The Tastiest Taco: Chowdown Showdown

Between Taco Bell and the ground hamburger meat that mom seasons with packets of red dye and MSG flavoring, the taco that many Americans are familiar with is far from an authentic Mexican taco. While the following tacos might not achieve perfect authenticity, they are each a big step in the right direction away from the flour tortilla guise of a seasoned burger.

 (Homewood)

Cilantro's chicken tacos include crumbled cheese, diced tomatoes and shredded iceberg lettuce. I chose the carrying vessel to be a corn tortilla.

"Refreshing" was the word that came to mind as I took my first bite. The fresh tomatoes and lettuce added a crisp lightness to the taco and complimented the chicken meat. The meat itself was hardly seasoned, relying on its own natural, juicy and very good flavor. The cheese existed more as a visual accent than a flavor modifier.

However, despite the moist chicken meat, the entire taco was a bit on the dry side. A boost of acidity, such as lime juice, would most likely remedy this problem. 

(Chicago Heights)

Like Cilantro, Los Portales' chicken taco was accented with diced tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce and a small amount of shredded cheese. The produce lacked the peak freshness that Cilantro provided, but it was still highly satisfactory.

The differentiating factor between Cilantro and Portales' taco was the meat. Los Portales' taco had shredded chicken that had been marinated in flavorful juices. While the taco was a bit of a greasy mess, the delicious flavor of the meat makes up for it. Overall, this messy taco provided an obtrusive assault of savory flavor.

(Homewood)

This taco was given the same treatment of lettuce, tomato and minimal cheese as the other two, however, it also contained two slivers of partially grilled onion and two small chunks of what I believe was poblano pepper.Unlike the other two tacos, Burrito Express seemed to be a bit more stingy with their ingredients.

The chicken was served in cubes, unlike the shredded texture found in the other two restaurants. It was hard to focus on the flavor because the textural experience was very unpleasant. The cubed chicken stood in contrast with the blending of textures and flavors and the sporadic and limited bites of pepper and onion were distracting. Perhaps this style of preparation might be better suited for other menu items, like the burritos, but it was not particularly adept for the tacos.

Overall, I'd say the flavor was satisfactory, but definitely not something to rave about.

The Winner: 

It wasn't particularly elegant and it wasn't extremely authentic, but Los Portales makes a really tasty taco. Cilantro's tacos were good in a different way, as they were lighter and more refreshing in taste, but they lacked the flavor that would have brought them to life. Los Portales' ability to harness such sheer savory flavor within a delicious double corn tortilla set it aside from the rest. 

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