El Potosi Taqueria and "Coca Gigante" [Pic]

Today, the weather put me in mind to pretend that I was still in Los Angeles, before my recent visit there ended prematurely. So, I headed for El Potosi on N. Elston, a taqueria which reminds me of some of the taquerias that I frequent on L.A.'s East Side.



While the weekend-only menudo might have been a more suitable restorative for me on this Sunday morning, I opted instead for a trio of tacos: a taco de tripas, a taco de lomo*, and a taco de pollo. At El Potosi, it is their habit to adorn the tacos with shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and grated cheese, but I took my tacos with chopped onion and cilantro, solamente. The tacos offered nothing in surprise, but they were very tasty and my enjoyment of them was thoroughly enhanced by the fact that I was able to dine al fresco, on the small patio out front. The tacos were preceeded by a basket of warm chips and two nice table salsas.

The only actual surprise during my visit came when I ordered a Mexican CocaCola. You see, El Potosi is the first place that I have seen the "medio litro" Mexican glass-bottled CocaCola in Chicago. For me, it is the perfectly-sized beverage to accompany a plate of Mexican antojitos.

Who knows. Maybe you have seen it. Maybe I just don't get out much.

El Potosi Taqueria
3710 N. Elston Avenue
773.463.2517

Erik M.

Mike G has already reported on El Potosi Taqueria.

* Beef loin, cut, seasoned, and griddled in a similar fashion to that at Arturo's, on Western Avenue.

Thanks Erik. I've driven by this place often enough and always wondered whether it was worth a visit. Now I know that it is. With the vastly improved weather I'll make sure to visit soon for some tacos al fresco.

This place is about 2 blocks from my house - so it makes for a nice stroll. The food is fresh and made to order - so not necessarily speedy.

They make a very lovely chile rellenos.

Apropos nothing in particular, while I was eating at El Potosi yesterday, I saw a young man in a Salud Tequila Bar STAFF T-shirt liberally dousing his menudo with Dave's Insanity Sauce.

kafein wrote:They make a very lovely chile rellenos.

I noticed them on the menu. Next time, I might try the 1/2 carne con un chile relleno, or the "half-order of steak with a stuffed pepper."

Regards,
Erik M.

Erik,

thanks for the report (and for reminding us of Mike G's earlier post). That patio looks great!

Erik M. wrote:While the weekend-only menudo might have been a more suitable restorative for me on this Sunday morning, I opted instead for a trio of tacos: a taco de tripas, a taco de lomo*, and a taco de pollo.

The tripas you had -- that's intestines, right, rather than tripe?

By the way, was there anything on the menu that looked possibly potosino?

hungrily,
Amata

...and fried, no? Sometimes the taco meat is called tripitas to distinguish.

Tripas is the same thing as chitlin's, i.e., pork intestines. Is menundo used for honeycomb (beef) tripe or just the soup thereof?

Rob

JeffB wrote:...and fried, no? Sometimes the taco meat is called tripitas to distinguish.

When I placed my order, I referred to a small cardboard placard which read, "[...] tripitas." When the counterwoman repeated my order to me in an effort to confirm, I heard her to say, "[...] taco de tripas." It is for that reason that I reported it as such. I certainly defer to those that know more about the Spanish language and/or Mexican cuisine than I. Perhaps I misheard her. At any rate, yes, Jeff, it appeared to be irregularly-chopped bits of intestine that had been griddled on the flattop.

Amata wrote:By the way, was there anything on the menu that looked possibly potosino?

Not that I can tell, Amata. That may merely be a reflection of my ignorance of Potosino cuisine, though. The menu is virtually indistinguishable from 673 other taquerias in town. I like it though. The food is prepared with alot of care and the owner and his employess are very nice to me. As I indicated above, the dining experience is made that much more enjoyable by the shaded outdoor patio seating. And, hey, half-litre glass bottles of Mexican CocaCola. Pretty cool!

Regards,
Erik M.

EDIT: I defer to you both. Intestine, and not tripe, as I had originally indicated.

Rob, I believe that menudo is a soup, not a cut. Similar soups go by the name mondongo in the Caribbean. Don't confuse it w/ mofongo, though they are nice together.

I've read a couple of places and confirmed informally that "tripas" means specifically small intestine [ed: I now see on the gov site that pork large intestines are "tripas gordas." Though small intestines are excluded, for some reason, one might assume that "tripitas" is meant to specify the small intestine chitterling. Too much detail you say? Better not look at the pork chart for variety meats, then. Mmm bung.]

