mmmm. carnitas on crunchy corn, guac and that salsa verde, with just a touch of cheese. fuck, now i want that and it’s not even 6 am…what’s a hungry boy to do?
Hey, come hang out with me in Rogers Park, and we’ll get you some real tacos. Yep, they come with hard corn or soft flour tortillas. If you don’t specify, you get a hard shell wrapped in a soft tortilla, stuck with a layer of refried beans. Lots of tacquerias even put avacado slices on 'em if you ask. Chihuahua cheese, cilantro, lettuce, onions. Ya gotta ask for sour cream. The tacqueria at Clark and Devon often puts some insanely yummy salty bean soup in your bag for free. And they make this amazing avacado sauce - not guacamole (although that’s good too) but an avacado based thin, spicy sauce that’s to die for. I highly recommend the tongue tacos - or better yet, the sopas!
But what we really have to do is chase down one of the corn vendor carts. Ohmigod! It sounds so disgusting, but fresh roasted corn with cheez (not cheese), mayonnaise, cayenne pepper and chihuahua cheese. It’s absolutely sublime. It makes me very, very happy that I moved to the north side. It almost makes May 5th traffic worth it.
And all the Mexican guys put lettuce in burritos around here whether a Mexican person orders them or I do.
I’m hungry. 
Weird. I live in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood, and have never seen a taco made with soft flour tortillas or hard shell corn tortillas. Like I said tacos here and just north of me in Little Village have always been two layers of soft corn tortillas. Sour cream and cheese are optional. Even the vendors at the Maxwell Street Market serve it this way. You northsiders do things funny. 
If you’re ever in the southwest side, check out Zacatacos on either 59th or 71st and Pulaski. Awesome grilled steak tacos (as well as my favorite filling, al pastor—marinated pork.)
I love these guys. My local Market (Pete’s Market—a sort of Mexican Dominick’s owned by some Greek dude) sells freshly prepared food in the corner, and one of the snacks it offers is this corn. Not quite the same as getting it from the guy on the street, but still great.
Oh, one of my favorite places to go drinking is the Wicker Park–Ukrainian Village area at Damen & Division. If you hang out there after 7, you’re due to run in Tamale Guy. I don’t know his name, but he hits up the bars in that area and sells freshly homemade tamales (wrapped in corn husks, of course). They are to die for. Six for $5!! Plus your choice of salsa verde or red hot sauce.
By the way, since I’ve already hijacked this thread somewhat, if you’re ever in Humboldt Park, there’s a little joint called Pa’s about two block west of Western on Division. Go there and get a jibarito sandwich. Basically, it’s a garlicky cheesesteak with lettuce and tomato served between two slices of deep fried plantains. Yep, not bread. Plantains. Phenomenal. And jibaritos are a Chicago Puerto-Rican invention.
And all the Mexican guys put lettuce in burritos around here whether a Mexican person orders them or I do.
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Mmm…I cannot wait to get back West when break is over and get some real Mexican… drools
Slightly more on-topic: I work (part-time, over breaks) at a Subway. We’ve had customers storm away in a rage because our lettuce isn’t ‘fresh’ enough, despite the fact that we had just opened the bag and put out the pan ten minutes ago. Also, if you’re ordering a sandwich with shredded lettuce on it? For the love of all that is good, please don’t change your mind and ask me to take the lettuce of. Some actions, good customer, are one-way streets.
A sad, pale reflection of the glory that is FREEBIRDS!
Can I get an AMEN?
Bonus: they have a Freebirds in Dallas!
One monster beef for me please! (Lunch and dinner in one package!)
The spouse and I get around any pronunciation difficulties by referring to it as “Chipoodle.”
I just had lunch, and this thread is still making me hungry.
Mmmm…poodle…
dammit. now i’m in need of a carnitas bol.
buttonjockey, let’s have a quick Chi²Dope, the two Chis of course being Chicago and Chipotle.
/half in jest
The produce guy at my grocery store said there is a lettuce shortage because of the bad weather in SoCal.
I kind of know how that guy who walked out of Chipotle feels; I am indeed fond of my lettuce and tend to eat it daily.
I guess I could be in for tough times.
First of all - lettuce is nasty and doesn’t belong on anything. I do feed it to my bunnies though.
Second - what the hell is cheezoid?
There’s a place on Cape Cod called Burrito Bar. I once ordered the grande burrito - not realizing it weighed about 5 pounds, had 2 different kinds of beans, rice, about 6 different kinds of veggies and two kinds of cheese. It was heaven (after I picked the lettuce off)
I’ve lived in northern Mexico, so for that part of mexico, taco means soft corn or flour tortilla with meat inside. You add whatever you want, but generally we use shredded cabbage, salsa, lime, and maybe some guacamole (which looks like pea soup).
Burritos are gringo food for the most part and they used to look at you kinda funny if you ordered one. They’ve become pretty standard menu items these days. Generally you get a large flour tortilla, some meat, beans and rice, all seperately. Then add whatever fixings you desire. Most mexicans (around here, that I’ve noticed) don’t put beans and rice on their burrito. They’re usually considered side dishes.
It all varies from region to region, just like the definition of how to dress a hot dog changes in the US.
Now I have to go get a special quesadilla from my favorite place. How they cook in a converted photo booth, I have no idea.
Lettuce or no lettuce…
Chipotle (or as I call it 'Potle) must certainly contain crack, there’s no other way we could all crave it this much if it didn’t.
How this conversation should have ended:
Cinnamon Girl: Tell me. Have you in fact got any Mexican food here at all?
THG: Yes ma’am.
CG: Really?
THG: …No, not really.
CG: You haven’t.
THG: No, not a scrap, I was deliberately wasting your time.
CG: Well, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to shoot you.
THG: Righto, ma’am.
blam <thump>
CG: What a senseless waste of human life.
Thank you for that. I nearly peed. 
There was no lettuce at Chipotle
No iceburg, romaine, leaf, or bibb
My poem got ate.
Unlike the lettuce.
Chipotle is a Mexican fast-food restaurant with a trendy design and a goal of making customers’ mouths hurt. The Evil Captor family went there … once. EVERY LAST DISH WE GOT was red-hot. Even the water! (OK, I kid about the water.) But everything except the drinks was full of hot peppers. Damn, it sucked. I’ll bet the lettuce there is hot.
Unless you go to one of the approximately 6000 tacquerías around here (Fiesta Taco, at corner of Mangum and 34th – very good! and they have menudo every day!), where you can get the classic lingua/cabeza/chicharrones/random other meat (they took away my tripas! nooooo! stupid government), onion, cilantro, and green sauce on corn tortilla – they are truly beautiful in their noble simplicity.