So, I was in Mexico last month and I had my first tacos arabes at a corner stand in Playa del Carmen. (I can't remember the name of the place, but they had Jughead [from Archie] on the signs and menus.) Anyway, they were excellent, and when I got back, I wanted to see if I could find them in Chicago, which led me to this thread.
So today I finally got over to Taqueria Puebla for the tacos arabes. They were really good, but they were only a little bit like what I had in Mexico. I was wondering if anyone could tell me which were more "of the type", if either, or if it's a style that is actually more diverse.
The Chicago arabes, as some of you probably know, come with a healthy coating of a spicy reddish-brown sauce, while the ones I had in Mexico were dry. Also, while the tortillas (if that's what you call them when they're the arabes style) at Puebla were hot, they didn't have that little bit of charring that was one of the things I loved about my experience in Mexico. Now, the tortilla char is probably just a difference in chefs (or griddle vs grill), but I guess I'm wondering if that sauce is more typical or not.
Just curious. Like I said, the tacos at TP were excellent -- just not quite what I thought I'd get.
(Now that I look back at tapler's pictures, those tacos arabes look a little drier, as much as I can see. Is that just an illusion?)
Oh, and for the record, the parking is open, according to signs in the windows. (I parked easily on Central Park before I saw the sign.)
PS I guess the place in Playa is called Tortas Israel. The beautiful thing is that they have their pork spit right on the corner, on the outside of the building, advertising their specialty right at eye (and nose) level -- here's a
review and
a picture
PPS since I'm here... are Orientales just Arabes with corn tortilla instead of flour? I couldn't really understand our server at Tortas Israel but I thought that's what she was telling me; I didn't think to enquire at TP.