Carnitas Uruapan
1725 W 18th St
Chicago, IL 
Here at ETW, we have noticed a couple of trends in our many years of restaurant-going. Food value in relation to quality goes up when owners and employees are primarily speaking a language other than English. Smaller places are better – street places are the best. And the fewer items on a menu, the tastier those items will be. So, if you have a small place with one menu item where nobody is speaking English, you will probably have a great time. Such is the case at Carnitas Uruapan, a small, unsuspecting establishment in Chicago’s predominantly Mexican neighborhood of Pilsen, that serves up only one menu item – carnitas – and serves it very well.
The protocol: after walking in, the man behind the counter will greet you in Spanish. Greet him back, and ask for a number of libras (pounds) or carnitas, either mixta (mixed with skin and ears) or not. Say thanks, grab a table, and in a few minutes a large plate of carnitas will appear in front of you. Your server will also bring you a few small Mexican staple extras: the necessary 
complement of corn tortillas, pickled jalapenos and carrots, as well as two salsas: a thinner one with tomatoes and cilantro, and a much spicier, thicker version. After that, the combinations are up to you. We tended to be big fans of throwing everything together in a tortilla and scarfing it down, but then again, the carnitas are wonderful, juicy, and flavorful just on their own. The single pound we ordered turned out to be too much for both of us, so we had some for lunch the next day. Total bill for this feast? $10.
Just as well, the food is accentuated by two factors: the quick, efficient, no-nonsense service (always a plus in our eyes), and the absolutely fantastic pig murals and assorted decorations all around the restaurant.
On a final note, we are yet to be disappointed in Pilsen, either in terms of cultural institutions or eating establishments. Add Carnitas Uruapan to the ever-growing list of must-tries.
Xoco
The cold night made the hot chocolate a logical choice, as did the restaurant’s Nahuatl name. We had heard that the house-made hot chocolate was excellent, so we sampled 2 varieties. The servers came out with a little carafe of chocolate and pour it right for you (though we wish they would let us keep the carafe at the table!). We opted for the thick and creamy Barcelona, and the spicy Aztec. Ironically, a blend of both would have been perfect: the Barcelona was thick and creamy, but lacking the spicy punch of the Aztec; while the Aztec needed a thicker blend like the Barcelona. Not that either one was disappointing – both were excellent – but next time we will stage a reconquista and mix the two.
Entrees were a tougher choice. After a lot of debate, M settled on a caldo: the “Wood-Roasted Chicken Pozole,” ($11.50) while L got the Cochinita Pibil sandwich ($12.00). We had high expectations for the caldo, but at the end of the day was slightly underwhelming: the red chiles meant to flavor the dish never found a way to fully integrate their flavor into the broth, and the resulting mix seemed slightly disjointed. The added lime juice helped, but the potential marriage of strong flavors had a tendency to seem more like a shouting match without a moderator than Bayless’ usual seamless flavor marriages. L’s sandwich was much better. The simple ingredients packed big flavors. The perfectly spiced shredded pork was melt-in-your-mouth; garnished with pickled onions on top and Xoco’s delectable habanero salsa, all on a crusty bolillo roll: the sandwich was a masterpiece.
Overall, we’ll declare our experience at Xoco great – and as two poor students, we certainly appreciated the lower price point. Rick Bayless himself is often in the open kitchen, especially mornings, and takes great care to use local, fresh ingredients, something we definitely tasted and appreciated.
Bien Trucha
We started with a pair of appetizers: Mexican-style ceviche ($7.95) and Poblano chile soup with potato cubes and queso fresco ($3.95). M is not normally a fan of Mexican ceviche (he goes for Peruvian when he can) but found this better than most others he has tried: the tomatoes, fresh fish, cilantro, lime juice, and avocado were served in a more generous portion than is typically found, and the extra juice from the limes and tomatoes kept the entire mixture very well-balanced, both in flavors and texture. Likewise, the Poblano chile soup was a treat, and managed to be both creamy and light. Straight, simple, and to the point – a great prelude to the rest of our meal, and an excellent warm, smooth appetizer to pair with the ceviche.
$9.95;); Bien Trucha Tacos (grilled skirt steak, chorizo, manchego cheese and tomatillo-serrano salsa, $8.95) and Tacos de Pescado (battered fried tilapia, cabbage, onion, lime and chipotle aoili, $8.95). Each variety was nearly perfect. Served in groups of four on a simple wooden board, their presentation is a perfect complement to Bien Trucha’s style. What really stood out to us was how fresh everything was – even the fish tacos were great all this way inland. While we don’t know if these tacos are worth a 2 hour drive, if you are anywhere near the West suburbs, they’re worth the trip.
The Eaters used both red and yellow tomatoes, and bumped up the amount of habanero. Don’t be nervous about doing that – with a discarded seed pod and vein, habaneros have just the right amount of spice to let their tropical flavors shine through. Our main concern with this dish was the amount of onions, but rinsing them under water for a minute or so takes off most of the onion flavor and allows them to absorb the habanero, cilantro, and lime juice. Same with the radishes.
Eating The World 
