In America, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into the Mexican version of St. Patrick's Day. In other words, the day usually starts out with far too much cerveza at the local cantina and ends up with a stomach-sopping amount of hangover-helper in the form of steamed grayish meat-filled burritos. But for many local Latinos, the day of celebration symbolizes the end of colonial oppression; on May 5, 1862, French troops intent on capturing Mexico City were repelled by a small, poorly-armed militia led by Porfirio Diaz at the battle of Puebla. So chuck the Meximelt and give the day its proper due by checking out our guide to some Mexican bests.
Best under the radar taqueria: Taqueria Puebla
There's no more appropriate place to celebrate the holiday than by eating food native to the region where the Cinco de Mayo battle occurred. The cuisine served here reflects the melting pot of Puebla, home to indigenous cultures, Lebanese and Northern Italians. Don't miss the tacos arabes, served on a thick flour tortilla studded with spit-roasted pork, caramelized onion, oregano, vinegar and other "secret" spices. Another can't miss is the cemita Milaneza, an Italian-Mexican sandwich that resembles a smoky, spicy veal parmesan on a sesame-crusted bun, with papalo (a leafy green similar to cilantro), smoky chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and mozzarella-like queso Oaxaca.
Best whole deep-fried snapper: El Barco
You might have to fight a little fear-factor when you order up the huachinango al mojo de ajo at El Barco, as you'll be staring down a whole deep-fried fish with its crunchy mouth agape, beady fried eyes peeled and crunchy fins and crispy tail suspended in batter. But trust us, once you dig in to the flaky flesh, topped with chopped garlic, white wine and cilantro sauce, you'll end up chuckling over a bare fish skeleton wondering why you even balked. The tastiest meat is just behind the cheek. If you need to take baby steps before you take the splash, start out with a tostada de pulpo, a crunchy corn wafer topped with purple chunks of octopus swimming in limey-cilantro infusion.
Best Mexican street food: Maxwell Street Sunday market at Canal and Taylor Every Sunday a fog of corn masa vapor and charcoal smoke rises above Canal Street between Taylor and 14th at the
Maxwell Street Market. Don't get too distracted by the He Man action figures for sale because the highlight stands are aplenty:
Manolo's roasts chicken blanketed in
mole rojo, a garnet blend of roasted ancho and pasilla chilies, toasted nuts, oregano, cinnamon and a hint of chocolate.
Churro's Frescos draws devotees for its cinnamon-sugar-fried heaven, served piping hot from the deep fryer and infused with your choice of artificial but tasty strawberry or vanilla goop.
Green House Steaks attracts gringos for its steak tacos, but the more adventurous should try the huitlacoche (an earthy, inky-black fungus) quesadilla, studded with golden corn kernels.
Best non-gentrified, sit-down Mexican food: Nuevo Leon
From the guisado de puerco en chile rojo (pork stew in red chile sauce) to the tacos de sabinas (grilled onions and rib-eye steak topped with chihuahua cheese and rolled in a flour tortilla), Nuevo Leon's faux-adobe confines offer the perfect place to score authentic Mexican cuisine. Opened in 1962 by Emeterio Gutierrez, this Pilsen spot place still makes sure that the rice is fluffy and the creamy rich beans come studded with a healthy dose of pork fat.
Best tacos: Taqueria Uptown (1144 W. Bryn Mawr)
Al pastor (which means "shepherd style" in Spanish) is Mexico's answer to the Grecian gyro—it's made up of thin slices of pork shoulder rubbed with the spice achiote and a marinade of toasted dried chiles, vinegar and Mexican oregano. The easiest way to differentiate al pastor tacos is its vinegar/citrus tang, the only way to balance the chile spice and herby oregano. The authentic version here comes on freshly griddled corn masa tortillas full of crispy, char-flecked pork sporting a superior vinegar tang.
Still looking for more Mexican?
Playa Azul serves up the best Mexican seafood in town, including briny ostiones (oysters) and sweet camerones (shrimp).
Frontera Grill and Topolobampo feature the famous culinary creations of Rick Bayless.
Mundial Cocina Mestiza serves up Bayless-quality fare without the high costs.
Tio Luis serves up some of the best basic taqueria fare, namely its steak taco.
Don Pedro Carnitas Don stuffs its knock-out carnitas with crispy meat, fat and offal.
Birreria Reyes de Ocotlan whips up the best birria, goat meat stew, with smoky anchos, a hint of cinnamon, lime, cilantro and onions.
Subscribe in your favorite reader using the links below. To learn more about feeds and RSS, click here.
