BLOCHO'S TACOS

Lincoln Park Zoo 2001 N. Clark St Chicago, IL For weeks now I have been planning a Chicago Taco Adventure. Realizing that there are no good tacos in Evanston , I now must venture into parts of Chicago to get my taco fix. This adventure is still in the planning stages, so I was very excited (and surprised) when I came across tacos at the Lincoln Park Zoo. After observing polar bears, meerkats , penguins, flamingos, lions, leopards, and monkeys enjoy their dinner my stomach was growling for some food of my own. At first I was hesitant to go into the usually over-priced tourist trap food court, but the sign pointing the direction to the entrance was very enticing. It listed the cuisines available in the food court and immediately "Mexican" caught my eye. I rushed in and jumped in line to get my tacos. I orderd the taco platter and asked for a combination between chicken and beef. They were very official in warming up the corn tortillas and crafting the taco so that the we...

Chipotle 711 Church Street Evanston , IL I do not like Chipotle . I never have. And that was even before eating there. My biggest gripe with the Mexican-style chain restaurant is I believe it drove Burritoville , a NY-only more authentic version of Chipotle , out of business. Despite my feelings against Chipotle , I let me friends Samantha and Lisa convince me to try it. They are Chipotle fanatics. They crave Chipotle the way I crave Mexican food -- always. After a disappointing Northwestern University football game, I walked with Samantha and Lisa to Chipotle to see what all the hype was about. Carnitas have become a favorite taco flavor of mine throughout this journey, so I decided to continue the tradition and perhaps add another favorite carnitas taco joint to my list. I have decided I need to take the "only hard corn tortilla shell" sign as a warning. The shells were flavorless and even a little stale, the meat was over-spiced, the guacamole was tasteless--bo...

Frontera Fresco Macy's Old Orchard, Skokie , IL Hungry from a day of apartment furniture shopping, my dad and I stopped at Frontera Fresco for a quick bite. The tacos are new to the gourmet Mexican cafe's menu, but my confidence in founder Rick Bayless ' restaurants left me assured that these tacos would be good tacos. I ordered the chicken chorizo taco and the chipotle shrimp. The chorizo was more chili-like in consistency -- ground meat in a very smoky chipotle - esque sauce. Unlike my previous disappointment with chili tacos, this chicken chorizo was very tasty. The shrimp taco was lighter than the chorizo and the Frontera taco sauce, melted chihuahua cheese, lime, and avocado that accompanies each taco made this particular shrimp taco a summery delight. I questioned the freshness of the shrimp because it did taste more fishy than my previous shrimp experiences. However, with enough salsa the fishy taste blended in with all the others. My guess is for ea...

Tehuitzingo Deli & Grocery Inc. 695 10 th Avenue New York, NY When meeting up with Michael Melamedoff , writer and director of " Weakness ", there was no question that we would go for tacos. Michael suggested the "secret taco deli" on 10 th Ave at 47 th street and the mystery of the place enticed me. Entering into Tehuitzingo I was confused. It looked just like a deli, no tacos around. But if you step beyond the front counter and refrigerators filled with Jarritos sodas, you find a little secret taco deli. At the back of the narrow room you approach a small window and place your order. The menu has many pork offerings along with your typical chicken, rice and beans, and steak tacos. They even have goat tacos! I followed my heart and ordered a carnitas taco and steak taco. In my taco adventures these have been the most rewarding. And in the spirit of trying something new, I took Michael's suggestion and ordered a chorizo con papas (sau...

El Verano Taqueria Citi Field Flushing, NY Since I started blogging many people have recommended a number of taco joints worthy of my review and many of these places are in Queens, NY. I (unfortunately) do not make it out to Queens very often, but Saturday night was special. To honor the World Champion 1969 Mets , the 2009 Mets had a pre -game celebration at Citi Field (the new Shea Stadium). Being a life-long Mets fan I was extremely excited to have a look at the team from way back when, but also the real perk lay in Citi Field's new dining concourse. Hot dogs, pretzels, and cotton candy are still available at Citi Field, but you can also opt for Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, Box Frites , and many more higher-end options. My favorite: El Verano Taqueria . Eating tacos at a baseball game. I was in heaven. And they were good, too! Julia, my dad, and I went for the taco trio -- chicken mole pipian, chile-marinate skirt steak, and carnitas , while my friend, Ellen, kept it si...

The Original California Taqueria 187 Court Street Brooklyn, NY My Taco House experience left me very unsatisfied in the taco world, so the following day I was in search of redemption. The outside of The Original California Taqueria was enticing, very authentic looking. I figured anything was better than the Taco House disaster. I ordered a fish taco (my first ever!) with sauteed tilapia and a barbacoa taco (shredded beef). Hesitant to try the fish taco, the smell of freshly sauteed tilapia and the cilantro from the pico de gallo drew me right in. I enjoyed the new taste of a fish taco, but this taco was missing something. Maybe cheese? Hot sauce? I couldn't quite pin-point it. However, I did come to the realization that adding tomatoes or pico de gallo ups the mess factor ten-fold. Thank God for the two soft corn tortillas holding my taco together. If you want to add the tomatoes to your taco, eat in the restaurant so you are not eating on your lap with taco fillin...

Taco House 178 Church St. New York, NY The Taco House is a fast-food-Chinese-restaurant-turned- taqueria . Not a good combination. I took a chance at The Taco House. Fooled by the letter posted in the storefront window by a customer praising the service and food quality, and compelled by an intense taco craving, I settled for a Taco House lunch on Wednesday. I wish I had curbed my craving one more day. The chicken was dry and much too salty. The hard taco shell (I should have known that having only hard taco shells was a bad sign) was stale. The tomato and lettuce did not improve the situation; they made the stale shell into a soggy mess. I could continue describing the horrendous taco, however I will spare myself the memory. My hunger pushed me through to finish the taco, but not with pleasure. And the guacamole was far from the proper shade of green. DO NOT eat at Taco House. I do not know if they have any loyal customers, but I will not be one of them. Perhaps the burritos a...