Suggest-A-Meal (tm): La Oaxaqueña

LTH:

While dining at TLO this evening, it occurred to me that there is quite a bit of knowledge about "old" favorites such as TLO that either resides on that other board, in listeserv posts, or is otherwise practically unreachable to the nearly 1,000 folks that have joined the LTH community thus far.

To that end, I thought it might be useful if those of us that have "favorite" spots in Chicagoland would use our in-depth knowledge of these places to suggest a meal to those that have not yet experienced these places (it seems to me that this would be especially helpful in the case of ethnic restaurants that may have somewhat incomplete or misleading translations of their menu items in English).

Here's the premise: Suppose four of your friends are heading to one of your favorite spots for dinner for the first time, but you cannot accompany them for some reason. What would you suggest that they order? Your selections should cover "can't miss" versions of what you feel to be the relative strengths of this particular establishment, and I think it is fair to assume that the diners will freely share their dishes amongst themselves. Since no one person's take should be considered gospel here on LTH, everyone should feel free to follow up with suggested inclusions, changes, etc..

OK - this was my idea, so it's only fair that I should go first:

ChiNOLA's Suggest-A-Meal(tm) for (Taqueria) La Oaxaqueña:

Appetizers:

1. Two orders of Tostadas Con Ceviche
This way, everyone gets their own Tostada, loaded with TLO's excellent ceviche de camaron (Shrimp Ceviche)

2. One order of Nopales, cebollitas, y chiles asados
To share: Grilled cactus with onions and jalapeños.

3. One order of Pulpo al ajo
To share: Octopus sauteed with garlic and onions.

Entrees:

1. One Super Torta Huatulco (or other Super Torta)
Have this sandwich cut into four pieces (they are huge, and easily fall on my list of the top ten best sandwiches of my life).

2. One Pollo en mole Oaxaqueño
This is your chance to try TLO's excellent Mole (served over 1/2 a chicken) - the signature sauce of Oaxaca (actually, there are several Oaxacan moles, but TLO offers this one).

3. One Huachinango con mariscos
Whole red snapper served with a mix of seafood. IMHO this is the best of all their red snapper offerings.

4. One Camarones a la Diabla
Shrimp sauteed with smoky chipotle peppers and red onion.

5. One Camarones y pulpo en salsa Oaxaqueña
Shrimp and octopus in spicy Oaxacan sauce. This is my favorite dish at TLO.

TLO offers a wide selection of beers. Not sure about wine - never asked.

(Taqueria) La Oaxaqueña
3382 N. Milwaukee Ave.
773-545-8585

Sun-Thurs 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Edit: I'd be remiss if I didn't link to this thread, which discusses TLO in some detail, with pics by Mike G.

Nice post, nice concept. If I wanna do one (for La Quebrada), do I do it on this thread or start a new one?

As to TLO, a couple of other dishes your party might want:

the pico de gallo appetizer - a mince of shrimp, octopus and jalepenos

one of the specials, such as the frequently available entomades, tortillas wrapped around cheese in a sweetish tomatoe sauce.

Vital Information wrote:Nice post, nice concept. If I wanna do one (for La Quebrada), do I do it on this thread or start a new one?

Rob,

Let's start new for each "Suggest-A-Meal" Easier to use as a reference/resource, not unlike Mike G's Essentials posts.

ChiNOLA, great idea! I'll do a few as well.

Enjoy,
Gary

Is it OK to post requests for particular restaurants? I'd be especially interested in a Suggest-A-Meal for Chilpancingo. Great concept!

Hi,

On Useful Stuff we have a thread of menus, which would be a very good location to build this information on.

Please note it does include a how-to-order at LTH per Gwiv.

Regards,

This is GREAT!!! Keep the menus coming! THANKS for all your work.