Logan Square Farmer's Market & La Pasadita

Last weekend it rained, so this one I was determined to check out the Logan Square Farmer's Market. I was surprised at well, the lack of farmers. There were a handful of farmers selling fresh corn, berries, tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, greens and cherries, but the majority of the tents were filled with people selling prepared foods. This is not a bad thing, and I am not going to lie, the crepes were very tempting, and the cheese was really delicious, I was just surprised that there were more pickle vendors than fresh cucumbers being sold.

In addition to picking up some veggies and garlic scapes I tried fresh tart cherries for the first time! They are so different, more juicy than sweet cherries and man are they tart. I also go to talk to a family pork business from Michigan who were selling chops, sausages and bacon frozen. (A pound of their bacon made its way into my bag as well.)

After the market, I headed over to La Pasadita for tacos. I have to say that I was not ready for the awesome experience that followed. Upon sitting down at the yellow tables, chips and fresh salsa were brought over. The salsa was simple, fresh, spicy and addictive. I wanted to try the tongue taco, but I was nervous that perhaps it wouldn't suit my taste (hardy har har) so I also ordered the enchiladas. All served on corn tortillas, ordering was easy and the food arrived just when the chip basket ran out. The enchiladas were sauced right before they came out, so there was still a bit of crispness on the edges where the cheese oozed out. Not too salty, not too spicy, really good. I ordered the chicken and tongue taco (not the steamed tongue, which my dining companion got, that was a different beast) both came with cilantro and onions. The chicken was grilled, had a good smokey flavor that got even better with some of the homemade hot sauces. But the tongue taco stole the show. I could not get over how soft and tender the meat was - stringy in way brisket is, but not chewy at all. The steamed beef tongue taco, ordered by accident, was not as tender and did not have a sauce on it and arrived with tell tale signs (most notably the taste buds) that it was tongue. It was good, but not as good as the taco I got. The carne asada taco, marinated and grilled steak, well it was just phenomenal. My only regret was not getting one of my own.