(guitar music)
Hey Rachael, I am here at,
by far my favorite family Mexican restaurant
here in Chicago, Maria's.
I have been coming here since 1988.
That's 34 years, You can do the math on that
but what's so special about this place
is that you walk in you're instantly comforted.
It's so cozy, it's colorful
and the food reflects all that.
It is home style, authentic,
made from scratch, Mexican food.
(upbeat music)
How long have you guys been open for?
We've been here for 34 years.
(Jeff whistling)
I've been here so many times,
I've never seen the kitchens here.
Well, this is our opportunity for it.
Let's go. (upbeat music)
(knife chopping)
Ricky! (Jeff cheering)
Everybody is here.
Oh, you're not kidding.
There's a lot of-- Yes.
A lot of family here. Yes.
I see my favorite dish here,
the Carne asada.
So we got a Skirt steak? Yeah.
Outside Skirt steak? Yeah.
Ooh, you do little slices in there?
Little bit, you want everything to go in there.
So that kind of opens it up, right?
Yeah. (upbeat music)
That is salt.
Oh, you season it directly? Yeah, yeah.
And what do we got there?
This is a mix that they make you,
oregano, pepper, garlic.
Worcestershire sauce?
Yes. (upbeat music)
Little bit of lemon or lime, just a touch
then it's ready to go to the grill.
Fantastic, so these are ready for the grill.
I see one of my other favorite dishes here
and that is the Chile rellenos.
Yeah, this chilli from lemon pepper.
They you just rub it.
We're gonna stuff it with what?
Yeah, with that cheese.
What kind of cheese are we using?
Chihuahua? Chihuahua.
The best. (upbeat music)
And then you have to powder it for the flower.
Yeah and it's ready to go.
All right, so a little roll in there,
this makes the egg stick to the peppers.
Now we butter them? Yes.
We do one at a time?
Yeah, a little bit at a time.
A little bit at a time.
This creates a nice crispy,
yet light, fluffy butter.
Very light and fluffy.
Can we dip 'em in here right in the fryer?
Yes. Wow, these are ready
for the deep fryer,
our steak's ready for the grill.
Let's go cook. Yes, let's go.
Some of my favorite smells in the world.
(Maria agreeing)
Oh look at, that's it
that one's going on my plato.
(Maria agreeing)
I smell the peppers hitting that hot,
hot, heat, charring up there.
Oh, these are looking beautiful.
Let's fry some Chile rellenos.
Let's do them. Let's go.
I mean what is better than a pepper stuffed
with Chihuahua cheese, dipped in a butter
fried to a golden brown crisp?
(upbeat music)
This is my favorite way to start
the meal at Maria's, Maria.
This is the Fundido Chihuahua.
You have not only baked Chihuahua cheese melted,
ready to go but a homemade flower.
Flower tortilla, have some Chorizo.
Oh yes, but this is for my vitamin C, right?
Yes. Now how much of this you put
in there? As much as you want.
(gentle music)
It comes with the mushrooms in there?
Yes. Oh, all right.
(gentle music)
It's so, such a dynamic appetizer
because by the end, like 10 minutes in there,
it's totally different.
Cheese gets chewy and then the bottom--
You can eat the bottom.
Then you take a little piece of that
and eat it with that but I'm gonna bring it
to the table.
Okay. And eat like a gentleman.
Okay. Here you go.
My favorite three dishes here at Maria's.
You gotta start with the Chihuahua Fundido
and what you gotta do is you gotta take
one of those warm flower tortillas.
And then this is the pro move,
you take a beautiful cheese pole, right?
You take a little bite of that,
you get a little crunchies right in there.
So you get the soft, the gooey, the chewy
and the crunchy.
Salute. (gentle music)
Salty, chewy, unbelievable,
onto the Chile relleno.
(gentle music)
Beautiful, look at that fresh, authentic.
Made just like she did in Puebla
and you get a little
shot of those re-fried greens.
The reason why many, many come here.
If you were here with me right now,
I'd give you a bite, maybe.
(gentle music)
Well, it was my pleasure having you here.
Hey, we'll see you next week.
Gracias, adios.
Adios.