Chipotle-fied /Trixie-fied La Pasadita

Went to La Pas (westside of Ashland version) and found:

1. Really, really bland salsa verde. Could double as an innovative palate cleanser at one of our favorite "Tr-**" restaurants. "To refresh and cleanse your palate before the miso marinated okonomi scented lightly killed opah on a bed of raw burdock root and fennel pollen". So bland as to add no taste whatsoever to:

2. Terribly uninspiring skirt steak with no hint of garlic, onion or even NaCl for heaven's sake. On top of this:

3. Even the cilantro and cebolla were strangely tasteless. The onions were white and crunchy, the cilantro was green but the resultant combination was...feh! The clincher:

4. The staff had Mix 101.9 playing (the new(est) Sarah McLaughlin song,which pretty much (to me) sounds like every other Sarah McLaughlin song, not that there's anything wrong with that) for two of the three tacos that I ordered and consumed.

Pax,

MC

Mchodera,

I've always liked La Pasadita, though only the LP on the East side of Ashland, just South of Division. This LP is smaller than the others, just a few bar stools and the meat seems to spend less holding time, if any, than the other LP's. Best, obviously, being right from grill to tortilla to your waiting mouth.

At the East side of the street LP I enjoy carne asada, lengua and barbacoa, chile r can take a walk. The horchata is not bad, but made from rice flour, not soaked rice, with little, if any, hint of almond and the lemonade tastes very chemically, almost like they use industrial sized packs of Country Tyme premix.

I am not a fan of the LP carne asada burrito, simply too much dense chewy meat at once. Give me a quickly griddled couple of tortillas, small scoop of meat, tablespoon or two of the onion/cilantro mix and a splash of table sauce and I'm good to go.

A couple of months ago a few of us did a heads up La Pas taste test, all three back to back. The general consensus was La Pas on the East side of Ashland hands down winner. I also happen to be a fan of the lunch counter at Guanajuato, there's one down the street from La Pas, though I perfer the Guanajuato at 3140 N California.

Enjoy,
Gary

La Pasadita 1, 2 and 3 on Ashland just South of Division.

Carnicerias Guanajuato
3140 N California
Chicago, IL
6040 W Diversey
1436 N Ashland

Gary, you and I have always agreed on the little East side Pasadita. I really never understood why people prefer the clean, well lighted places accross the street to the grubby little building with the big, always fuming, smokestack. Bleach and flouresence, or smoke and vaqueros playing cards. For carne asada, the clues to good taste are on the east side of Ashland.