"Great Thai and Mexican?" in Chicago...sheesh

OK, you've all had it happen: a friend says 'hey pal, you know foodies in Chicago, can you find out what's the 'best' Thai and Mexican in town?'

A fool's errand, to be sure. I'm not even going to try searching for this. {Do we even have such a listing anywhere on the forum? I mean, "high quality and recommended cuisine X" ? ]

These folks are friends from Montreal, very serious and experienced eaters. So, I'm loathe to just try to finesse the issue. They'll be staying in the Loop, but I'm sure will be willing to take taxis if they must.

My favorite place for Thai near the loop has always been Thai Star at 600 (or so) N. State. But I havenn't been for years, so I don't know it anymore. Is there any real fine (and I do mean "fine" : ) Thai dining anywhere near the loop?

For Mexican, I usually just go to Frontera and enjoy it; unless I feel like getting on a bus and going west to get something genuinely authentico. These guys would probably be willing to do this, too, if it were a slam dunk genuinity.

Sooo, sorry to be such a rookie about this, but, there you have it--I guess that's what foodie friends are for, to be asked rookie questions, eh?

TIA,

Geo

Hello Geo,

It's time you made the acquaintance of the "Great Neighborhood Restaurants" section!

Mexican: Sol de Mexico, Xni-Pec, ....

Thai: TAC Quick, Spoon, Sticky Rice

Happy reading!

C'mon...as a regular here, surely you know to point them to the 2007 GNR Winners?

If you really want to help 'em out, print out the handy pocket guide.

All the GNR winners are a bit of a hike from the Loop, though.

TAC Quick is a pretty easy L trip up the red line, Spoon on the brown is a bit further.

Sol de Mexico and Xni-Pec are not particularly public transport convenient (though not unattainable).

I don't actually know how you'd maximize your best Mexican experience with easy tourist access, but I think it's a good question.

For Thai, I'd say TAC Quick, unless Silver Spoon is still going strong. I'm always puzzled so little is written about this place, I guess assuming that it just can't do what Spoon can do. Or can it?

Amata and crrush--

Tnx both of you, those are just the recs I needed.

Since I never hang out on the "Eating out in Chicagoland" board, I'm clueless about the amenities here. But they look rich and promising. I'll steer my friends to look at both recs.

Geo

If they want a taste of Mexican street food, there's plenty to be sampled at the Maxwell Street Market on Sundays (7 a.m.-3 p.m.). Speaking of...you might also skim through this "3 days in Chicago" thread.

Xni-Pec is 2 blocks from the Cicero Metra station (BNSF line), which is only a 12 minute trip from Union Station. It is a little farther from the Cicero Ave El stop, but still walkable (.7 miles).

I'll second the el recommendation (pink line) for Xni-Pec. The Laramie stop is a bit closer that Cicero, I think. At least, that's the stop I used.

Taking the pink line gives you nice views of some interesting neighborhoods.

Love,
John

Beware the Check, Please! effect on Xni-Pec. I went last Friday--the day of or after the review (terrible timing...totally my fault) and waited in line for more than an hour. They were definitely in the weeds, but handled everything beautifully--even the wanker seated behind us who complained--loudly--about everything.

If your friends choose to go (and I would never discourage someone from going...the food was lovely), encourage them to go on a week day or mid-day. Friday and Saturday night might be a long wait.

Pilsen-- which has GNR honorees Nuevo Leon, Birrieria Reyes de Ocotlan, and Bombon Bakery, and plenty of other good things too-- is surely under 10 minutes from the Loop by whichever blue/pink lines lead there (I never take the CTA there myself). La Pasadita would be a short trip on the O'Hare leg of the blue line to Division, then walk straight south on Ashland. And of course the whole Bayless empire (Frontera, Topolobampo and the thing inside Macy Field's) is close to the Loop. You've got plenty of good Mexican within a very modest travel distance from all the bad Loop Mexican.

I agree about the Thai, though, you gotta hike it up to Spoon or TAC, which is relatively simple (but will take at least 20 min. each way). There's plenty of Ameri-Thai joints in the Loop, which are pretty much interchangeable as far as I'm concerned, and not bad such as they are, but there's no reason to eat at them if your town has the exact same kind of places.

I think Sol de Mexico is almost in a league of its own - and superior to Xni-Pec (which I'm not so certain is worth an out-of-the-way journey for most people), so I'll suggest making the trek to Sol de Mexico with the friends.

Pink line to 18th St will get you to Pilsen. Pink line runs the loop so it can be picked up at any of the stops. The Blue line only goes that way once an hour during rush periods. We usually go to Nuevo Leon then across the street to Bombon. Then, heading back to the el, we stop at Nuevo Leon's bakery and pick up some tortillas and some cheaper (than Bombon) goodies.

I went to Sol de Mexico a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was pretty good, but no better than the places in River North and Old Town (Frontera Grill/Topolobampo, Adobo Grill, Salpicon), and certainly not worth the extra travel time and inconvenience.

The one Mexican place that I do think is unique and outstanding enough to justify a longish trip is Flamingo's in Mount Prospect.