Chilaquiles Clash: La Tolteca vs. Comedor Guadalajara

Nikki Buchanan

Chilaquiles -- a starchy, spicy, comforting dish of quartered and fried corn tortillas, ladled with or simmered in chile sauce -- are one of Mexico's favorite hangover cures. They're also the go-to for thrifty Mexican mamas who want to whip up a quick breakfast and get rid of going-stale tortillas in one delicious swoop.

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This once hard-to-find Mexican standby has been co-opted in recent years by American restaurants (Over Easy, Heart and Soul Cafe, FnB and Chelsea's Kitchen come to mind), but for this particular battle, we're going old school, pitting 50-year-old La Tolteca against 45-year-old Comedor Guadalajara. Let's see whose chilaquiles are more chill . . .

Buchanan

Chilaquiles at La Tolteca

But first, it's important to note that chilaquiles recipes are as varied as the (possibly hungover) people who make them. Some cooks ladle red chile or green chile over the chips at the last minute (which leaves the chips firm and mostly crisp), while others simmer the chips in sauce until they soften and get meaty (as they do in Tex-Mex migas). Still other cooks (Charleen Badman, we're looking at you), turn chilaquiles into a thick and cheesy, lasagna-like casserole. Chilaquiles can be supremely simple or wildly ornate, a mash-up of everything in the fridge, including cheese, onions, chicken, beef, pork and sliced avocado. They're often topped with or served alongside eggs -- could be fried, could be scrambled. When it comes to chilaquiles, there's no wrong answer. It all boils down to what you like.

In this corner: La Tolteca

The Setup: Opened in 1962 in a huge, boxy building on Van Buren, La Tolteca is Disneyland for Mexican food-lovers -- offering a bakery, meat shop, deli, market, kitchen supply and restaurant under one roof. If the aroma of grilled chickens near the front door doesn't make you ravenous, the bakery case -- stocked with pan dulce, conchas and fruit-filled empanadas surely will. It's really, really hard not to over-order here because there's so much to try: ceviche, flan, house-made tortillas, tortas (including obscure ahogado, Mexico's answer to the French dip), aguas frescas, the list is endless and endlessly tempting.

The Good: The menu says the chilaquiles are topped with chicken, but when you place your order, the counter person will ask you which meat, if any, you prefer: chicken, carnitas, carne asada, pork al pastor and maybe a few others. Couldn't tell you. She had me at al pastor. The dish, which falls into the ornate category, comes mixed with the meat of your choice, scrambled eggs, queso fresco, sour cream, onion, cilantro and avocado, making it a kind of chilaquiles-meets-nachos situation. It's got a decidedly spicy kick, which I love. The chips, cut in strips and triangles, are still plenty crisp, as if the chile sauce has been poured over them at the last minute.

The Bad: There's nothing remotely bad about this dish, although the chile sauce is definitely on the thin side. It sloshes around the bottom of the plate. Also, the pastor meat was a tad too firm and chewy for my taste.

The Price: $6.59