Nuevo Leon [Pictures]

LTH,

I was going to post pictures from our GNR outing to an existing thread, but was surprised there wasn't one dedicated to Nuevo Leon, lots of detailed discussion, but not one that was Nuevo Leon specific.

As I commented in the GNR thread, Nuevo Leon makes my favorite Chilaquiles in the city, dry style to which I add fresh serrano and chorizo. Combine made with love and lard rice and beans, terrific house-made flour tortillas, and you have a deliciously heart healthy meal. While I enjoy many of the offerings at NL, I tend to stick with Chilaquiles, Menudo and the occasional Lengua Lampreada (beef tongue dipped in egg and pan fried), so it was nice to go with Gleam, who nominated Nuevo Leon for a GNR, and his wife Beth for a new look at a familiar menu. Our group was rounded out by my better half MsWiv and Kuhdo, who magically produced a couple of bottles of very nice Spanish wine.

We all agreed Guisado de Puerco en Chile Rojo (pork stew in red chile sauce) is a terrific dish, which Ellen had and enjoyed, and that NL's Carne A La Tampiquena (broiled skirt steak w/cheese enchilada, guac, refried beans and rice) is terrific, which Kudho had and enjoyed, but Gleam's favorite of Tacos de Sabinas (Flour tortillas w/rib eye, grilled onions, tomatoes, jalapeno and refried beans, topped with chihuahua cheese) was a new, and delicious dish, to me.

Tacos de Sabinas


Guisado de Puerco


Chilaquiles


House made flour tortillas


Nuevo Leon is know for Machacado con Huevo (Seasoned shredded steak scrambled with egg), traditionally a breakfast dish, but delicious any time of the day.


And, guilty pleasure wise, I really enjoy Frijoles con Chorizo, a nicely decorated heart attack on a plate


Straight up tacos are quite good, here's a picture of a couple of Lengua Tacos Kuhdo and I shared.


Long hours, friendly environment, swift professional service, good food and reasonable prices, well deserving of an LTHForum Great Neighborhood Restaurant Award.

Beth, Gleam's better half, presenting LTHForum GNR to Nuevo Leon manager Alejandro Guzman


And, as an added bonus, BomBon Bakery is almost directly across the street.

BomBon


Enjoy,
Gary

Nuevo Leon
1515 West 18th St
Chicago, IL
312-421-1517

BomBon Bakery
1508 W. 18th st.
Chicago IL 60608
312-733-7788

This post covered my two favorite dishes at Nuevo -- the Guisado de Puerco en Chile Rojo and the tacos de Sabinas.

The Pork stew can vary in terms of tenderness and richness, depends on how long it's been cooking. I've found that when they bring out the pork stew (usually without the Chile Rojo so it's not bright red) as an "amuse" -- it generally means they have a huge pot that's been cooking a good while. And of course, you can taste it and see if the meat is tender enough for you. The tacos de sabinas is always very consistent, making it my favorite dish...

Amata and I are very long-term, happy customers of Nuevo Leon in Pilsen and both of us love the tacos de Sabinas served there. But it should also be noted that at another place we much love, Nuevo Leon in la Villita, owned by a brother of the Pilsen establishment's owner, one can also find equally delicious tacos de Sabinas:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=73158#73158


Antonius

Nuevo Leon Restaurant
3657 West 26th Street (by S. Millard)
773.522.1515

I am officially drooling in Sin City at the site of these pics!

The day I discovered Nuevo Leon's Tacos de Sabinas is the day I decided I would never, ever become a vegetarian.

Also a staple in my culinary list whenever I go home.

I went about 2 weeks ago on a Saturday to find the dinig room closed for remodeling. Peeked in and it was a mess full of construction stuff. Were these pictures taken since then?

I had my heart set on those great flour tortillas the tacos de Sabinas come in and instead settled for a so-so pozole at a place across the street, slightly west. Forget the name, won't be back there.

sstaley wrote:I went about 2 weeks ago on a Saturday to find the dinig room closed for remodeling. Peeked in and it was a mess full of construction stuff. Were these pictures taken since then?

