JeffB wrote:Fair enough. I should add that I have no idea what they are serving at TP. However, I expect that a place in Chicago, especially a Mexican place, means pata the same way most other such places serving pata mean it. But Santander is, as usual, also right. Spanish has lots of pitfalls and one should be very careful. Some pretty basic words can be innocent in one country and off-the-charts filthy in another, for example.

Based on a conversation I had with Tony a couple of years back, I'd say that the pata at CP is definitely hoof.

=R=

JeffB wrote:Fair enough. I should add that I have no idea what they are serving at TP.

Cemitas Pata at Cemitas Puebla is cow foot, done in house the end result similar to head cheese which melts a bit on contact with the warm bun.

Huh, I guess I forgot to subscribe to this thread after I asked about the cemita pata - how pleasant it is to return and find several posts! LTH is awesome

My only other experience with pata was in a Filipino restaurant (Max's, in LA, I believe it's a chain from Manila?) where they serve Crispy Pata, which is chunks of 'knuckle' (bone in, obviously). I would be skeptical of how that treatment would be turned into a sandwich, but GWiv's likening CP's version to head cheese makes sense.

Guest blogger at The Reader's Food Chain yesterday was none other than our own G Wiv, who filed this loving missive about Cemitas Puebla:

Gary Wiviott at The Food Chain wrote:The chipotle en adobo that dresses these sandwiches is the linchpin, smoky with a slow burn, made in-house with morita peppers, a smaller fruitier chipotle, and Grandma Esperanza's pineapple vinegar. The cemita Milanesa is one of the draws: a crisp, light sesame-seed bun made to order at a local bakery, a layer of avocado, a schmear of chipotle en adobo, a crisp-fried butterflied pork chop topped with a shower of Oaxacan cheese, and, in summer months, papalo--like cilantro on steroids--which Tony's mother grows for the restaurant. Swoonworthy as this may be, go with an Atomica, a belly-bursting combo of Milanesa, carne enchilada, and ham finished with Oaxacan cheese. Or a cemita pata, made with long-simmered cow's foot mixed with vinegar and carrot then chilled and sliced in the fashion of headcheese.

=R=

Mobbed, even at 2:30; owner's dad says they're blitzed from 11 to 9 'cuz of the Food Network coverage. Word clearly trickled down: lots of WP hipsters and people in Kuma's Corner shirts now.

Milanesa es bueno.

Just want to say what a winner this place. The chef and his dad are the nicest people around and the food is great. Brought my mom there and she loved it, though her cemita was a little too spicy for her. I had the Milanesa and loved it but it didn't quite fill me up. I thought about the Atomica but that's spicy and I didn't love the idea of the ham on it. So I went there for lunch with a guy from work and I'm standing there trying to decide and say I'm thinking about the Atomica but I'm not sure of the ham, he's like pick whatever meat you want. He said he had done one with Al Pastor instead of Ham and that sounded good. It was PERFECT. It tasted great and wasn't that spicy at all in the end and the amount of food was just right, I felt full but not stuffed. I wish the place was as little closer to Western so I could stop there more often, but it's definitely worth the drive (as long as I have the time).

And they now have a small parking lot in back, though I'm not sure how you'd get to it...I always park around the corner on the street.

Very nice people and service and great food. Highly recommended.

--Dirk--

I've always felt they'd make a fortune 10 blocks east. Not necessarily in Wicker Park, but close enough to be in striking range. I don't know whether they feel they're one small anchor for the community over there, which is great, or whether they'd consider it (maybe opening a 2nd location), but when they're looking for financing someone should PM me.

Not that I'm a restaurant finance guy or anything. I'd just be willing to pitch in to the new LTH venture capital fund.

ryanwc wrote:I've always felt they'd make a fortune 10 blocks east. Not necessarily in Wicker Park, but close enough to be in striking range. I don't know whether they feel they're one small anchor for the community over there, which is great, or whether they'd consider it (maybe opening a 2nd location)

I hope not, they are doing fine just where they are. I gladly drive the 100 + miles round trip to have one of their excellent Cemita's.

Mike G wrote:

The next time Iam in the Chinatown area I'll try this new China Puebla place.

Which, by the way, has moved.

