm equidistant from Palapita and Guanajuato on Belmont/Elston/California, which is in the same league as the Pasadita/Asadas gang.

Gotcha.

F em then!

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We cannot be friends if you do not know the difference between Mayo and Miracle Whip.

Thanks to all of those who rec'd Taqueria El Asadero. Picked up a six of Two Brothers' The Bitter End, and dropped in for lunch on Saturday. For the uninitiated, El Asadero resides on the SW corner of Lincoln and Montrose and like its immediate neighbors has a very tasteful, color-coordinated awning, which initially gave me pause. Once inside, I'm happy to report that this place is a dive (in a good way, in a way that makes me feel that the food has to be good as a counter-balance). I counted six brightly-painted 4-tops of the bolted to the ground, molded plastic variety that would not be out of place at a Roy Rogers, all of which were occupied. Due to the live-fire grill, the interior was smoky and grimy but the ventilation worked well enough that breathing was not a problem. Once I was able to plop my beer down, I promptly ordered 5 carne asada tacos. Needless to say, they were absolutely terrific. Afterwards, I basked in the afterglow of eminently satisfying meal, silently congratulating myself on being able to add another solid reco to my little black book of good eats.

On an impulse, remembering Da Beef's write-up, I ordered a tamale, which I don't remember seeing on the menu. I saw the cashier shoot a quizzical look at the grillman who nodded his tacit assent. It turned out to be largish pillow of fluffly masa, utterly suffused with the smokiness of the corn, and it melted in my mouth. Definitely worth the buck fifty-eight. Thanks pal, you steered me right again.

One last shout out to seebee and his oft-repeated rant re: "garbage griddle fried steak" -- I GET IT. I've been to La Pas numerous time before this thread got off the ground, but since I was usually with a buncha guys who would brook no naysaying, I was forced to choke down my gristly meat without protest. I guarantee that I will be patronizing this place many, many times in the future, (prolly stumbling around after an evening deep in my cups). One last thing, after re-reading this thread, I'm wondering which of these places has a live-fire grill: Las Asadas? Tio Luis? Carniceria Guanajuato? Chapala Tianguis? Inquiring minds want to know.

Edited to substitute "charcoal" with "live-fire" and a coupla other times for punctuation, boldface, etc...One last time to change buck eighty-five to buck fifty-eight. Gee, aren't you glad a coupla thousand of your neural synapses are now storing this inane bit of information? Aren't you glad you you took the time and bother to look into this?

Yeah, I'm firmly in the Asadero camp these days. Every time I have been there the meat has been grilled fresh, though I am typically there before seven pm. The meat tastes of little more than high quality skirt steak and smoke flavor and has the right grease and gristle factor (on the low end). The Pasadita empire, De Pasada, and the taqueria formerly known as Carniceria Leon are all within walking distance from my place and I have frequented all these spots on numerous occasions at various times of the day. The west locations of LP seem to hold their meat the most often. During busy lunchtime- early afternoon hours east LP, DP, and CL all grill the steak fresh and are all worthy contenders with the slight edge going towards De Pasada (full disclosure, I am friendliest with the staff there). Asadero is my new fave, though. Haven't checked out Las Asadas in years, but they are same ownership as LP, no?

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