I had my heart set on those great flour tortillas the tacos de Sabinas come in and instead settled for a so-so pozole at a place across the street, slightly west. Forget the name, won't be back there.

Yep, it's reopened. Actually, they were mostly remodeling the kitchen, but they did spruce up the dining rooms a bit.

sstaley wrote:I had my heart set on those great flour tortillas the tacos de Sabinas come in and instead settled for a so-so pozole at a place across the street, slightly west. Forget the name, won't be back there.

That's one of the Los Comales empire... Not the worst food in the world, but that is faint praise... I've been there only on the extraordinarily rare occasion when Nuevo Leon is closed and the wind chill temperature dips below -20.

Antonius

Those photos make me wish I lived next door. Wow. Everything looks incredible.

LTH,

Nuevo Leon was jumping Friday around 9pm, large groups of neighborhood families, many with happy looking teens wearing cap and gown, scattering of artist and hipster types.

Pork stew amuse, Quesadilla Raul (tortillas rolled around chihuahua cheese with ancho sauce topped with grilled onion) for an app. My typical breakfast for dinner order of Chilaquiles and Camaron al mojo de ajo for my bride. She pronounced the generous portion of garlicky grilled shrimp terrific and now plans to intersperse her favorite of Chuletas de Puerco with the garlic shrimp.

Closing in on 50 years and Nuevo Leon is still going strong.

Enjoy,
Gary

I've always enjoyed great meals at Nuevo Leon. Their chile rellenos are super.

They had me at the sweet tea offering.

thinking about early dinner/late lunch here Saturday, I have heard it BYOB, and cash only, can anyone confirm?

jimswside wrote:thinking about early dinner/late lunch here Saturday, I have heard it BYOB, and cash only, can anyone confirm?

You are correct on both counts. Enjoy your meal there!

Khaopaat wrote:

jimswside wrote:thinking about early dinner/late lunch here Saturday, I have heard it BYOB, and cash only, can anyone confirm?

You are correct on both counts. Enjoy your meal there!

thanks for the confirmation,

Shui Wah for Dim Sum, & Nuevo Leon for an early dinner with the the Lincoln Park Zoo inbetween... should be a good day.

anyone tried the whole red snapper dish on the menu? I am thinking of going for that or the tacos de sabinas.

jimswside wrote:anyone tried the whole red snapper dish on the menu? I am thinking of going for that or the tacos de sabinas.

I had lunch at Nuevo Leon on Wednesday. Of the four of us, I was the only one who didn't order the tacos de sabinas. 2/3 hadn't had it before, and both were quite happy with their selections. I think TdS is one of the best things on offer.

I haven't tried the red snapper. Guisado de puerco and frijoles con chorizo are two other favorites.

Oh, and don't forget to request the salsa verde, by far their best salsa, IMHO.

Ronna

REB wrote:

jimswside wrote:anyone tried the whole red snapper dish on the menu? I am thinking of going for that or the tacos de sabinas.

I had lunch at Nuevo Leon on Wednesday. Of the four of us, I was the only one who didn't order the tacos de sabinas. 2/3 hadn't had it before, and both were quite happy with their selections. I think TdS is one of the best things on offer.

I haven't tried the red snapper. Guisado de puerco and frijoles con chorizo are two other favorites.

Oh, and don't forget to request the salsa verde, by far their best salsa, IMHO.

Ronna

thanks for the tips ronna, I am looking forward to my meal here alot.

I am also looking @ the carne a la tampiquena, and I really like chili rellenos. perhaps the tacos sabinas, and a chili relleno may be may route.

Im glad they are byob, I have a 6 pack of New Glarus Spotted Cow I am bringing along.

