Friday’s opening of the “Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and 20th Century Mexican Art” exhibit at the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum will no doubt attract many art lovers making their first trip to Pilsen.
And while some already know this Near Southwest Side area as a great place to buy authentic Mexican fare, many don’t know that for years it has hosted a thriving art community, with performance spaces, artist cafes and vibrant public murals.
To help showgoers appreciate the range of Pilsen’s artistic (and culinary) offerings, we have put together a neighborhood mural tour and a primer to enjoy Frida- and Diego-related entertainment before and after the show.
— Monica Eng
Frida’s fare
Did Frida Kahlo have a favorite food?
We recently dug into “Frida’s Fiestas,” the lavish cookbook written by Kahlo’s stepdaughter Guadalupe Rivera, to find out.
The colorful volume, which is organized by month and features seasonal menus and recipes, doesn’t ever really spill the beans on this topic, but does mention that when Frida threw a birthday party for herself one year (on July 6), a starring attraction was poultry in mole poblano, the rich deep brown mole of the state of Puebla that usually requires at least 20 ingredients.
You can find several versions of this chocolatey, spicy, salty, bitter and sweet sauce in Pilsen.
We recently tried four, and here is what we found.
La Casa del Pueblo, 1864 S. Blue Island Ave.; 312-421-4664: We love most of the food at this simple Pilsen cafeteria that sits next to a sister grocery store, but we found the mole poblano ($5.75), served only on weekends, to be watery and lackluster.
La Condesa #2, 2230 S. Ashland Ave.; 773-376-0078: Tender meat, an excellent mole (served everyday), and a stack of hand-made tortillas make a stop into this Pilsen favorite a good bet ($8.99).
Restaurante Nuevo Leon, 1515 W. 18th St.; 312-421-1517: A reasonable price ($6.80), three big pieces of chicken smothered in a thick, intensely rich, spicy and chocolatey mole and soup with every meal make this our favorite mole poblano option in Pilsen. Frida would be proud.
Taqueria El Milagro, 1923 S. Blue Island Ave.; 312-433-7620: Order at the counter in this colorfully tiled taqueria next to its sister tortilleria and soon a tray of hot fresh food will arrive at your table. The mole ($3.89) is thin but full of flavor and the meat is wonderfully tender. Call ahead to see if they are serving it that day.
— Monica Eng