abf005 wrote:<trim>

On a side note; we got confirmation that Las Asadas, Palpita & La Pasadita are in fact all separate brothers of the same family who own and operate the three taquerias. Which explains the similar cooking methods, menu offerings and why the menu boards at each place looks the same!

... and to further confuse the issue there are no less than three La Pasadita's right across the street from each other.

While we were standing on the sidewalk in from of the south restaurant on the westside of the street, we were discussing the merits of all three. We did realize that the eastside one was the GNR but there was a enthusiasm to give the Ultimate Burrito a try since it was the catalyst for the crawl. It was fun while not wholly scientific.

Maybe we should of included all three La Pasadita's in the crawl.

Gypsy Boy wrote:

JeffB wrote:Gary, has it been mentioned here before that the one and only original East Side Pasadita is the superior one and the GNR? I don't think so.

Well, actually, it has. I'm too lazy at the moment to troll through posts or even to use the search function, but I know that some time ago (in the months, not years, category) I wasn't certain which one to visit for lunch one day when I expected to be in the 'hood and a little study made clear the general Board preference for the east side of the street.

I'm assuming by "here", Jeff meant here in this thread. Advice to go to the east side location abounds on the forum as a whole, and is even part of the title of GNR thread.

Interesting dialog all the way around.

Gary, the chosen location for La Pasadita was the south most location on west side of Ashland for two simple reasons; first off they are the only one of the three locations that offer a Super burrito. Secondly, we were a tired and stuffed, party of 9. The yellow shack just wouldn’t have allowed for any sitting and discussion of the day like we enjoyed at the west street location.

That being said, I've done all three locations, numerous times. I have found that depending on who’s cooking that day, at whichever location, your results can vary wildly, ranging from tremendous to just OK. The notion of them running the three separate restaurants with varying degrees of quality is a notion that‘s been floating around for years, and I’m not sure I buy into it. Especially since the same ingredients and meats are used at all three.

I do agree (and stated in detail below) that we did not give La Pasadita a fair chance, and still believe that had to do more with our being at the end of the road and diverging from our reference orders, by ordering the monstrosity Ultimate.

I keep going back to the statement of the integration of the ingredients and the effect of a full dinner plate. IMO when ordered ala seebee style; carne asada, cilantro, onion, cheese it only goes part of the way to a super, and misses the point at which the meat gets balanced against the overall mass.

Note the superior difference in integration of my Las Asadas Super (top) vs. that of Gary’s Las Asadas (sebbe style) (bottom)

Kennyz wrote: Advice to go to the east side location abounds on the forum as a whole, and is even part of the title of GNR thread.

LTH wisdom aside, I gave east side Pasadita two chances and was disappointed with the food both times. I much prefer pasaditaswside. I appreciate that location's expanded menu, table service, and what I've found to be more consistently fresh carne asada.

Pasadita was the first really good taqueria that I found in Chicago. Since then, I have moved on to greener salsas. I still appreciate Pasadita, but it is not in my top 3 mexi-joints.

--Rich

abf005 wrote:Note the superior difference in integration of my Las Asadas (top) vs. that of Gary’s La Pasadita (bottom)

Burt,

The burrito I pictured is from Las Asadas not La Pasadita.

Las Asadas Burrito - Western Ave

8.24.09


Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

abf005 wrote:Note the superior difference in integration of my Las Asadas (top) vs. that of Gary’s La Pasadita (bottom)

Burt,

The burrito I pictured is from Las Asadas not La Pasadita.

Las Asadas Burrito - Western Ave

8.24.09


Enjoy,
Gary

I stand corrected!

But it still illustrates the differences in integration between just getting a super vs. the merits of getting a slighter less super.

The Super is also an altogether different beast from this gorgeous baby I got at Las Asadas and discussed in thread:



I really think keeping it simple when ordering a carne burrito is key - cilantro, onion and, on occasion, some avocado. The only time I let cheese, rice, beans, etc. near a burrito is on the rare occasion when I pick up a veggie burrito from Lazo's. Why interfere with all that beautiful steak?

Sorry to create confusion with my ironic/sarcastic observation framed as a question to Gary. In fact, I have long been a proponent of the east side Pasadita, as has Gary, going back to pre-LTH days. The distinction has been raised many times by many people "here" on LTH over the years. The reason for visiting the "wrong" Pasadita is manifest in this case -- the Super. You can only get "Chachos" at the big west side store, too. Para mi, burritos no, chachos, si.

G Wiv wrote:

seebee wrote:Get thee to Las Asadas, order a burrito regular, de carne asada, sin frijoles.

And so I did.........

When I said no beans I was asked if I wanted sour cream, to which I answered no, cheese was never mentioned and came on the burrito. Should I have also specified no cheese?

Sometimes, they kill me when they do that. La Pasadita does that too, although in a reverse way.
Las Asadas' Burrito regular is listed on the Des Plaines menu as having NO CHEESE. They also have a menu listing of a Burrito con queso - different prices.

La Pasadita has a Burrito, and also a Burrito SIN queso. Different prices. Everytime I would order a burrito SIN QUESO, at LA Pasadita, I'd get charged the price of a burrito CON queso.

Either way, I think cheese is another flavor masker when it comes to burritos. I never get it. While I too, prefer a warm corn tortilla/tacos, I have no problemo ordering a minimalist burrito at Las Asadas. And there we go - the salivating has just started - and I am NOT kidding. If the tortilla is a dealbreaker for you, then, it's not gonna work.

