Bringing out the little tacos with taste at Big Star

It’s probably apparent that I don’t go out as much in Chicago compared to New York. The reason is mostly due to proximity and convenience. I always feel like I have the opportunity to visit the places on my Chicago list and as a result procrastinate, which then usually means I don’t end up going for a very long time. For example, Big Star (which this post is about) has been on my “Places to Eat” list for Chicago for the past year. Yet, I didn’t finally make the trip up to Belmont until the beginning of this month (mostly because Ray’s interest in the place was piqued when he heard about it from someone else).

My Mexican foods experience is really really limited. I can count on one hand how many Mexican places I’ve been to. They include Empellon Cocina & Taqueria in NYC, Los Primos in Pasedena, and (does this even count?) Chipotle.

Checking out the menu at Big Star first.

We started with some gaucamole and margaritas.

The margarita was a little bit too strong for me. I think I like my margaritas mostly sweet with a hint of the alcohol and salt on the rim.

I ended up ordering a Walking Taco and Frijole Charros because I didn’t know what I was ordering.


The Walking Taco was surprisingly good! Just the right ratio of crunchy, mushy, and cheesy for me.

Ray got the Pescado and Panza


I was disappointed in the pork belly, mostly becuase I thought it would be more juicy, but it wasn’t. The bites were really uneven and varied from really dry to mostly good. However, the Pescado (fish) was perfect. Battered just right and drizzled in mayonnaise based sauce that makes you want more than one.

Because we weren’t quite satisfied with what we ordered. We ended up also getting the Al Pastor.

It was a hit. The pork in this one was much juicier, and the pineapple added some more layers in texture and flavor to it.

My final verdict: If I go back, I’d probably order the Pescado and Al Pastor.

Eating Mexican and fish taco firsts at Empellon

This is actually about something I ate a while ago, but I figured it’s worth posting about.

Did I mention that I’m slowly falling in love with West Village? A couple Sundays ago, on a whim, I for whatever reason decided I wanted Mexican. This brought me back to Empellon Taqueria. I had heard that some place called Empellon was opened last summer by a certain Alex Stupak, a pastry chef of WD~50 and Alinea fame. But apparently, it was Empellon Cocina that got all the press. However, just because Empellon Taqueria doesn’t get as much press, don’t underestimate it. It’s also quite good. (Although I have been to Empellon Cocina yet, so I guess I can’t really talk about comparisons.)

Anyways, mad cravings for Mexican, or rather a desire to be adventurous and eat something other than Japanese, French, or Chinese cuisine brought us to Empellon Taqueria where I had my first fish taco.

Anyways, the place is pretty dimly lit, which as much as I like mood lighting, I also like to be able to see my food. But it wasn’t as bad as some places I’ve been to (*cough**cough* Violet Hour in Chicago *cough**cough*)

The decor is pretty and has this sort of rebellious, rock ‘n roll feel to it. For what ever reason it reminds me of Nellcote on Randolph in Chicago.

Maybe it has something to do with the dungeon looking chandeliers.

So we ordered a queso fundido, which apparently translates so something delicious with melted chihuahua cheese, also served with warm tortillas. (It’s funny how after a month, I don’t really remember what this thing was called except that there was Chihuahua involved somewhere, somehow.) I don’t think it meant to, but it basically stole the spotlight of the dinner.

We agreed that it was kind of like Mexican fondue.

We also got a couple of tacos (lamb and fish) to finish off the meal.

Lamb Barbacoa with Cucumber Salsa Borracha tacos. The flavors are really familiar. The seasoning of the lamb is reminiscent of Xinjiang lamb kalbobs, or the Lamb burgers you can get at Xi’an Famous Foods. It was tasty, but for some reason didn’t make me feel like anything was special.

Fish Tempura with Cabbage and Lime Mayonnaise. This was pretty tasty. I’ve never eaten a fish taco until this time, so I don’t really have a point of reference, but Ray said it was pretty good. It was certainly tangy, and nice and fried.

Of course we had to get some dessert.


Although, now looking at this picture I can’t tell what it is, nor do I remember what it was. All I remember was dessert was okay, nothing awe-inducing, but decent and a nice way to finish off the meal. However, knowing me, it probably had something to do with flan.

It’s a rare day when Ray wears a graphic tee.