I am a big fan of the barbacoa

After a few hours at the zoo, Nuevo Leon was our last stop for the day. What can I say, I really like this place. BYOB, big menu, and very good food, I am a fan. Short wait around 2:30 p.m, but we were seated within 10 minutes. Enjoyed the hot fresh tortilla chips and the salsas, as well as the simple but hearty chicken soup complete with chicken drummie. We ordered the 6 piece nacho dias, and liked the cheese stuffed quesadillas in the mile rancher sauce. Items ordered but not pictured a steak burrito, looked good, and a taco platter (2) steak, and (1) chicken. My wife ordered the chuletos de puerko, a really nice grilled pork chop plate. I went for the Tacos sabinas, and a chili relleno(cant pass these up, I can make a killer one, but they are alot of work). I topped my first taco sabina with some of the cut up chili relleno, and some jalapenos... brilliant... The hand made flour tortillas are awesome, lots of flavor, and really hold together nice. The tacos sabinas had a slight kick, and were some of the best tacos I have had anywhere. We will be heading back to this place for sure.

soup:


nachos dias:


chili relleno:


chuletas de puerco:


tacos sabinas:






I am going to have my (1) leftover taco sabinas for breakfast right now.

LTH,

Early lunch at Nuevo Leon, chilaquiles w/chorizo and fresh serrano served with lard rich refried beans, rice and house made flour tortillas, one of my favorite plates in all Chicagoland. Amuse of Guisado de Puerco en Chile Rojo, three types of salsa, tangy tomatillo, rich simmered tomato and fresh salsa, crisp chips and gratis bowl of med-hot pickled carrot/jalapeno.

10-minute wait at 11am, quick efficient polite service, $5 for chilaquiles w/rice, beans and tortillas, additional buck for choizo. One of the more satisfying $6, or any price for that matter, lunches I have had in a while.

Nuevo Leon, count me a fan.

Enjoy,
Gary

I had a very middling meal at Nuevo Leon tonight.

I am by no means a regular, so I don't know how common this experience is, but I think coming in later in the evening might have something to do with it. We at around 9:30pm.

I ordered chilaquiles with chorizo (a la G Wiv) was the waitress looked at me like I was insane. She told me she wasn't sure the kitchen could do that. Now, I'm no chef, but, as I understand it, this would just involve dumping some chorizo in with the eggs while the whole thing cooks on the flat top. I told her if they could do it, great, if not, no problem.

Then, I asked if they had tortillas hecho a mano and she snapped "NO" at me. Again...I don't know what the deal is. Maybe I should have ordered flour tortillas (which are the hand made ones, yes?) but I though my request was pretty straight forward. No home made tortillas for me.

The meal came out things were really hit and miss. Tamales were very good. Chilaquiles were really dry and under seasoned (yes, dry even for the "dry style) - and completely devoid of chorizo (apparently the kitchen couldn't pull it off). Beans were very dark, too thick, and had obviously been sitting for a really long time. My partner's tacos were alright, but the chorizo was really dry and crumbling.

Overall, not a bad value for about $40, but not as good as I remembered from last year.

What gives, LTH?

Was I sitting in the wrong place? (I was in the take-out area of the restaurant by the main door)
Does night time Nuevo Leon not stand up to day time/weekend Nuevo Leon?
Was I unable to overcome my blinding white-ness in the eyes of the waitstaff, despite my cheerful, polite demeanor?
Or...maybe I should just chalk it up to an off night. I don't go there enough to know.

Either way, it was good enough where I'll come back to try again!

DClose wrote:Or...maybe I should just chalk it up to an off night. I don't go there enough to know.

Sounds like you had a one-off experience, I wouldn't let it dissuade me from returning to Nuevo Leon.

I took my kids a couple of weeks ago and had only a serviceable meal of tacos. However, the kids loved it, so we'll be back. They especially loved the flautas that came before we ordered, which is something, considering how little they eat.

Got to stop in for an unexpected lunch a couple of weeks ago when the storms caused AT&T's switching center on Monroe Street to flood, causing our company to lose both phone and Internet service. (Hard to work if you can't make calls or send email!)

I've been forcing myself to order something other than asado de puerco the last few times I've been there. Today I had a taste for chili relleno, so I ordered that plus one chrorizo taco on the side. The taco was meh, the chili relleno was very good, as was the pork they had as the starter. Add in a Diet Coke, a nice tip, and a buck for the guy watching my car in their parking lot, and it was only $13. But next time, I'm going back to the asado.

jimswside wrote:thinking about early dinner/late lunch here Saturday, I have heard it BYOB, and cash only, can anyone confirm?

