Char grilled steak burrito crawl - [Past Event]

On Saturday August 22nd, I'm proposing a char grilled steak burrito crawl, to visit the 5 best char grilled steak burrito places in Chicago. This invite is open to any interested LTHr's who love those tasty char grilled burrito meat bombs! The list of places to try for this crawl was limited by one singular criteria: the steaks must be char grilled and not cooked on a griddle.

Due to Carniceria Guanajuato's far west location, and unknown hours lets plan on meeting there at 5 PM and go from there, ending the night at La Pasadita. That way, if we should need a breather in between, the late night places will be the last on the nights hit list.

Since all of these places are small or carry out focused with limited seating, the ideal number of participants should probably be no more than 10-15 people, hopefully that many people are interested.

1) Carniceria Guanajuato
3140 N California Ave
Chicago, IL 60686
(773) 267-7739 unknown store hours

2) Palapita
4263 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60641-1642
(773) 427-4438‎
Open: Sat 10am-2am

3) Taqueria El Asadero
2213 W Montrose Ave Chicago, IL 60618-1617
(773) 583-5563
Open: Sat 11am-9pm

4) Las Asadas
2072 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60647-4168
(773) 278-9120
Open: Sat 8pm-1am

5) La Pasadita
1140 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60622-3937
(773) 278-2130‎
Open: Sat 9am-3:30am

6)Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente (Was Caniceria Leon)
1400 N Ashland
Chicago, IL
773-772-9804


Please post your RSVP here, any input or comments are greatly appreciated. Hope to see you there!

-Burt
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Attendee list: (2)
Burt +1

Tentative:

Great idea Burt, and I owe you one for coming out to MIM... I also think I can take a Saturday off from bbq.

count me in.

jimswside wrote:Great idea Burt, and I owe you one for coming out to MIM... I also think I can take a Saturday off from bbq.

count me in.

Glad to have you!!
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Attendee list: (3)
Burt +1
jimswside

Tentative: (0)

I'm just going to throw this idea out there:

IMO, I think logistically, tacos would be a far superior option for this.
It's the same exact meat. Smaller scale. I usually opt for the same toppings (cilantro, onion, maybe avocado.) Burritos tend to have uneven filling spots. If you cut one into quadrants, then each quadrant could really have much different ratios of fillings. 5 tacos sounds entirely reasonable, what do you plan to do with the burritos for sharing?

I'd love to join in on this! It would be my first LTH crawl of any kind. I'm not voting for a favorite because I've only been to one of the candidates so far (Las Asadas, but the Des Plaines location).

If tacos mean corn tortillas, I'd rather stick with burritos because I prefer flour tortillas to corn tortillas. I'll bring the leftovers home!

seebee wrote:I'm just going to throw this idea out there:

IMO, I think logistically, tacos would be a far superior option for this.
It's the same exact meat. Smaller scale. I usually opt for the same toppings (cilantro, onion, maybe avocado.) Burritos tend to have uneven filling spots. If you cut one into quadrants, then each quadrant could really have much different ratios of fillings. 5 tacos sounds entirely reasonable, what do you plan to do with the burritos for sharing?

I'm bringing the bottomless pit with me; my 16 year old son!!

seebee, I can't tell you not to eat just tacos!! And maybe if your doing just a straight meat to meat taste comparison on just the steaks, tacos might get you there with less interference from the other ingredients, so really its not a bad idea.

I on the other hand, want to measure the burrito as a whole package. So beans, rice, fresh veggies, even tortillas and salsa all count in the total tally for me.

I dont think we need to go to score sheets or to order the exact same items for this crawl. Just having an opinion at the end of the five will suffice. We can discuss the finer nuances back here after we've had a chance to digest or at La Pasadita if we cant move for awhile...

Glad to have all of you!!
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Attendee list: (5)
Burt +1
jimswside
seebee
Katie

Tentative: (0)

Katie wrote:I'd love to join in on this! It would be my first LTH crawl of any kind. I'm not voting for a favorite because I've only been to one of the candidates so far (Las Asadas, but the Des Plaines location).

