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Gretchen and I are both fond of Mexican food. We still dearly miss Taqueria Fiesta, which was run by a customer of the bank when Gretchen was still working at the bank and where they had some of the best Mexican food we ever had. Sadly, they were closed down and torn down to make room for another bank.
Shortly before the pandemic, we discovered Chuy's out in Schaumburg. It's a chain, but it's a chain where they make their own tortillas and the flour tortillas (which I love) are safely sulfite-free, so I can have them. (Ordering flour tortillas in a restaurant leads to an inquisition for the waiter, as I try to find out whether I can have them or not. It's a coin flip.) But Chuy's closed shortly after the pandemic started and will not be reopening. The next nearest location is 45 minutes away, so that's not going to help us.
We *have* gotten pretty good at fake Mexican and/or Tex-Mex when cooking at home though. Last night, we made fauxhitas, which are not quite fajitas, and not quite a quesadilla, and not quite a soft taco. Gretchen sauteed some peppers and onions, fried up some hamburger with taco seasoning. Then we pulled out the Guerrero flour tortillas (which are *really* good), melted some queso quesadilla on them in the microwave, added the taco beef and vegetables, folded them over, dumped a mound of chopped romaine on top, and added a dollop of sour cream. They were really tasty and really unauthentic.
Today, we made a slow-cooker Tex-Mex pot roast, adding peppers, onions, and a jar of salsa to the pot. It came out just fine too.
Sooner or later, we will find the right new Mexican restaurant.
But this will do for now.
Shortly before the pandemic, we discovered Chuy's out in Schaumburg. It's a chain, but it's a chain where they make their own tortillas and the flour tortillas (which I love) are safely sulfite-free, so I can have them. (Ordering flour tortillas in a restaurant leads to an inquisition for the waiter, as I try to find out whether I can have them or not. It's a coin flip.) But Chuy's closed shortly after the pandemic started and will not be reopening. The next nearest location is 45 minutes away, so that's not going to help us.
We *have* gotten pretty good at fake Mexican and/or Tex-Mex when cooking at home though. Last night, we made fauxhitas, which are not quite fajitas, and not quite a quesadilla, and not quite a soft taco. Gretchen sauteed some peppers and onions, fried up some hamburger with taco seasoning. Then we pulled out the Guerrero flour tortillas (which are *really* good), melted some queso quesadilla on them in the microwave, added the taco beef and vegetables, folded them over, dumped a mound of chopped romaine on top, and added a dollop of sour cream. They were really tasty and really unauthentic.
Today, we made a slow-cooker Tex-Mex pot roast, adding peppers, onions, and a jar of salsa to the pot. It came out just fine too.
Sooner or later, we will find the right new Mexican restaurant.
But this will do for now.