Blue Line Taco Crawl. 2013 Edition.

AKA that day I ate 7 tacos.  This sounds strangely less impressive as I write it.

As a self proclaimed aficionado of tacos, my friend and I have been having a never ending argument regarding which taco establishment in Chicago has the best tacos.  The only way to solve the argument was to taste test tacos.  And the only way to test taste tacos was to hit the blue line.

Short version: I ate 7 tacos and drank 7 dos equis in a 5 hour time span.  I felt ill, very very ill.  You can read the long version here:

My day went something like this:

5:10 am: alarm goes off.  I have an out of body, why the heck is my alarm going off experience.

5:15 am: I'm trying to choke down a blueberry toaster waffle with some peanut butter on it.

5:30 am: riding my bike to marathon training

6:07 am: run 6 miles.

10:15 am: get on blue line headed towards O'Hare.  Exit at Logan Square stop.  It's time for taqueria number one!

11 am: Arrive at El Cid 2.  I'm pretty sure that El Cid 1 is closed, but 2 is still going strong.  Kidding.  It's empty.  The hubs and I awkwardly hold down a table for 8.  Wait for people to arrive.  Dos Equis number 1 is consumed.

11:45 am: Everyone else shows up.  And we each order one taco.  That's right.  Eight people.  One taco a piece.  Waitress is not amused.  I have half a steak taco and half a carnitas taco.  Decide that the carnitas taco is far superior, which is unfortunately the same conclusion that my taco partner has come to.  Sigh.  Compromise is hard.

12:05 pm: Arrive at Puebla.  We seem to be the only ones in the restaurant.  It's a big restaurant.  Like so big that there's an antique tortilla maker in the lobby.  Dos Equis number 2 is ordered.  It comes in a frosty mug.  Point La Puebla!

12:10 pm: We realize that they do not have a la carte tacos on the menu

12:11 pm: Sweet talk waitress into giving us a la carte tacos

12:12 pm: Waitress confused as to why we each only order one taco

12:15 pm: Carnitas taco arrives.  And it is so much more delicious than the taco at El Cid 2

12:30 pm: Board blue line train headed south.  Arrive at California Stop.

12:35 pm:  Arrive at Taqueria Moran.  PACKED.  We can't sit together.  Which turns out to be an amazing sign.  Dos Equis number 3 is ordered.  It comes in a frosty mug!  I love Dos Equis.

12:40 pm: Chile relleno taco arrives.  It's a chile relleno on two corn tortillas.  And it is DELICIOUS!  I don't know why I didn't think of this before.

I don't know what I was expecting when I ordered a Chile Relleno Taco.  But this is pure deliciousness.

12:50 pm: Board blue line train headed south.  Talk to some guy from Dallas who says he's going to hawks game that night.  When informed that we are also going to hawks game that night he says "I hope I'm not sitting next to you."  What - there haven't been any beans on tacos...yet...

1 pm: Arrive at Arturo's/Lazo's Tacos.  Fight ensues over which one we're going to visit first.

In the battle of Arturo's versus Lazo's.  Lazo's wins.

1:05 pm: Settle on Arturo's Tacos.  Decide that a pitcher of Bud Light is a better deal than Dos Equis.  Also decide to switch to Al Pastor.  And it is DELICIOUS!

1:30 pm: Drag friend away from soccer game on TV and head to Lazo's Tacos

1:35 pm: Back to Dos Equis.  Also in a frosty mug.  Also go back to carnitas.  So...tasty... Joke of the hour involves me ordering a combo platter.

2 pm: Board blue line train headed south.  Contemplate going home and never eating a taco again.  Instead exit at Division and head to Antique Taco.  Consume chicken taco and pork taco.  Most complex delicious flavors of the day.  Also fanciest beer of the day

4 pm: Board blue line train headed south.  Consume world's largest diet coke at 7-11 and pick the dog up from daycare.  I really need to stop drunk picking the dog up at day care.

Overall outlook: Full.  So full.  But fun!  So much fun!

Best taco joint visited: Taqueria Moran.

Worst taco joint visited:  El Cid 2

Beers consumed: 7

Number of beers consumed at Blackhawks game? zero.   Full.  So full.

Will I ever eat a taco again?  Probably not.

Honorable mention: Arturo's Tacos for putting up with our shenanigans

Would I do it again?  Probably not.  There was some serious judging for only ordering one taco at time.  Although Curry Crawl 2013 is in serious works.