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ANDREA BAUER
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winter dish,” he says), the splatter has found a new home on a dessert in the form of a reddish blackberry puree that only increases its resemblance to a head shot in a George Romero movie. McMullen demonstrates his vigorous technique by whip-cracking a spoonful of blackberry puree at a plate, and says: “It’s the most liberating part of my job.” —Michael Gebert
Best Taco Place You Haven’t Heard of Yet
Tacos Tequilas
2919 N. Milwaukee, 773-278-9901, tacostequilas.com When it opened last fall, a really adorable thing about Tacos Tequilas was that it was called Tacos Tequilas but didn’t serve any tequila. (Second-most adorable thing: the photo wall in the back that honors Mexican celebrities from Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera to . . . well, I don’t recognize most of the rest of them.) Then a Cinco de Mayo miracle happened: the shelves behind the bar, which had sat empty for half a year, were suddenly and finally stocked with bottles and bottles of silver and gold varieties of the agave stuff. Yes, the margaritas are good—although I sort of miss carrying a box of wine from my
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house right around the corner for a BYOB dinner—but the tacos remain the reason to visit. There are three standouts. The papa y epazote is a deep-fried tortilla filled with mashed potatoes and leaves of the mild Mexican herb. The cochinita pibil has shredded roast pork and pickled red onions that give it a vinegary zip. And my favorite, the chicken mole, is filled with shredded chicken doused with a deep-red cinnamon-laced sauce dotted with roasted pepitas—and the whole thing is topped with cilantro, crema, and Chihuahua cheese. (They’re all totally reasonable at $2.25 each—splurge and get a side of the amazingly garlicky Mexican rice.) The stretch of Milwaukee on which it’s located in Avondale is increasingly less desolate, but I’ve yet to find Tacos Tequilas too busy to accommodate a table at dinnertime. Oh, shit. I guess this might change that. —Gwynedd Stuart
Best Place to Get a Taco and a Cookie
Cookies & Carnitas
5757 N. Broadway, 773-769-2900, cookiesandcarnitas.com Admittedly, that’s a pretty blatant example of defining the category to produce the winner. There are probably other places J
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