`Less is more” is a concept not at all understood by the staff of Taqueria Las Americas. Here more is more, and sometimes too much. Hearty portions of freshly prepared food at bargain prices, plus a high-traffic location on Belmont Avenue west of Sheffield, draw customers from the neighborhood and well beyond it to this 12-year-old salsa station.
There’s no mistaking the storefront location. A brightly lighted sign topped with an American flag offers a bicultural culinary experience: “charcoal steak, tacos, burritos, hamburger, ice cream.”
Many customers pick up carryout orders and, truth be told, the ambiance does not encourage lingering. There are about a dozen tables covered with blue oilcloth, one pinball machine, one jukebox and two television sets. The tableware is plastic and the napkins are paper. Soda, Arizona iced tea and orchata (rice water) are served, but no alcoholic beverages.
The lack of diversion leads one to focus rather soon on the menu and the food, which is as it should be at a taqueria.
There’s an open kitchen here, but it’s not for show. On a recent evening, a man at the cash register took and delivered orders, while three others prepared the food. One was positioned at the long, stainless-steel steam table. Another stood facing the grill where he cooked ribs and skirt steaks on a charcoal grill and rapidly sliced or chopped them to fill orders. The third cook was constantly stirring rice with a paddle as it simmered with broth in a giant kettle. The final member of the cast was a solitary waitress.
The food she brought would have pleased Paul Bunyan, had he chosen to cut trees along the Mexican border.
A plate of nachos ($4.99) was so big it made one speculate that the super nachos ($7.79) must be parked in an airplane hangar. Messy but tasty, the nachos took the edge off an appetite with a good balance of layer upon layer of crispy chips, creamy guacamole, refried beans and melted cheese garnished with sour cream, tomato and shredded iceberg.
Nearly as good, the house tamale ($1.50) came with its firm cornmeal crust hinting of lard and concealing pleasantly spicy chopped pork filling.
As soon as the giant chili relleno ($2.69) was cut open, it produced a volcanic ooze of melted cheese that threatened to run off the plate. The cheese was notably bland, but Taqueria Las Americas is not a place to seek complex seasoning. The thin salsa and green and red chili sauces offered as condiments are capable of performing a lively dance on the tongue.
The burrito Norteno ($5.29 steak or chicken) with virtually everything, is a popular favorite and a better choice than the vegetarian burrito ($4.49), a brick-size bundle filled mostly with rice and refried beans. The well-seasoned steak served in fajitas ($9.95) is plentiful, too, but awkwardly cut and therefore not easy to chew.
Another outsized dish in demand was the chicken enchiladas ($6.99).
For those with a sweet tooth, containers of rice pudding and flan are available for dessert ($1.29 each).
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Taqueria Las Americas
(one fork)
1434 W. Belmont Ave., 773-975-2348
Hours: 10 a.m.-3 a.m. daily
Wheelchair accessible
No credit cards
Ratings: 4 forks: Top of the class 3 forks: Better than most2 forks: Very good fare 1 fork: Middle of the road
