- November 23, 2024
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I caught the travel bug at a young age. A map proudly hung in my bedroom displaying the destinations I have explored, as well as those on my wish list.
But in every city and every country where I have traveled, there is nothing more fulfilling than genuinely experiencing the culture of that region. Food, I believe, is at the root of all culture. Therefore, most of my vacations are based around food discovery.
One of my favorite travel cities is Chicago. I recently returned from a trip to visit my college roommate, and I am happy to report that in addition to reconnecting as roommates in her Lincoln Park studio-apartment, good eating was at the top of the itinerary. But while most of the trip centered around food, the five or so miles we walked every day because the bus was taking too long, made up for it.
Chicago is known for several foods, including the Chicago dog and deep dish pizza. Since I had yet to try a true Chicago dog, we made our way to The Wieners Circle, a hot dog stand known for its char-grilled food and mutual verbal abuse between the employees and the customers during the late weekend hours. We visited the abrasive establishment in the afternoon to avoid the rudeness and were pleasantly surprised when employees replaced my bottomed-out hotdog bun with a whole new dog.
Upon the recommendation of a friend, I visited Big Star, in the Wicker Park area. The food-truck-turned-restaurant was supposed to be the best place in the city for tacos and whiskey. An unlikely combination, I know, but it somehow works.
The menu, made up mainly of tiny Mexican-style tacos filled with base items such as marinated, spit-roasted pork shoulder and braised pork belly, pushed the limits on what small-town America knows as well-done tacos. Grilled pineapple, queso fresco and pickled red onion made taco toppers that accented the flavors of the carefully prepared meats.
But above all else, the most notable Chicago food experience came from an unexpected place: Chilam Balam, a Mexican-style tapas eatery.
Featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive Ins and Dives,” I had no doubts that the food would be tasty. But there is no way I could prepare for the experience I was about to have.
With a table of five, we ordered dishes to share, starting with the classics of guacamole and blue marlin ceviche. We got some mushroom empanadas, beef short ribs, a stuffed poblano and rabbit stew, among others. For dessert we overstuffed our bellies with peanut butter and oaxacan chocolate empanadas as well as hibiscus flan. Everything about the meal was delicious and complex, and it often took a second bite to appreciate what was meant to be experienced.
But there was one shared dish that I will always remember — and not necessarily for its flavor.
While gazing over the menu, Stacy and I noticed one dish that jumped out at us, an adventure on a plate: Beef tongue tacos.
Being the self-proclaimed foodie that I am, I like to try anything out of the ordinary. I am not an extremist like some TV personalities, but when something like beef tongue is in the dead center of a menu, it has to be ordered. With five people at the table, each of the three tacos would be split in half and whoever liked it the most would get the honor of eating the last half.
As the waiter brought the dish out, we held our breaths with anticipation. I was ready for the challenge. Knowing that the tongue was braised, I expected it to be shredded and resembling any old taco with gourmet farm-fresh toppings.
Boy, was I wrong.
As the perfectly plated dish slid to the center of our table, large chunks of beef tongue stared back at me. Taste buds protruded out of the taco. I had second thoughts about being foodventurous.
But we made a promise at the table: Everyone had to try it.
I closed my eyes and took a bite. It was tasty, combined with butternut squash and other vegetables. But I will never be able to get the image of the buds out of my mind. One of the guys scooped up the last half and devoured, it saying something along the lines of, "If you don’t look it goes down better."
While I appreciate the flavor profile pulled from such a discarded piece of meat in the United States and the trueness to the Mexican avant-garde style of cooking, tongue is not on my list of foods to go back to any time soon.