Cemitas China Poblana
3138 W. 47th St.
(773) 847-8048

It's not exactly new and it hasn't exactly moved. I first went to Cemitas China Poblana on Archer several years ago, when it was new, but never posted because I had little positive to say. Based on Mike's comments I returned last autumn and found the cemitas to be much better. I was hoping to return but it closed before I had a chance. I'm beginning to wonder if the new location at 47th & Kedzie will ever open. It's been sitting with papered windows and no apparent activity for many months now.

That 47th Street location next to Nicky's was previously home to the second branch of Don Cuco, a pretty decent Back of the Yards taqueria. The original remains at 1847 W 47th but the new one closed over a year ago. For a while there seemed to be price war pitting tacos against Big Babies. The Big Baby won.

The mention of the chorizo and carnitas combination at tafkaLeon had me on the prowl for something similar, and, having noticed Puebla offers the "Gov. Precioso" on their online menu, ordered both a chorizo/asada and a chorizo/pastor taco set. Both were, not surprisingly, out of this world, especially with their remarkable jam-salsa. On par with the "zesty Gyros" (Gyros meat mixed liberally with feta and lemon juice/rind available at some south and west side spots) in terms of tangy menu decadence.

At about 2pm today I found myself in front of Cemitas Puebla looking at an empty parking slot, and thought that fate had chosen this opportunity for me to make my maiden voyage on the SS Cemitas Puebla. After all of the hype and hyperbole that has been written about this place, to say that I was psyched up when I entered would be a severe understatement.

Anyway, I wasn't real hungry so I decided to go with the tacos arabes, since they seemed to be high on everybody's list of favorites at this place. So, I ordered 2 tacos arabes with sides of rice and beans from the waitress, and waited. Since I didn't get any chips, I asked the waitress to bring some. They came the same time as my taco plate. But I got no salsa or fork, so I asked the waitress for those. I tried the rice and beans as soon as I got the fork, and they were room temp. I could have tolerated lukewarm, but they didn't qualify. So I asked the waitress to warm up the rice and beans, and she said OK and took my whole plate away for a couple of minutes. When she brought it back, it was obvious that they had put the whole shebang in the microwave oven because while the rice and beans were now at a proper eating temperature, the tacos were so hot I could not pick them up without burning my fingers. So I opened them up with my fork to allow some steam to escape and then tried to reroll them into eating shape once again. I was not very successful and ended up eating them mostly with the fork. I must say they were very tasty, but the bottle of chipotle salsa only had about 1 ounce of salsa in it, which I used up very quickly, and my request for more salsa to the waitress fell on deaf ears. Also, there were several pieces of meat that were very grisly and hard to chew, which I do not like in a taco.

All things considered, I was kind of disappointed by this experience. Maybe I should have gone with a cemita, next time I surely will.

i dont think you should order rice beans or chips at cemitas puebla. the 3 things to order in my opinion are a cemita, tacos arabes or chalupas. for meats i like the milanesa, al pastor and carne asada. im sure others have their favorites. better luck next time!

Cogito wrote:At about 2pm today I found myself in front of Cemitas Puebla looking at an empty parking slot, and thought that fate had chosen this opportunity for me to make my maiden voyage on the SS Cemitas Puebla. After all of the hype and hyperbole that has been written about this place, to say that I was psyched up when I entered would be a severe understatement.

Anyway, I wasn't real hungry so I decided to go with the tacos arabes, since they seemed to be high on everybody's list of favorites at this place. So, I ordered 2 tacos arabes with sides of rice and beans from the waitress, and waited. Since I didn't get any chips, I asked the waitress to bring some. They came the same time as my taco plate. But I got no salsa or fork, so I asked the waitress for those. I tried the rice and beans as soon as I got the fork, and they were room temp. I could have tolerated lukewarm, but they didn't qualify. So I asked the waitress to warm up the rice and beans, and she said OK and took my whole plate away for a couple of minutes. When she brought it back, it was obvious that they had put the whole shebang in the microwave oven because while the rice and beans were now at a proper eating temperature, the tacos were so hot I could not pick them up without burning my fingers. So I opened them up with my fork to allow some steam to escape and then tried to reroll them into eating shape once again. I was not very successful and ended up eating them mostly with the fork. I must say they were very tasty, but the bottle of chipotle salsa only had about 1 ounce of salsa in it, which I used up very quickly, and my request for more salsa to the waitress fell on deaf ears. Also, there were several pieces of meat that were very grisly and hard to chew, which I do not like in a taco.

