Category Archives: Latin American

Tomate Fresh Kitchen

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***** (5 stars)

Wow, authentic hole-in-the-wall Mexican food in Evanston! The way I measure the authenticity of a Mexican place is by the quality of the al Pastor Pork, and this was terrific.

Despite the seeming complexity of the online menu, it’s really quite straightforward: you can get a taco, gordita, burrito or empanada, and have it filled with pastor, carne asada, fish, caramelized onion/charred poblanos, or a few other variations.

I tried several possibilities. The fish taco was small, garnished with diced pineapple, and the least expensive item. The gordita al pastor was generously stuffed with pastor, plus, oddly, some black beans. The burrito with caramelized onions and charred poblanos was huge, and although twice the cost of the taco about five times as much food. All three items were delicious.

Everything is prepared to order, so it is fresh and HOT.

Don’t even think of eating here. Seriously, there is room inside the door for about six people to stand in line and order. No tables inside or out. Ordering online for delivery is probably the best approach.

Tomate Fresh Kitchen
914 1/2 Noyes St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 905-0194
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tomate-fresh-kitchen-evanston

Mago Grill & Cantina

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**** (4 stars)

Mago Grill offers a nice mix of authentic Mexican items plus Tex Mex standards. The highlight is their various Mole sauces. Most of the food here tends to be spicy, so if you’re sensitive, be sure to ask about heat levels.

The ceviche sample is a nice way to start. It offers shrimp, tilapia and bay scallops. All appeared to be cooked. The marinade were different for each, and all three were fairly spicy.

The tamales are also a good appetizer. The come with brown and green moles, both of which are tasty.

Of the tacos, our favorites were the shrimp and the pastor, although the snapper and pibil were also good. Although an order is two tacos at lunch and three at dinner, it’s quite a lot of food, because each comes with two corn tortillas, so you can divide them up to make them more manageable and end up with twice as many.

Margaritas are good, but if you don’t like spicy beware of the salted rim, which contains peppers!

The only item we were disappointed in was the veggie fajitas, which were a rather sodden lump. I’d avoid that, as it’s not authentic anyway.

Note that Mago is a great place to eat outside on a nice day.

Mago Grill & Cantina
115 W Campbell St
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(847) 253-2222
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mago-grill-and-cantina-arlington-heights-2

Border Grill Fresh-Mex

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***** (5 stars)

With no sign on the building, it’s a challenge to find the Border Grill, but well worth it. Look for the neon sign in the window that says Authentic Mexican Food. Indeed it is. The mole sauce on our enchiladas was the highlight, dark, rich and slightly spicy. The refried beans are really authentic, too, and probably bad for you. The al Pastor marinated BBQ pork in the gordita was less rich than some I’ve had, but still tasty, and the gordita shell was crispy/soft and delicious, although I would have prefered it with cilantro rather than lettuce. Everything is made to order, so arrive early and plan on 15 minutes for the food to be ready. A great find!

Border Grill Fresh-Mex
5695A Vineland Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 352-0101
http://www.yelp.com/biz/border-grill-fresh-mex-orlando-2