Hot-dog place in Downers Grove turned Zacatecan/Mexican

Hello!

I should introduce myself, as this is my first post. I've been lurking on this board for years now, reaping the benefits of everyone's expertise,
and finally have something to contribute. I'd have posted before now, if you-all weren't so thorough. But I've been eating out in Chicago
as a full-time pastime since I was old enough to drive, when all a diner had was the guide in the back of Chicago Magazine or his or her nose.

So on to it: I was looking for something to eat via Metromix, and found a supposedly-better-than-usual hot-dog/Italian beef establishment
in Downer's Grove that would be acceptable to my finicky-American-food-loving children. Behold:

Boagie's
5231 S Main St
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(630) 241-3890





But in addition to the professionally-lettered sign boasting the usual fare, there was an entire board of Mexican food, hand-written in
dry-erase-marker, behind the counter. I asked the woman behind the register what was good, and she indicated that the Mexican food
was it. So I ordered, and I was as far from sorry as you can possibly get.

Turns out the place was taken over by a Zacatecan family a few months ago, and this is their first restaurant. The owner's mother
makes the tamales, and the tortillas for the medium-spicy enchiladas verdes, too,



which were much softer than the kind you'd normally get from a place like El Milagro on 26th (whose tortillas, fresh out of the machine,
ya can't knock, but their consistency is closer to construction paper).

I've had a lot of Mexican street-food, from the standard best-burrito-in-town stands to the medium-size places like Abril, which I still
mourn the passing of, and this is the best comida tipica yet.

I should also mention the excellent Horchata (no grit, and the right amount of cinnamon),



guacamole (lots of tomatoes, cilantro),



and on a subsequent visit, my wife had some amazing big-n-chunky Fajitas.



And a fantastic chile relleno, with a very light breading. They are also justifiably proud of their no-gristle (and no need to saw
with your teeth) steak tacos. So, some more pix:

Looks like some nicely done Mexican goodies indeed. How were the tamales, and how much were they?

The tamales were excellent. Everything was perhaps slightly more than typical-mex-food prices, so that'd be somewhere between
dirt-cheap and cheap. I forget exactly what I paid, though.

Went there Saturday w/missus.....great find...and very good prices.....the guacamole was as good as the previously posted pic looked.....and the chile rellenos was tremendous....best of all, however, was the hospitality of the owners....very gracious and hospitable.....and cheap, I might add.....nice addition to Main Street in DG.

The biggest challenge there is the location...it's been a tough luck spot for a long time. It will be interesting to see if the word gets out and the combination of hot dogs/beef and Mexican food will work.

I tried this place for lunch today. I was disappointed. I ordered 2 tamales and 2 steak tacos.

The masa surrounding the tamales was very thick and the filling was very light. I tried both separately and while each had good flavor, there was just too much of the masa and not enough filling. I think these were $3.50.

The tacos had plenty of steak in each, but it was medium well to well done. It tasted like it was cooked. The tortillas for the tacos appeared to be made from a very coarse grain. They had a very earthy taste that I didn’t like. These were $7+, but I had beans and rice. Maybe I would have liked them better if the steak was cooked less.

The horchata was terrific. It was one of the best I have ever had, although I didn’t care for the appearance of the residue at the bottom of my cup.

I was there an hour and they only had 12 customers. I don’t see me going back.

D.