Chicago has spoken. Who gets the L’s? And Who takes top honors in the Chi? What was the best Latin music of the year? The best street food? Best tortillas? After hours spot? Across the country, Remezcla.com tapped into Latinos looking for answers to these burning questions, and we got the lowdown on Chicago. Only one thing is for sure, everyone loves El Milagro. What do you think? Feel free to add to our 2008 list of winners and losers. You must!
General Manager, Radio Arte 90.5fm Chicago
Best concert of the year: Los Tigres Del Norte at
Ravinia.
Best meal under $10: Caldo de pollo at Casa Del
Pueblo.
Best spot for drinks: Beviamo’s on Taylor.
Wish we had: Latinas running the city.
Best spot to buy tortillas: El Milagro
Most innovative cultural program: is any program put on by the National Museum of Mexican Art
Best kept secret: is Chicago’s Latino-owned, youth driven, bilingual public radio station 90.5 WRTE-FM.
Local Latino discovery of the year: Refusing to be discovered.
Song of the year: “Me caí,” Pacifika
Best Coffee shop: Toss up between Cafe Jumping and Efebos.
Best Open Mic: Proyecto Latina’s Open Mic
Best street food: Can’t go wrong with mangos and pepinos from the Harrison Park Street Vendors.
Best on the ones and twos: Sal Garcia aka DJ Greedy host of the Hot Mix Show on 90.5 WRTE-FM
Hardest working (local) band: Pilsen’s very own, Fandanguero
Latinosploitation film of the year: OMG…that Bevery Hills Chihuahua movie
Breakthrough (visual) artist: Luis De La Torre.
Best after hours spot: Skylark, the bar from The Breakup.
Chicago’s hardest working musician, promoter and
graphic designer
Best concert of the year: Salon Victoria at APO
Best meal under $10: Two tacos de La Pasadita and a
Sidral.
Best spot for drinks: Skylark
Best spot to buy tortillas: El Milagro on 18th St.
Most innovative cultural program: World Music Festival.
Song of the year: “Disneylandia,” Jorge Drexler.
Best Coffee shop: Jumping Bean.
Best Open Mic: Cafe Mestizo on Wednesdays & Q4 on Thursdays.
Best on the Ones and Twos (local DJ): David Chavez & Resistol 5000.
Hardest working (local) band: Mamba Negra.
Breakthrough (visual) artist: Alfonso “Piloto” Nieves.
DJ, Director of Aguzate.org
Best concert of year: The Spam All-Stars at Summer
Dance.
Best meal under $10: Any sandwich at Café Colao on
Division Street.
Best spot to buy pernil: Cermak Produce, you can feed a big party with just over $10 bucks.
Most innovative cultural program: La Peña Wednesdays at Old Town School of Folk Music.
Best kept Latino secret: The Dusty Groove has the best Latin vinyl collection available for sale in Chicago, including Puerto Rican,
Cuban, Latin New York and Brazilian.
Local Latino discovery of the year: José “Papo” Santiago [Playing on New Year’s Eve at Rumba.]
Song of the year: “Mi Swing es Tropical” remix by Quantic & Nickodemus. The song as released in 2006 but picked up this year when it was used for a commercial.
Best Coffee shop: Café Mestizo.
Best Open Mic: Bombazo Fridays at Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center.
Best street food: Tacos al Pastor at Allende in Lincoln Park.
Best on the Ones and Twos (local DJ): DJ Chávez
Hardest working (local) band: Bossa Tres.
Q4 Maestro, Chicago’s Poet
Best concert of year: Grupo Yuba at the Winds Cafe.
Best spot for drinks: ñ Bar.
Most innovative cultural program: Barrio Arts Fest Humboldt Park.
Best kept secret: Yollocalli youth art reach.
Best Coffee shop: Mi Cafetal, Pilsen.
Best Open Mic: Q4! You know it!