At one time (and maybe now?) cow "tripas" was off-limits due to mad cow. I am pretty sure that the chitterlings/tripas/tripitas on taqueria menus is usually pork anyway.

The tripe/tripas thing is confusing. A false cognate as they say. Until now (see below) I was not sure what the proper Spanish terms are for the meat that comes from the various cow's stomachs, and is used in medudo, but the stuff from ##2 and 3, honeycomb and bible, both float in the better menudo around town. I really enjoy the Nuevo Leon version.

Look at this cool link. It will answer most variety meat questions in several languages. (The tripe is under "offal.") The proper terms seem to be panza, panal, and libro for gullets 1-3. Now you can really impress the carnicero. I do not believe that "tripa" is us. in menudo.

http://www.usmef.org/TradeLibrary/Inter ... Manual.asp

Any Spanish butchers out there to confirm this or set me straight?

Erik M. wrote:

Amata wrote:By the way, was there anything on the menu that looked possibly potosino?

Not that I can tell, Amata. That may merely be a reflection of my ignorance of Potosino cuisine, though. The menu is virtually indistinguishable from 673 other taquerias in town. I like it though. The food is prepared with alot of care and the owner and his employess are very nice to me. As I indicated above, the dining experience is made that much more enjoyable by the shaded outdoor patio seating.

As an added datapoint, I agree with each of the sentiments expressed here by Erik.

Erik M. wrote:

kafein wrote:They make a very lovely chile rellenos.

I noticed them on the menu. Next time, I might try the 1/2 carne con un chile relleno, or the "half-order of steak with a stuffed pepper."

I came home yesterday after a particularly annoying work day, left to my own devices for dinner, and in need of something comfortable, tasty, and nearby. For some reason, this brief discussion of chile rellenos came to mind and I was on the patio of El Potosi within minutes.

They do indeed make very lovely chile rellenos. I ordered the 1/2 carne con un chile relleno, but next time I'll skip the carne and go for more chiles. The chile was fresh, flavorful, stuffed with a perfect amount of cheese, and not at all over-cooked or oily (like this dish so often is). Quite delicious, and exactly the food I was looking for. (The carne was an unevenly cooked piece of salty skirt steak that was unpleasant to eat.)
Not being a Coca-Cola fan, I washed this all down with un horchata grande, which was about twice as grande as I needed. Delicious.

As others have said, what really makes this place is the patio. This wooden, wedge-shaped, junk-and-flowers-adorned shack is very reminiscent of roadside taquerias in dustier locales.

Best,
Michael

I was not impressed with the food. It was too Tex-Mex or like a California taco shop for me. The Chiles Rellenos were okay - something I usually order. You have to like that type of Mexican food - Tex Mex that is. I don't.

A variety of seafood dishes were offered along with burritos, tortas, tacos and tostadas. They also serve breakfast.

A very "mom and pop" place. Service was slow. An experience that I'm glad I went to but would not return.

El Potosi Taqueria
3710 N. Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618
773-463-2517
hours 7 days 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Not entirely relevant, but the medio litro bottles of mexican coke Erik references above are available at Woodman's in Kenosha (and maybe other Woodmans locations).

cas wrote:It was too Tex-Mex or like a California taco shop for me. The Chiles Rellenos were okay - something I usually order. You have to like that type of Mexican food - Tex Mex that is. I don't.

Are chiles rellenos a Tex-Mex dish? I had always consdiered them authentically Mexican.

What is it specifically about the food at El Potosi makes it seem "tex-mex"? It's certainly not my favorite taqueria in town, but I've never consdiered it to be a "tex-mex" kinda place.

Best,
Michael

Are chiles rellenos a Tex-Mex dish? I had always consdiered them authentically Mexican.

I really don't know if chiles rellanos are authentically Mexican. I think so though.

What is it specifically about the food at El Potosi makes it seem "tex-mex"?

It reminded me of food that I have had in California in which I spent a great deal of time. And also southwest Florida in which I lived for a couple of years. It just wasn't spicy enough. I'll amend my previous comment: I've had Mexican food that was definetely more "Tex-Mex" than El Potosi.

cas

cas wrote:

Are chiles rellenos a Tex-Mex dish? I had always consdiered them authentically Mexican.

I really don't know if chiles rellanos are authentically Mexican. I think so though.

What is it specifically about the food at El Potosi makes it seem "tex-mex"?

