Tacos - 18 Miles to the Gallon

LTH,

Inspired by a conversation with Pigmon, and Mike Sula's Two-Car Taqueria piece in the Reader, the better half and I headed out to the near Southwest burbs for tacos de garagista.





I was surprised at the variety of offerings, barbacoa, al pastor, potato, lengua, chorizo, stewed pork and carne asada. We started with a mix of pork/potato and al pastor, solid, if not ethereal, the salsa, cactus salad and soupy beans, included in the price of tacos, were terrific.



Carne asada had a bit of char from the gas grill, and I loved the knob onion and pepper, but the real star, and something I had never seen before, were tacos made with decased morcilla. Rich, mineral, deep flavor that echoed long after vanishing from my plate.



While Ellen and I were very much fish out of water, we felt welcome, the younger son going out of his way to translate and chat. An interesting greater than the sum of its tacos experience, soon as snow hits the ground I'm going back for menudo, which I hear is the best in town.



The weekend only garage taqueria is off the grid, thus no address in my post. The original taco tip came from Norma Zaragoza of Birrieria Zaragoza who, as Sula states, got their start in the same fashion.

Enjoy,
Gary

sounds like a good meal

i really gotta wonder how this guy gets away with this

Head's Red BBQ wrote:i really gotta wonder how this guy gets away with this

I think part of it could be that the police really do have better things to do than stomp on a budding entrepreneur's micro-enterprise. Just driving around Chicago I see a number of street vendors who are probably operating in an extra-legal gray area, and sometimes they get busted, but many do not. The hotdoguera who used to sell at 26th and St. Louis operated for eight years before she was captured by law enforcement and incarcerated. The fact that this taqueria is operating out of the guy's garage probably helps keep him stay off-scope and thus less susceptible to notice and citation.

David Hammond wrote:

Head's Red BBQ wrote:i really gotta wonder how this guy gets away with this

I think part of it could be that the police really do have better things to do than stomp on a budding entrepreneurs micro-enterprise.

I think another part of it is: police like tacos.

I suspect that the police are the least of the business's concerns, but the Health Department and Dept of Revenue are another story. In this town, those guys don't usually let taco love get in the way of enforcement. Hopefully all the attention won't prompt anyone to file a complaint.

All over Mexico there are informal taco stands operating out of people houses, usually out front on the sidewalk. In my mother in law's old neighborhood in suburban Mexico City every night there'd be twenty or so informal spots within a couple of blocks. Very cheap and often stellar, everyone in the neighborhood knew which ones were the good ones. Capitalism in its most pristine form. It's the same in her current location in Morelia. So someone operating out of his or her garage in the US is just a north of the border translation of what is a very common practice south of the border. There may be health issues here, but the natural control in Mexico is that if anyone ever got sick, word of mouth would quickly put the offending establishment out of business.

Kennyz wrote:I suspect that the police are the least of the business's concerns, but the Health Department and Dept of Revenue are another story.

I'm not sure who is of more concern, but when my favorite hotdoguero was picked up on the street and sent to Cook County Jail earlier this year, it wasn't by the Health Department or the Department of Revenue but rather by three CPD officers on bikes.

trpt2345 wrote:All over Mexico there are informal taco stands operating out of people houses, usually out front on the sidewalk. In my mother in law's old neighborhood in suburban Mexico City every night there'd be twenty or so informal spots within a couple of blocks. Very cheap and often stellar, everyone in the neighborhood knew which ones were the good ones. Capitalism in its most pristine form. It's the same in her current location in Morelia. So someone operating out of his or her garage in the US is just a north of the border translation of what is a very common practice south of the border. There may be health issues here, but the natural control in Mexico is that if anyone ever got sick, word of mouth would quickly put the offending establishment out of business.

I undertsand all that but this isnt Mexico,,many things go on with food in other countries that would never go over here

I wish these folks luck in staying below the radar & staying open, the food looks great. I also hope to get a tip on where they are located.

Kennyz wrote:I suspect that the police are the least of the business's concerns, but the Health Department and Dept of Revenue are another story. In this town, those guys don't usually let taco love get in the way of enforcement. Hopefully all the attention won't prompt anyone to file a complaint.

thats what i was referring to ..not cops...
all the the power to the guy but....
all it will takes is one person getting "sick" for this guy to get sued and possibly lose his home (and garage)..too many opportunists out there to risk it if you ask me..
one reason I jump through the necesary hoops to do things properly with insurance and within the health laws ..