All things considered, I was kind of disappointed by this experience. Maybe I should have gone with a cemita, next time I surely will.

Ha! I have to wonder if you had the same waitress I had awhile back. I have been to Taqueria Puebla on a number of times, have had fabulous meals, and have generally received great service. On one occasion, however, the service was comically bad. I don't remember the specifics, but I remember that as we sat there thinking it had been the most absurd meal ever, we asked for the check. She returned to our table a good twenty minutes later with some random numbers scrawled on the back of a business card (not theirs), and a total that bore no relation to the food we'd actually eaten. It was the strangest meal I've ever had in a restaurant--so bad it was great. (The food was fantastic, as usual)

Wow. I was there on Thursday - along with about 15 of Chicago's Finest, making this place one of the safest places on the planet to enjoy a meal since the dear departed Busy Bee.

I've always ordered at the tall counter straight ahead from the entrance, paid at the end of the same counter and selected an open seat where my order has been promptly delivered with a smile. I've never ordered from a table and I suspect that they're not really set up for table service... I've never asked for chips, nor have I been offered them, nor would I expect them to be anything but an afterthought given all the fantastic handmade goodies to be had here...

That said, please commit this to memory: The extra fantastic salsa with pineapple vinegar and the moritas from Mexico is in the yellow [mustard] squeeze bottle. The red salsa in the translucent "clear" bottle is a very, very good red chile salsa, but it's wrong for tacos arabes

MBK wrote:i dont think you should order rice beans or chips at cemitas puebla. the 3 things to order in my opinion are a cemita, tacos arabes or chalupas. for meats i like the milanesa, al pastor and carne asada. im sure others have their favorites. better luck next time!

There wasn't anything wrong with the rice and beans other than being cold. I'm not a tough customer, I usually give the cooks and waitstaff a lot of slack. I guess I was irked that the cook nuked my tacos when they were already warm, and by the totally lacksidasical attitude of the waitress--I had to ask for everything that she should have brought without request, and she ignored my request for a fresh bottle of salsa. I'll give them another chance, I want to try a cemita!

The thing is, this place doesn't HAVE table service. They aren't waitresses. You order and pay at the counter. Someone will bring your drink, someone will bring your food. That's it. I think there are forks and straws at the register where you pay. If you need one, you take one.

leek wrote:The thing is, this place doesn't HAVE table service. They aren't waitresses. You order and pay at the counter. Someone will bring your drink, someone will bring your food. That's it. I think there are forks and straws at the register where you pay. If you need one, you take one.

I guess I got confused then. When I walked in, I asked the cook behind the counter if they had table service, and he said yes. I sat down, and a girl brought me a menu and I gave her my order. Then she brought the food, salsa, drink, etc.

cogito-do yourself a favor and order at the counter. they will come and get your order, as you found out, but they really arent geared up for it, nor are they any good at it. even if you speak spanish, your visit will go more smoothly the other way. justjoan (btw, i LOVE their frijoles. i often get a pint to go, since a cemita is usually plenty for me to eat at one sitting)

Hmm, my experience at CP has more closely reflected Cogito's. I've been there at least a couple dozen times and have almost always received traditional table service. Except for at the ends of meals--I've never been brought a check, just walked up to the register and paid when I was ready to go, and then left the tip in the tip jar instead of back on the table.

tapler wrote:Hmm, my experience at CP has more closely reflected Cogito's. I've been there at least a couple dozen times and have almost always received traditional table service. Except for at the ends of meals--I've never been brought a check, just walked up to the register and paid when I was ready to go, and then left the tip in the tip jar instead of back on the table.

This seems to be CP's post-DD&D gringo treatment. A new fancy, laminated menu and clumsy table service. In my last two trips, I've been helped at the counter once and asked to be seated and wait for a menu the other time.

Either way, I stick with the cemitas, tacos arabes (my favorite CP item), and the chalupas, and always leave happy.

RAB wrote:

tapler wrote:Hmm, my experience at CP has more closely reflected Cogito's. I've been there at least a couple dozen times and have almost always received traditional table service. Except for at the ends of meals--I've never been brought a check, just walked up to the register and paid when I was ready to go, and then left the tip in the tip jar instead of back on the table.

