La Mina

The Space: 617 West Lake Street Addison, IL 60101. Table author sat at full of crumbs. Restaurant smelled good and had good room temperature. Hand made signs all over restaurant. Mexican radio station playing ( La Que Buena). Picture of Virgen de Guadalupe on wall. Bright green walls. Real plant hanging. Colorful tablecloth on all tables. Some chairs did not match one another. Chairs and tables very simple.

People: 2 families. One consisted of mom, father, and a baby. Family spoke English. Other family consisted of mom and 2 siblings (in their teens). Family spoke Spanish. Both Hispanic. Not a lot of conversing. Wore casual clothing. Middle class. Both families ate more than they conversed.

Staff: One man and two woman. All Hispanic in their twenties. No dress code. Man politely asked author what she wanted on taco. In a couple of minutes, waitress brought the order to author’s table. Asked if author needed anything else.

Food: Steak taco. $2.00. Consisted of home-made corn tortilla, steak, cilantro, lime, and chopped onions. Green salsa on table. Served on a plate. Steak seasoned well and chewy. Tortilla a bit crunchy. Completely authentic taste. Author was reminded of Mexico while eating taco. Exactly the same as an authentic Mexican taco. Home made tortillas reminded author of tortillas her grandmother makes in Mexico.

Atmosphere: Humble. Colorful table cloths and simple tables made author feel like she was eating at home. Casual furniture and decor made the atmosphere very home-like. Hand made signs like signs in small restaurants in Mexico. Everything very authentic. Restaurant had Mexican mother’s house vibe to it.

La Hacienda de Los Fernandez

The Space: 1571 West Lake Street, Addison. Very big and spacious. Perfect temperature. High ceiling made it have a true “hacienda” look to it. Beautiful decorations and pottery all around restaurant. Very detailed and well kept wooden chairs and tables. Perfect lighting. Loud Salsa music playing. Mariachi on other side of restaurant. No food or crumbs anywhere. Ceramic floor. Arch shaped windows. Doors to get into different rooms. Chandelier at entrance. Crosses hung on walls. The decor is that of a Mexican Hacienda. Waited about 10 minutes to be seated.

People: Restaurant was full. Black, Caucasian, and Hispanic people ate in restaurant. Either families or couples. Some groups. Well dressed. A lot of expensive cars in parking lot. Mostly upper middle class. Men and women. Mostly men in bar. Loud conversations.

Staff: Hispanic workers. Staff was attentive and accommodating. Waiter greeted author very politely. He asked author how she was doing a couple of times. Waiter was Hispanic man in his thirties. Spoke Spanish with author. Wore black pants with white dress shirt.

Food: Steak taco. $2.90. Author waited 6 minutes for food. Taco consisted of double corn tortilla, cilantro, steak and chopped onions. Seasoned well. Served on a plate. Taco tasted authentic, like something author would taste in Mexico. Real tacos consist of everything this taco consisted of.

Atmosphere: Charming. Upbeat. Very inviting. Friendly waiter made stay even better. Luxurious decor made restaurant have a high end vibe. Author liked the music playing in restaurant, Salsa not something you would hear in a "taqueria" in Mexico.

CHIPOTLE

The Space: 396 W. Army Trail Road Bloomingdale, IL 60108. Medium sized space. Seats about 30 human beings. Very clean. Stainless steel tables and chairs. Bar like tables. A modern Aztec steel sculpture at entrance. Overall contemporary style. Room temperature was about 73 degrees. Oldies radio station playing. Author noticed a Fax In, Pay Up, Walk Out sign on wall. 2 main colors in restaurant were red and gray- red walls and steel furniture.

People: Caucasian teens. 3 couples, 2 groups of five teens and two grown men. Everyone wore casual clothing and looked middle class. 2 groups laughed and talked amongst themselves. Customers loud, relaxed, and joyful. Couples talked while they ate. The two men ate and drank beer. Mostly everyone had smile in their face. About 4 customers took food for takeout.

Staff: Very friendly. Cashier made author laugh. Cashier in his twenties, Hispanic. Staff joked amongst themselves; seemed to have fun while working. Employees wore black polos with a small chili on it. Employees seemed like they enjoyed working there and did not put fake smiles on. All employees Hispanic. 2 men and 1 woman.

Food: Steak taco. $2.29. Choose what you want on taco like in Subway. Picadillo, guacamole, veggies and many other condiments to choose from. Author chose sour cream, steak, and salsa. Only flower tortillas. Salsa was very spicy. Meat quite tender. Taco served on paper, no tray. Author did not like taco. Meat was tasteless and salsa too spicy. Author would have preferred corn tortilla. Author felt food tasted halfway authentic, although condiments (picadillo, guacamole and cilantro) were very much authentic.

Atmosphere: People in restaurant reminded author of Starbucks, young crowd, a place to relax and hang out. Everything neat and simple making restaurant enjoyable to be in, not so much eat in because author disliked taco. Fax In, Pay Up, Walk Out sign made author feel like restaurant wanted her to order for take-out. The friendly staff and good vibe of people made author’s eating experience enjoyable. Restaurant lacked authenticity. Nothing was handmade, especially steel, one color "Mayan" sculpture. No colors other than red and gray compared to the multi-colored authentic Mexican style. Contemporary style completely defeats any sort of attempt of authenticity. Author felt cozy eating in restaurant. Very pleased by customer service.

TACO BELL

The Space: 691 W Lake Street Addison, IL 60101. Very small space. McDonald's-like-tables. 1 cash register. Dim lighting, 10 tables. Drive through window. Visible security camera and security camera TV. Big arch shaped windows with purple outline. Bright colors, yellow, orange and purple. Fake plant hanging from ceiling. Author thinks colors and arch shaped windows in restaurant, was a bad attempt to make restaurant look like a typical Mexican house. Full of ads inside and outside building. Burrito and Nachos Sign on opposite sides of inside of building. Nothing on floor or tables- looked clean. Author feels cold in premise. Top 40 music radio station playing.


People: 1 family of 3 eating in. 1-70 year old female, 1-40 year old female, 1-5 year old female. Spoke Spanish amongst themselves while eating. Wore casual clothing. Hispanic. Sat in restaurant for over 20 minutes.

Staff: Uniformed in purple with black polos with Taco Bell logo, black pants. All Hispanic. 2 women in their thirties and man in his forties. When author ready to order, 35 year old female worker did not did not pay attention to her for 20 seconds. Employee sounded as if English was her second language. Author not greeted by worker. While author was eating at her table, workers in kitchen munched on food.

Food:Steak taco- $2.09. Not on dollar menu. Taco wrapped in Taco Bell paper on tray. Taco consisted of soft flour tortilla, soft steak, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream. Taco was edible. Fire Sauce in little packets not spicy. Inauthentic. Not like food she has eaten in Mexico, which never consisted of lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, nor sour cream. Tacos in Mexico consist of Steak, corn tortillas, cilantro, and chopped onions. Steak was soft, bland, and texture less. Tasteless. Lettuce and tomatoes seemed fresh.

Atmosphere: Dim lighting reminded author of JC Penny. Cold temperature, unwelcoming. Author felt like leaving. 35 year old female worker upset author because she gave her bad customer service by not greeting her. Worker’s lousy attitude lingered on. Workers munching on food in kitchen made author think food she was eating not appetizing or sanitary. Lack of patrons (only 3) made author feel awkward and out of place. Wishes she had gone through drive thru.