No question I'd like to try this food but I have really mixed feelings about it. As a business owner (in the food industry) who diligently and proactively follows all the rules, it kind of pisses me off when I learn about someone taking shortcuts and brazenly ignoring the standard practices of industry, which exist for very good reasons. It's not fair to all the business owner who do willingly comply. Food safety is a huge issue and I respect those folks who take money out of their own pockets and comply with applicable regulations.

Otoh, as a food-lover, it sounds like a very fun thing to try and I'd certainly go into it knowing that if I got sick -- which seems extremely unlikely -- it'd be entirely my own responsibility.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:No question I'd like to try this food but I have really mixed feelings about it. As a business owner (in the food industry) who diligently and proactively follows all the rules, it kind of pisses me off when I learn about someone taking shortcuts and brazenly ignoring the standard practices of industry, which exist for very good reasons. It's not fair to all the business owner who do willingly comply. Food safety is a huge issue and I respect those folks who take money out of their own pockets and comply with applicable regulations.
=R=

Ronnie I agree completely..
and one nosy neighbor will be all it takes..i hope he keeps them well fed to shut them up

ronnie_suburban wrote:No question I'd like to try this food but I have really mixed feelings about it. As a business owner (in the food industry) who diligently and proactively follows all the rules, it kind of pisses me off when I learn about someone taking shortcuts and brazenly ignoring the standard practices of industry, which exist for very good reasons. It's not fair to all the business owner who do willingly comply. Food safety is a huge issue and I respect those folks who take money out of their own pockets and comply with applicable regulations.

A very valid perspective...and yet, I think for small vendors, getting the certifications (or, more accurately, paying for the certifications) might be an insurmountable barrier, particularly if the vendor is just a weekend-restaurateur. This is not to excuse them, but I think I understand why they may not have the "right papers," and it's may not be simply because they're taking shortcuts.

Food safety is critical...and yet, having a taco from a guy's garage is probably about as risky as eating a hot dog at a neighborhood block party. There's risk, but probably minimal.

All that said, I can see why a food service professional would be aggravated by others who avoid the regs and try to slip by.

Hi,

What about those maroon and blue vans hawking food on Milwaukee Avenue and Humboldt Park area? I never had the impression they were official businesses. They were documented pretty heavily on Chowhound and a little bit here. I think the conversation pretty much died out only because it was documented so extensively there is little left to say.

Relative to carts and vans, this place is distinguished by its presence in someone's garage. Personally, I would rather stick my neck out on traveling around than involve my home turf.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Relative to carts and vans, this place is distinguished by its presence in someone's garage. Personally, I would rather stick my neck out on traveling around than involve my home turf.

I absolutely agree with this. Attaching one's residence to possibly illegal dealings seems like putting way too many chips on the table.

=R=

David Hammond wrote:Food safety is critical...and yet, having a taco from a guy's garage is probably about as risky as eating a hot dog at a neighborhood block party. There's risk, but probably minimal.

All that said, I can see why a food service professional would be aggravated by others who avoid the regs and try to slip by.

the difference here is this guy is charging money and running it as a restaurant vs someone leaving the potato salad out too long at a pot luck at friends house or a block party

Head's Red BBQ wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Food safety is critical...and yet, having a taco from a guy's garage is probably about as risky as eating a hot dog at a neighborhood block party. There's risk, but probably minimal.

All that said, I can see why a food service professional would be aggravated by others who avoid the regs and try to slip by.

the difference here is this guy is charging money and running it as a restaurant vs someone leaving the potato salad out too long at a pot luck at friends house or a block party

The similarity is that neither are licensed professionals.

And people wonder why we don't have street carts in Chicago.............

The Garage Taqueria was spotless with attention paid to sanitation, food safety temperature etc. The GT was cleaner, by a wide margin, than many of the fully licensed restaurants at which I've eaten.

Essentially the GT is a family, neighborhood get together, outsiders like myself are few and far between, though welcome.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:And people wonder why we don't have street carts in Chicago.............

The Garage Taqueria was spotless with attention paid to sanitation, food safety temperature etc. The GT was cleaner, by a wide margin, than many of the fully licensed restaurants at which I've eaten.