If tacos mean corn tortillas, I'd rather stick with burritos because I prefer flour tortillas to corn tortillas. I'll bring the leftovers home!

You are correct; the Tacos are always corn at these places & the burritos are always on flour tortillas. Just know that each of these places serve regular burritos that weigh about 3/4 to 1 pound each, so either bring an eating companion or a cooler to take home the extras if we cant pair up!

I'm not trying to sway anyone, but I'd be extremely surprised if they did not regularly make their tacos with tortillas de harina for those who ask. Never an issue at Las asadas. I'd be EXTREMELY surprised if anyone was refused flour if they asked for it. Yes, you would probably SEE corn used mostly, but I'd seriously be surprised beyond belief if someone was refused flour tortillas. Not everyone wants corn. I'd bet that ALL of these joints make tacos on flour tortillas a few times per day.

As I recall, the one time I went to Las Asadas and ordered the steak taco, I didn't specify which I wanted, and I got corn, so I wished I had asked for flour instead.

Default for tacos will be corn at any place that is not sombrero Mexican or taco bell/taco john's.
Flour should be readily available if requested, but corn will generally be the default.

I'm in, with my lovely +1, REB.

I note, however, that the Carniceria Guanajuato that I referred to in the other thread is at 3140 N California, not 5250 W Fullerton Ave. The Fullerton location might be very good, but I've never been there and cannot vouch for it. In any case, it seems like the California/Belmont location might be better aligned with the rest of our crawl anyway.

As far as the tacos vs. burritos question, I've never had a flour taco at any of these places. Tacos are always corn and burritos always flour. Seebee might be right that you can order flour tacos, but I have no experience doing so. All that said, I vote for burritos. We can just cut them up into sections and share.

Either way, we're looking forward to it. Let's eat!

--Rich

RAB wrote:I'm in, with my lovely +1, REB.

I note, however, that the Carniceria Guanajuato that I referred to in the other thread is at 3140 N California, not 5250 W Fullerton Ave. The Fullerton location might be very good, but I've never been there and cannot vouch for it. In any case, it seems like the California/Belmont location might be better aligned with the rest of our crawl anyway.

As far as the tacos vs. burritos question, I've never had a flour taco at any of these places. Tacos are always corn and burritos always flour. Seebee might be right that you can order flour tacos, but I have no experience doing so. All that said, I vote for burritos. We can just cut them up into sections and share.

Either way, we're looking forward to it. Let's eat!

--Rich

Address duly noted, I'll update the original post to reflect the change, I dont want to go with an unknown on this one.

Good to have you!
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Attendee list: (7)
Burt +1
jimswside
seebee
Katie
RAB +1, REB

Tentative: (0)

RAB: found this picture of Carniceria Guanajuato I see a pile of steak meat on a griddle for this location, is this the right place? If that picture is correct, they'll have to be dis-qualified. Please clarify, thanks!

RAB wrote:I'm in, with my lovely +1, REB.

I note, however, that the Carniceria Guanajuato that I referred to in the other thread is at 3140 N California, not 5250 W Fullerton Ave. The Fullerton location might be very good, but I've never been there and cannot vouch for it. In any case, it seems like the California/Belmont location might be better aligned with the rest of our crawl anyway.

As far as the tacos vs. burritos question, I've never had a flour taco at any of these places. Tacos are always corn and burritos always flour. Seebee might be right that you can order flour tacos, but I have no experience doing so. All that said, I vote for burritos. We can just cut them up into sections and share.

Either way, we're looking forward to it. Let's eat!

--Rich

Burt,

Though I am not a burrito fan I would suggest including Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente (Was Caniceria Leon) in the mix. Possibly the best Al Pastor in the city and top notch carne asada. You could easily check off Carnicerias Guanajuato as well as there is one a scant half block from Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente.

Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente (Was Caniceria Leon)



Enjoy,
Gary

Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente (Was Caniceria Leon)
1400 N Ashland
Chicago, IL
773-772-9804

Carnicerias Guanajuato
1436 N Ashland
Chicago, IL
773-7725266

G Wiv wrote:Burt,

Though I am not a burrito fan I would suggest including Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente (Was Caniceria Leon) in the mix. Possibly the best Al Pastor in the city and top notch carne asada. You could easily check off Carnicerias Guanajuato as well as there is one a scant half block from Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente.

Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente (Was Caniceria Leon)



Enjoy,
Gary

Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente (Was Caniceria Leon)
1400 N Ashland
Chicago, IL
773-772-9804

Carnicerias Guanajuato
1436 N Ashland
Chicago, IL
773-7725266

Wow! Thanks Gary, that does look fantastic! I haven't seen Al pastor look that good since my last trip to Austin, TX (which I personally believe; that as a city, Austin does Al Pastor just about better than anywhere else).

If there are no objections, I'll add #6 Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente to our list.

Please add me to the list of attendees. Thanks.

PS. Are you thinking that we will be taking separate cars from spot to spot, or trying to carpool?

I will be alternating between tacos and burritos at the different stops. The steak is the most important part for me on the crawl, not the corn tortilla, or flour burrito shell holding it.

Also I will probably come into Chicago a few hours early, and have a few drinks before the crawl to get the appetitie up if anyone is up for a few cocktails before or after the event.

Once the route is selected I may park my truck @ the last stop, and attempt to use Chicago's allegedly good public transport system to back track to the starting point if this is possible then hitch a ride to the other stops with Burt maybe?

G Wiv wrote:Burt,

Though I am not a burrito fan I would suggest including Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente (Was Caniceria Leon) in the mix. Possibly the best Al Pastor in the city and top notch carne asada. You could easily check off Carnicerias Guanajuato as well as there is one a scant half block from Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente.

Does this place even serve burritos? Like Gary, I don't get the love for burritos, but I love the tacos at Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente. I can't recall ever seeing anyone eating a burrito there. That doesn't mean that they don't offer them, but I suggest double checking first.

stevez wrote:Does this place even serve burritos? Like Gary, I don't get the love for burritos, but I love the tacos at Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente. I can't recall ever seeing anyone eating a burrito there. That doesn't mean that they don't offer them, but I suggest double checking first.

Good point, thought of that myself so I double checked a pic of Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente's wall board menu I had on file. Please note patron saint of Chicago restaurants middle left.

Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente wall board menu (3.25.09)

abf005 wrote:Wow! Thanks Gary, that does look fantastic! I haven't seen Al pastor look that good since my last trip to Austin, TX (which I personally believe; that as a city, Austin does Al Pastor just about better than anywhere else).

Here is an even better picture of Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente's al pastor wheel. They really do have terrific al pastor.

Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente

Count me in, +1. I'd love to meet some of you and try a vast array of carne asadas. So far I've only had La P.

The ADC and I will probably be splitting tacos all day to get the purest meat delivery system. We'll probably be taking the CTA up to the first stop and then walking home from La Pasadita. Let's hope we don't pass out on the way back!

I'm really not trying to rain on anyone's parade in the slightest. I see lots of enthusiasm here, and that's great. I have only been in one thon, and it was a stellar experience. One thing, however is really sticking out to me here.
The burrito composition, size, and sharing it. I went on the Cermak taco thon in the spring, and I forgot who it was, but one of the group mentioned being on a previous thon that didn't go as well as hoped because of the quantity of food that everyone thought they would consume at the beginning.

5 tacos / one person - entirely reasonable
5 burritos / one person - probably would have no desire to finish the leftovers on the third day
5 burritos / two ppl - you're talking 2.5 burritos each, here.