This seems to be CP's post-DD&D gringo treatment. A new fancy, laminated menu and clumsy table service. In my last two trips, I've been helped at the counter once and asked to be seated and wait for a menu the other time.

Either way, I stick with the cemitas, tacos arabes (my favorite CP item), and the chalupas, and always leave happy.

It was their pre-DD&D gringo treatment, too. I've done it both ways for several years, sometimes sitting and ordering and sometimes ordering at the counter. Like tapler, I always pay at the counter and leave a nice tip in the jar.

RAB wrote:This seems to be CP's post-DD&D gringo treatment.

Whoah, I've been going there for years, since before they relocated. Maybe it's a weekend thing, since that's usually when I have the chance to go.

tapler wrote:

RAB wrote:This seems to be CP's post-DD&D gringo treatment.

Whoah, I've been going there for years, since before they relocated. Maybe it's a weekend thing, since that's usually when I have the chance to go.

Not just a weekend thing, since I mostly go on weekdays.

I have never ordered anywhere but at the counter and I'm here fairly often as I live about 4 minutes away, so I can't comment on the table service. The gals that were in there tonight when I got my takeout seemed very friendly though.

In any case, was anyone else in here today that ordered the Arabes? If so, did you find them to be extra-blindingly hot today? I love hot, I love the Arabes, but they struck me as much more spicy than usual this evening. Surprisingly, that did not stop the picky eater from wolfing his down despite the fact that he does not like hot food. He just looked up from his plate and mumbled "good meat," and went back to eating.

1 Milanese
+1 Carne Asada
+2 Tacos Arabes
= 2 Very Happy Diners

*edited to correct atrocious post-work sleepy grammar

Ursiform wrote:
In any case, was anyone else in here today that ordered the Arabes? If so, did you find them to be extra-blindingly hot today?

*edited to correct atrocious post-work sleepy grammar

Yes! As I mentioned upthread, I was there yesterday, and in addition to my chorizo-mix tacos, I took out arabes for a midnight snack, and cemitas (which keep really well in the refrigerator) for lunch today. Not just the arabes, but everything (including the cemita de carne enchilada) was off the heat charts. I loved it, but wager they had a batch of rogue chilis rather than an intent to ratchet things up for the weekend.

Santander wrote:

Ursiform wrote:
In any case, was anyone else in here today that ordered the Arabes? If so, did you find them to be extra-blindingly hot today?

*edited to correct atrocious post-work sleepy grammar

Yes! As I mentioned upthread, I was there yesterday, and in addition to my chorizo-mix tacos, I took out arabes for a midnight snack, and cemitas (which keep really well in the refrigerator) for lunch today. Not just the arabes, but everything (including the cemita de carne enchilada) was off the heat charts. I loved it, but wager they had a batch of rogue chilis rather than an intent to ratchet things up for the weekend.

That makes sense, I've never been hit with so much concentrated spice over there before. Cemitas DO keep well in the fridge, just ate the other half of my Milanesa for a midnight snack.

I was there on Saturday and we did notice it was a little hotter than usual, but not crazy hot. There were a lot of first time visitors it seemed (including what looked like German tourists).

Stopped in yesterday and got the cemitas milanese but with double the meat, imo this makes it far more tasty as the single fried pork cutlet tends to get lost in the bread, cheese, etc. The bread is airy and not thick but having two pork cutlets creates a better balance overall and is well worth the extra cost! Also they had a sign inside that says they now offer parking a block west in a church nearby, which is great for those of you coming during their busy hours...

good news about the church parking lot being available. it used to be, then for some reason it wasn't. parking is difficult around there and the lot behind the restaurant is always full(and tiny). justjoan

I've found Sunday nights to be a great time to hit Puebla - while Tony and pop are rarely around, guest volume is low and some of the family is usually relaxing at a back table or doing prep work for Monday. The one downside is the meat for the arabes being held over from earlier, but it re-griddles nicely. I really value having a place this good open relatively late on a Sunday. In keeping with comments from earlier this Spring / Summer, things do seem to be more piquant lately. We had an order of chorizo chilaquiles (with sauce requested on the side only), and the chorizo itself was wicked hot, and delicious.

I haven't seen papalo on the sandwiches yet this season, and would have asked them about it but took the cemitas to go and didn't notice until noshing later. Anyone know what time of year papalo is at its peak (on west North Ave. or elsewhere), or does one have to request it these days?