Essentially the GT is a family, neighborhood get together, outsiders like myself are few and far between, though welcome.

Enjoy,
Gary

thats all well and good and I have found myself telling the health dept the same thing when ive butted heads with them ( ive only gotten foid poisoning twice..both in health dept approved restaurants)but that doesnt negate the issues that have been brought up
no matter how cool a concept you may think it is ..its all irrelevant once you start charging the public for food

Head's Red BBQ wrote:no matter how cool a concept you may think it is ..its all irrelevant once you start charging the public for food

There are a handful of these "operations" in a certain part of town in Austin TX that I frequented when I lived there recently. Some of them were very cool (a menudo-man), some of them not as much. But they were all so far off the grid that they weren't posing any kind of competitive threat to legitimate businesses. I always thought of it as more like a yard sale. I'm not sure I understand your comment.

Head's Red BBQ wrote:no matter how cool a concept you may think it is ..its all irrelevant once you start charging the public for food

How many BBQ guys you know pick a corner to setup on the weekends and vend?

How many here have bought late night tamales from the roving tamale guys in a tavern? Raise your hands, I'll start. hand-up

How about corn or fruit off the street, tamales off the street.

I should have guessed the quick u-turn the thread would take.

I think the main problem here is that this was started in Eating Out in Chicagoland instead of Shopping and Cooking. This place is about as accessible to me as Bill's kitchen in New Mexico, unless I want to bug the hell out of Zaragoza, which is likely what people will be doing after the article. I'll be happy to read more about it when they have an address and sanitation certificate, until then, I feel it should be treated like any LTHer's home kitchen.

G Wiv wrote:I should have guessed the quick u-turn the thread would take.

It's not a u-turn; it's just the continuation of the conversation in ways perhaps unforeseen in the OP.

As few of us have eaten at this underground place, it's challenging to compare notes on the food.

G Wiv wrote:

Head's Red BBQ wrote:no matter how cool a concept you may think it is ..its all irrelevant once you start charging the public for food

How many BBQ guys you know pick a corner to setup on the weekends and vend?

gary - on the contrary I would say the same thing if the guy was serving BBQ ..whats the difference ?
as Ronnie stated some of us spend the time and money to make sure we are in compliance when taking someones money from them in exhange for a food product.

U turn?? Its a discussion I thought

wow this is awesome, kudos to the guy who hosts this amazing food party; the spread looks delicious.

David Hammond wrote:it's challenging to compare notes on the food.

And impossible for those of us who actually can't eat there since we aren't "in."

Contrast with something at the opposite end of the spectrum, an inordinately posh private meal hosted by a celebrity chef that was only available one time to those on an invite-only basis, off the map. Is it eating out in Chicagoland? Yes. Is it a place I can eat out in Chicagoland? No. I'd be happy to learn about it on the Events board, but both the article and the original post here put me, the reader, on the other side of the alley from the action.

tatterdemalion wrote:

Head's Red BBQ wrote:no matter how cool a concept you may think it is ..its all irrelevant once you start charging the public for food

There are a handful of these "operations" in a certain part of town in Austin TX that I frequented when I lived there recently. Some of them were very cool (a menudo-man), some of them not as much. But they were all so far off the grid that they weren't posing any kind of competitive threat to legitimate businesses. I always thought of it as more like a yard sale. I'm not sure I understand your comment.

once you start charging for food you are susceptible to health laws..meaning in comparison to bringing a plate to pass at a party ...a yard sale is not a good comparison

Not sure that garage is up to code either!

Santander wrote:

David Hammond wrote:it's challenging to compare notes on the food.

And impossible for those of us who actually can't eat there since we aren't "in."

Contrast with something at the opposite end of the spectrum, an inordinately posh private meal hosted by a celebrity chef that was only available one time to those on an invite-only basis, off the map. Is it eating out in Chicagoland? Yes. Is it a place I can eat out in Chicagoland? No. I'd be happy to learn about it on the Events board, but both the article and the original post here put me, the reader, on the other side of the alley from the action.

So you feel the post is in the wrong place?

About the location of this secret diner, it was sussed out by Pigmon who happened to be driving through the area and saw a guy with a bagful of tacos. He asked; he sought; he found. It's something anyone of us could do, but given the extralegality of it, the address obviously cannot be posted on a public board.