4ppl on a burrito would seem like a great idea, but I think the ratios have the propensity to be WAY off. I could seriously see one person getting mostly cilantro and sour cream. I'm just saying that this sorta thing happens.
Sure it could be worked around, and all that, but from my POV, tacos are a far better option for this. Again, this is just my opinion, and I could be completely wrong. I'm just throwing this out there. You might wanna take a step back, and think about how many burritos you're talking about here. I over order in restaurants ALL the time. ALL the time. I honestly don't believe I'm writing something about being on the conservative side pertaining to food. I'm not trying to dissuade anyone, if you have it worked out that this many burritos will work for you, then huzzah! But, I'm saying that you might want to think about it a little more than - "YUM, LOTS OF BURRITOS!" if that's where you are at.
Please don't take this as me trying to get everyone to order tacos only, or me trying to rain on a parade at all. I'm just saying, that's a LOT of burritos for one, and probably even for two. AND they might not cut up particularly well for multiple samples to share between more than two.

Oh and geno55 - "Meat Delivery System." - I LOVE this phrase!! LOVE IT!!!

Take this just as an FYI as you determine the final number of stops. Last September, happy_stomach and I organized a taco tour on bikes. We did five stops and I would say by the fourth stop, our enthusiasm for tacos was flagging. At our final stop, I don't think a single taco was ordered. (We were at Nuevo Leon so there was tremendous variety on the menu). In short, we discovered there was such as thing as too many tacos (and we learned there was, astoundingly, such a thing as too much gelato on the gelato tour) and there may be such a thing as too many burritos. So you may want to be careful about the number of places you wil be visiting.

OK, I added Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente (Was Caniceria Leon) to the list & poll.

I'm also seeing that the eyes and the stomachs have looked at each other, and started to realize just how many pounds of meat are really being discussed here! Therefore, no more entries should be considered. So please, as of this point no other candidates should be offered.

As I said before, everyone is free to order as they please, tacos are certainly less filling (burritos taste great), and to some, less offensive as a dish overall, I can respect that. But this is after all a Burrito crawl!

To deal with the large volume of food, I'm planning on doubling or tripling up with my son Andrew & perhaps one other person to do 1/3 size portions. I will also be bring along a cooler to keep any leftovers.

Since I want the full burrito for photographing, tasting and judging, it's in the name of science really. I can't with good conscience proclaim once burrito supreme over another if I didn't do the exact combination back to back, as opposed to judging based on just one ingredient or component of the overall dish. Its a sacrifice I'm willing to take, I hope I have one more interested party who will join Andrew & I in ordering and eating.

As to the map, I will post up a a JPG for everyone shortly, with the pecking order based on restaurant location & hours so we can start at the north end and work our way to the south. I need to double check, but it still looks as though La Pasadita would be the end point.

Lastly, down thread I saw a picture of Carniceria Guanajuato and the steak meat in a pile sitting on a griddle, but did not get confirmation if the meat is indeed char grilled or not. I would like a confirmation to see if they still make the cut, as this is a "char-grilled" only tasting.

FYI: When I updated the poll to reflect the addition of Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente the tally was reset to zero, I apologize if your vote was zapped.

On the many Beefathons we did a few years back, we would typically split an Italian Beef sandwich into 4 - 5 pieces. That seemed to work out pretty well, and by the end of the day, everyone was still more than full.

Guest list update:

Attendee list: (10)
Burt +1
jimswside
seebee
Katie
RAB +1, REB
geno55 +1
tarte tatin

Tentative: (0)

abf005 wrote: Its a sacrifice I'm willing to take, I hope I have one more interested party who will join Andrew & I in ordering and eating.

in the name of science I volunteer.

I'll be back by then. Count me in.

abf005 wrote:RAB: found this picture of Carniceria Guanajuato I see a pile of steak meat on a griddle for this location, is this the right place? If that picture is correct, they'll have to be dis-qualified. Please clarify, thanks!

I'm 99% certain that there is a char-grill in the far corner of that picture (that they use to cook the steak). Just to raise that to 100% certain, I'll have lunch there tomorrow.

Oh the suffering I subject myself to for LTH!

Will let you know,
--Rich

abf005 wrote:
To deal with the large volume of food, I'm planning on doubling or tripling up with my son Andrew & perhaps one other person to do 1/3 size portions.

abf005 - really, I'm not trying to be a complete pest about this, BUT:
How do you 3 plan on splitting a burrito into thirds? Middle and two ends?