Taqueria El Limon

446 Lancaster Ave.
Malvern, PA 19355
(484) 329-7969

If you have ever been to the Conshy El Limon, you know this place is no joke. It's easily one of my favorite joints for Mexican food in the Philly area. I happened to stumble across the recent Malvern addition, and figured it was definitely worth a shot. PLUS there is a kick ass Mexican market attached to it, so I could stock up on staples. It's not much to look at from the outside, located in the back end of an old strip mall parking lot, but it certainly makes up for appearance with the usual delicious food.

The chips and salsa/guacamole is a solid starter, but I had a bit of trouble getting past the fact that there was no salt on the chips. Zero granules of tasty sodium chloride to provide mouthwatering salinity to these extremely crunchy chips. The pico is quite hot but fresh and delicious, and the creamy guac had me like.

Oh, did I mention they offer free margaritas? Be sure to ask your server. While these are a bit too sweet and I'm not entirely sure how much liquor is in them (if any), I never turn down a free drink.

On to the torta. The torta here is a thing of beauty. Perfectly executed, with crispy al pastor, charred pineapple chunks, freshly sliced ripe avocado and a chiptole crema.

The al pastor is rich, spicy, and made using quality pork and rendering it down quite well. The griddle-frying approach creates a crust on it, and all of the usual ingredients, including pickled jalapenos, shredded lettuce, tomato, and queso are in perfect balance. The torta bread is also up to the task, though I wouldn't want to let this sit more than an hour or so.

Look at the stringy queso coming off this thing. Perfect.

A sampler of tacos was the next big winner. Chicken tinga, al pastor (I am an addict), and chorizo to round it out. A substitution was made to include cheese on these, blasphemous among some purists, but I pretty much do whatever I want. It was not needed, and I would skip next time. Too many cervezas the night before may have skewed my ordering judgment.

The tinga was just awesome. Hands down the favorite of the taco trio, but to be fair, I just ate an al pastor torta so it wasn't as new and exciting. Rich, deep tomato and chipotle flavors were accompanied by juicy, well cooked shredded chicken. Just perfect.

Again, that pineapple makes it for me on the al pastor.

The chorizo was solid, but I prefer mine to be crispy and well rendered, this retained a bit too much of the chew fat. That being said, it was promptly devoured.

Now, onto the mole. Probably the best thing at this place. Just look at how deep, dark and rich the mole sauce is. Let the darkness surround me.

The depth of flavor in the sauce belies the modest price tag that accompanies this giant burrito. Their burritos come smothered with either a tomatillo,  chipotle or mole sauce. You can't go wrong with any of these options but the mole is my personal favorite. This burrito is so big, I LITERALLY couldn't finish it. I tried and the more I tried the more the rice and margarita worked together to expand in my gut.

The chocolate and coffee flavors are punctuated with a smack of cinnamon that kept me coming back for more, even given my overfull situation. For $7 a grilled chicken, mole smothered burrito is about the best value in the Greater Delaware Valley.

In closing, you'd be hard pressed to find better Mexican anywhere in the suburbs, and even in the city. If you have a challenger, do let me know!

Los Dos Mexican Cuisine

2251 Maple Ave.
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(630) 297-8337
Website

On a visit to Chicago, I was kicking around the burbs looking for some Mexican food. Was it a great plan? Certainly not. But I DID have the opportunity to sample this little joint tucked away in a strip mall, and it did not disappoint.

Free chips, as they should be. Ahem, Chipotle, take note.

Serve yourself? Right again. This salsa was so good I nearly drained both containers.

A torta and a quesadilla seemed about right, so I went for the chicken tinga.

It was nothing fancy, but everything was executed with perfection. Fresh ingredients, nothing that was the newest trend in fusion (fusion is overrated), just a solid torta.

Crisp shredded lettuce, thin but sturdy and soft bread with ripe tomatoes – which have been deathly hard to find this year.

Obviously the chorizo tacos had to be tried, and came out perfect yet again. Everything you need, nothing you don't.

The carne asada was a pretty tasty as well, with half a skirt steak grilled to a nice medium, and served with the usual rice, beans and some warm tortillas.

The flan was also a nice touch, as it was brought out on the house (my dining partners were regulars). Light, wobbly, and just sweet enough.

Pretty solid for a strip mall Mexican experience in the Chicago burbs.

Chando's Tacos

863 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA 95815
(916) 641-8226
Website

On a recent trip to Sac-town, I was looking for something that just isn't the same on the East Coast. And that thing is West Coast Mexican food. Chando's was just what the doctor ordered (well, not really, because I ate three meals' worth of somewhat greasy food in one sitting).

Much like the beloved cheesesteak stands in Philly, Chando's was a walk up window, but they also featured an outdoor grill, at left. The entire area smelled like deliciously charred meat.

I decided on an al pastor torta, a carnitas burrito, and a steak mulita. I would have gladly eaten everything on the menu.

The carnitas burrito was packed with traditional ingredients, and smothered in sour cream.

The mulita was basically a corn tortilla quesadilla with steak, cilantro, onion, guac, and salsa inside. Delicious and a bargain at $2.50.

The torta was also a winner, tucked nicely into a crispy roll, and perfectly portioned with just enough cream and guacamole to keep it moist. This type of quick stop Mexican food is found locally in food trucks, and I certainly wouldn't mind bolstering the traditionally Puebla-style Mexican in South Philly with a bit of West Coast grab-and-go flair.

So if you're out there and looking to open one up, let me be the first to know.

Don Gabriel

611 W Strasburg Rd.
West Chester, PA 19380
(610) 431-3212
Website

I was told West Chester had some great Mexican spots, so I thought I would start with the popular Don Gabriel. It's located in what was obviously a WAWA in it's former life.

It had all of the makings of a great spot. No frills seating, a small grocery store inside, and chips and salsa.

A kitchen with various pots of bubbling sauces and stews.

And fresh guacamole.

The guac was good. The chips were medicore. But they were not a show stopper. The salsas, while plentiful, all lacked acidity and salt.

The pork tamale was decent, nothing to write home about. Confusingly, I had a previously frozen sweet corn tamale sample at Trader Joe's recently that far surpassed this offering.

The sope was good, like a salad on a masa disc. I liked the cotija, but again, nothing was too impressive with this item.

I felt the taco trio would be a good way to try some of my favorite meat varieties. The chorizo was good, the barbacoa had all the trappings of good 'coa, but the chicken was extremely bland and dry. In addition, why were they served with lemon slices? The lime shortage?

The torta was the biggest winner of the group. I got the al pastor, and although the bread could have been better, it had all the necessary requirements. I would order this again, if I were ever forced back here.

Probably the biggest disappointment was the mole. It had a couple of whole pieces of chicken in a rather bland sauce, lacking the complexity and depth of traditional mole. I would pass next time.

I just didn't find anything to love at Don Gabriel, and ended up spending over $40 in disappointment. I have heard West Chester has great Mexican, so where is it?