Mexican Eats for Cheap

If you're looking for white linen, sparkly silverware and other characteristics of "fine dining" then Nuevo Leon (http://nuevoleonrestaurant.com/) is not the place for you.  But if you are looking for great, authentic Mexican food and a place that feels like an overized family kitchen then this is a place you need to try.  We went for a friend's birthday on cinco de mayo (no, she's not mexican but somehow I think being born on the mexican holiday inclines her to have many mexican themed birthday celebrations throughout her life).  I was a little afraid that going to such a popular restaurant on the holiday would lead to us not being seated.  But we waited in line for approximately 20 minutes (some of our party was also late so the wait would have been necessary regardless as they will only seat you when your entire party has arrived).



We were seated in a corner booth where we were able to see the all the other patrons throughout the room--which ranged from families with small children, couples on dates, girls night outters like ourselves, and groups of students I'm assuming from nearby UIC.  Before we could even consider what to order they brought chips and salsa and everyone received an individual free appetizer of a dish similar to an enchilada with potatoes.  Oddly enough the dish reminded me of the neckbones and potatoes my grandmother made when I was younger, but instead of a soupy like preparation, it was served in a tortilla.



The free "appetizer"



chips w/ three types of salsa varying in degress of spiciness

As you can see from the pics below the plating is far from fancy, but the food was all delicious.  There were no complaints from anyone at our large party of 8.  And the place is BYOB, which additionally cuts down on cost.  My portion of the bill ended up being close to $8 (including tip!) for my enchiladas.  No one's individual bill was over $10 that I can recall, and we all left quite full.  When I am in the Pilsen/Tri-taylor area and craving mexican food (which is 75% of all the time for me), I will definitely be adding a stop to Nuevo Leon on my list.


Burrito





My enchiladas :)





Steak Tacos



Barbacoa

¿Quieres comida mexicana?

Usually when asked what my favorite food is, I would say Italian.  I love pasta.  And so this was just what I came to accept as my default answer to "What's your favorite type of food/cusine?"  Lately, I'm reconsidering.  I'm pretty sure I'm in love with Mexican food.  If I'm not in love, I'm definitely deeply in like and falling more and more each day. I've made it pretty well known thus far throughout this blog that I love tacos, but as I dive into different dishes of Mexican food, I am not encountering much that I do not like.  With this new found appreciation in mind, I was excited for my first experience at Zocalo (http://zocalochicago.com/) for Gina's going away dinner.  I enjoyed my initial experience so much that I went back a few weeks later to celebrate my mom's birthday.  



Enchiladas de Suiza de Pollo

For my first trip I decided to go with the chicken enchiladas.  They are served with beans & rice, but I selflessly gave my serving of beans to Adrienne (her love of all food Mexican currently extends beyond my reach) and so they are missing from the picture below.  I enjoyed my enchiladas and though the chicken was coated with a tomato based sauce with onions throughout, I must say that I loved the taste so much that I didn't even feel the need to pick out the onions or larger chunks of onions.  I call that progress. 




Tacos y Tequila

The biggest surprise of the evening was the Tacos y Tequila, which Gina ordered.  A set of 3 tacos was served with a shot of tequila on the side.  We all wondered whether or not you were supposed to just take the shot of tequila or pour it on the tacos as an extra flavor of sorts.  After inquiring this to our server, she politely informed us that, yes,  it was intended to be taken as a traditional shot.  I don't think I could ever dislike a place that serves you a complimentary shot with your food.

For the guacamole lovers they have a trio of guacamole that was ordered both times I dined at Zocalo.  I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I wasn't very excited about the guacamole.  But there is the traditional, rojo (roasted tomato & roasted red jalapeno salsa are added) and fruta (which adds mango, papaya, habanero and walnuts). It is served with a mix of corn, plaintain and malanga chips.  I tried all the chips, but I only liked the corn tortilla chips, I guess I'm a traditionalist when it comes to my choice of tortilla chip.  

