La Principal, Evanston, IL

After a long day working for the man, a person may want to jump off the train near their place of residence, but not head directly home. Some days require a little foray into a new place, maybe grab a drink or bite to eat. Heck, maybe have a few drinks and a large meal. 

La Principal on Main Street in Evanston is the perfect place for a weekday evening (or weekend). Though it can be a bit loud depending on your seat location, it's good to know it's almost always bustling in this joint. You likely won't wait too long for a seat, but maybe a bit.

I've only been at the bar, where their star bartender is always on her game. She makes you feel welcome and helps you get going on your night. Plus, people seem to love her cocktail game. Looks like Thursday is tamale night too.

I went pretty simple this visit, wanting some guac and some tacos. They have both and they have both as good as or better than most places I've been, including Mexico. They also have a pretty complete menu of other Mexican food favorites, like very well-done tortas. And if you want spicy, they have you covered on that as well.

For dinner this night, I chose tacos of the Shrimp, al Pastor, and Carnitas varieties. They were all SO GOOD! I'm not kidding here. I think I've dreamt about them since.

And as a kind of dessert, I asked the bartender for a taste of the brew below, a semi-sweet, but definitely dark, City Light Coconut Porter. It was only 1-2oz., but enough to get a taste for beer and handle that sweet flavor craving in your mouth after you finish a meal.

Boy, am I glad I got to walk home after this... needed the steps.

I would not only highly recommend this place, but I will be back as soon as I can. Happy hours, taco deals, #tamalethursdays, etc.

Luna Mexican Kitchen, San Jose, CA

If you're going to be in San Jose for an evening, I would highly recommend this little neighborhood spot for dinner (or brunch). On SJ's "Alameda", it seems to be ideally situated for this neighborhood, and others as well.

We decided to hit up this new spot before a San Jose Earthquakes match, and boy were we glad we did. I'm not sure there was a better way to kick of the night. Ole!

To start, it's a great little building with a to-go window ("para llavar") out front. Seating out there for waiting on the tables too. An indoor seating area, plus full bar... and a lovely outdoor patio, with shade and cooling to accommodate the outside temps on most any night.

We decided to get some drinks, and instead of the 20-30 minute seating wait, we were shwon a table before our first sips could start working. Fine by us.

We went all in for their guacamole to start... and then something never seen before by yours truly for the main course...

Who doesn't enjoy food served in a molcajete?!

For dinner, we were drawn to the backside, 2nd page of their menu, filled with an item listed as "Parradillas". These appeared to be large, multi-person serving vessels for all kinds of meats or veggies. They had me at "meat vessel".

We went for the moderately-priced fajita-style version - which came with both chicken and steak, guac, sides, and rice+beans too.  Hay ca-rumba, I'm gonna be full.

I think this big box on the bottom keeps the food hot... or just keeps it at the right height to kep grabbing more cooked meats. Either way, I'm good.

If you don't like what you eat off the parradilla, it's pretty much your own fault. I mean, you ordered the proteins, and you put it all together yourself. So, get after it! Get in their and make yourself a little taco. In this case, I don't mind doing the work for my dinner, it's fun.

Should you go? Well, I'd say - Venga! Venga! Venga!!! I haven't found a place like this one yet in my time in San Jose. They seem to have their formula down and it's a good one. Food, drinks, service, atmosphere, and a little Latin flare... plus the parradillas.

Now, I don't link websites too often, but theirs includes much better everything than this blog post - pics, menus, etc. Check it out - https://www.lunamexicankitchen.com/