Tacos al pastor at Masa Azul. Why does the name Jonathan Zaragoza sound familiar? Because his surname is royalty on Chicago’s Southwest Side. Many, this author included, regard his family’s Birrieria Zaragoza as the finest goat roaster in town. Young Jonathan followed in the family trade — he’s worked in kitchens from Sepia to the Trump Tower hotel, and for the last 18 months, he’s been applying his fine dining chops to Mexican cooking at Logan Square’s Masa Azul. His take on tacos al pastor ($12) illustrates his approach. Zaragoza prefers not to use the phrase “all grown up” — he calls it “al pastor with high heels,” implying, why make a dish mature when it could be seductive? Masa Azul, 2901 W. Diversey Ave., 773-687-0300, masaazul.com
A Rubik’s Cube of pork belly gets marinated with classic al pastor seasoning — garlic, guajillo, orange juice, achiote — then grilled until charred crisp on all six sides.
To replicate the sweet and sour of al pastor pineapples, Zaragoza cooks half a pineapple in butter and blends it into a creamy sauce with lime juice. It’s off the charts.
The same al pastor marinade is pureed and dotted into the pineapple butter.
“I wanted a change of pace from cilantro, which can be polarizing,” Zaragoza said. Here, he constructs a grassy, earthy, bright and crunchy salad of pea tendrils, radish and chili powder-roasted peanuts, tossed in a lime-garlic dressing.