Best street food: Any trailer in Humboldt Park.
Best on the Ones and Twos (local DJ): Papa G.
Hardest working (local) band: Grupo Yuba
Breakthrough (visual) artist: Piloto.
Best after hours spot: My place (haha.)
Enchufate.com
Best concert of year: Indie: Pastilla at Subterranean.
Major Label: Mala Rodriguez at Green Dolphin.
Best meal under $10: Taco Bueno, fresh “home-made”
Mexican food that even includes botanitas before your
meal arrives. So good! Try the quesadilla de huitlacoche.
Wow!
Most inauthentic “Latin” restaurant: Lalo’s (all of them!)
Best spot for drinks: Zocalo, The place looks great, the staff is friendly and they have more than 120 tequilas to choose from.
Wooo! Tequila flights? Yeah! Viva Mexico!
Wish we had: a latin alternative radio station! I want to turn my radio on anytime and listen to something awesome instead of the same crappity crap on mainstream radio right now. Blah! Ick! Yuck! Ugh! (Ha!)
Best spot to buy Mexican randomness from Grisi Manzanilla Shampoo to Paletas Vero to fresh flor de calabaza: Maxwell Street Market (Desplaines Street at Roosevelt Road.)
Most innovative cultural program: Fiesta del Sol 2008.
Best kept secret: Benito Juarez statue, between buildings on the Magnificent Mile.
Song of the year: Indie: Pastilla – “La La La”. Major Label: Calle 13 & Cafe Tacvba – “No Hay Nadie Como Tu.”
Best Coffee shop: Cafe Efebo’s.
Best Open mic: Cafe Mestizo.
Best street food: Tamal Oaxaceño Cart in front of Casa del Pueblo.
Best on the ones and twos: Enchufate DJs: Angelf*k & Scarecrow + Resistol 5000 (of Rock Sin Anestesia 88.7FM WLUW.)
Hardest working (local) band: Descarga.
Breakthrough artist: Giroscopio.
College Adviser
Best spot for drinks: Lalo’s!!! on Halsted! great stories
were made at Lalo’s during my college years.
Wish we had: More Bossa Nova joints and more Latin
Jazz concerts.
Most innovative cultural program: The Pilsen
neighborhood. Pilsen has been an open cultural space for many young Latino artists to express and explore different forms of art.
Best kept secret: A small corner store on 21st Street, it sells the best menudo soup ever! My mom goes there every Sunday.
Best coffee shop: The Jumping Bean! I love that coffee shop! It has seen me stressed out when I wrote papers, It has seen me happy and sad and it has seen me reunite with old friends.
Best open mic: At the Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School , every Friday students set up a talent show where I have heard the best poetry and open mic performances from 16 and 17-year old students.
Best on the ones and twos: None, they all sound the same to me.
Latinosploitation film of the year: Under the Same Moon.
Photographer, Remezclero
Best street food: worst is the tacos at the Maxwell street
flea market, ostia!
Local Latino discovery of the year: Making Movies (they’re
Midwestern.)
Best meal under $10: Lazos.
Most inauthentic “Latin” restaurant: Nuevo Leon (they try too hard.)
Best spot for drinks: Estelles.
Wish we had: an arepa bar in Chicago.
Best spot to buy: tortillas is at El Milagro.
Most innovative cultural program: FMEL.
Puerto Rican Ambassador to Chicago
Best concert of year: Rebel Diaz in Little Village
Best spot for drinks: Tumbao
Wish we had: a good tropical radio station in Chicago.
Best spot to buy sofrito, pana and mavi: Central Park
Produce.
Best kept secret: Café Cubano on Pulaski and Wrightwood. Best coffee and sandwiches.
Local Latino discovery of the year: Forgotten Injustice documentary film by Vicente Serrano.
Best Open Mic: Q4 on North Ave.
Hardest working (local) band: Grupo Yuba.
Best after hours spot: Tumbao.