Downtown Naperville Restaurants include Front Street Cantina for an ice cold Corona or Pacifico with some great appetizers or other Mexican fare and national chain Chipotle is also among downtown Naperville restaurants. On the west border of Naperville is On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina owned by Brinker Restaurants. Local chain Pepes Mexican Restaurants in on E. Chicago and Las Palmas is a viable option. Of course you can always pop into Chili’s for a Margarita, chips and salsa and Fajitas.
Spanish explorer Cortez came to the Americas and discovered a plethora of fascinating culinary ingredients like avocados, beans, corn and chocolate. The Spanish had brought with them to America pork, lamb, beef, cheese and wine. This first meeting of specialties was the first step to the food we know in Mexican Restaurants today.
The national dish of Mexico is called “Mole Poblano de Gualote” and it is basically turkey cooked in mole sauce, a recipe dating back hundreds of years. The mole, or sauce, is created by blending dried nuts, chilis, anise, sesame, cloves and coriander into sweet Mexican chocolate to make Mole Poblano. Mole sauce is traditionally used in enchiladas and served with chicken on special holidays in Mexico. Guacamole is a delicious creamy dip made from avocados, onions, chilis, spices and lime juice. In the Mexican language a stone mortar and pestle is called a molcajete, and it is used to grind the spices with salt before stirring into the avocado. Salsas are prepared in a similar way and may include cooked tomatoes, chili peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro. Pico de Gallo or rooster’s beak is another popular salsa which is based on raw tomatoes, lime juice, chili, onions, cilantro and other raw chopped vegetables may be added. It is usually very spicy. Ceviche is a seafood based appetizer which is popular throughout South America as well as Mexico. Raw types of finfish and cooked shellfish are combined in a citrus marinade which pickles or cooks the fish. It is usually served with crackers in Mexico. Shrimp, octopus, squid, tuna and mackerel are all used in the mix and tomatoes are sometimes added to the cocktail of flavors. Frijoles or beans are widely used in Mexican dishes. Frijoles Charros is a warm dish combining charro beans, tomato, onion, ham, sausage, pork and chorizo. Frijoles negros are usually vegetarian dishes using small black beans. Pinto beans or painted beans are the most widely used beans in the USA. They are used in burrito fillings, added to broths or served as refried beans. Desserts are always very sweet and include Dulce de leche, Pastel de tres leches (Three milk cake), Arroz con leche (rice pudding) and pastel de queso (cheesecake).
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