 

Adrienne's Tinga Poblana

For my second go round, I decided to order something that I had never tried before.  Though it was Tuesday night, and they have an awesome special of unlimited tacos for $12 on Tuesdays.  But, I know I love Tacos, I wanted to expand my palate of mexican food.  I decided on the Tinga Poblana, it wasn't until after I received my order that I realized I had ordered the same thing Adrienne has on my previous visit.  It was funny because when I saw her order, I immediately thought I wouldn't order anything like that.  But it was surprisingly good.  As you can see from the pictures, the presentation differed slightly on the two nights. 

Aerial view of my Tinga Polblana 

 

The avocado based sauce was good.  And I liked the poblano and chorizo potato cake that was underneath the chicken.  My first exposure to poblano peppers was a couple years ago in a dish of Chile Verde that I had the chance to assist Monica make for her family in California.  I have never been into peppers and I've always assumed that they were spicy.  But this is a pretty mild pepper that I look forward to incorporating into my own homemade dishes.





The side view allows you to see the poblano pepper-chorizo  potato cake.



 My mother and my sister ordered the the chicken enchiladas, but they both decided on the addition of grilled shrimp to the enchiladas.  It gave it a unique presentation and after stealing a piece off my  mom's plate, I thought they tasted good.  I just didn't care for the combination of the enchiladas with the shrimp, I'll keep them as two separate dishes in the future. My aunt was the only one to take advantage of the Taco special and she ordered a plate of four.  The reason I nor my sister were presuaded to get the taco special is that it does not include steak tacos.  You have the choice of chicken, barbacoa, pulled pork, and some sort of lamb & pork stew.

 

Enchiladas de Suiza de Pollo with grilled shrimp

Tacos!



And as Zocalo calls itself a restaurant AND tequila bar, I couldn't leave without trying the tequila.  Many of their specialty drinks are made with tequila and as I couldn't decide on one, I decided to go for the flight to try a few of their most popular ones.  Icing on top: Sangria made with Tequila!

Zocalo Flight (from left to right: Zocalo Margarita,  Citrus Cazuela, and Sangria)

Must Love Tacos

My love for tacos extends far and wide.  So when I see a place that has tacos, I must try them.  I can literally eat tacos everyday of the week, from different places, and not tire of them.  A taco from Chipotle is a completely different eating experience than a taco from my lunch favorite, Taco Fresco.  I've passed Flaco's Tacos (http://www.flacostacosonline.com/) many times on my commute to work, but I never was close enough to enter.  Last Saturday, Adrienne and were in the area and decided we would go to Flaco's Tacos.  She had been there before and assured me that it would be good.  


Though the name only mentions tacos, Flaco's Tacos is much more than that.  They have Mexican cuisine ranging from enchiladas to tamales to sopes.  My first inclination would usually have been to go for the tacos, but since I'm taking food risks everywhere else I go I decided I would take another one here.  The special for the day was the chicken enchiladas, so that made my choice simple.  Adrienne ordered the chicken taco and a chicken tamale, which she allowed me to sample.  My enchiladas were good but I was very grateful for the self-serve water container, as they were also really spicy.  The inside of the tortilla was coated in a green sauce (salsa verde perhaps) and I could only eat so much at a time.  It comes with a topping of sour cream, which I guess assists with the intake of such spicy food.  Even though I'm not a big fan of sour cream, I had to have a little to calm the spice.  I sampled Adrienne's chicken taco and tamale, they were both good.  But my favorite taco is a steak taco, so I will be sure to order them next time I go to Flaco's Tacos.  


The bonuses to this place include the late hours (open to midnight on school nights and 2am on the weekend) and the fact that they'll deliver!  Tacos driven to my door..what's not to love?

My enchiladas.  They come with beans & rice.  But I had to say no to the beans, I admit overcoming my pickiness will be more of a marathon than a sprint :)

A cut into the the enchiladas. 

Adri's chicken taco & chicken tamale. 

FYI: The weekly specials