Nuevo León Review

Nuevo León
http://nuevoleonrestaurant.com/
1515 W. 18th St.
Chicago, IL
312-421-1517
Little Village - Pilsen neighborhood

*** ca$h only ***
BYOB

When I was visiting the Mexican side of my family that live on the Mexican-American border about a year ago, I told them I want some good, good Mexican eats since it’s hard to find in DC. A couple of my cousins who have worked in Chicago in the past both told me they actually like the Mexican restaurants in Chicago better than the ones there.

Better than the ones where Mexico meets the US.

I knew the Mexican food in ChicagoLand was good, but that, my friends, is quite a bold statement.

Last weekend was in Chicago, so I moseyed over to 26th St. a.k.a. Little Mexico a.k.a. Little Village. That whole area is so Mexican-ey from the restaurants to the people to the stores to clothes right down to the street vendors that push carts calling out with cowbells selling tacos, paletas (popsicles made with actual fruit (what a concept!)), and so on. Of course, it comes with graffiti (Aztec, holy Mary, and gang), danger when the sun goes down, and constant patrolling of police. It is sooooo hard to decide which place to go, since the looks, smells, sounds, and everything food-related are all so good. I was going to go back to the places my Dad always took me to, but there just has to be good food elsewhere. The Internets can’t pin down one specific place, so I just drove up & down the streets. I got to 18th St., the Pilsen neighborhood, and coincidentally, my cousin calls me. She works in the area sometimes, and she named off “Nuevo Leon” without batting an eye. I pulled it up on the GPS, and I was just a couple minutes away.

Loud Mexican music blaring from the record store across the street, large belt buckles and cowboy boots everywhere, murals on the buildings, and a colorful outside; I’m here. I park on the street, feed the meter, and I walk in. The place is sort of split in two. The “second part” is more festive with Mexican murals covering the walls and ceilings. The waitresses are dresses in traditional garb. You get to the table, and before you open the menu, chicken soup is placed in front of you. While you look through the menu, warm tortilla chips and three different kinds of salsas are brought to your table. As you peruse through the menu, wondering if you should order one of everything, you can’t help but look at every dish that the wait staff carries as they walk by you. You look online to see what people suggest, but almost everything is recommended. In the end, below is a copy/paste from their menu of what was ordered (with my reviews):

NACHOS $3.00 (12) $6.00
Corn chips covered with beans, cheese, avocado and sour cream
*** The table next to me had these, and that’s what broke the ice for me to talk to them. They said they enjoyed them, and guacamole is a favorite at my table. The presentation is cute. (Did I just say “cute!??”) That really is the adjective for these. Each individual chip is topped with refried bean, cheese, guac, and a dollop of sour cream. What can you say? Pretty good! Though I will say I was expecting more flavor from the guacamole. In fact, my guac is tastier: http://dudesonfoods.blogspot.com/2009/11/enchiladas-and-guacamole.html


CAMARON AL MOJO DE AJO $10.00
Shrimp Grilled with fresh garlic and red pimiento sauce, served with rice and salad.
*** Several plump, juicy, butterflied shrimp in all their seasoned glory on top of the typical Mexican rice surrounded with a salad of lettuce, tomato, and avocado with cojita cheese sprinkled around. Nice size dish with some good flavor. I barely had a taste of it, so I can’t comment much except for the look.

COMBINATION $6.00
A combination platter of traditional favorites that include: 1 beef taco, 1 bean tostada, topped with cheese, lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream, 1 tamale and 1 cheese enchilada.
*** There was a noob to Mexican cuisine at the table, so I suggested this combo as an “Intro to.” The usual suspects are here. I was happy sampling this dish. These simple things is just something I cannot find around DC. I take it back; I can find it, but it’s just not good, the wrong version, and so on. This is the authentic stuff, the realio dealio. Though I rarely order this myself, since I go for other items that aren’t as typical, I still ate more of this at home, since it was too much to eat at the restaurant.

BARBACOA $8.00
Tender, juicy beef steam cooked Nuevo León style, served with refried beans.
*** To steal from Aramis’ ratings, this is WTF in a heavenly way. OMG is I could have a bathtub filled with the pork, I’d lick myself clean. The flavor clobbers you over the head. They ask if you want corn or flour tortillas. Although corn is more authentic, get the flour since they’re made at the restaurant. That’s not easy to find: a Mexican place that makes their own tortillas. Writing this is literally making my mouth water. I want some now. STAT. The salad, rice, and beans predictably accompany the pork, and I sopped the plate clean, but the pork… the P-O-R-K!!! Damnit I wish there was a barbacoa place by me now.

Though it’s BYOB, as you can see by the 21-pack on another table, no alcohol was on my table. Horchata, water, and limeade – not lemonade, and there’s a huge difference (I know it’s obvious to you & me, but not to so many others) – but limeade. That’s Mexican. No place around here has it. Not sure why. I make it, and it’s quite simple (except for hand-squeezing the limes). But sometimes you just want to buy it and have it with your meal.

So with 3 dishes, app, and non-alcoholic drinks, it all came out to $34. Cheap!