Still cash only & BYOB is fine. In fact in regards to the latter, years ago I felt I'd get a "we are going to watch you" look from the staff when I'd break out a bottle of tequila. Last night with our group of 16, it wasn't even noticed.

I'm usually get the Guisado De Puerco but last night for the first time tried Nuevo Leon's Lengua Lampreada. The lampreada was thick cut slabs of tongue dipped in egg, then fried on flat top. BIG BEEFY FLAVOR, delicious.

A very nice Monday night complimentary gesture by Nuevo Leon is that they provided some tortilla chips dressed with cheese, refried beans, guacamole & a bit of sour cream as starters for our group.

Even though this was a Monday night, around 8pm it was packed. 2-4 guests could find a table but larger groups were out of luck.

I've read on LTH about lots of love for the chilaquiles, will have to get back to try those sometime.

We had dinner at Nuevo Leon on Friday prior tofo a concert at Thalia Hall (we'll try Dusek's next time).

Upon sitting we were presented with an amuse of a flauta with what I think was potato filling, with a nice tomato sauce over it. There were two salsas on the table, it wasn't until we were leaving that we realized we were missing the green. I wasn't fond of the milder red, but the spicier one was quite nice, as was the escabeche (what is the protocol for asking for more carrots?).

SueF had the enchiladas, I find myself unable to make a decision so I had the combo platter... little gringo, but quite good: a beef taco that is what Taco Bell is a dim reflection of, a mole enchilada that surprisingly had orange cheddar, a tostada rich with guacamole, sour cream and beans and a.tamal, the only real disappointment, somewhat dry.

Ridiculously cheap (offsetting the parking ticket while we were in the theater) and just right, it should definitely be a stop when in Pilsen.

Sweet Willie wrote:I've read on LTH about lots of love for the chilaquiles, will have to get back to try those sometime.

and now I recall where I read about the chilaquiles

G Wiv wrote:LTH,

Early lunch at Nuevo Leon, chilaquiles w/chorizo and fresh serrano served with lard rich refried beans, rice and house made flour tortillas, one of my favorite plates in all Chicagoland.

If anyone is curious about the chilaquiles or other items at Nuevo Leon, c'mon out and join some LTHers on Sunday morn June 29, see Events Forum on LTH for details.

Sweet Willie wrote:If anyone is curious about the chilaquiles or other items at Nuevo Leon, c'mon out and join some LTHers on Sunday morn June 29, see Events Forum on LTH for details.

Two other LTHers joined this morning for a 9am breakfast at Nuevo Leon, wow my mouth is still in happy mode after our meal.

Started with Frijoles con Chorizo, this is a VERY filling starter, yet so delicious.

I ordered Chilaquiles with salsa rojo. I forgot to request jalapenos with it but it didn't matter, I was very pleased with my breakfast.

Data Point to note: we were seated immediately just before 9am. By 9:15am there was a sizable line, not out the door & it was moving but still a line of folks waiting to get seated.

Willie, Zoid, and I made it down to Nuevo Leon this morning for a satisfying Mexican breakfast.



They start you off with a simple beef stew. It's a nice vehicle for the red and green table salsas.



The table split an order of the beans with chorizo, which was a meal in itself. Their beans are rich and creamy and a perfect platform for the sour chorizo. A spicier chorizo would have been nice, but nothing a splash from the hot sauce on the table couldn't fix.



I went with the huevos divorciados which was two over easy eggs separated by chilaquiles. The green and red salsas may signal opposing forces on the plate, but the marriage of flavors was a match made in heaven.

I've long been a fan of Nuevo Leon's simple and comforting approach to Mexican food. This breakfast reminded me that it's easy to forget about the old neighborhood standbys with so many new kids on the block attempting more complex and aggressive renditions of the cuisine. But at its core Mexican cuisine is comfort food and Nuevo Leon continues to deliver simple yet well prepared dishes to legions of Mexican families.

Great breakfast!
My first time and I can't wait to get back, I really need to spend more time in Pilsen.