It reminded me of food that I have had in California in which I spent a great deal of time. And also southwest Florida in which I lived for a couple of years. It just wasn't spicy enough. I'll amend my previous comment: I've had Mexican food that was definetely more "Tex-Mex" than El Potosi.

cas

cas,

Thanks for your reply. I guess my question wasn't really clear. I'm curious about the qualities of the food that make some thing more (or less) "tex-mex"? Is it simply a function of spiciness?

I've always identified Tex-Mex as a particular cuisine type. Based on Mexican but centered around different dishes and ingredients: big combination platters, chimichangas, heavy emphasis on beef, etc. (and some of it can be quite good in it's own right).

I guess I am a little confused by the labeling of a simple taqueria under what I consider to be another cuisine. I'm wondering if you're substituting the word "tex-mex" when you really mean that you just didn't like it.

Best,
Michael

Thanks for your reply. I guess my question wasn't really clear. I'm curious about the qualities of the food that make some thing more (or less) "tex-mex"? Is it simply a function of spiciness?

I've always identified Tex-Mex as a particular cuisine type. Based on Mexican but centered around different dishes and ingredients: big combination platters, chimichangas, heavy emphasis on beef, etc. (and some of it can be quite good in it's own right).

I guess I am a little confused by the labeling of a simple taqueria under what I consider to be another cuisine. I'm wondering if you're substituting the word "tex-mex" when you really mean that you just didn't like it.

Best,
Michael

Michael
I'm no expert by far. I just know what I like and don't like. I'm a novice on the nomenclature. I hope someone else can answer your questions. I'd like to know the answers too in order to educate myself! I just always think of Tex-Mex as less spicy than Mexican cuisine and a cuisine that uses ingredients different than Mexican food. I should have kept my big mouth shut until I got more of an education.
cas

cas wrote:I should have kept my big mouth shut until I got more of an education.

cas,

I hope that you did not consider my questioning to be an attack towards you or your opinions. That was not my intention. By no means was I intending that you hide or hold your opinions. I simply found it interesting based on the things I mentioned in my previous post and I was hoping to get you to expand upon it.

"Keeping our big mouths shut" is the exact opposite of what people on LTHForum should do when it comes to their opinions about food.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:

cas wrote:I should have kept my big mouth shut until I got more of an education.

cas,

I hope that you did not consider my questioning to be an attack towards you or your opinions. That was not my intention. By no means was I intending that you hide or hold your opinions. I simply found it interesting based on the things I mentioned in my previous post and I was hoping to get you to expand upon it.

"Keeping our big mouths shut" is the exact opposite of what people on LTHForum should do when it comes to their opinions about food.

Best,
Michael

No, I didn't consider your questions an attack at all. Like I said, I obviously need an education on the specific differences between Mexican food and Tex-Mex. I wish I could have answered your questions objectively instead of subjectively. Hopefully someone will cut in and clear this up.
cas

cas wrote:Like I said, I obviously need an education on the specific differences between Mexican food and Tex-Mex. I wish I could have answered your questions objectively instead of subjectively.

I think the interesting thing, reading such discussions and entering these conversations about Tex-Mex and other regional American Mexican over several years, is that the answers are somewhat subjective. Objectively, I think the definition of Tex-Mex is pretty loose; it's how different people perceive it and use it that make the conversation so fascinating.

Thanks for posting on El Potosi, cas, and thanks eatchicago for asking the question. It's been a couple years since I've been to El Potosi...I occasionally think to go to kick back on their patio with a bucket of beers and a plateful of tacos and while away a warm summer night, but never get around to it.

Aaron Deacon wrote:

cas wrote:Like I said, I obviously need an education on the specific differences between Mexican food and Tex-Mex. I wish I could have answered your questions objectively instead of subjectively.

I think the interesting thing, reading such discussions and entering these conversations about Tex-Mex and other regional American Mexican over several years, is that the answers are somewhat subjective. Objectively, I think the definition of Tex-Mex is pretty loose; it's how different people perceive it and use it that make the conversation so fascinating.

Thanks for posting on El Potosi, cas, and thanks eatchicago for asking the question. It's been a couple years since I've been to El Potosi...I occasionally think to go to kick back on their patio with a bucket of beers and a plateful of tacos and while away a warm summer night, but never get around to it.

I enjoy LTH and I'm glad someone thinks my subjective opinion is worth reading. The fun is in going to different restaurants to answer the question "What is Tex-Mex?" Different things to different people I guess.
cas