RAB wrote:

Kennyz wrote: Advice to go to the east side location abounds on the forum as a whole, and is even part of the title of GNR thread.

LTH wisdom aside, I gave east side Pasadita two chances and was disappointed with the food both times. I much prefer pasaditaswside. I appreciate that location's expanded menu, table service, and what I've found to be more consistently fresh carne asada.

Pasadita was the first really good taqueria that I found in Chicago. Since then, I have moved on to greener salsas. I still appreciate Pasadita, but it is not in my top 3 mexi-joints.

--Rich

North or south westside.

As was mentioned upthread and my experience at many restaurants that timing is sometimes everything. Most often go when they are busy and you will be getting your food fresh. Most importantly at buffets.

seebee wrote:

G Wiv wrote:

seebee wrote:Get thee to Las Asadas, order a burrito regular, de carne asada, sin frijoles.

And so I did.........

When I said no beans I was asked if I wanted sour cream, to which I answered no, cheese was never mentioned and came on the burrito. Should I have also specified no cheese?

Sometimes, they kill me when they do that. La Pasadita does that too, although in a reverse way.
Las Asadas' Burrito regular is listed on the Des Plaines menu as having NO CHEESE. They also have a menu listing of a Burrito con queso - different prices.

La Pasadita has a Burrito, and also a Burrito SIN queso. Different prices. Everytime I would order a burrito SIN QUESO, at LA Pasadita, I'd get charged the price of a burrito CON queso.

Either way, I think cheese is another flavor masker when it comes to burritos. I never get it. While I too, prefer a warm corn tortilla/tacos, I have no problemo ordering a minimalist burrito at Las Asadas. And there we go - the salivating has just started - and I am NOT kidding. If the tortilla is a dealbreaker for you, then, it's not gonna work.

Like Gwiv I almost always go with tacos. Onions, cilantro and cheese. To me cheese is not a dealbreaker and compliments the meat nicely. The dealbreakers in my opinion are the beans and sour cream, and though I haven't tried it because I always opt out, the rice. That said, I usually do tacos with onion, cilantro and cheese. They turn out pretty good when the places are cooking. Though i'd have to say that my wanting for these places has curbed because I am steak taco'd out. Time for a diet...

I hadn't had time to chime in here and say it was great to meet everyone at the burrito crawl. It was a fun experience and very convenient that it started and ended steps from my home, Good planning!

chezbrad wrote:Just out of curiosity, was Tierra y Caliente's mediocre showing the result of the delivery method--i.e., burrito instead of taco--or is this a portent of slippage? I've never ordered a burrito there and have no intentions of doing so; I hope, then, that the taqueria's standing was a lack of burrito prowess and not a sign of decline in terms of cooking.

Thoughts?

FWIW regarding tierra caliente, i'm not sure why it was rated lower than it maybe should have been. Perhaps it was the fact that the modest counter staff was overwhelmed by the crowd and didn't perform up to standards. I think it's safe to say their overall quality is unchanged, and the burrito was on the top of my ratings list. Perhaps they prepared my burrito well because they know me too well there. . 90% of the time i get tacos there but i still love the way they crisp up the tortilla of the burrito and the toppings inside are the perfect balance of flavors for the steak (the full 1/2 avocado goes awesome with the steak). I guess thinking back the steak was a little chewier than normal however by no means poor quality. Sitting in a warming pan for an hour or less does not really deplete the grill flavors, but did perhaps cause it to become a little chewy. As far as the overall quality is concerned, tierra caliente as a whole only seems to have gotten better with time. On the weekends order tacos campechanos and be sure to request it be carnitas and chorizo and you'll be in for a real treat.
I did think that Las Asadas had a slightly better flavored meat but had to rank it 2nd since the package just wasn't perfect, sometimes cheese can interfere with my enjoyment.

The experience of tasting 6 burritos (with a few tacos thrown in for fun) was the best part,
I look forward to next year!

Ok, ok! After all of the talk about the eastside Pasadita and us making a bad choice late one night (visiting the north restaurant on the westside and being purposefully diverted during the burrito crawl My Bride and I made a tasting trip to the eastside location.

Wow! Pretty damn good.



While the meat did suffer a bit from the 'Bucket-o-Grease' (they were cleaning the grill) the meat was very flavorful (good char flavor), tender, and very juicy. All in all a great burrito.



While being a little pricey ($6.50 and we have gotten some great burritos for $4) we would have no hesitation about stopping by for another.

Well worthy of the GNR nod and we were glad to finally make it over there.

Panther,

You are dedicated and I admire it.

=R=

While we were in the neighborhood visiting the great eastside Pasadita we had to make a stop again at Carniceria Y Taqueria Tierra Caliente to try the El Pastor taco.

During the crawl and while we were tempted, it was the first stop of the day and we were a bit worried about capacity.

While we have had some some great Pastor, some with more onions, some with more seasoning, These were just flat out great!





Beside having a great flavor the addition of some well done Chicharrón like crunchy bits really sent it over the top for us.



We cannot imagine it getting any better.

This was my first LTH event and it was a blast.
I was one of those apprehensive about burritos at the onset but had a great time and some good burritos.

Thanks to Burt for organizing!