I just made my first visit to Mi Tierra in August and we were all impressed that it was a step up from standard Mexican for the area.
A few options close to Mi Tierra that I've been known to enjoy for bringin the heat, PLUS good flavor:
When the stars line up, steak tacos, and either of the salsas at Zacatacos on Cermak around Lobard, I think. E of Mi Tierra on the N side of the road. WHEN THE STARS LINE UP, their salsa verde is screaming hot, and their salsa de chile de arbol is earthy smoky and sizzlin as well. WHEN THE STARS LINE UP, it's such a simple, perfect, dose of carbs, meat, and heat, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. They do not use genetically modified peppers that have the exact same Scoville Units, so, the heat levels vary from batch to batch.
Brookfield: Fine Thai on Ogden. Red or Green Curry. This place makes my favorite red or green in the immediate area. They don't use the palm sugar, so both are savory only, and not sweet (my preference for coconut milk curries.) The green usually packs a bigger punch of heat, but I prefer the red's flavor, so I ask for red with amped up heat. Last time I ordered the green, the heat was like a brick wall, nothing popped, it was just one note heat (it was sizzlin hot, mind you,) but the flavor was just not as good as their red.
Bodhi Thai on Roosevelt in Berwyn does a decent beef salad. I've not had anything else from them that packed a decent chile punch staright off of the menu, but that doesn't mean they can't deliver.
On the cheap, I'm not sure of where the closest Jimenez with a cafeteria is around here, but when I'm at work in Northbrook,
I LOOOOOOVE Jimenez's version of Bistec in Chile De Arbol. It's not (normally) blisteringly hot, although it CAN BE, but it packs enough to put a bead of sweat on yer nose / forhead. There's a Jimenez on Lake Street in Melrose Park, not sure they have the cafe. I do know that the Jimenez on Cicero does not. The chuletas en salsa verde is another favorite of mine at the northbrook location.
None of these are gonna blow your head off, but I don't like heat without flavor. Well, ok, sometimes I do, but I like flavor with my heat for the most part.
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Pronoun: That fool over there
Identifies as: A human that doesn't need to "identify as" something to try to somehow be interesting.