AN ANGELENO DINES IN MEXICAN CHICAGO. THEY'RE JUST LIKE US

HERE'S EVERYTHING THE WRITER ATE ACROSS THE BUSTLING CITY IN THE SUMMER OF ICE RAIDS

- BY DANIEL HERNANDEZ

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION has spent weeks threatening Chicago, trolling the Midwest colossus of 9 million with incendiary online posts. In the gut, even from far away, it has felt like early June in L.A. all over again. That’s because Chicago is just like us: big, urban, vibrant and brown. This summer I visited the city where I always feel the flutter of familiarity. Let it be said: Chicago, like L.A., is Mexican as hell. Los Angeles may have more Mexican residents in total numbers, but in terms of who makes up each city’s Latino population, Chicago is “as Mexican” as Los Angeles. Consider that about a third of Chicago is Hispanic or Latino, and roughly 73% of those people identify as Mexican, followed by Puerto Rican as the second largest subgroup. In Los Angeles, more than 45% are Latino, and about 71% of that population is Mexican, followed by Salvadorans, according to recent census data. There is a Mexican essence in this tough, labor-leading town, and it’s transmitted in the foods that local people of all backgrounds revere. Tacos, birria and carnitas are as familiar as deep-dish pizza and pickle-topped Chicago dogs. This was solidified for me after crossing a threshold that some West Coast purists would blanch at breaching — going to a Rick Bayless restaurant.

Contemporary comforts

First, however, I fell for Mi Tocaya Antojería, a funky place with tall windows facing a patio in the dynamic neighborhood of Logan Square. Chef Diana Dávila, a leader in values-led dining, established this pillar of modern Mexican American comfort cuisine in 2017.