After searching for years for a Mexican place near me that serves huitlacoches (corn mushrooms), I finally found one:
Los Chilaquiles in Cicero.
It's just a little dive with about 7 or 8 little tables. Looks like a typical taqueria, but it's anything but.
I walked in with my son, and the owner greeted us and told us, "I am going to sell you a LOT of food tonight!" He walked us through the menu which, despite my familiarity with Mexican food, had a lot of stuff that I had not yet seen, including a bunch of different salsas. (One with roasted chipotle peppers and tequilla was especially amazing.)
We had mini sopes for an appetizer -- each with a different kind of salsa. The one chipotle/tequilla one, one with a poblano cream, and a third with red chiles and queso and crema.
Then, we had tacos with huitlacoches and squash blossoms and sopes with stewed pork shoulder.

"This is the real Mexican food. This is what we eat at home."

So, so good.

There is a lot of stuff on that menu that I have not yet tried, including the coffee. I love Mexican coffee, and I aim to have some the next time.
They also serve breakfast.

I've seen it on a million cooking shows, and always want to try it--but the visuals just aren't that appealing. I think given the opportunity though, I'd just dive into it. From what I hear its amazing when cooked properly.

They do look bad. Even worse after cooked: kinda mucky and black -- they're a mess to eat. But yes, they are delicious; great in quesadillas (as we had them last night).

sopes with stewed pork shoulder is THE REAL DEAL. joint by me serves them, and they are slammin'. that roasted chipotle peppers and tequilla sounds ridiculous.

nice find Todd.

I often ask with crabs around here--and its the same with huitlacoche--who was the first person to eat that?

I believe that farmhands who work the corn fields pick those to bring home to their families.
When you're poor and hungry, I guess that you'll try just about anything.

looks like corn leprosy

I was in Japan last week. Found this Mexican restaurant and thought it'd be hilarious to try. It was just as bad as expected. Everything was served with "Taco Meats."

Whoa! Place sounds amazing.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that they have taqueria prices -- dirt cheap.
And it's BYOB.

(Just keeps getting better, huh?)

I've only wanted Mexican the last few times I've gone out to eat. I haven't found a place that has blown me away yet, but there are some decent options. Looks like you've got yourself a pretty great find, Todd.

Is Mexican food east of the Rockies really any good?

Is Texas east of the Rockies?

So what yr saying is, they had Chi-Chi's restaurants still in Japan? That's cool.

hilarious! keep it up guys!

Yes.

Though honestly I've never had "Tex-Mex". I rarely will get Mexican food outside of CA.

Is Mexican food North of the Mexican border actually any good??

(kidding, I do love whatever passes for Mexican fare here in PA)

Other than Mexico, the best mexican food I've had is in Chicago. Dear California, don't put french fries in a burrito and call it mexican food. And let's not talk about Tex Mex. Both of these things are delicious, and not Mexican food.

That's like calling Chef Boyardee good italian food.

It's all about proximity dictating quality. Just like the closer you get to the coast, the better the seafood. Same is true with Mex.

Within Texas, we all know that Mexican food in Austin is much better than Dallas, and San Antonio is much better than Austin. Distance from the border is key.

French fries in a burrito are excellent, I had one for lunch today. Though I admit it surely is not "authentic". FWIW, that's mostly a San Diego thing and obviously there is shitload of mexican food here free of french fries.

Just let me paint with a wide brush.

I ain't buying bob's proximity theory either. The problem with mexican food in texas is that both cultures have co-existed for so long that they've borrowed from each other and the lines got blurred. Again, tex mex is delicious, but i'm over it and want some good mexican food and haven't been able to get it. I've had mexican in San Antonio, it's o.k.

I think when you have a large population of any ethnicity and it's displaced a good distance from the home country, good authentic markets and restaurants crop up to serve that population and then word gets out.

I've lived in California for 17 years and never seen a burrito with french fries in it to my recollection. I did get those in Virginia when I lived there. The analogy to chef boyardee doesn't really work for several reasons:

(1) Chef Boyardee sucks, Burritos with FF don't. A more appropriate analogy would be something that's good but inauthentic like Chicago style pizza.
(2) Secondly, it's really silly to talk about authenticity with respect to Burritos. Mexicans don't eat burritos for the most part and I don't even think they fuh them.

I love me some fake mexican food and I love me some authentic mexican food.

now you're just talking crazy

Me too. Post-Katrina, NOLA has been rebuilt by Mexicans. They have brought their food with them. It's a nice addition to the food scene. But I still love to get some heavily Americanized Mexican food and drink light beer on a friday afternoon.