Padres Hooks a Mean Fish Taco!

I'm really blessed to live in a city with so many great taco options. So when a friend told Carina and I to go try the fish tacos at Padres I admit that I felt a little reticence. Not because I don't love a good fish taco--they're some of my favorites. Rather, because the fish tacos that I've had recently were overly fried--laden down with crispy bread that eclipsed the delicious fish itself. I mean, I'm cool with a breaded piece of fish, but the qualit of the fry makes all the difference when it comes down to the final product. Happy to say that Padres, however, has effectively made an excellent taco and found a delicate way to balance the fry/fish ratio.

We went to Padres for an exploratory mission before jumping into the food. The place is owned by a gregarious bloke that not only greeted us but gave us a complimentary copy of his recently published memoir. This might come across as a slightly schmaltzy, but his sincerity and genuine appreciation for our being there tempered my skepticism. During our first forray there was a tight little band that was playing some excellent latin music. The place was also packed: tall bar tables and the dining room itself were all full. Good sign. We dabbled with the chips and salsa and guacamole. All were first rate. We also tried their house margarita, which was well blended, not too acidic, and certainly didn't taste like it was made with noxious green Cuervo mixer. After a couple of those we decided it was worth a trip back for a chow down.

We hit Padres again last night. Again, it was nearly full. This time of year, the patio is open and a collection of patio heaters made it feel just perfect against the slighlty chilly air.

First, the service at Padres is outstanding. Our waiter was prompt and very knowledgable about the menu. We ordered solely based on his recommendations and he was spot on with each one.

We decided that we'd start with a plate of fish tacos for our appetizer. They arrived in minutes. The fish-to-filling ratio was outstanding, and the fish pieces were clearly visible--not buried underneath a pile of cabbage and dressing. They were double wrapped in tortilla as well, which I appreciate from a practical standpoint. First bite: Impressive. Yes, the fish had been fried, but it had also been dredged in panko and fried with the lightest touch. The result was that the fish had crunch and texture without tasting like a mouthful of corn chips! The flesh was still tender and flavorful. I'm not going to say "toothsome," as I think anyone that uses that word should be waterboarded. The cabbage was thinly cut, perhaps lightly salted. The dressing was a sour cream, lime, chipotle combination that added a spot-on amount of heat to the taco. They were, in fact, truly excellent fish tacos and I have to give props to Padres for finding a way of combining the guilty pleasure of fried fish with the textural and flavor advantages of grilled fish. Well done guys!

There were only two downsides to the fish taco plate. First, only three a plate? Come on. The plate cost 13 bucks. Eh? That's $4.35 a taco. Second, the tortillas. They were good, but obviously commercially made--for that price I'd prefer a hand made taco if possible. Plus, I'd steam them a little bit longer in order to soften them up a little more.

The rest of the meal was equally delicious. I could only make it half way through a melt-in-your-mouth carne adobado--and I mean, it was absolutely rad. Carina killed off a chicken relleno that was resting in a creamy pepper sauce. That, too, was really great. For dessert I attacked a queso with chorizo. One of the best quesos I've had in years. Tasted like real cheese, and real spinach, and really good quality chorizo. The chorizo was a meal in and of itself, and I'd order it as an entree next time I went back with a cheese hankering.

So I'll back to Padres this Saturday. There's a tequila tasting on the agenda (ok, twist my arm). And I'd absolutely take friends along. It's a got good vibes to it, the tacos are, in fact, excellent, and with only a few tweaks would be absolutely next level. Way to go Padres!

Addison, Illinois: Land of Enchantment

When I think of Illinois, as I'm sure many people would agree, I think of many things: Chicago, Oprah (damn you, you big beautiful thing), lakes, The White Sox, and deep dish pizza. Chicago is one of my favorite cities, and I've really only been there twice. But the impression was so strong, the city so dominantly beautiful, that it's become a favorite.

But taco country? Perhaps not.

I was recently in Addison, Illinois--a quaint, brick house lined suburb about 20 minutes outside of Chi-town. Addison ain't much to look at: a chain hotel, about 8 places to eat, and very limited television. Still, I'm on a quest, see, and Addison wouldn't deter this hunt for tacos--even in a snowy, windy, bitter freezing cold vein of mother Chi-town.

Truth be told, it didn't take me long to find the one and only taco shack in town. Maria, the sweet and kind lady that cleaned my hotel room, tipped me off to an off-the-beaten-path taco place tucked away along Factory Road. There actually is, in Addison, something called Factory Road. Felt a little Steinbeck, but ok, I'm game.

It's tough for a Mexican taco shack to exist in Addison. As you can see from the picture on the front of my blog, the shack itself is done up in the classic taqueria style: bright garish colors, hand lettered food specials on the glass, intermittently flickering neon signs--everthing about it is in complete contrast to the bloodless landscape that surrounds it. A real sheep amongst the wolves.

First, it was really warm inside, and that was nice. There's not much better than a warm chow house when there's a ripping wind and it's 18 degrees outside. Inside, it smelled like posole, grilled meat, and warm tortillas. Perfect. I settled in to a plastic chair, ordered a Tecate, and got down to business.

My goal here was to try something a little off of the taco path, so I rolled with a torta--basically a Mexican hamburger. Like the taco, there are many versions of the torta. You can rock these with seafood, pork, beef, chicken, eggs, and on. The defining element is usually the bread--which should be crusty, almost brioche like. And believe it or not, this place was on point. I ordered a torta with carne "deshebrada"--basically a shredded beef torta. Safe, I thought, very safe.

When the goodness arrived and I took the first delicious bite I was floored by the following:

1. Juicy!! The carne deshebrada almost had a French Dip style quality to it. the meant was perfectly cooked and expertly shredded into fine strands. And then there was some sort of delicious "jus" drizzled over it. Amazing beefy flavor mixed with the spice rub on the beef was out of this world!

2. The lettuce/slaw that was layered over the carne was mind blowing!! Rather than a garden variety (no pun intended) slaw--phlaccid, over seasoned, industrial--this slaw was crisp, had a nice bite to it, perfectly seasoned, and only added to the savory rich quality that the beef itself brought to the party.

3. The bread was heaven. I have no idea if it was fresh, and at that point I could have cared less. The outer layer was a buttery golden brown, and the inside was fluffy and absorbant. It both sopped up the meat juices and held the whole rig together. Masterful bread!!

I destroyed this torta. Complete devastation before moving on to the sides of frijoles, rice, and pickled jalapenos. Again, I was completely amazed at the quality of the frijoles, that tasted as if they'd been cooked with bacon bits (although none were visible). The rice had that wonderful flavor that great Mexican rice has--sort of like onions and cilatro--light and delicious. The pickled jalapenos demanded another frosty Tecate, which I was happy to supply.

There are times when a meal seems out of place geographically. But you take the chance, hoping that it comes close to what you're looking for and that it isn't a complete train wreck. I have to tip my hat to the crew in Addison. Your torta meal #5 was the real deal. I'll be back, next time I'm back. Good on 'ya boys!!